So many pianists have talked about touch. The reality is, that it all comes down to how fast the key gets depressed. Nothing els matters from the mechanical standpoint of the piano's architecture. The hammer gets thrown agains the string. That's it. You could us a hammer, a pencil, or play with cloves on. All that matters, is speed. Slow results in a soft sound, and fast in a loud sound, and anything in-between. When we say, someone has a nice touch, we don't refer to a single note, but rather how the dynamic relationship between all the notes is over time. That's what move us. It always amazes me how pianists come up with this idea that one produces a different tone, touch, sound, what ever you want to call it, by engaging different body parts. The piano really does not care. All that matters is how fast the hammer gets thrown against the string. Ask any piano builder.
The mass is also important! You cannot ignore the fact that a touch from the whole arm (upper arm+ forearm) produces a fuller sound than the forearm, wrist or fingers alone. You can try by using different weights attached to a string and giving them various impulses. You will surely notice the difference. And also, if one does not use the wrist to let the arm 'enter' the keys through the fingers, the sound will be direct and quite ugly. Velocity of impulse is important, but so is the quantity of weight involved.
Lonesome Molecule, thanks for your reply. I could easily prove it to you by sending you a recording of me playing the same note on the same piano with a pencil, my finger, my nose, or what have you. As long as the velocity is the same, I bet you you will not hear a difference in a million years. What makes the difference is how we shape a musical phrase, how we repeat the same note, etc.. That's when we talk about someone having a nice touch, or a cold touch, and such. Throughout the history of piano playing, pianists talked about many different ideas of what the right technique is. Some argued that the fingers are most important, others stressed the weight of the arm, and so forth. To me it all depends on the music we want to produce. There is no one right approach to piano playing therefore. The bottom line, the piano only reacts to velocity. That's also how a digital piano works. It simply measures the speed at which the keys are moved. Sorry man, you just can't ignore reality.
@@musictrainingonline Can't agree. :) I've seen the difference myself, I hear it in my playing. You can also see a difference when two performers play side by side. It's not just the intensity of sound, but also the quality. Of course there is not one 'right approach to piano playing'. There are many 'schools' of piano playing that have different approaches and good results, but so far I think Vicente Scaramuzza's (Martha Argerich's childhood teacher) method is the most detailed anatomically-wise and in regards to the 'tone' production. He stressed the importance of using different segments/articulations of the arm, not only for practical reasons (you cannot play light staccato chords, for example, using just your fingers or just your arm), but also for sound quality ones, which he described with great accuracy (the whole arm produces a more dense tone than just a finger or forearm). It lies in wether you've been exposed or not to something different. Once you notice the difference, you can't 'go back'. As for the reverse, I'm afraid only exposure can help. All the best. :)
Lonesome Molecule, I think we are talking about two different things here. Example, a player piano (piano roll) retreats every nuance of a performance. It records the pitch and key velocity only. Classical pianists use it to hear themselves sitting in the audience. The piano roll does not record how the key was depressed, other than its velocity. Now, as a performer I feel connected to my instrument through the way I touch or strike the keys. The vibration of the instrument, the sound it creates, all of that influences how I play. The piano however does not care. So, that's the illusion of touch every serious pianist has developed. And every single pianist has a different idea about it. In the end, i's about how we connect the notes, the dynamic, the tempo, what makes for a musical performance. In any way, Inspired by you, I will make a video on recording the same note in different ways, first without showing how I engaged the key, and than showing it. It will be a great test whether one can here the difference between a key that was depressed with a pencil, a hammer, or a finger at the exact same velocity. Will be an interesting experiment. All the best to you!
Emile's final expression and smile say it all - what a generous and joyous tour of piano technique! Thank you.
Emile this was fantastic. Thank you for sharing such valuable knowledge and experience.
