some more about legato playing

[PaulNaud]

Some teachers think that it is accomplished most perfectly and more easily by means of the pressure touch. But what "pressure" means? The weight is pushed from one finger to another?
Some other teachers think that deep legato practicing is extremely useful for strengthening weak nervous processes. After-pressure of each finger is recommended. But this pressure touch is not advocated by everybody.
And what about "legatissimo"? It could really mean the holding of one note until two or more are played!
Depending on the type of technical formation, there is at any given moment a prevalence of greater or lesser activity in this or that part  of the playing apparatus.

[pianistimo]

surprisingly, very little effort (pressure) if any is necessary to get a good sound.  i subscribe to the legatissimo idea.  if you have to play loudly - seems that the pedal releases tension somehow in the action - and when you are even half pedalling - or flutter pedalling - or pedalling every 3-4 notes - the release of the weighted pressure (with dampers off the strings) makes playing effortless loud, too.  maybe a sort of 'paper cutter with hand motion from slightly higher position is all that is necessary. 

i didn't realize how much i took forgranted in my technique...but once i learned to experiment with the least amount of energy needed to make sound - it really relaxed my playing even more.

[gorbee natcase]

legato is more personel than detached playing and requires a more intemate touch at a slow pace I would immagine that in general more pedal is required than when playing much more quickly,

Evenness first if that is a  word? emmote later (perhaps we are scientists conducting a very sensitive experriment who knows but we all play slightly different

[piazzo23]

Just watch any video of Argerich and you will notice her legato technique.

She uses a great deal of arm weight, of course she has developed her hand´s muscles to support it. I doesn´t come overnight.

But you could try that technique in slow passages. Eventually you ´ll aquire the necessary strenght to play with that legato in fast runs.

[faulty_damper]

No pressure is needed to play in legato manner.  What is meant from a mechanical view is that when one key is depressed, the damper raises.  The next note that is depressed raises the damper for that key.  At this moment, the the previous key is released slowly to allow the damper to quiet the strings slowly, not abruptly.  This is what is meant (or should be meant) when legato is in discussion.

From this understanding, there is no need for pressure.  However, the motion to acheive legato must incorporate the entire arm action, not just the fingers.  It is incorrect to use only the fingers to play the piano.  The forearm must rotate, the wrist must move, and then finally the fingers control the much finer actions to operate the piano action.

[pianistimo]

agreed - but, if you already have the dampers raised BEFORE a note is hit - i've noticed even less energy is required.  also, the wrist motions and arm motions can constantly be evaluated and extra energy eliminated if it does no good.  then you are looking at long term stamina.

[lostinidlewonder]

I can play with one finger all over the board playing an arpeggio or I can use all my fingers with a supreme legato touch to produce it, either way it is impossible to tell the difference if the sustain pedal is held. This makes us consider the quality of sound rather than the physical nature to produce it.

If the pedal is released and you must produce legato, then always put it in context with the music. Feel that the notes you play are pressed with the hand/arm/body  not individually struck with each finger.

I like to study Bach, there are generally 5 different touches producable without the sustain pedal useage. 1)Legato, 2)Staccato 3)Tenuto 4)Tenuto-staccato and 5)Non-legato. Once these touches are known then adjustments to your legato touch might seem easier.

[pianistimo]

thanks!  agreed about not getting buried in the pedal.  to have a legato touch without pedal is great.  and i agree with faculty_damper and  lostinidle about what happens when a note is played and how the pedal only changes the quality of sound.  for me, in some pieces with wide intervals - it is a way to avoid using 'pressure' to connect the notes.  the pedal is placed AFTEr the note is played, though, to avoid mushy sounds. 

[PaulNaud]

Because the noise-effects grow more and more disturbing with an increasing tempo, it is more difficult to arouse a legato sensation in a fast tempo than in a medium or slow tempo. The noises fading away quickly, will disturb the long sounding tone at the beginning, because they are to be heard only for a short time. In a fast tempo however, the duration, of the tone is not very much longer than the sounding of the noise and so the noise effect associated  with the commencing  of the tone is relatively strong.