Breakdown of performance on certain pianos

[rombusempire]

Hi everyone, I am in the need of some advice.

Background: I am 29 y/o, advanced level (rep is Moonlight sonata, Chopin Scherzo op 31 no 2, Scriabin etude op 8 no 12, fantasie impromptu, schubert impromptu no 4)

I have not been practicing for many years but I am starting seriously again soon.

My most pressing concern right now is my inability to play on some pianos.

The ones I cannot play on
Kawai grand
Seiler grand
Any Chinese brand pianos whether upright or grand ie, Essex

The ones I can play well on (easier than what I am used to)
Yamahas
Steinways
Fazioli

I currently practice on a full weighted 88 keyboard. Surprinsgly, after playing on that, I find myself being able to control all of the steinways, yamahas I have played on. But Is completely unable to play on the ones I listed above. For instance, shucbert's broken 4 note passages,. some of the notes do noit even sound for say an Essex, but they all come out beautifullyu on steinways. Another example is the 1st mnovt of moonlihgt, I have a very difficult time controlling my dyanmics and tone using a seiler but have perfect control say usinga  faziloli.


My main question is whether my technique is teh problem or those pianos are the problem? Think of teh question in another way...if Horowitz were to play on an Essex upright that was $2000, woudl he also be unabel to control it?

Thanks
Paul

[omar_roy]

Ideally you should be able to play anything on any piano.  Obviously the action on our Young Chang at home is completely different from playing on the Steinway D we have at school, but that doesn't really leave me any excuse for not being able to play well on our piano back home.

[rombusempire]

Ok so, then any professional concert pinaist will be able to play equally well on all pianos?

[omar_roy]

Yes

[latrobe]

The ones I cannot play on
Kawai grand
Seiler grand
Any Chinese brand pianos whether upright or grand ie, Essex

Welll that's the reality of why concert pianists are fussy about what they play concerts on. Brands of pianos are not merely a matter of snobbism but of the best and the second best, or the best and the not so good.

Don't get dismayed just because a second rate piano doesn't respond to your fingers. You're probably playing with more sensitivity than those pianos can handle and with more sensitivity than other performers know about who say they can handle such instruments.

Best wishes and merry xmas

David P

[stevebob]

@latrobe,

With due respect, I think your statements are off-base and that the others were correct.  Having too much "sensitivity" for "second rate" pianos sounds a bit like the Princess and the Pea; it doesn't seem plausible at all for someone who has been away from piano entirely for many years and who is now practicing on a keyboard, unless the problem is actually too little sensitivity to the way that a range of acoustic pianos respond.

The idea that any proficient pianist could only have satisfactory control on a Steinway, Fazioli or Yamaha(!) may not be snobbery, but it is fanciful nonetheless.

[richard black]

You should be able to exercise at least good, in not always perfect, control on just about any piano, even one that is old and worn out. The important thing is to use 'velocity touch' rather than 'pressure touch'. This is just a different way of thinking about things. It's easier to think about how hard one is pressing a key, but what's important (because it relates directly to the mechanism of volume production in the piano) is to think about how fast the key goes down. Once you've managed to re-train your brain to work that way, you'll find you can get a good sound out of almost any instrument.

Of course you can't do anything about the poor tuning and odd rattling noises of an old, unloved piano, nor about the unevenly worn hammers in it, nor about the lack of sparkle and resonance in a cheap modern instrument, but you'll still get well voices chords and a decent melodic line most of the time.

The main reason why some (actually rather few) concert pianists are so ridiculously fussy about the piano is simply vanity.

[stevebob]

nm

[sucom]

While it is true that a good player is likely to be able to produce a very good sound on any piano, making even the worst piano sound better, at the same time some pianos respond so well that they encourage a player to develop and aim for for higher degrees of touch, sensitivity, singing tone, etc that only a higher quality piano is capable of.  The better the quality of the piano, the higher the player can reach in his performance.  This higher sensitivity may not be apparent if playing on a piano of lesser quality.

I don't know how many concert pianists are vain about the piano they use so I can't really comment on this.  If they have trained on a high quality instrument which demands and allows for higher quality playing, then it's not really surprising that they would wish to demonstrate this in a concert by using a piano that is up to scratch.  I wouldn't call this snobbery or vanity myself.  More, I would be inclined to consider that they wish the piano to equal or match the level of their own practice. 

[stevebob]

I don't disagree with anything you wrote, but I don't believe it has anything to do with the situation described by the original poster.  Also, his listing of acceptable vs. unacceptable brands seems a bit subjective; many people would argue that a Kawai grand is comparable (or even superior) to a Yamaha.

[birba]

nm

What is nm?!?
My teacher used to say "like a first-rate horseback rider, you should be able to ride ANY piano."

[sucom]

I agree that a pianist should basically be able to play any piano unless it has a particularly heavy action.  Pianos do differ in so many ways, even between the same manufacturer, but if you can play one piano well, you should be able to play them all.  To be honest, I think the make of the piano won't be an issue once you begin to practise regularly again, strengthen your fingers and raise your standard up again after such a long spell of reduced practice.