Touching and Expression in Piano Performance

Author: Clarence G. Hamilton
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: A carpenter builds a house; first, they need the right tools. Having the right tools isn't enough—they also need to use them skillfully to meet various needs. That's still not enough; they must ultimately be able to embody the architect's design to turn the architect's blueprint into a real building. Similarly, a pianist must not only have hands and muscles capable of playing but must also learn to master the keyboard to create various possible sound effects and dynamics. They must also understand the creative concept of each piece, so that whether in the overall structure or in local details, they can reflect the composer's intentions. I intend to discuss the various manual techniques needed to achieve this ultimate goal in this book. For piano students with normal finger, hand, and arm conditions, we will first explore how to teach them to use the corresponding parts of their bodies to guide their fingers in playing. The second step will be to explore how to apply the playing technique to the performance of musical pieces. For this purpose, the first part of this book is dedicated to discussing various types of touch, while the second part discusses the application of touch in expressive performance.