Can someone teach me some piano tricks

[etoile]

I'm interested in learning those tricks with overtones that the 20th century composers do with the piano.
My teacher once showed me that pressing down some low note without making any sounds and then holding down the pedal and pressing another higher note that first low note would resonate, and that pushing down a string on the grand piano and playing that note would cause other strings to vibrate and make sounds also...can someone share with me more kinds of tricks like that?  Thank you.

[ryan2189]

Mmm.... interesting. I haven't heard of anything like this before. It is probably some sort of trick related to harmonics and sound output, etc. but then again knowing things like this couldn't really help you during instances like performing. Learning the piano shouldn't be about tricks, but rather about learning it the correct way. Do you have an examples where tricks like this would be helpful, becuase I can't think of any. 

[etoile]

I had to do the pedal thing once for Poulenc four hand or something I forgot.

Learning the piano shouldn't be about tricks, but rather about learning it the correct way.

That's true, the reason why I didn't ask my teacher for anymore because it would take away valuable lesson time.  This is just to sate my curiosity about avant garde 20th century music 

[Tash]

yeah i believe bartok did something like that but i can't remember what piece- want to know tricks? go find some old piano and experiment- hell attach anything to the strings and see what happens- look at john cage.

but yeah, i'm pretty unknowledgable at this point in time (ask me at the end of the year when i've done a session of 20th century music!)...it is interesting, can't wait to learn about it i'm so into bizarre music right now!

[zheer]

Play a chord, then ues the sustain pedal, take your fingers of the piano keys but dont let go of the pedal. At this point it is completly up to you haw fast or slow you want the sound to decay by gradaully letting go of the pedal, or quickly letting go of the pedal.

[BoliverAllmon]

best advice I can give is experiment. I once saw a piece for trombone played that required a piano. The pianist would hold down chords at certain times (without actually making sound), then the trombonist would turn and play something like the root of the chord into the piano thus causing the piano to resonate and cause a pedal point for him to harmonize with. that was pretty cool.

[etoile]

Wow that is so cool...thank you!

[BoliverAllmon]

your welcome

[Bob]

I have heard of this effect.  I don't know how modern it is though.

Hit the keys hard.  Then "catch" the echo with the pedal.  It can give a kind of sfz effect.

[ryan2189]

I was once at a concert where the orchestra played Respighi's Pines of Rome. The entire brass section was placed in the mezzanine. Made a really cool effect. 

[quantum]

I agree with Boliver - experiment.  When I used to have an upright piano, I removed the bottom pannel and could then touch the bass strings with my feet.  That left both hands available on keys, and I could then create harmoics by touching points on the bass strings. 

There's an improv I posted in the audition room where I experimented with putting several calculators and a metal box inside of a grand ontop of the strings. 

John Cage used metal bolts inbetween strings.  It has a rather cool effect of souding very metalic. 

You could also gather some percussion sticks of various sorts, like mallets and such, and hit the strings with them.  Different materials create different sounds. 

I've heard putting a lot of ping pong balls inside a grand is quite exciting. 

[pianistimo]

here's an interesting article on how to play debussy's 'pagodes:'

https://homepage.mac.com/stevepur/music/debussy_piano/pagodas.html

something about a light, percussive, staccato touch even when the pedal is down.   accentute the chords in the lh and excite overtones in the melody played by the right hand.  this piece is an interplay between overtones and melody.

[cfortunato]

Hold down the sustain pedal.  Then slam your foot on the "soft" pedal real hard.   I makes the entire piano sound at once - at least on some pianos.