Changing or omitting notes in order to sound better

[orlandopiano]

I wanted the board's thoughts on this. Sometimes I'll play a difficult passage with a note or two omitted because that single note can make a huge difference in the level of energy I can give that passage. I've never done this in serious performance or competition, just for casual recitals in front of my students and parents.

Thoughts?

[pianobil]

Depends on what. What are you considering?
Alonso?!

Best,
Bill

[stevie]

depends on the composer, if its liszt or chopin you can be sure what they wrote was pianistic, but ives...schubert..etc, they often wrote music that was unpianstic, most likely because they didnt know the piano that well.

horowitz did this all the time, and he is QUITE REVERED, as i said...depends on the music, but in general i am in aggreance with your idea.

[ted]

Yes, I do that; not a lot, very rarely in fact, but if the written way is so awkward for my hand that it blocks all musical flow I do change things. The paradox here is that in nearly all cases, playing more notes or doubling something usually makes it easier rather than harder. A case in point is the substitution of octaves and tenths for single notes in the bass of ragtime and stride.

[perfect_pitch]

I only omit notes if I have a big reach and theres no way to play it (depending on a fast tempo).

I have small hands. but I never change the notes. I always play whats there.

[alzado]

First . . . I'm no expert.  However . . .

Yes, I do that a lot with popular music.  Very seldom if ever with classical.

One interesting thing has to do with misprints in the sheet music.

Not often, but a few times, my teacher would stop me and say, "play that again."  Meaning just a phrase . . . a couple of measures.

Then she would say, "that's wrong.  That's sharped (or flatted) but the music has omitted the accidental." 

My teacher has a full music education, including enough theory so she knows what is happening with key changes.

We write in the accidental and almost always the chord sounds so much better . . .

So . . .  never say never on some of these minor changes.

Misprints DO occur.  Some music publishers are very diligent, some are marginal.  Trust your ears, and then . . . ask your teacher.

[perfect_pitch]

Well obviously when the publishing company has made a mistake... then obviously we will always change it to how it should be....

Technically we are not changing it, because it is the sheet music who is wrong.

[sonatainfsharp]

I once turned pages for a supposedly well-known Hungarian pianist.  She did an all-Liszt recital: Etudes, etc.

Anyway, I kept getting lost in the music because she changed most of it! For example, there was one etude where she played whole notes in the left hand and did the flashy right-hand part, even though both hands were supposed to play in unison!

I mentioned this to my instructor and she hushed me up in a second. I just thought it was pretty funny, because if I were to miss a note, she would have had my head.

That being said, I faked the entire fourth movement of Beethoven's Op.2/1 and it received the most applause and three curtain calls.

[practicingnow]

"Cheating" is in the tradition of great pianists, from Rubinstein to Horowitz to even Cziffra...Yes, it is ok, as long as you can get away with it.  Cheating well is an art in itself - the three pianists mentioned above were very good at it.  Be careful where you do it, though...If it is too obvious, then it will reduce your performance to a joke - but if you do it well, then even those that notice it will give you credit for being clever - you get it?!   

[stevie]

horowitz cheated...cziffra made things harder for himself 

[maxy]

sometimes it can be a necessity.  With Liszt and Chopin it is very fine to make changes.   Rearranging Mozart or Beethoven seems to always end up bad, so better to find a way to play all as written. 

 

[practicingnow]

horowitz cheated...cziffra made things harder for himself 

In most cases that is true  lol