BTW -- One note or one chord really proves nothing technically, since you can play it in any number of ways and produce similar sound results, though the mechanics used may or may not be feasible for more complex playing of real piano literature.
Hi there,
pts!

Neuhaus would have disagreed with you on the one note - one chord subject. As a matter of fact, his system is based on the following:
1. Artistically valuable playing of one tone;
2. Artistically valuable playing of two, three, four, five tones;
3. Artistically valuable playing of all kinds of scales;
4. Artistically valuable playing of arpeggios and broken chords;
5. Artistically valuable playing of double notes;
6. Artistically valuable playing of all existing chords;
7. Artistically valuable implementation of "jumps" or "leaps".
He made quite a point about actors practising a single sound like "ah" with different intonations and emotions (I'll have to look to find the exact quote) and urges us to do the same at the instrument. There is more to this problem than sheer acceleration of the key. When S. Richter plays the first chord of the first Scherzo, the following notes are not really needed: you know there's trouble ahead and this one chord is the alert that can really frighten people. It really takes quite some practice to get exactly the same effect.
Paul