Piano Technique Lesson No. 4

sisifo1987 wrote:

We have reached the fourth lesson of "piano technique".

The discussion on the drop is interesting, even more interesting to note the differences with one's own technique (if there is any).

I have always performed drops without flexing the wrist, keeping it firm even at the moment of impact (without damping).

Would the choice of a technical gesture derive from a better sound?? Is the technical gesture to be chosen always chosen in such a way as to not create excessive tension and to obtain a good sound??

How do we say that is a good sound?? Doesn't subjectivity also come into play??

If I may give my opinion, there are certain convictions in the pianism I have developed, and among these (few) is the quality of sound.

Never produce (unless expressly written in the score) a harsh sound.

By not flexing the wrist, the resulting sound is certainly much harsher compared to flexion.

Never create unnecessary tensions, as was well explained in the video, and therefore not expressly written (one finds little of this in music and, I believe mostly among contemporary composers, for the purpose of research and expansion of the expressive elements of music, the composer's palette of "colors").

Therefore, in my opinion, it is not a matter of establishing what a good sound is, but of expressing what is "written" in the score within a musical literature of which it is an integral part.

I am referring to the music and the compositional style.

In any case, releasing tension is always a good practice in pianism, i.e., finding a part of the body that can release the energy created during the drop rather than accumulating it; this is also to avoid as much as possible incurring those forms of muscular stress that eventually easily transform into pain, which can even lead to trauma if rest is not intervened in time.

Never play through pain (another ironclad conviction)!

I agree with your words, tgdigit!!! In videos, you can't say everything. They are and must be a starting point for reflection. The search for sound and naturalness. Relaxation is what, step by step, develops true energy. The energy originating from muscles that are "not tense" and collaborate with each other.

thanks for the response!! it was what I expected 🙂

Well said! I think letting the wrist drop to cushion is great; lately I ran into a situation where

I was told "absolutely not" fall with the forearm -making an angle with the elbow- that is, a forearm drop- but do not let the wrist drop

instead I had to keep it fixed. (besides the harsh sound, I felt the results in my arms, unfortunately)

Having been used after years to using the forearm drop less and more often using a longer lever, meaning I don't make the angle with the forearm, and also used to flexing the wrist, bouncing, I felt lost.

Thanks to everyone I am going back to doing them as I am used to

yours nonnatitti

Attention. No recipe is applicable to everyone. What we see being done and imitate, even if it comes from a Master, may not be good for everyone. What we see is only, in fact, the consequence, the final visual effect, what "is seen" and depends on the anatomical conformation of each of us. So if we see someone moving their elbow away, for example, we are ready to exclaim "....ah, so that's how it should be..."...but it doesn't mean it will be right for us. Instead, it is important to observe from the outside and suggest what is best for each individual. This, indeed, is the irreplaceable task of the Master: knowing how to recognize "what is not working" and suggesting a possible solution. Only by suggesting "what is not working" and leaving "what is right (but perhaps different from subject to subject)" can artistic growth be encouraged while leaving the musician's personality as intact as possible. This is my belief.

Music also suggests this solution, and above all "our sound". My teacher, one of the most gifted students of the great Carlo Zecchi, insisted, like her Master, on listening to the quality of the sound. This applies both to a simple drop and to a complex passage. When the "pianistic gesture" is correct and elegant... the sound will be too... and vice versa!!!. A good "litmus test"

Great, I think it is the right way for piano technique!

thanks