Tagged Questions

2
votes
2answers
81 views

How are method books for instruments created and why do they work?

This is an odd question. But I think I can use some wisdom from teachers and other experienced individuals. Now, most of the instruments have method books, and many teachers follow them as well. My ...
-2
votes
1answer
71 views

What is this song? [closed]

I've been hearing this song everywhere, but cannot identify it. It's the first few seconds of this video: ...
10
votes
2answers
144 views

Trill measure 29 3rd movement moonlight sonata

How do you play the trill in measure 29 of Beethoven's moonlight sonata?
0
votes
1answer
67 views

How do I play harp-like licks on a piano?

Many R&B songs I listen to have a similar sort of sequence of notes which flow in a manner similar to that of a harp. A good example is Beni's song 'Last Lie', in which the first chord is done in ...
5
votes
1answer
165 views

How can I improve my piano accompaniments?

When I play piano or keyboards, I've noticed that I keep slipping into playing the same chords (and variations thereof, such as very simple bass lines) with my left hand while I use my right hand to ...
3
votes
5answers
433 views

Technique for octaves on piano without pain?

So I'm a decently experienced pianist, but I never had formal training. And now I've got this absolutely amazing arrangement of Bohemian Rhapsody, and it's killing me. The first two parts were so ...
3
votes
2answers
100 views

Slurs that span two staves

I saw some slurs that span two staves (both the bass and the treble clefs) on a piece of sheet music. Are they any different from the regular slurs? How should I play them?
4
votes
1answer
81 views

Is there a name or common usage of this piano damper pedal effect?

I've noticed an effect that I use when playing acoustic piano. Play a note or chord staccato, and quite quickly after playing it, press the damper pedal. The effect is rather like an echo which ...
6
votes
2answers
251 views

How do I improve the rate at which I learn arpeggios?

I'm referring specifically to this sort of structure, where the notes cascade upwards or downwards but most often up and then back down. Many of the pieces I play (on piano) involve this rather ...
4
votes
1answer
206 views

Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 (Piano Solo) - Measure 306

In the picture below, there is a significant stretch where the melody in the upper staff is at a lower pitch than the accompaniment in the lower staff. Does Liszt intend for me to cross my ...
6
votes
3answers
602 views

What is the best way to become super-accurate on the piano?

For an example of what I mean, look at Volodos or Marc-Andre Hamelin -- both well-known for their incredibly crisp and accurate technique. The answer is NOT to play more. There are some pieces I'm ...
1
vote
1answer
271 views

How should I put my fingers on a piano / electronic keyboard?

Should the fingers be curved/bent or straight? Should I press the key actively or let my finger fall by "using gravity"?
3
votes
2answers
384 views

Riders on the storm fingering for piano

I'm talking about this little run: I can't think of a proper fingering of this, so it sounds very smooth. Its basically in the Dmajor scale starting on b. Can anyone help me getting the ...
2
votes
3answers
555 views

Pain in left wrist after playing Chopin's Nocturne Op. 9 No. 1

I've been playing piano for a year now (I used to play in a conservatory when I was a child, maybe 2 years total). I've already learned Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata (1st Movement), Chopin's Nocturne ...
1
vote
6answers
773 views

Should I lift my finger before I hit a key when playing a piano?

I've noticed, that many people are hitting keys, instead of just pressing them. It kinda looks like that before they press the note, they lift the finger a little bit, same as if you tried to hit a ...
4
votes
1answer
457 views

What can I do about my problems with piano scales which manifest in just one direction?

I've been practicing scales for some time now, and I found them mostly easy and fun to play. The problems begin when I have to play them faster, but oddly enough my problem manifests only when playing ...
6
votes
5answers
1k views

What is the foundational book of Czerny finger exercises for piano?

I've recently started teaching myself piano (via Bartok's Mikrokosmos) and feel it would be helpful to supplement the pieces with some standard exercises. Everyone I speak with suggests Czerny, but ...
4
votes
2answers
538 views

My fingers are huge; how do I adjust on a piano?

I'm a big guy and my fingers are proportionately big. I've been a student of piano for a few months now. I'm told regularly that I should play "into the keyboard" so that my fingers are closer to the ...
2
votes
1answer
80 views

Is there a typo on page 27 of 'Mastering the Scales and Arpeggios'?

Cooke's 'Mastering the Scales and Arpeggios', from 1931, came recommended to me as the one-stop reference for learning to play scales. On page 27, I find A-flat. The text says, 'Right hand: Fourth ...
3
votes
1answer
280 views

Piano technique: Repetitions and oscillations

Not sure if I am using the right expression, so allow me to cite examples. There are some piano movements that cause my hands (wrists) to cramp when I play it for too long. One are repeated chords. ...
7
votes
7answers
2k views

How can I improve my playing of faster finger runs?

I am just preparing for my grade 8 piano exam. I'm struggling with quick runs in the 3rd movement of Beethoven's Sonate Pathetique. It really doesn't sound right. When I play I can't do it smothly and ...
5
votes
3answers
175 views

Have a note outstand in a pianissimo chord (piano)

This is the last chord of Francis Poulenc's Mélancolie for piano. It occurs while a piano D♭ major chord is still resonating in the bass. How would you have the B♭♭ be perceptible, surprising, and ...
5
votes
2answers
288 views

How would you train for Chopin's Étude no. 2 op. 10?

This Étude is really painful for the right hand. Difficulty comes from medius, ring and little playing chromatic scales while thumb and index punctuating. The thumb cannot be used as a pivot while ...
4
votes
1answer
479 views

Fingering indication for double glissando (Ravel, Alborada del Gracioso)

In this piece, from the five Images by Maurice Ravel, there are three “double glissandi”, ascending then descending, over white keys of the piano. One of them uses a fourth interval, the next one uses ...
8
votes
6answers
1k views

Playing one hand loudly and the other quietly

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. ...
7
votes
5answers
518 views

What is the proper way to play A-Flat scales on piano?

Consider four cases: A-flat major A-flat (natural) minor A-flat melodic minor A-flat harmonic minor I start them with the third finger on the A-flat key (both hands), but I have no idea how a ...
9
votes
5answers
2k views

What are the objective differences between the guitar and the piano?

The guitar and the piano are two of the most popular instruments which allow multiple notes to be played simultaneously. The acoustic quality of the two instruments are, of course, different, but ...