Legato is IMPOSSIBLE - Let's Watch Yuju Wang and Stephen Hough to Prove it

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[@PIANO_LAB]

These are two fantastic examples of how when a pianist plays, it can sound and look perfectly smooth and legato but in reality not be. Because true legato on the piano is all about illusion. We have to make a percussion instrument sound like a singing instrument!

[@JohnNathanShopper]

Disagree. Finger legato is taught to children to make sure they know how to hold a note when they want to. It’s a tool, not the be-all-and-end-all. Nobody ever claims that concert level piano music relies on finger legato. They’re arpeggiating the whole keyboard. Of course it’s all pedal. What makes the difference is graceful dynamic contrast between the notes in big arpeggios like that.

[@JohnNathanShopper]

Most pianists would describe this as relying on or needing the sustain pedal, but the beautiful “illusion” you’re referring to is about tastefully choosing the volume of each note, slightly accenting roots and thirds or whatever is best for the piece, finding the melody in big sweeping arpeggios. It’s not truly the issue of finger legato. It’s the grace of expressing an arpeggio.

[@billiederham8398]

Excellent illustration. Thank you

[@SE013]

Finally! This is the biggest myth that needs busting, and the amount of reactionary responses in the comments prove this need. People forget that legato is not the be-all and end-all. It is a tool to produce a certain effect, 90% of the time a singing tone. Playing finger legato does not guarantee a singing tone whatsoever. In fact, I often see that it's merely a lazy excuse that beginners use to tell themselves that they are making the piano sing, when in fact, it isn't at all. The most important thing is to LISTEN. Both finger legato and pedal legato can but not necessarily produce a singing tone. One just has to listen and find the right sonority for that passage in question, and most professional pianists use both, yet piano teachers emphasize way too much finger legato as if that should be the go-to.

[@infinitewisdom9619]

Excellent video and explanation!

[@johncgibson4720]

Thank you so much. My father and other teachers tried to teach me the hard way 40 years ago. I took piano lessons for only 1 year. Mystery solved today. I could play the entertainer at the height of my music career.

[@matthewclarke5008]

Tobias Matthay describes it as when playing fast, you use staccatissimo touch with finger only and arm completely poised.

[@joseprojo975]

I’ve been taught legato since I entered in uni and now I can say it does matter. The difference is audible and it doesn’t matter how I frase a motif, if it’s not played legato, it won’t sound fully legato. It’s about transfering the weight of the whole arm through each finger equally and actually leaving no air between notes that u can achieve a good frasing, and I’ve only heard such marvellous frasing and true legato from one or two pianists, bc u have to have the ear rlly trained in orther to hear the difference. One time I heard it was coming from Horowitz, playing Chopin’s op 17 n4 and the second one from Martin Garcia Garcia playing the second movement of Chopin’s second concerto. In conclusion, it might look legato but it doesn’t rlly sound like it if u pay attention.

[@Pachi27]

Yuja can let go because she is using pedal...I would imagine teachers teach legato technique (connect each note as long as possible before letting go) because maybe some pieces dictate to not use the pedal or it would be inappropriate to use the pedal, etc.

[@igotbit9454]

I’ve been starting to see this too. All the expert jazz pianists Ive been watching online play the piano like it’s a percussive instrument

[@DavidMiller-bp7et]

Lessons getting really good. You are adressing some more advanced techniques, which should have been covered by teachers of earlier stage students. Such as this is absolutely basic in establishing good technique without the confusion of teachers who are themselves confused, perhaps just relaying what they were taught. Kudos. Piano is percussion machine, sound with decay, no way to keep up the intensity, pedal is the best tool to create the illusion of legato, sound new sound vibrations sounding louder than the decaying ones. None of my 6 in person teachers with glowing resumes covered these types of considerations, i. e. "technical tools" to get the job done right.

[@tommunyon2874]

The first statement made, was one of the first things we were told about the piano in school: that it is a percussion instrument.

[@PianoJules]

Thank you for this, I think finger legato is the reason I get stuck in the keys and can’t play fast. I excited to try this in my practice session this evening.

[@matthewclarke5008]

Also my previous teacher said to use legato fingerings, with staccato touch, while keeping close to the key, giving the illusion of legato.

[@GlobalStats]

It will depend if you are using the pedal or not

[@rivers5320]

You mentioned that there is no need to keep the fingers pressed on the keys for the left hand arpeggio passage. But I can remember pieces where the provided fingering specifically asks you to use finger switching and stuff to keep the keys as much as possible, which I guess is encouraging sustaining the pressure on the figures, which is kind of awkward and unnecessary since you have the pedal on. For example the middle section Chopin's funeral match. What's the difference between this and that?

[@TheSlowPianist]

I find that tone and, to that end, good hand-balance to be the key to legato.

[@peter5.056]

Once you play a note, it's yesterday's news. Staying stuck on a key will absolutely lock up your technique faster than anything.

[@1389Chopin]

Great vid. I would say finger swapping can create some interesting moments. Also holding some notes can also be interesting. I find this effective to bring out certain lines. The section in Beethoven's no. 23 1st - after the long run down to the stormy bass section. Its written in the music but fingering the right hand to hold the melody is imho important.