Questions tagged [piano]

For questions about music written for piano, playing the piano, maintenance of a piano, or other general questions about pianos.

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How to play this chord?

This is a simplified version of Schumann's Träumerei (Op.15 no.7) , toward the end. How to play the left hand chord pointed to by the red arrow? How does it differ from just the original version ...
GrandAdagio's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
69 views

Can someone play piano good without knowing how? [closed]

Hey so my fingers just know wht keys to press and it sounds right but I don't know how to play like read keys and music sheets what can it be? Am I just talented?
Joseph N's user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
80 views

How to practice when my hands are tired

I'm prepping for my RCM Level 8 piano exam this Thursday, and I have been practicing for an hour every day since last week, with a few exceptions, so I would have thought I would have been more ...
Thunder's user avatar
  • 23
2 votes
2 answers
179 views

Will this section be playable by a professional pianist and a professional violinist?

So I am composing a piece for a competition, and it has a strict criteria about the song being playable. I am looking for reviews for a section in my piece for playability. The piano part , 16th notes ...
Dev J's user avatar
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-2 votes
1 answer
109 views

Professionalism at piano playing [closed]

What is the easiest way to get professional on the piano and what is the trick behind using two different hands to play several different notes with different fingers. How is the memory improved by ...
Cornelius's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
56 views

Sustaining, while replaying, notes in Rachmaninoff Prelude in A flat Op. 23 No. 8

Bars 32-39 of this prelude call for the left hand to play a line built from sustained notes that also get repeatedly replayed in the right hand's sixteenth note arpeggiations. I cannot figure out ...
Judge Mental's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
40 views

Fingering for arpeggio in Scriabin's piano sonata no. 1

What fingering is recommended for the righthand section here? I'd originally been using 1-2-3-1-2-3-1-2-3-4-135, but at around dotted quarter = 80-85 it's started to feel quite difficult and I've hit ...
voskresenie's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
74 views

Problems with learning consecutive similar passages [duplicate]

I am self-learning piano and in many pieces I encounter two similar, but not identical passages one after another. For example, in Beethoven's Pathétique sonata, 1st mvt measures 12-19 and 20-27 are ...
alex.kalug's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
34 views

Is it safe to pre-tension soft pedal on Yamaha U1 to lower volume?

I bought a 1960s Yamaha U1 about a year ago, and really like it. However, it's slightly too loud for the room it's in. I noticed it has a wing nut on the soft pedal that can be loosened, and this ...
David's user avatar
  • 111
3 votes
1 answer
87 views

Tips for learning and memorizing passages consisting of groups of only slightly different notes?

Not sure how to word it better. I give two examples below. On the right hand (treble clef), the small groups of notes have similar patterns but vary slightly, sometimes just an accidental's difference....
GrandAdagio's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
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questions about some direction markings in Chopin's op 28 no 6, prelude in B minor

in bar 1, there is 'sotto voce' written between the right and left hand. what does it mean in this context? does it simply means to play softly or is it asking to play the right hand softly?(since ...
jackseven's user avatar
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2 votes
0 answers
40 views

How do you trinity grades align with RCM grades

I have been doing Trinity piano grades for the past 5 years. I am currently in grade 5. I want to learn a piece called "Waltz in C-Sharp Minor"(op. 64, no. 2) by Chopin. However, as it is ...
Ved Rathi's user avatar
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5 votes
3 answers
1k views

how to be a connoisseur of piano performances

I have been playing piano for a few years and got a distinction in the Trinity grade 4 piano classical and jazz exam. I do plan to continue my piano studies and do further trinity-graded exams. I have ...
Ved Rathi's user avatar
  • 265
0 votes
2 answers
86 views

Differing from suggested fingering

I have been learning to play the piano and the book I have has these suggestions for fingering for the chords. The piece that uses this is Take Me Out to the Ball Game I find that it is easier for me ...
heretoinfinity's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
50 views

Musicality in playing music notes [duplicate]

I am self taught- piano, When I play, i hear all the notes, but I don’t “hear the music”! How do I achieve that? Thank you.
Sallah's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
219 views

Why is my bass clef inverted? [closed]

I have downloaded an early printed Beethoven sonata where the bass clef is upside down and looks more like a C? Why? What am I missing?
Sarah's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
308 views

Staff text positioning

I have fermatas on the final notes on both staffs at the end of a piano piece. I only want the fermatas held on the final refrain. Do I need to include staff text to that effect above both staffs, ...
Mary Seager's user avatar
13 votes
7 answers
1k views

