Hello everyone. I am opening this discussion because it seems that no one knows or is familiar with this type of study and technical approach. What do you think? I have studied this way for years and it has given me excellent results compared to the somewhat random playing I did when I was little. Drops and flexions, variations on the piece, metronome clicks for speed, knuckles of the 4th and 5th fingers that must be as prominent as the others, weight scale etc. etc. Are these parameters correct? Are there other valid systems? Let me know and let's talk about it a bit. Bye.
I don't quite agree with these methods. Especially with the variations (I imagine you are referring to varying the rhythm of the phrase in all rhythmic combinations), at least they have never been useful to me and anyway I have never seen improvements in the equality and cleanliness of the notes. It is interesting to talk about it, though. If by flexions you mean tempo flexions, i.e., breaths, you will find me in agreement. Very difficult to execute while staying in time but extremely useful for the final performance. Let's hear what Paolo has to say as well.
Hi Simone. What you are actually saying about varying the rhythm of the phrases has some truth to it. I have also always performed them without noticing improvements, but having great confidence in my teacher, I observed the rules. They have their utility, but understanding each phrase well (beginning and end) and the melodic progression in terms of development has always served me very well, alongside repetition, of course. I think that studying in small portions of concluded phrases works better in a certain sense, and perhaps by memorizing them immediately; what do you think?
As for the falls and flexions, they were precisely falls onto the keyboard made with a momentum from the forearm, subsequently bringing one finger at a time to the keys, then letting the relaxed palm fall onto the keys and flexing the finger again by returning it to its previous position. This is the Vitale technique, which is somewhat in contrast to the classic Hammer technique. One involves leaning with the weight of the arm, forearm, and shoulders on the keys, launching the fingers before striking the key using speeds in three different groups (SLOW and HEAVY - BRILLIANT - SOFT and FAST), while the other (which among other things I do not know) I think is limited to pressing the keys by pushing down on them or something like that. If you find anything on this technique let me know, since it has given me a great hand in terms of quality. Bye and thanks for your availability.
Look, without claiming to be right, I feel compelled to tell you this... I think that technique is not like religions where a believer chooses one and follows its rites. While it is obvious that Vitale with his school of arm technique and the other proponents of the "hammer" or rather of "articulation" are excellent piano teachers, I believe that everyone then builds and interprets technique somewhat in their own way. As already mentioned in other discussions, each of us has our own hand anatomy, nerve branches, and tendons that differ anatomically from one another. Their mental attitude, learning capacity, etc. What may work for one is not necessarily suitable for another; consequently, the "secret," if we want to call it that, is executing certain technical passages with postural naturalness of the arm, shoulder, hand, and fingers. In some cases, it is better to articulate; in others, to seek the bottom of the key, to play on the escapement, to keep the wrist high or low, to keep the weight of the shoulder in the cantabile. In short, it also depends heavily on the type of sound being sought. Technique books are manuals; they must be known, but one should not treat technique like a father's name when entering a church—two hours of technique before playing! It was Liszt, if I'm not mistaken, who warmed up by playing Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier. Technique is contained within every piece we play. The key, in my opinion, is therefore to be as natural as possible. If one is natural with the body and with the physical attitude towards the instrument, it will result in a natural, relaxed, and high-quality performance. One must not overdo it... Just listen to Rubinstein. Under his hands, everything seems simple.