Very valuable lesson thanks so much, here is pretty cold now I understand you from Chile
You have shared what I long for as a amateur! Thanks so much!
you have no idea how insightful this video is! im working on my octaves a lot and your tips have been unique, glad i found your channel
So many pianists have talked about touch. The reality is, that it all comes down to how fast the key gets depressed. Nothing els matters from the mechanical standpoint of the piano's architecture. The hammer gets thrown agains the string. That's it. You could us a hammer, a pencil, or play with cloves on. All that matters, is speed. Slow results in a soft sound, and fast in a loud sound, and anything in-between. When we say, someone has a nice touch, we don't refer to a single note, but rather how the dynamic relationship between all the notes is over time. That's what move us. It always amazes me how pianists come up with this idea that one produces a different tone, touch, sound, what ever you want to call it, by engaging different body parts. The piano really does not care. All that matters is how fast the hammer gets thrown against the string. Ask any piano builder.
The mass is also important! You cannot ignore the fact that a touch from the whole arm (upper arm+ forearm) produces a fuller sound than the forearm, wrist or fingers alone. You can try by using different weights attached to a string and giving them various impulses. You will surely notice the difference.
And also, if one does not use the wrist to let the arm 'enter' the keys through the fingers, the sound will be direct and quite ugly.
Velocity of impulse is important, but so is the quantity of weight involved.
Lonesome Molecule, thanks for your reply. I could easily prove it to you by sending you a recording of me playing the same note on the same piano with a pencil, my finger, my nose, or what have you. As long as the velocity is the same, I bet you you will not hear a difference in a million years. What makes the difference is how we shape a musical phrase, how we repeat the same note, etc.. That's when we talk about someone having a nice touch, or a cold touch, and such. Throughout the history of piano playing, pianists talked about many different ideas of what the right technique is. Some argued that the fingers are most important, others stressed the weight of the arm, and so forth. To me it all depends on the music we want to produce. There is no one right approach to piano playing therefore. The bottom line, the piano only reacts to velocity. That's also how a digital piano works. It simply measures the speed at which the keys are moved. Sorry man, you just can't ignore reality.
@@musictrainingonline Can't agree. :) I've seen the difference myself, I hear it in my playing. You can also see a difference when two performers play side by side. It's not just the intensity of sound, but also the quality. Of course there is not one 'right approach to piano playing'. There are many 'schools' of piano playing that have different approaches and good results, but so far I think Vicente Scaramuzza's (Martha Argerich's childhood teacher) method is the most detailed anatomically-wise and in regards to the 'tone' production. He stressed the importance of using different segments/articulations of the arm, not only for practical reasons (you cannot play light staccato chords, for example, using just your fingers or just your arm), but also for sound quality ones, which he described with great accuracy (the whole arm produces a more dense tone than just a finger or forearm). It lies in wether you've been exposed or not to something different. Once you notice the difference, you can't 'go back'. As for the reverse, I'm afraid only exposure can help. All the best. :)
Lonesome Molecule, I think we are talking about two different things here. Example, a player piano (piano roll) retreats every nuance of a performance. It records the pitch and key velocity only. Classical pianists use it to hear themselves sitting in the audience. The piano roll does not record how the key was depressed, other than its velocity. Now, as a performer I feel connected to my instrument through the way I touch or strike the keys. The vibration of the instrument, the sound it creates, all of that influences how I play. The piano however does not care. So, that's the illusion of touch every serious pianist has developed. And every single pianist has a different idea about it. In the end, i's about how we connect the notes, the dynamic, the tempo, what makes for a musical performance. In any way, Inspired by you, I will make a video on recording the same note in different ways, first without showing how I engaged the key, and than showing it. It will be a great test whether one can here the difference between a key that was depressed with a pencil, a hammer, or a finger at the exact same velocity. Will be an interesting experiment. All the best to you!
@@musictrainingonline hi Thomas, how far did you come with your experiment?
I would be interested in its outcome
Man.. thank you. I really appreachiate you sharing so valuable lessons
Thank you sooooo much for a great video, you took the time to go over so much details.... I wish I could have lessons with you!!
Thanks for your videos, they're so good
thank you so much!
Большой спасибо!
Emil your Debussy is simply beautiful.
1000 Bravos!
Thank You. Milorad.
The best video you r same my school where r u living I need classes in summers plz
Deep.