want to sound better

[wishicould]

Seems like a silly post.  I read music well, however, it never sounds like I would like.  Am an adult who needs some kind of help.  I practice but my touch is "rough" and I can't seem to correct it.  My teacher has given me hanon, czerny.  Is that really going to help?  Seems like I practice but it is ineffective-so frustrated.  I want that beautiful sound....I am totally willing to put in the time but I don't see an improvement.  I have an uneven touch, I guess.  Any suggestions?

[dorfmouse]

As an adult returner what has helped me most is my teacher insisting on more arm and body movement.  In particular an upward movement from the elbow as you depress the key to start a note or phrase. Try with a single note or chord; as your finger(s) go down your elbow moves  in an outwards and upwards motion,relaxing as you prepare to play the next note. To exaggerate the movement think of describing circles with your elbow.Then try to get the same feeling as you play a short phrase with the upward and outward feeling lasting for the duration of the phrase. (If you ski it's a bit like the down-up motion as you turn...) The source of the movement is at a deeper level of body movement, or feeling the rhythm within yourself, but this particular arm movement is easy to see and feel and for me at least, has an instant effect.

I'm only a blundering amateur so I'm sure the experts out there will have more to say. But I learnt piano for several years, passed grade 8 in the UK but always felt stiff and unsatisfied with the sound. My present teacher is the first to really emphasise body/arm movements, he demonstrates a lot and is not  beyond giving me a push here and there or moving my arm to help me feel what he's trying to get across.

Do you work out a good, consistent fingering from the start? Chopping and changing will also lead to uncertainty and unevenness. I don't do exercises as such apart from scales and arpeggios, although when learning a piece I will often practice parts by varying the rhythms or varying the accents which paradoxically helps with evenness. I don't think Hanon type exercises were designed to develop beautiful sound, rather velocity and finger technique, and the whole subject of exercises raises violent passions on this forum, from which you'll almost certainly emerge more confused than ever!

For me most of all the movement thing helps; suddenly it feels good, sounds good and looks good ... for a few moments anyway!

[gonzalo]

Seems like a silly post.  I read music well, however, it never sounds like I would like.  Am an adult who needs some kind of help.  I practice but my touch is "rough" and I can't seem to correct it.  My teacher has given me hanon, czerny.  Is that really going to help?  Seems like I practice but it is ineffective-so frustrated.  I want that beautiful sound....I am totally willing to put in the time but I don't see an improvement.  I have an uneven touch, I guess.  Any suggestions?

1)Is the piano a problem? Do you always sound rustic . harsh and rough no matter what piano you play? It is amazing the difference a good piano can make.

2)Assuming the piano is not the problem, do you have a very clear representation in your mind of how you want this prelude to sound? This is the first and most important step.

If you know exactly the sound you want, go after it. Usually the fingers always comply with what is in your mind. If you are not getting the sound that you want, you must somehow change something. It is no good repeating exactly what you always do, since you will only get more of the same.

3)Hanon will not work.

Best wishes,

Gonzalo

[wishicould]

Thanks for the suggestions.  I know that somehow my movements, or lack of movements are contributing to my lousy sound.  I just am not smooth enough.  I feel like it should be and then when i record myself and play it back-there is always an unevenness. 
My teacher does not want me moving my body at all.  Arms relaxed and "heavy".  I'll try the suggestions.

My piano is not the problem.  I am embarrassed to say that it's a beautiful steinway and i wish i could make it sound like it should.

I practice very hard but I feel like i am just enforcing the same problem.  My teacher does tell me to slow down and connect everything but somehow........

[gonzalo]

Thanks for the suggestions.  I know that somehow my movements, or lack of movements are contributing to my lousy sound.  I just am not smooth enough.  I feel like it should be and then when i record myself and play it back-there is always an unevenness. 
My teacher does not want me moving my body at all.  Arms relaxed and "heavy".  I'll try the suggestions.

My piano is not the problem.  I am embarrassed to say that it's a beautiful steinway and i wish i could make it sound like it should.

I practice very hard but I feel like i am just enforcing the same problem.  My teacher does tell me to slow down and connect everything but somehow........

What pieces are you playing ? Maybe we can help you...

