Playing one hand loudly and the other quietly

Question

I'm currently learning to play Comptine d'un autre été from Yann Tiersen (Sheet music(pdf) - youtube video) and when I play starting from the 13th bar I barely hear the notes my right hand plays.

Obviously I should play my left hand less loud but this seems a hard thing to do for my brain as it seems to play both hands in the same volume, and when in some occasions it works to play some of them quietly, the timing is off between the notes.

What are some good techniques to learn to play one hand less loud than the other whilst the timing stays correct?

Answer 1

In general, I feel that practicing with scales is a good way to learn technique like this, be it crescendoing through a passage, playing at different dynamics, playing with different rhythms, etc.

For instance, play an octave of a scale with your right hand loudly. Then play an octave of the scale with your left hand, but softly. Then practice playing both hands together at a slow tempo. As you are able to do this without thinking so hard about it, increase the tempo. It is important to learn to be able to do this without concentrating on the dynamic with which you play each and every finger.

Once you can do this, extract the method out to the passage you are playing with. Theoretically, it will become easier for you to move directly towards practicing with both hands together at a slow tempo and increasing.

This is also the method I use for learning to play different rhythms with each hand.

Answer 2

First of all, you should become comfortable with both hands separately and together. Then play really, really slowly. Stare at the hand that should be louder and focus all of your mental attention on it. Play it as loudly as possible, while playing the other hand as softly as possible. If you have little to no experience in this, just get the feel of it by playing one note/chord at a time. When you can play one note in each hand at opposite extremes of the dynamic spectrum, you'll be on your way! This is difficult for everyone, but if you practice diligently, it will become second nature after a while.

Answer 3

I suggest slowing it way down, so that you have enough time to focus on what your hands are doing. Practice playing the piece (it's simple enough that you probably don't need another exercise), with grossly exaggerated dynamic differences (try fortissimo right hand, and pianissimo left hand). As you get the hang of it, bring the right hand down to a more musical volume (that is, only slightly louder than the left hand).

Good luck!

Answer 4

You could try playing something that's easy enough that you don't have to think about the notes (like an easy piece you learned when you were starting), play it slowly or with a metronome if necessary, and concentrate on making one hand louder than the other. Once you start getting the idea, you can work on transferring it to the piece that you are learning.

Answer 5

There are several difficulties in this piece, but let's concentrate on what I consider the main one for the purpose of your question.

• The left hand has alternatively one and two keys to press. The first challenge is to produce an even volume on the left hand. Fortunately, the isolated note is situated almost always inside the interval of the two notes of the chord.

  A first exercice would be, for each combination (2-notes chord, succeeding note), to first play the chord, keep the keys pressed, then repeatedly, gently and regularly press the inside note. Change the attack of the note you repeat, making it louder or softer at will, staccato or as plain as possible, say, twenty times in a row. While doing this, visualize mentally your hand (do not watch it directly) and how you are using the strength and muscles of the fingers playing the chord to control, balance, and soften the attack of the isolated middle note. Then switch: press the isolated note and repeatedly strike the next chord, with the same ideas (variations of strength and speed of the fingers, use of the pressed finger's muscles and joints to control and soften the attack of the chord). Begin these two exercices very slowly, but not too lightly, try to have your upper body relaxed, your elbow and your wrists not too high, your fingers not too curved and do not forget to make small pauses to rest, not to overwork your fingers and wrist.

Now combine this exercice on the left hand with a slow regular semiquaver routine on the right hand (two notes on the right hand for one note on the left). Then add variations of strength, speed of finger descent and height inspired by the piece.

The next day, study a passage of the piece. Practice for a few bars the left hand alone in a cycle and then add the little passages from the right. Try to lift the fingers of the right hand a little higher, depress them a little faster, and keep them on the keys a little longer, as if you insisted on the note.

Answer 6

I found that the easiest way to gain independence of the hands in terms of dynamics is to do this: assuming that you know the notes, play only on top of the keys, without pressing the key with the hand that needs to play softly (like the accompaniement) and play regularly with the other hand. If you can't do it together just play separate first. I call this "faking" with the hand that needs to play softer. After you practice like this for a bit, then let the hands play normally and you'll see how it will come naturally.