I am learning to play the piano and while playing pieces, I generally find that I tend to hit some notes louder than others despite me wanting to have them at the same dynamic level. How can I develop my fingers to have the dynamic independence to have all the notes exactly the same (dynamically) and only have changes when crescendos and diminuendos are required?
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6what instrument?– Andy BonnerFeb 23 at 12:46
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@AndyBonner Sounds like a keyboard to me. The question refers to 'hit'.– PeterFeb 23 at 15:30
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1@Peter I agree, but I don't want to assume. Could be marimba, could be hang drum; could even conceivably be oboe, violin, or ocarina, if "hit" is used in a general kind of way. I guess the answer is pretty much the same in all cases—"careful practice"—though it would be nice to address the physical mechanics. Voting to close lacking clarity; I look forward to retracting the close vote once it's edited.– Andy BonnerFeb 23 at 16:18
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1The answer may depend upon which keyboard instrument. Obviously the question doesn't apply to non-touch-sensitive ones such as organ or harpsichord — but if you practise on a lightweight synth-action keyboard, you're much more likely to have trouble controlling the exact level than if you have a fully-weighted keyboard or even a grand piano.– giddsFeb 24 at 17:43
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1Hey! I have edited the question, I was referring to a piano, thanks for making the question clear!– Ved RathiFeb 25 at 9:41
2 Answers
We're talking keyboard?
Check your posture, arm and hand positions. Do some finger independence exercises - place five fingers over five notes, play four of the notes and hold them down, play repeated notes with the remaining finger.(Yes, it's tricky with 4 and 5 isn't it! LIFT that finger! It can't come down unless it was up first!)
Then scales, arpeggios etc. You know, all the usual piano lesson stuff :-)
And a teacher would be good. Have you got one?
Generally speaking, for almost every style of piano playing (I assume you're talking about keyboard of some sort), it is ideal to have some dynamic variation between notes. It ends up sounding robotic if you play with the exact same dynamics on every note!
If you're having issues where the notes you play are way louder than others accidentally, that sounds like a technique issue you'll want to work on with the help of a qualified teacher.
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I think you missed "despite me wanting to have them at the same dynamic level"– LaurenceFeb 23 at 21:04
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I caught that! I suppose I misinterpreted "having them at the same dynamic level" meaning "consistently Piano" or "consistently Forte" rather than the exact same decibel level.– StevenFeb 24 at 22:05
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There's a huge difference between playing with controlled dynamic variation and every note at random.– ojsFeb 25 at 10:23
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1This is good musical advice. Downvoted just because it doesn't really answer the OP's question, and the question is valid as well. You can't do intentional, controlled dynamic variation if you can't consistently achieve the dynamic you intend. Feb 25 at 16:27