how do you play glissandos?

[Mozartian]

I've no idea. Hearing them, it sounds like.. impossible.

lol

can anyone describe playing one to me?

thanks!

[andyd]

Most people use their thumbnail which simply slides over the keys - usually the white keys.  Timing and the last note played need care.

Go to Performance forum, scroll down to 'video of Art Tatum', click on the link and watch one of the greatest pianists ever do two of them.

Andy

[Motrax]

With RH, white-key glissandos, I use the fingernails of fingers 2 and 3 of my right hand going up, and the fingernail of my thumb going down. The opposite holds true with the LH, logically.

Black key glissandos are much tougher, especially depending on the piano. I've only needed to do a black key glissando with my RH going down - I use the underside of the top joint of finger 3 (right where the fingernail section meets the middle section of my finger). It was very difficult (and reasonably painful) at first, but I built a callous there soon enough and now I can do the gliss. pretty easily on most pianos.

Hope I've been clear!

- M

[mike_lang]

You can also use the underside of the right thumb on the way up, as I found out with the octave gliss in Mephisto Waltz.

[franzliszt2]

I use my 3rd finger nail, and sometimes thumb on way down. I did a trio for piano clarinet ndpiano few weeks ago, nd had a huge FFF Lh gliss, and found it best to use my actual hand to get a huge BANG, but i wouldn't recomend using your hand lol, i h#just did it for a great almighty Swoooosh

[gorbee natcase]

I once tried to toughen my 3rd finger up by abusing the glissando and pulled a flap of skin back that was bleeding.     

[Mozartian]

Thanks for the info!

Well I tried 'em today. I guess it's supposed to hurt? lol

I need to try it on a lighter action.

[kriskicksass]

The key to glissandi is not to press too hard. Especially the first note has to be light. If you attack it too hard, then your fingers are too deep into the keybed to gliss without cutting yourself up.

If you do it with the right amount of pressure, you shouldn't have to worry about cuts until you try the black keys or a chromatic one. In the former case, I recomment using the side of the hand going down and all your fingernails going up (RH, and opposite for LH). In the latter case, I recommend you use the thumb on the white keys and the side of the index finger going down, and the nail of the index finger on the black keys and the nail of the middle finger going up (RH, LH reversed, though I'd hate having to imagine doing a chromatic gliss with my left hand).

[alwaystheangel]

yeah, they hurt.  Esp. a child's or a person with small hands.  I was learning Bread and Butter attributed to Mozart and I had blood smeared all over the keys by the time I was finished! I discovered that a band-aid is a nice way to keep from bleeding all over the place and makes glisses WAY less painful, sort of cushions your finger... Good luck!

[astroboy]

I use my 3rd finger nail, and sometimes thumb on way down. I did a trio for piano clarinet ndpiano few weeks ago, nd had a huge FFF Lh gliss, and found it best to use my actual hand to get a huge BANG, but i wouldn't recomend using your hand lol, i h#just did it for a great almighty Swoooosh

Was it the trio by Darius Milhaud by any chance??

[letters]

i once had to play a glissando going down on white keys and id practiced quite a lot and developed a blister, anyway on the final performance my blister opened as i did the glissando!!! luckily there wasnt anything inside but it was still skanky and hurt

[franzliszt2]

It was by Milhaud!!!!!!!!

Great piece such fun

Anyone played Liszt hungarian rhap no.10??/

Or alborado del grazioso by ravel, gliss in 4ths (or 3rds) can't quite remebr, but double notes anyway

[astroboy]

yay!! I played that Milhaud trio a couple of years back and it is so much fun! i recommend it to all