Decoding Technical Difficulties in Ravel's Gaspard De La Nuit (1908) through the Injury-Preventive Technique, the Taubman Approach

This treatise examines the practical application of the piano technique known as the Taubman Approach to one of Maurice Ravel’s most challenging works, Gaspard de la nuit. The Taubman Approach provides strategies based on physiological and biomechanical principles to overcome technical difficulties while concurrently enhancing the music-making experience. Various causes of pain and injury among pianists are discussed, including specific hand positions and motions that have proven disadvantageous and potentially harmful. Both professional and non-professional pianists can benefit from understanding concepts of healthy pianism and how the Taubman Approach relates this to a musical context.This study also investigates Ravel’s compositional style demonstrated in Gaspard de la nuit and the literary sources that inspired him to write the work. Technical challenges in each movement are categorized, analyzed and decoded in accordance with the principles of the Taubman Approach. Excerpts from other works are given to demonstrate similar situations in different contexts. In light of the high number of injuries among musicians, my hope is that this treatise will serve as a useful resource to help other pianists and teachers learn about the Taubman Approach and its perspective on the fundamentals of healthy pianism, demonstrate its effectiveness through the practical application to Gaspard de la nuit, help prevent or provide solutions to playing-related issues, provide necessary tools to express musical ideas and interpretation in piano works regardless of their difficulties and promote a healthy lifestyle both in and outside of the practice room.