Piano technique

A question that is the OCEAN! This has already been extensively argued. I also invite you to see my video tutorials on the subject, remembering that the development of technical skills cannot be separated from the musical context. Hours of Hanon do not help to progress.

I absolutely agree with Pianoexpert. It is important to know and gain experience with the fundamental mechanisms of piano technique, but this does not mean spending daily hours performing exercises detached from a musical context. Therefore, my suggestion is: identify the fundamental mechanisms, experience them on the instrument, and then recognize and apply them to musical scores.

I fully share Sfredda's wise words!

with which texts to start studying the piano?

wido wrote:

with which texts should I start studying the piano?

Do you mean manuals/treatises on technique?

In this case, it is important to know that technique alone is not of much use... so I would like to wait until the question is clearer...

Yes, I mean manuals, like Pozzoli's "scuola preparatoria del pianoforte", Hanon's "The Virtuoso Pianist", and since technique alone is not enough, can you advise me on how to study it, and which technical texts to use and other texts as well? I had started studying the piano with a teacher a few years ago, then I stopped. Now I am starting again as a self-taught player, so I need your advice on texts, manuals, and whether I can also learn on my own...

Instrumental technique, especially at the beginning, is learned "in the workshop," by observing, listening, and imitating. For this reason, if I may, I would advise you to seek guidance and pay more attention to choosing a good teacher (and such a teacher is one who also, and above all, cares about musicality).

wido wrote:

Yes, I mean manuals, like "scuola preparatoria del pianoforte" by Pozzoli, The Virtuoso Pianist by Hanon, and since technique alone is not enough, can you advise me on how to study it, which technical texts to use, and other texts as well? I had started studying piano with a teacher a few years ago, then I stopped. Now I am starting again as a self-taught player, so I need your advice on texts, manuals, and whether I can also learn on my own...

Given that technique is a very personal matter and varies from student to student. The type of exercise varies according to the weaknesses that one must improve due to more or less natural predisposition.

In general, pure technique is useless unless paired with etudes and repertoire; therefore, moving within these three areas, there is a wide choice.

As far as pure technique is concerned, at an elementary stage, Hanon and Mozzati don't hurt and have never killed anyone... at an advanced stage: Liszt and the great PISCHNA.

Obviously, these exercises should be aimed at occupying a very small part of the day. Without a teacher, one can only cause damage.

As far as etudes are concerned, there is an embarrassment of riches: Pozzoli, Czerny, Heller, etc.... even here, who will correct posture errors if there is no one to verify your work?

Obviously, most of the work will then have to be done on repertoire... and here it depends on tastes and levels of difficulty... and not everyone can play everything, so who will help you choose? Aside from the matter of taste?

You must also remember that playing means one thing and studying another... it seems trivial, but when alone, one tends more to play than to study...

It occurred to me that you could post a video of yourself; seeing you play could trigger some small but useful tips... at least regarding posture.

Does anyone know if the great PISCHNA is available in PDF? I've always heard it mentioned but I've never had the chance to see it...

hi jack i had found both the small and the large one in pdf but i don't remember where anymore...

A benefactor passed it to me ...thanks anyway Antares

Hey Benefattore, please pass them to me too if you can..

THANK YOU

Regards

saverio

I saw pianoexpert's videos: thank you!

Since I started visiting this site, I have learned many things about piano technology and now also important things about technique. The thing I find revolutionary for me is the thumb crossover… no one before now had illustrated it to me.

I have made a small summary of the fundamental concepts gathered from the videos. When will the videos on scales-arpeggios and especially the one on the fundamental movement of rotation be released?

Thank you again

Posture: not too high nor too low (greater height = greater power; lower height = greater key sensitivity)

Drop: not from a distance; after the drop, do not stiffen the fingers and pay attention to the wrist relaxation mechanism (the wrist bounces, cushions). For complex chords, a drop with more muscular assistance is required (but always not excessive) to improve the sound and make all keys sound at the same time.

You must play imagining you are plucking the strings without the intervention of the mechanics, and in this, a posture that is not too high helps.

Flexible wrist, soft arms but firm fingers for impact. In the drop, do not involve the shoulder (use gravity without shoulder involvement).

In the preparation for the drop, the hand and fingers are the last to leave the keyboard.

In drops, gravity is the main protagonist with minimal muscular contribution.

The fingers are the terminal part of the arm and come into contact with the keyboard.

Never play with the five fingers without maintaining wrist flexibility.

Light horizontal adjustments of the fingers are necessary while playing so that each finger finds itself in alignment with the forearm.

When playing the thumb, it ends up with a lower wrist compared to when playing the pinky: one actually plays by pulling with each finger (gripping slightly) and not pressing… reaching the action of the fifth finger, the wrist will be slightly higher (see video to understand).

Move forward with the forearm to play on the black keys.

End a melodic succession with the wrist slightly higher (whether starting with the thumb or starting with the pinky).

In five-finger exercises, it is fundamental to learn how to transfer weight from one finger to another without stiffening… it is emphatic to think about the finger that has already played, but one must follow the succession of the weight shift onto the subsequent fingers (without articulating too much: this would break the continuity with the forearm musculature).

Gravity is not everything: to obtain strength and execution speed, something else is needed. Strength is given by the speed at which the hammer impacts the string and not by the weight applied to the key.

Gravitation serves to make one aware of where the bottom of the key is.

