Gravity drops

[luposolitario]

In the book "Fundamentals of piano practice" (II,10) Chang speaks about "gravity drops". Has anybody practiced them? are they useful?

[ryan2189]

I have read this section in Chang's practice book, and I have tried to utilize the gravity drop when playing as well. It takes some time to perform it correctly. When starting it, you might hit wrong notes due to the relaxation of the arm/hand. It helps tremendously when using strong dynamics such as forte or fortissimo, and it also extends your stamina, due to the fact that your forearm is less tense. Or at least that is what it is like for me. It is definitely a useful technique.

[luposolitario]

I'm trying the "gravity drop" but I can't do it being relaxed.
To support the wieght of my hand\arm I must press downwards, pull towards me or
push towards the piano. In these cases my flexors get tense. To relax them I have
to use my arm muscles. I'm sure that something is wrong...

[bearzinthehood]

This is a useful technique to learn because it helps with relaxation.  It's not always applicable in repertoire, but I've found cases where it has been, and I think this technique is fundamental and helps with other techniques such as staccato octaves and forearm rotation.  The first thing to do when you're learning it is putting your hand where it's supposed to land and lifting it straight up.  Completely relax once you reach the desired height, but remember to regain control during impact.  Don't try with an octave first, a sixth chord is a good place to start.

[aragonaise]

I can't seem to do gravity drop at speed. There is simply no time to lift your hands up in the air and then dropping them. Or am i understanding things wrongly?

[frida1]

I found the gravity drop very helpful.  I don't know if I was doing it "right," but it helped me.  I first started by getting my hand in the right position, and only dropping it from a very short distance, even just on top of the keys if necessary.  I gradually raised the distance from the keys.  I was able to relax quite well doing this, but I had to start at the appropriate height to begin.

[Ruro]

I can't seem to do gravity drop at speed. There is simply no time to lift your hands up in the air and then dropping them. Or am i understanding things wrongly?

Concurred indeed! I havn't read through well this part of Chang's Book, but I am baffled at it's concept. Push your arm down yourself, the speed increase is invaluable to hit chords fast enough across larges jumps in quick succession. In a sense, to use Gravity is not only slower on the attack, but also encourages the idea of using a Large Arc, where-as for speed you need to make it flat, if you like; brushing fingers across the keys as you move.

Someone did state it applies well to certain repertoire, but frankly that repertoire must be running on Quarters notes at 60bpm!

If you think that is silly, don't bother enlightening me, I might get around to Chang's Book sometime more thoroughly and then grasp it!

[bearzinthehood]

The gravity drop is a learning tool.  I would venture so far as to say that if you are unable to do it then there is a coordination problem that you should address, because I believe that being able to do this technique is fundamental.

[cjp_piano]

The gravity drop is a learning tool.  I would venture so far as to say that if you are unable to do it then there is a coordination problem that you should address, because I believe that being able to do this technique is fundamental.

I agree.  The gravity drop is essential.  Just keep trying it and once you get it, it will feel very relaxed, natural, and yet controlled!

[pita bread]

You don't need to lift your hands that high off of the keys...

[luposolitario]

In the same section of Chang's book there is an other exercise, but I haven't understood it  . Is anyone able to explain it?

And the gravity drop with one finger: when I reach the key, I find difficult to be relaxed:
either the flexors of the fingers or the muscles of the arm(upper) must be used(see above).

[faulty_damper]

Gravity drop means to use gravity as the principle force to accelerate the hammers to the strings.  The higher your hand is from the keyboard, the more potential energy and when it is released, there will be a greater kinetic energy that will transfer to the strings upon impact. 

You do not perform this technique with a loose wrist.   Your wrist must be stable so as to not add excess movement when the arm "drops".  As well, your fingers must be stable upon contact upon the keys so as to not buckle.

This is the single most important technique in piano playing as Gravity is the constant.  Gravity affects everything including the piano mechanisms and the pianist.  Therefore, if you allow gravity to do its job, it will make playing much easier.

