Hey everyone,
I recently took the initiative and acquired a new Piano Teacher, who I can already tell is far superior to my first from way back. He seems great, set me the sorta of work I want to do: Working on Technique (Well, naturally), learning Music Theory and so forth, except he also set me to work on a current piece I have learned.
It's a slow, Grade 3/4 Level piece which requires much Sustaining, else wise it doesn't sound right, perhaps like the Chopin Op.9 No.2 Nocturne, it requires some Pedaling in places (just to be awkward this is probably really debatable, but I'm sure a good number of Pianists use the Pedal in this piece). Regardless, he's says the Sustain pedal is only required to create different Tones and stuff, or large chords, so I can't use it to play the piece.
Instead, he wants me to hold notes down with my fingers, instead of "cheating" and using the Pedal. By all means, fair enough, but it occurred to me when I was practicing it earlier - isn't that more hassle for the same result? Because... I mean, even if you DO manage to play all the Keys in a particular phrase or whatever, and move your hand FAST enough between each set of notes in the piece, and you eliminate all the gaps/breath marks you don't want implemented in your interpretation (which otherwise could be filled by the Sustain pedal) - you have the same result anyway, Sustained Notes.
I dunno if that made sense -_- Basically, your working your ass off to sustain notes within Musical Phrases/Slurs if the piece requires it via holding keys manually, when you could JUST use the Sustain? I admit, I'm learning something; it is a bit difficult, as it requires a new approach to Fingering sets of notes together, but ultimately... you can just pedal right? Obviously as I originally said, not according to my new Teacher ^_^;; As I'm learning something though, and per Teachers Orders, I will be keeping at it.
A cookie for anyone who understood that ~_~ Thanks in advance.
Ruro
Addition: A latter thought on it, the only useful thing I can imagine is; releasing particular notes in a group of notes you are holding down, but that would be allowing you to sing your own Harmonies holding the Notes you want down to effectively create chords with, hence possibly removing intentional dissonances that the piece wants to enforce, for example.
I'm also wondering if he says it in this case, actually, because the Sheet Music has no Sustain Pedal markings (it's an amateur transcription), but it's not directed anywhere on the Sheet music that you should manually hold notes either. The original piece by the "Composer", played the "Official" way, is sustained in some form significantly for the record.