The thumb is atypical because it has 2 phalanges. The third finger is linked to the fourth finger (interference due to ligament).

Thumb crossover to avoid limiting the thumb and other fingers and to avoid deviations in execution: to achieve this, a minimum movement of the forearm is required, which will move forward together with the hand in the performance progression.

Recommended exercises: Stravinsky's Five Fingers

Recommended manuals: Denis Levaillant “Le Piano”

Cortot “Fundamentals of Piano Technique"

Let's come to two complex practical examples: I am talking about the Gradus ad Parnassum by Clementi, Volume 1, Study 9 (arpeggios) and 17 (5 fingers left hand)

Doubts:

study 9: applying the thumb-over system to the arpeggios risks making them discontinuous

study 17: the fingers must sound by pulling rather than pressing (ok), the articulation must be fast but not too accented (it is a forte),
the wrist movement with all its ups and downs risks being excessive (with rises and falls also on his part): how can one keep the wrist free while minimizing its movements (avoiding mannerisms that are aesthetically unpleasant and practically obstructive)?

How do you suggest studying number 17?

thanks

The maturation of fundamental gestures is complex, and the "emancipation of movement" varies depending on levels and the conformation of the hand. Now speaking of the Gradus, we are talking about advanced technique and therefore also about accessory micro-movements that come into play with speed and difficulty. After "elementarily" indicating how to perform scales and arpeggios with thumb over, this must be applied with a grain of salt to the pieces in question. If it were all so "schematic" and "exhaustively applicable," the supervision of the Maestro would not be necessary; instead, the Maestro knows well how to "apply" what are fundamental gestures. Furthermore, it must be said that, in addition to the corrections that the Maestro can and must provide based on what they see and hear, there is a phase of internalization of the correct gesture and, above all, the optimization of micro-movements by the pianist. A sort of "feeling" within one's own body of the correct and optimal coordination, which will produce a good result. It is difficult and pretentious to suggest all solutions based on theoretical statements. Gaining experience means "experimenting" on oneself in an advanced and refined way, also in relation to the level achieved and the difficulty of the piece. I hope that these words have suggested useful thoughts.

I would like to venture, I say venture, to respond to the requested indications regarding Clementi's No. 9 and No. 17. Regarding No. 9 and thus the arpeggios, the thumb passage "to the side" must be understood, naturally, as if the hand were to move to the new position without thinking about having to "leap over the thumb." It is natural that, for example, in the A major arpeggio, the thumb is on A, and going up to B# involves less difficulty than going up to A natural (if it were an A minor arpeggio). Besides, the C major scale and arpeggio are certainly the most difficult. I remember that in my performance of Schubert's Wanderer—an opera very clear harmonically but very difficult technically, moreover posted in the audio section—regarding the final arpeggios for parallel motion and, in the finale, in tenths, I say I chose to even turn after the fifth finger, respecting the positions of the C major chord and avoiding the thumb passing underneath! It is appropriate, depending on the hand, to lower the wrist a little during the passage and then regain the position. Sandor also recommends this in his very useful book "How to Play the Piano" published by BUR.

Regarding "pulling and pressing," it should not be taken literally, but rather there must be a sort of "gripping" or "grasping" of the key present in the small phalanges operating during articulation, simple gravitation, or a combination of both. This is precisely to avoid the fingers receiving only the help of the large muscles... without doing their part. When the fingers refuse to work with the small phalanges exactly as required in studies 16 and 17 of the Gradus, visually, one can observe a continuous "rebound" of the forearm that "pushes" the key of every note. A healthy, small, calm articulation, instead, releases tension from the entire apparatus of the large muscles, which, while participating, leaves the protagonism to the small phalanges. Forte must be obtained with greater gravitation, increasing support from the shoulder.

You can, naturally, begin studying in "slow motion" and observe the hand, both in the arpeggio and in the five-finger technique. However, try to project everything into speed because, as we know, at speed, everything must be well-measured in precise "micro-movements." But then, how to do it? What if the piece is not yet "mature" enough to play "vivace" in No. 9 and/or "veloce" in 16 and 17? One can use pauses on the accents (in this case every two bars of sixteenth notes). First with repetition of the arrival note and then without.

One last thing: for example, the indication "to equalize the strength of the fingers" must not mean "strengthening" or "bodybuilding." Equality, as stated several times, is mental. The hand has stronger and weaker fingers, but the brain command increasingly learns to send more force to the weak ones and vice versa for the strong ones, achieving equality. Therefore, concentration on the correct movement is worth much more than "repeating for hours" the "gymnastic" movement (the time already spent on this study will be sufficient to acquire familiarity and "fluidity" with this type of technique!). This is my conviction... I hope those illustrious colleagues who suggest different and/or opposite paths do not take offense.

I hope that these brief observations and opinions of mine can be useful

Many greetings to everyone.

I wanted to know if any of you are familiar with Fernando Fantone's method:
TECNICA PIANISTICA ESSENZIALE (Essential Pianistic Technique).

If so, I wanted to know your opinion on this technique book.

And if it is worth buying to study from, obviously.

Greetings

mariotto wrote:

Many greetings to everyone.

I wanted to know if any of you are familiar with Fernando Fantone's method:

TECNICA PIANISTICA ESSENZIALE (Essential Pianistic Technique).

If so, I wanted to know your opinion on this technique book.

And if it is worth buying to study from, obviously.

Regards

I don't know it, but professionals study Liszt