[cjp_piano]

You do not perform this technique with a loose wrist.   Your wrist must be stable so as to not add excess movement when the arm "drops".  As well, your fingers must be stable upon contact upon the keys so as to not buckle.

During the drop, your wrist does not move, I agree.  But right after, it must flex down as your arm keeps falling a bit, and then to lift up, your elbow leads, followed by your wrist to get back up to the next position to drop.  It's kind of like the wave with your arm.  Does anyone else observe this while they're doing gravity drops?  Or am I crazy?!?!  =)

[pita bread]

You need to relax your muscles the instant the keys reach the bottom.

[crazy for ivan moravec]

compared to the other sounds i make, using the "drop" is the most beautiful of them all. talk about projection. but i don't know how i might be able to master it because i need a teacher who can guide me with this technique. my current teacher doesn't teach me this. so until now, i still am in the process of experimenting with it, getting used to it... i need to achieve consistency with my use of it.

[avetma]

Can someone please explain that gravity-drop and how to use it? Or maybe scan from a book? I found this interesting, so please, if anyone can help me.

Thank you

[crazy for ivan moravec]

"DROP"

it is quite difficult to master the "drop" because weight is treated scientifically (plus the fact that the risk of playing wrong notes is higher since it's not close to the keys).

one should know how to control the dropping, or the distance of the hands from the keys before dropping in order to achieve different sounds. fingerings of chords are important. the opening chord (c minor 1st inversion for the RH) of the pathetique sonata by beethoven should be fingered as 2-1-5 (Eb-G-C) when doing the "drop". this will automatically voice your top note because when the thumb is under the 2nd finger, the whole weight of your hand shifts to the 5th, thus your top note is given more weight.

i had the privelege of a few lessons with Dr. jose Maceda (check grove's) before he died 3 years ago, who studied with alfred cortot. dr. maceda uses this technique. everything is about weight, he says.

i observed the way he would drop and the wrist does not bend much.
sometimes a forward motion of the arm is noticed.

single-note melodies he would drop one by one like in the chopin Eb nocturne (he doesn't connect much, if tolerable). he uses the pedal really well. the opening of Chopin Barcarolle is like gold in his hands!

i think i remember him saying about the thumb being very important... i forgot how?

the main theme of the schumann concerto 1st movement works really well with dropping. playing it at   p level  using the "drop" will fill a big hall with nice caressing tones.. plus of course voicing the top notes.

WEIGHT=PRESSURE

scientific use of weight is also applicable to running passages and certain hand positions and weird fingerings are used in playing certain phrasings. good planning of the weight shifting and the fingering will automatically do the kind of phrasing you want. but sheesh, those fingerings he taught me were WEIRD. it's only now that i am able to understand its logic, after 3 years.

i never learned it coz he was the only one who could have taught it here in my country.

[cjp_piano]

Can someone please explain that gravity-drop and how to use it? Or maybe scan from a book? I found this interesting, so please, if anyone can help me.

Thank you

You can download it at:

https://members.aol.com/cc88m/PianoBook.html

[avetma]

Thank you.

[mostlyclassical]

I've always been taught to never hit the keys from a certain height, but to always "prepare" the hand, and there's a certain logic to this. The teacher always says the sound will be harsh if you hit the keys like this. But I'll admit to finding the DROP appealing, although hard to practise and even harder to apply it to the repertoire. Not to mention having to 'hide' it from my teacher.
And I can't understand how you can reach full fff with the drop, as mentioned by Gyorgy Sandor in his brilliant book "On Piano Playing", or Chang.

[counterpoint]

Finally, the speed of the keypressing makes the difference between piano and forte. All other considerations will target this point. You may press keys with weight or without weight but with a reflex movement of the finger or the wrist. The movement could be from very small to very big (for example when it is the end of a large jump - over two octaves or more). Which sort of keystroke to choose will affect not only the volume of sound but also it's characteristic. So try out all possibilities and use the one that sounds right (from the ear view) and that feels right (from the body feeling view).

I suspect, that People, who tell you, there's only one universal way to get the "perfect keystroke", don't really know, what they are talking about.