Writing songs on piano that are meant for a guitar-led band

I am a keyboardist in a rock band. I run into a problem a lot when introducing new songs to the rest of the band members. It might be my lack of skill as a piano player, I don't know. It's been ...
Ryan's user avatar
  • 131
3 votes
2 answers
118 views

Piano lever on lefthand side of upright piano

Does anyone know what this lever, in the picture, which is located after the bass keys on an upright piano, is for?
Kristina's user avatar
3 votes
6 answers
536 views

How to use modes to create chords

OK I know major and minor modes will produce different chords but what about other modes? How to derive chords from dorian, phrygian? Lydian? Mixolydian? Locrian? Edit: The chord order in A minor is i ...
selectstart's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
259 views

What should I play over this rhythmic slash notation?

(I'll work on getting a better picture) I'm playing as the pianist for a jazz ensemble and Ive encountered a specified rhythm in slash notation, however there are no specified chords. This is a ...
violetorigin's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
94 views

K. 397 different versions

When looking for this score I see slightly different versions in terms of phrasing/slurs. Bars 7-12 for example here vs Is the 2nd ...
jackseven's user avatar
  • 111
5 votes
1 answer
138 views

Legato and pedaling with octaves

I'm returning to the piano after 7-8 years away. I took lessons for 15 years then stopped after college, but I'm trying to play without a teacher for the time being, then will potentially get a ...
voskresenie's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
105 views

Splitting MIDI Channels for Left and Right Hand on Yamaha Clavinova CSP-275 (Streamlight)

I recently purchased a Yamaha Clavinova CSP-275 digital piano that comes with the Stream Lights function. I've been trying to import a song (piano only song) into the piano for practice purposes. ...
Monito's user avatar
  • 31
1 vote
1 answer
136 views

What is the name of this instrument that sounds like a pedal steel guitar? [closed]

What is the name of this instrument? Here video I'm thinking that the sounds produced by that instrument are similar to the sounds of a pedal steel guitar, because when I see the newer versions of the ...
dsa's user avatar
  • 57
8 votes
2 answers
1k views

Tenuto, legato and staccato on the same note

In the first bars of the Barcarola et Scherzo by Alfredo Casella the piano part has chords with legato, tenuto and staccato signs all together: What is the correct way to play these notes? What could ...
Mark's user avatar
  • 222
2 votes
1 answer
150 views

Piano chord fingering and/or pedal use [duplicate]

Although my beginner status doesn't make me eligible to play this particular sheet (part of which I presented here), I found it interesting to analyze the notes written. My question is related to ...
Zoran's user avatar
  • 31
2 votes
3 answers
296 views

Fumbling scales in spite of practice and experience

I am about a month and a half away from the grade 8 piano exam. I am 43 and have been playing since I was 16. I practice the scales every day in all of the ways recommended by my teacher and online ...
Melanie Barry's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
254 views

How to count when bass and treble clefs share notes or chords

I'm totally new to piano. I have a background in guitar, programming and some math, therefore I tend to think a little in an "exact number of boxes" fashion or "an array of numbers"...
geeheeb's user avatar
  • 127
5 votes
1 answer
450 views

What do these circled 7's and 8's mean?

I'm playing Schubert's 3rd impromptu, op. 90 D899. There is a circled number precisely under each trill, shown below, and I don't know how to interpret them. I read here that they might indicate a ...
Luca T. Castrillón's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
195 views

Why is the ossia in Wilde Jagd (Transcendental Etude 8) the same as the regular part?

In Wilde Jagd (Transcendental Etude 8) by Liszt, there is an ossia on measure 191. The ossia and non-ossia parts only differ by where the 8va is placed. But they have the same content --- the notes ...
user16570071's user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
211 views

Scriabin Prelude op. 11 no. 3 Finger 0 Henle Edition

In the first bar of Scriabin's third prelude op. 11 he indicates a finger "0" in the left hand as seen in the screenshot (preview from Henle's website) below. What is this supposed to mean? ...
Brauer Suzuki's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
50 views

I need help! Do you know the name of this documentary about music? [closed]

I need to find a BBC documentary about classical music (or opera) that I have seen long time ago. I don't remember the name. I just remember a scene where the male host play and sing at the piano ...
The Molinari Musician's user avatar
7 votes
3 answers
1k views

