Practicing on a silent keyboard, does it have an advantage?

[musicioso]

Hallo guys,

Just a random question that came to my mind.

I practice on a electric piano, so i have been thinking, if i sometime make it silent, and them pley my stuff, does that have an advantage of any kind?

Please share your thoughts.

[faulty_damper]

Is it an electric keyboard of a DP?

Assuming it has the feel of a real piano action, then there are numerous benefits if you already know how it will sound when the music is on.  Repetition of movements is a lot easier if you're only focussing on movements and not the sound as it can be distracting.  As well, not hearing the excessive repetitions necessary to ingrain movements will spare your brain since it uses less energy to process sensory stimuli.

However, for the novice who hasn't developed the inner ear, this can potentially be problematic.  You may not have developed the touch-tone relationship and may not know how it will actually sound when the music is on.  It's like a baby has to hear the sound of its own voice to know what it sounds like whereas an adult who's been speaking all his life can be deaf but still produce the sounds necessary to communicate.

[ted]

I have found my Virgil Practice Clavier a wonderful device for building and maintaining technique, especially finger dexterity. That is not quite the same thing as turning the sound off with an electric keyboard though. I doubt the resistance and dip of those would be sufficient to bring about improvement. I have never myself used the clavier as a means of imagining sounds, just as a gymnastic aid, but I was told its original owner, well over a hundred years ago, used it for that purpose. Apparently he played all the forty-eight on it until he wore the keys down.

[outin]

Before when I had a lot more purely physical issues with my playing I sometimes used my silent piano as a silent keyboard and I felt it helped. But I didn't try to connect any sound to it in my mind.

[Bob]

I'd keep some sound.  Maybe just lower the volume a lot?  (assuming it's a digital)


I haven't found the "silent piano" voicing on a my digital though.  I'm still looking.  It's *got* to be there.  Somewhere...

[j_menz]

I haven't found the "silent piano" voicing on a my digital though.  I'm still looking.  It's *got* to be there.  Somewhere...

It's cleverly disguised as the wall plug.

[hardy_practice]

I have a 3 octave one.  I can have it on my lap as I watch TV etc. - very handy.  Liszt had the same and I think that explains a lot.  The springs seem to build quite a bit of resilience in your fingers. 

[Bob]

It's cleverly disguised as the wall plug.

Nope.  I don't see 'wall plug' in the list.  I'll keep looking.

[bronnestam]

We had a long electrical blackout one day when I was very eager to practice, and finally I sat down at my DP and played without sound. To my surprise it was almost like playing "normally" because I could hear everything in my head - including my mistakes.    So I worked a bit with them, as usual, and I experienced that I had a good practice session.

Yes, I definitely think silent playing has a place in the practice routine.

[kriatina]

Does a silent keyboard not defeat the purpose of  finding out
how to play a piece in order get the best tonality
and finally achieve the best sound  ?

[hardy_practice]

If it was good enough for Liszt...

[j_menz]

If it was good enough for Liszt...

So was adultery, smoking and alcoholism. 

[outin]

So was adultery, smoking and alcoholism. 

What would you expect, the poor guy didn't have a TV to watch while practicing...must have been bored to death...

[j_menz]

What would you expect, the poor guy didn't have a TV to watch while practicing...must have been bored to death...

He read a book while practicing piano. Multitasking obviously freed up quite a bit of time.

Odd, though, that the replies here have all focussed on the benefits to the practicer of a silent keyboard. Whatever they may be, the benefits to anyone within earshot are clearly obvious and unquestionable.

[outin]

He read a book while practicing piano. Multitasking obviously freed up quite a bit of time.

You mean a book could substitute for TV?? 

[j_menz]

You mean a book could substitute for TV?? 

Quite well. Especially so in the absence of electricity.

[kriatina]

... a silent keyboard might have been a little cheaper for Liszt as well ...
(I don't know whether it is true or whether it was an early PR exercise,
but he was known to have "passionately" damaged (beyond repair)
quite a few sensitive pianofortes during his concerts...  
... whilst some of the ladies in the audience fainted and others threw their jewellery at him...)

[bronnestam]

Does a silent keyboard not defeat the purpose of  finding out
how to play a piece in order get the best tonality
and finally achieve the best sound  ?

Actually not. I thought so for very long, but then I found out that I learned more control if I tried to vary my playing, that is, to play "wrong" (not wrong keys or wrong fingering, but everything else "wrong"). After doing so for a while, I could then play the piece exactly AS I WANTED.
After all, you work out the musical details in your head. There's where you really create the music.