[fleah]

Hi,

I have the same complaint with my playing!  My problem is that it is very difficult for me to hear what I sound like, so I record myself and play it back.
Anyway, my teacher tells me to play the piece very slowly and to listen very carefully until I get the sound that I like.  She says to depress the key completely--like you're pressing it in to the piano.  Do that very slowly several times and then bring it to tempo.
Hope this helps!

[wishicould]

I don't think I understand completely how the arm is supposed to move.  Somehow i think I almost have a separate movement for each note.  I try to be smooth but it sounds, well, not as smooth as I would like it to.  Is there anything I can focus on to try to make it better?  Thanks for the tips so far.

[timland]

Seems like a silly post.  I read music well, however, it never sounds like I would like.  Am an adult who needs some kind of help.  I practice but my touch is "rough" and I can't seem to correct it.  My teacher has given me hanon, czerny.  Is that really going to help?  Seems like I practice but it is ineffective-so frustrated.  I want that beautiful sound....I am totally willing to put in the time but I don't see an improvement.  I have an uneven touch, I guess.  Any suggestions?

1.  Listen closely to chords and double notes played with your right hand and make sure all notes sound exactly the same time with the top note being loudest. (unless the melody's played with thumb of course). It will help your playing sound brighter.

2. In the left hand do the opposite. (lower notes louder) This depends on the music but in general will help sound better.

3. When practicing in small sections spend some time practicing as quitetly as possible.
Tension problems which cause unevenness become more obvious.

4. If playing on a grand play with the music rack down. You can hear finer details.
with an upright try not to have it pushed up against the wall. I will sound better if pulled out 6 inches or more.

5. I've spent a lot of years playing hanon and czerny and at the time I thought it was helping but I eventually came to the conclusion that it was a waste of time. Learning how to practice and relax is more important.

[richy321]

I'm curious if you had used an electronic keyboard in lieu of a piano for any length of time.  Because if you did, that would explain the "roughness".   I had the misfortune of practicing on a Yamaha Clavinova for 10 years.  When I finally got a piano, I was shocked to find that I had lost almost all of the sensitive touch I had as a teenager many years before.  It has taken a good number of years to get it back, and I'm still not there yet.

In any case, I agree that Hanon does not help if you have an intensely musical ear.  What I find helpful is to play Debussy without any pedaling whatsoever.  Play pieces (e.g., from the Children's Corner Suite: Dr. Gradus, Snow is Dancing, Little Shepherd) that call for fine shades of piano and pianissimo, even if it sounds atrocious at first.  Others recommend easier Bach.  The important thing is that you can differentiate how it sounds now from how it should sound.  Getting from here to there will call for an understanding of everything that makes up technique.  It will take time, but it is well worth it.  Good luck.

Richy

[joyfulmusic]

Have you seen the dvd "The Art of Piano"?  It shows a lot of different wonderful pianists.  You could watch their body language and see what it inspires in you.  May I ask if you find your teachers' technique inspiring?  Not every teacher knows how to recognize what the issues are.  You may be holding your breath too much.  Many students need to practice more wrist movement.  Practice your dynamics in an exaggerated fashion first.  Have you tried a visualization such as,  "I play the piano with great feeling and beauty, my fingers know what to do and my world is enhanced by the response I have to the piano".  Sometimes saying over and over that you don't like your own playing is self-fulfilling.

[mike_lang]

I don't know what Hanon and Czerny have to do with touch, unless you are practicing the exercises both legato and leggiero.

I would suggest that first of all, you listen to some good recordings so that you can get an idea of the sound you are looking for.

Secondly, check your posture, position, etc.  If you are not sitting up straight, it affects the mobility of your shoulders, arms, and eventually fingers.  In any case, if you are hunched forward ever (or leaning back), you will not have the control that you need.

Thirdly, I suggest that you practice scales daily (in 8th notes, triplets, and sixteenths) and well as arpeggi (same way) and practice each both legato and leggiero.  If you have time, it may also help you to practice crescendo on the ascent, decrescendo on the descent, and vice versa - that will also give you better control of touch.  Make sure that your teacher listens to these, to make sure you are doing it right.

Best,
ML