Playing the Piano Naturally
"Vicki King's method of natural piano playing has given me more freedom and success in piano performance than I have experienced in 40 years of playing."
Dr. Vicki King has piano degrees from Mississippi University for Women and Indiana University, a Doctor of Arts degree in Piano Pedagogy from the University of Mississippi, and a Performer's Certificate in piano from the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. She pursued further study in Cologne and Hamburg, Germany, as well as six years of study with Professor Powell Everhart in Atlanta, Georgia. For over 20 summers she worked as a vocal coach at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria. She overcame her own performance injuries years ago and has spent the past 30 years helping pianists understand the causes of their injuries. Her book, Playing the Piano Naturally, details piano techniques for pain-free playing. Sometimes the solutions are quite simple--adjusting the height of the bench or freeing the arms at the shoulders, allowing the keys to support the hands. She has helped countless pianists release their bodies from useless tension so that they are able to play with freedom and ease. She has presented natural piano playing workshops in Arizona, Virginia, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Wisconsin.
She is an active judge for MTNA as well as for the National Guild of Piano Teachers and reviews new music for Piano Guild Notes. She lives in Bloomington, Indiana, where she does specialized coaching for pianists wanting to enrich their technique, and/or overcome performance injuries. She is the author of a recently published book, "Adventures of an Old Lady Piano Teacher," published by Covenant Books.
Carole Noel, NCTM, Louisville, KY: "Vicki King's method of natural piano playing has given me more freedom and success in piano performance than I have experienced in 40 years of playing. My injuries included trigger finger, carpal tunnel, tennis elbow, and resulted in numerous surgeries, medication, and physical therapy. After 18 months of piano lessons with Vicki, I am playing more advanced repertoire like the music I so enjoyed in graduate school. Natural playing not only feels good, but it sounds good."