Or you try to play perfectly every time and put all the brain work at your fingertips, so to speak. Then one day you have to play on a totally different piano, and get shocked by the difference in sound and feeling, and your playing breaks down. Been there, done that!

So practicing on a silent keyboard is great when you just have to learn to hit the right keys in the right order. Your ears will not get tired. You can develop your idea of the music without getting disturbed by the noise ...

Practicing while watching TV or reading a book is, if you ask me, totally worthless and I don't care if This or That Great Pianist has done it. It is still a stupid habit. Mindless practice is worse than no practice at all. You will end up giving mindless performances.

[hardy_practice]

I'm not so sure people should knock things before trying them - that includes adultery, smoking and alcoholism.

[hfmadopter]

Practicing while watching TV or reading a book is, if you ask me, totally worthless and I don't care if This or That Great Pianist has done it. It is still a stupid habit.

IMO, the TV is pretty much useless anyway.

[outin]

I'm not so sure people should knock things before trying them - that includes adultery, smoking and alcoholism.

They can be a lot of fun, but not sure they will help you learn to play the piano...especially the latter. I tend to get memory problems after consuming alcohol... I guess it might work if you are already quite accomplished:

Smoking while playing looks kinda cool

[bronnestam]

IMO, the TV is pretty much useless anyway.

Agree. Whenever I manage to escape from the computer - where I make a living - I have no desire to stare at another screen.

[musicioso]

I thank you all for your replies. Your time and effort is really appreciated.

The reason why i wanna play without sound is that my ears get tired from all those repeated scales, double third, sixth, octave sclaes etc. When i play a piece i will do it with sound of course.


Once again, thanks guys, you re the best

[outin]

The reason why i wanna play without sound is that my ears get tired from all those repeated scales, double third, sixth, octave sclaes etc. When i play a piece i will do it with sound of course.

If your ears really get tired from scales, may I suggest that maybe you just spend too much time on them? The point of playing the scales should be to focus on the sound you create as well and how to vary it. As pure finger training you should not need to do them that much unless you have some specific problems...Just my opinion of course...

[dima_76557]

The reason why i wanna play without sound is that my ears get tired from all those repeated scales, double third, sixth, octave sclaes etc.

Sounds like you drill them in a mechanical fashion. Stop doing that because it's useless, even on a silent keyboard. It makes you lazy mentally. The value of a silent keyboard is that you don't have auditory feedback and you are therefore forced to listen with your inner ear. Also, you are forced to rely more on your proprioceptive capabilities, a key factor in good pianism.

[hardy_practice]

I agree with you musicioso - what a load of caterwauling piano practice can be!  I pity the neighbours.

[kriatina]

I thank you all for your replies. Your time and effort is really appreciated.

The reason why i wanna play without sound is that my ears get tired from all those repeated scales, double third, sixth, octave sclaes etc. When i play a piece i will do it with sound of course.


Once again, thanks guys, you re the best

I was reading in a book about pianos and pianists,
that many (professional) pianists of foregone times often played scales etc.
in many different rhythms and even more different variations
to make practising scales etc. a little more challenging and much more interesting...

[gyzzzmo]

I was reading in a book about pianos and pianists,
that many (professional) pianists of foregone times often played scales etc.
in many different rhythms and even more different variations
to make practising scales etc. a little more challenging and much more interesting...

Its not really something of ancient times only.
I myself sometimes practise the technical excercises in the keys of the major pieces i'm doing at that moment. Different rhythms is often a handy trick to get things go more fluently.

[bronnestam]

Its not really something of ancient times only.
I myself sometimes practise the technical excercises in the keys of the major pieces i'm doing at that moment. Different rhythms is often a handy trick to get things go more fluently.

I do that too. Sometimes when I'm trying to learn the fingering I just ignore the time marks and play every key with the same length, or with another dotted rhytm. (Rather easy when you practice HS, not that useful when you play HT.) The result is often horrible and I would not call it music. But somehow it amuses me to trash a piece totally, and I learn the piece faster in that way.
When you study a new and rather complicated piece you will have to play it sooo many times, so variations are often necessary in order to keep you concentrated.

On the other hand, turning the sound off is of great help when it comes to the real rhytm. You don't get confused by the tones, you just hears the rhytm as you move over the keys, which is helpful when you want to learn to play more even.