Projected publication date: Early 2026
A comprehensive guide to the ins and outs of piano playing, practice, and injury prevention.
The Finlay Method offers a new blueprint for developing sustainable, expressive piano technique. Drawing on insights from neuroscience, biomechanics, and traditional artistry, this book guides pianists through a three-part journey. Part I explores how musical intention shapes technique at the neurological level, emphasizing the role of audiation, memory systems, and sensory feedback in building efficient motor patterns. Part II examines the kinetic chain, anatomy, and movement principles essential for healthy playing, with a focus on preventing the injuries that commonly derail pianists’ progress. Part III presents a detailed toolkit of practical strategies—covering fingering, articulation, technical choreography, and efficient learning methods—that help pianists solve technical challenges and master repertoire with both precision and freedom.
By integrating musical meaning, physical efficiency, and concrete practice strategies, The Finlay Method equips pianists and teachers with a holistic, sustainable approach to technical development—one that supports both artistic growth and long-term physical resilience.
To Play Beautifully, You Must Hear Beautifully.
-The Finlay Method, Chapter 1
“It is only by demanding the impossible of the piano that you can obtain from it all that is possible."
-Heinrich Neuhaus, The Art of Piano Playing
The idea that we must inwardly hear everything we play is nothing new.
Great musicians and teachers have understood this intuitively for centuries. But this isn’t mysticism or high-minded talk — it’s neuroscience. It describes a physical, measurable process: we send neurological commands from the inner ear, pick up sensory information about the result, compare and evaluate, and then refine. When you imagine sound clearly, your motor system prepares more accurately and efficiently.
This concept is just as important — perhaps even more important — than anything I can tell you about efficient movement. At the highest level, technique is guided not by mechanics, but by the ear. The body of an experienced pianist holds a deep intuition about how to carry out the instructions of the inner ear — and the more specific those instructions, the better the result.
That’s why the first portion of this book—on technique and injury prevention—begins not with the hands, but with the brain. Our fingers function best when guided by a refined ear and a precise, imaginative mind. To focus on choreography in isolation from musical meaning is like trying to memorize a monologue in a foreign language by learning the sounds, but not the words. Imagine for a moment how awkward the movements of your mouth and tongue would feel trying to reproduce this monologue.