Should the lower notes of the left hand part always be played with the 5th finger, and if so, why? Should the upper chords of the left hand part always be played with the thumb included? Is there some special wrist or arm movement that is the solution?
Some people might probably want to play the lower note with 4th, and some want to play the 5th... That isn't the major thing.I haven't played this myself, but what my technical sense tells me is to not be afraid to come from above. Most people would probably come from the side and "straight" to the chord, and "be on the chord" be fore playing it. That obviously wont work. The thing is, I think, is to play it from above like Rubinstein at 0:50 . (It's not more difficult to come from abovr. It's only a stupid thing, stupid teachers tell their students)Obviosly not that much, but something like that. It's very difficult to explain over the internet, without being able to show it. Hoefully you get the idea.
Well, I didn't say one should play it as big as rubinstein. I said that that's the movement. If your staying in the keys all the time, you most surely will get tensed, and you will miss a lot notes. Ofc, it wont be much of a movement once you've got it right. It will basically be a side to side movement in the end, but it is much easier to coordinate the two movements if you start doing bigger movements in the beginning. And I am very serious...
Well, I didn't say one should play it as big as rubinstein. I said that that's the movement.
Well, I did say that the movement was more or less gone in the final procutcion. In the final, I think you bounce plus use some movement from the fingers (not with one finger only, as some members here think is the only way). BUT if you start doing those small movements, you will, once you get nervous, have major problem to make the hands work together...
Ok, whatever. You write a blog about "piano science" so you clearly knows best. I said, I would learn it this way, and that is the way I've played all sort of coordinated pieces - to first overdo the movemets do the hands knows what they're doing. Clearly, I'm wrong.
What is it that you don't get? It's as a start (and tell me one chopin etude that feels comfortable right from the beginning). Once you get the coordination, you move it down, do maybe wrist movement, and finally, you're down do almost only hand movements. But as I said: You are a "professional teacher" AND you write a blog. I can't top that :/I would still do those big movements, (NOT AS HUGUE AS RUBINSTEIN!!!!!!!!) then, I would only do it in the right hand, while the left makes a sligtly smaller one, and finaly the left goes side to side and the right goes up and down.But we can agree that you are an adult, right?If you, your whole life, has done something in a certain way, it really difficult to suddenly do something else. I've been taught this way, to seperate my hands right away. Maybe that isn't the best way in the world, but it works for me.
Last time: IT'S A START!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Once you find the chords and bass-tones from above, it wont be any problems finding them from near the keys. So, once you're done with that, you make smaller movements.
It's like playing the chopin op 10/1 in C sharp, instead of C. Och playing a difficult passage staccato. Playing chords from above, before going close, works for me.The hard thing about it, is that there are like a billion ways to miss if you go from the side. You can hit a black note (since they are a bit above the white), or simply hit g major instead of a minor, or just screw it up. If you come from above, you (read: I) feel the chord, and almost never miss it.
"On the spot"-technique is probably the one thing that has ruined piano playing in sweden (If you don't know, I'm from sweden) most. So no, I wont even try. That makes you nothing but stiff, scared as hell, and gives you a sucky rhythm. So I really hope I misunderstood you.
N-something: Well, as I said, I don't do big arm motions when I play for real, just when I pratice Chopin etudes and pieces like that.Maybe I get this wrong, but it seems that you assume that I can't play the piano a single bit, and that I probably have no technique at all? That "on the spot" really doesn't work. I have attended many masterclasses with quite famous pianists and pedagogues, and none of them has ever complained about my arm motions. In fact, they have said some very nice things about me (except for one french teacher, for whom I played Debussy.. Don't do that if you ever have the chance) being able to change tone and articulation very quickly. That is all thanks to the arm motions. Being on the key makes it much more difficult, for me and everyone I know, to change the tone (and even have a tone)...
Why are you doing this? We haven't seen or heard your playing. I have at least posted some quite difficult works, and got very good critique from the people here. What you are saying isn't only disrespectful to me, but also to the teachers I've had. Why do you think you know me better than my teachers? So something didn't work for you, then it doesn't work for anyone? I've played, succesfully: mephisto waltz no 1, Schumann symphonic etudes, Debussy Lisle joyeuse, Waldsteinsonata, several mozart and haydn sonatas, several Bach pieces... Seriously, who are you to comment on me and my playing? "You're maybe good, but if you do as I say, you'll be even better?" God, how sick I am of that sort of people! Now you will probably somehow turn this against me, cause that what most people like that do. Saying that you where only trying to help me. Get bent!
and yet, you haven't even hear me playing! It's like... i don't like the colour of your shirt.
And how can you say that my practising methods are bad, even when you haven't hear my playing?!?! That doesn't make any sense at all. Maybe your blog has gon to your head, but there isn't one optimal way of learning how to play.
And as the "professional" teacher, as you claim you are, you should know that. If not, which I start to assume, you are not a very good teacher after all. (see what I did there? I just assumed something, even though I have no idea of who your students are, or how you play.. seems familiar?)
GAH! ok, whatever. You just don't get it, and it's a complete waste of time trying to make you get it. Last time, then I'm out. I start doing big movements, because it's a way FOR MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! to relax. And I use staccato on fast passages, because it easier FOR MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEThen, when it's done. The movement is BASICALLY!!!!! gone, but not entierly. The movement is still there, and it's helps MEEEEEEEEEEEEE relax.I find it bizzare that you can say that I have a bad method. You don't know me, you don't know my teachers, you don't know the students of my teacher (One of them has taught basically all good pianists from sweden. the other one has 3 young students, a 4th is on a good way, who kills every competition they're in), and they have taught me this techniques. Maybe you should tell them that they are doing it all wrong? Cause some random guy from the internet says so? And who the hell says I can't do a finger staccato?! And stop comparing us! YOU DON'T KNOW ME! STOP THINK YOU DO, AND STOP THINK YOU KNOW WHAT I AM CAPABLE OF!
I'm sure you do.
nyiregyhazi,Sorry to interrupt here, haha... but I was just wondering... Do you actually play the piano?? Like as in actually piano pieces, or do you just study techniques and stuff?
But I doubt if there is a "one size fits all" when it comes to piano technique. Hands are of different sizes and shapes, so what's very easy for one person can be very hard for another.
I'd hate to interrupt the flame war that seems to be raging, but the technique required for the base has a name. It's called "blind" octaves. The base is played as if in octaves, with the omission of the thumb. Practice it that way.
Topic: On the Chopin Etude Opus 25 no. 4 