Recommended way to sightread grand staff

When I only have one staff I can keep the whole thing focused so I do not have to plan so much where to look, I basically can just follow the contour of the notes and it usually goes fine. But with ...
Emil's user avatar
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6 votes
2 answers
928 views

How to write instrument names in a standard professional way in the sheet music

This question is about how to write instruments names on a score. On the page at: https://musiciandevelopment.com/2016/05/16/how-to-prepare-a-professional-score/ it states: list the full instrument ...
Chez's user avatar
  • 63
0 votes
4 answers
125 views

How is this played? [duplicate]

This debate didn't solve this at all. https://www.reddit.com/r/pianolearning/comments/16n0rtx/how_is_this_played/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3 How is this played? Do you play ...
javabart's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
668 views

Why is this part on my digital piano making a clicking/popping noise?

I have a Yamaha Clavinova digital piano, and two of the keys make an annoying clicking/popping noise when depressed. I opened up the piano and deduced that the cause of the noise are these little ...
Gillespie's user avatar
  • 149
-3 votes
2 answers
298 views

Is this note in Chopin's Nocturne Op. 9, No. 1, a Bb or an Ab?

In the original edition of Chopin's Nocturne Op. 9, No. 1, there is an Ab in bar 5 (6 if the anacrusis is counted) as the 4th note of the left hand: However, somebody6's transcription on MuseScore ...
Vighnesh's user avatar
  • 185
1 vote
3 answers
92 views

Whats the best fingering for playing this bar on left hand on piano?

I have tried several ways but all of them fell not so good to me. Can anyone suggest a fingering for it ? Thank you.
LFF's user avatar
  • 11
2 votes
1 answer
97 views

Schafer & Sons 84697 spinet

My grandparents passed away recently and left me my grandmother's Schafer & Son's spinet piano. I live in NE Colorado and it is located in their home that is being readied for sale in Broken Arrow,...
Jenilee Spicer's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
109 views

How to perform rapid notes with the pinky finger on piano?

I'm playing a piece on piano which contains the following two-voice rhythm for the right hand: . The piece is at a relatively rapid tempo, around 120 BPM. I currently finger the chord as 1-2-3-5 and ...
MeyCJey's user avatar
  • 151
0 votes
1 answer
146 views

Tuning "Steinway Grand Piano" in Garageband midi library like a real piano

I would like to my midi in Garageband sound like a real piano . I'm using the Steinway Grand Piano in the library, but it has no intonation and depth. I tried adding some plug-ins and tuning ...
SpaceTAKA's user avatar
  • 109
6 votes
3 answers
2k views

Are different dynamics for different hands on piano permissible?

Is it a normal practice for a piano part to have different dynamics for the left and for the right hand? And if it's not common, what will happen if I specify different dynamics for the left and for ...
brilliant's user avatar
  • 937
7 votes
2 answers
800 views

Slur for same-pitch notes in chords: Tie or not?

I encountered this in Mozart KV 310: Should I repeat the C here?
lovetl2002's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
104 views

Beethoven Op. 22 No.1 Measures 16-20

Does anyone have any excercises for voicing in this section other than rhythms and over accenting?
Jeremiah Sharo's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
531 views

Should I provide fingering for a piano music sheet?

I am typesetting a piano piece and am wondering if I should provide fingering instructions. First I thought that it could be helpful, but I'm not sure if this is considered normal by professional ...
Dmitry Kabanov's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
69 views

allegro animato and deciso in Mazeppa

In Liszt's 5e étude, Mazeppa, a part has allegro animato and then the next one allegro deciso. What are the possibilities and the most likely meaning of those terms ? I understand that animato can ...
Soleil's user avatar
  • 574
9 votes
3 answers
733 views

Correct way to play Mozart K331 Trio Measure 11?

I just started to learn the Trio movement of Mozart's K331. It sounds really nice but is the hardest movement of this piece for me. (By the way, why are the Menuetto and the Trio often counted ...
GrandAdagio's user avatar
  • 1,447
2 votes
1 answer
410 views

How fast would Chopin have played his own Fantasie Impromptu, Op. 66?

I came across a performance of Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu by Valentina Lisitsa and was surprised how fast she performed it, around 95 bpm (half-note beat)! Urtext tempo indication is Allegro agitato....
GratefulDisciple's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
32 views

What specific wrist movement had A. Brendel in mind for playing syncopated notes?

In his book A Pianist's A-Z A. Brendel writes: [This is my clumsy translation from a non-English edition. If you have a proper English quote, please replace this with it.] syncopation "...
Petr's user avatar
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