I'm trying to figure out what the correct technique is for locating a key on the piano keyboard. As far as I can tell, there are the following clues (names invented on the spot):
- "absolute position", i.e. the ability of locating with closed eyes a certain key on the keyboard.
- "relative position", i.e. combining the knowledge of the current position of your hand on the keyboard and the knowledge about the size of intervals on the keyboard. This works both in space ("one fifth upwards from where my pinky is") and in time ("the same key that my thumb played two notes ago").
- "keyboard shape", i.e. slightly grazing the black keys and using the gaps B-C and E-F to deduce the location of the hand.
- "direkt looks", i.e. taking your eyes off the score to directly look at the keyboard.
- "peripheral look", i.e. keeping your eyes on the score but using your peripheral vision to guide your hands.
Obviously I try to avoid 4, although I sometimes cannot avoid it (especially for large jumps). I'm pretty bad at 1, while 2 works okay (especially once I had some time to practice the piece). 3 also works, but I'm not able to do it fast enough for most pieces. So far I haven't used 5 too much.
What I'm wondering: Is any of these techniques the "preferred" one? Or is the golden way a combination of some of these? Should I try to train these techniques individually, and if so, are there special training pieces?