Flat finger on black keys?

[werq34ac]

So I when I played Chopin's Black Key etude, I noticed that I played with flat fingers (although for the most part I play with curved fingers). When I tried curving my fingers, I lost accuracy almost completely. This was about 4 years ago and probably now I can play that etude with curved fingers however I was wondering if anyone else had the same problem. This applies to any piece with lot's thumbs on black keys

[49410enrique]

for me it just depends on the sound i'm after. if i want a 'cloudy' or 'dreamy sound' say soft and present but not really project too much (say for certain voices or for embellishment figures) i'll approach with 'flatter fingers' and see if that works (not exclussively on 'black keys').

so as is generally the case the technical approach depends on the music itself, what is written, what is appropriate for the time period of the work, the sound we wish to create with your interpretation,etc.  the old addage of one of my old professors seems to be true again again, 'technical decisions should be based on musical reasons"

[keyboardkat]

Curved fingers, flat fingers, whatever works.   It's what comes out that counts, not how you make it come out.   You can't be dogmatic about things like hand position.

[werq34ac]

Curved fingers, flat fingers, whatever works.   It's what comes out that counts, not how you make it come out.   You can't be dogmatic about things like hand position.

Ah but it is a problem when it that etude sounds cloudy. Although what comes out is what counts, without how you make it come out, it probably won't come out. For instance, playing that etude with flat fingers makes it sound cloudy (for me). In order for it to be clearer, I could simply curve my fingers (while hitting the right notes!).
Pretty much two parts to piano playing right? what and how. What is pretty much the musical aspect of playing (personal interpretation, communication with the audience, etc.) and How is pretty much the technical aspect (voicing, dynamics, control, pedaling, etc.)
Sure What is what really counts, but without how, how are you going to achieve what? And if there isn't a what, what's the point of how? Both are vital aspects of piano playing.

[pianoplayjl]

I play a mix of both when it comes to black keys! For fast passages I play with curved fingers while for passages with some black keys I might play bent sometimes. For black key chords I'd play curved. Isn't curved fingers the right way?

JL