[ramseytheii]

Finally, the speed of the keypressing makes the difference between piano and forte. All other considerations will target this point. You may press keys with weight or without weight but with a reflex movement of the finger or the wrist. The movement could be from very small to very big (for example when it is the end of a large jump - over two octaves or more). Which sort of keystroke to choose will affect not only the volume of sound but also it's characteristic. So try out all possibilities and use the one that sounds right (from the ear view) and that feels right (from the body feeling view).

I suspect, that People, who tell you, there's only one universal way to get the "perfect keystroke", don't really know, what they are talking about.

I confess to only an amateur knowledge, and a still lesser level of interest, in such subjects, but this post is a bit confusing to me nonetheless as just soembody who likes to think and imagine things.  my only method is to compare ideas with my own personal experience, which I analyze endlessly!

How does one actually control the speed at which a key goes down?  Isn't gravity gravity?  How does one experience the speed at which they are depressing a key?  For isntance, does one really feel in the last movement of the Chopin 2nd sonata that they are pressing the keys down slowly?

When you refer to keystroke, what are you referring to?  Earlier in the post you refer to "keypressing," is that the same as "keystroke?"  By "keystroke," do you mean the different varities of touch, for instance with flat fingers, with curved fingers, by stroking the keys outwards, by pushing into the keys? 

Thanks for your help,
Walter Ramsey

[jakev2.0]

You should almost never hit the keys from above.

When you see great pianists play, you are often fooled into thinking they are hitting from above for power when what they are really doing is making contact with the keys, applying arm weight, releasing,  then springing into different hand positions.

Mass of arm (M, Kg) multipled by acceleration due to gravity (9.81 m/s-^2) = Force in Newtons (i.e., arm weight) applied on the keys. Accelerating arms downwards onto keys from above resuts in wrong notes and ugly clanging sounds. 

[counterpoint]

How does one actually control the speed at which a key goes down?  Isn't gravity gravity?  How does one experience the speed at which they are depressing a key?  For isntance, does one really feel in the last movement of the Chopin 2nd sonata that they are pressing the keys down slowly?

That's a very interesting point indeed!

Playing fast pieces pianissimo is really different from playing fast pieces forte.
And it's also different to play legato, non legato or staccato in both cases.

We must not mix up the tempo from the beginning of one note to the beginning of the next note with the tempo of keypress/keystroke (I use these terms in an unspecific sense)

Chopin wants the last movement of Sonata Bb minor to be played "sotto voce e legato". Many pianists don't. They play non legato, with no weight of the arm and hitting the keys from above the key. But Chopin wants legato. So we have to use the fingers passive, moving the arm instead of the fingers. Since the whole movement consists of broken chords, the fingers don't have to release the pressed key immediately. The feeling of playing is more like arpeggiando than playing fast scales.


"Isn't gravity gravity?"

You can play

- with active or with passive movement of the fingers

- with full arm weight, with partly arm weight or with no arm weight, you will get a quite different sound, even if the resulting sound volume is the same.

- you can use all sorts of movement from hands, arms and complete body to shape the sound.


"How does one actually control the speed at which a key goes down?"

Very simple: you feel your finger pressing down the key, you hear the sound   

[zheer]

In the book "Fundamentals of piano practice" (II,10) Chang speaks about "gravity drops". Has anybody practiced them? are they useful?

  Yes, it works sometimes, in some music . To reach FFFFFFF one needs to drop the hand from a distance, can work rather well for either RH or LH.

[timothy42b]

I practice this daily to the best of my understanding but I'm still confused.

I can play a chord by dropping the hand.  I think I'm getting closer to doing it more relaxed, with gravity working.  When I see video of the pro's playing it looks like their forearms are mostly stationary and not relaxed, like they are hitting the keys especially on quick repeated notes.

Sunday in church I had a pattern that I fingered 1/3, 2/4, 3/5.  (first bars of Just As I Am).  It had to be legato.  (no pedal, I was on the organ, but had to do all my practice on piano this week).  How do I approach that with gravity drop?  Do I drop the hand three times, once for each third?