Vladimir Horowitz took the musical world by storm in last century, stunned
Rachmaninoff with his performance of the Third Concerto. His music was a legend.
Vladimir Horowitz will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the greatest
musicians of all time, he performed with explosive power, staggering
speed, and heartbreaking sensitivity.
Piano Solo : Flight of
the Bumblebee Artist -- Vladimir Horowitz
Do you hear the famous pianist Vladimir Horowitz's play here? Do you like the sonorous singing tone? Do you like the nuance, the dynamic shading?
Why the play is different? Why the same piano sounds different in different pianist's hands?
Why some people feel playing piano easy and some feel difficult? Because the way they play is different!
If the talented pianists can play in the nature's way, the less talented can do too.
The difference is that perhaps the talent can do it instinctively and the less talented has to do it
consciously.
I am not a highly talented pianist but I found the piano playing a lot easier, the technical difficulties disappeared
and the music sounds much more beautiful after I applied the physics and anatomy to piano playing consciously.
I would like to share this with you.
This article grew from my exploration of the application of
physics and anatomy to piano playing. It is not a
"How to"
or step1, step 2.... piano instructions. It is not for the kids, it is intended
for the serious adult piano players who like to think and for the parents
of young piano students - even the parents do not know how to play, but they can
judge if their children's play
agrees with the nature's way or not
after learning the facts presented in this article.
Tradition Piano Teaching only teach you
"How To" play:
When someone starts playing piano, the teacher usually tell
you "How to" play: this way or that way. In every lesson, you mimic the teacher, after the
lesson you practice at home like the teacher did. And next lesson, you repeat
the same process again. This way
of teaching, maybe is good for the small kids. But not for the adult or even the
young adult. Because, nothing is creative there.
Sometimes, the "How To" is wrong and anti-scientific:
Hannon's finger
exercises are anti-human anatomy, it could cause injury of our hands if not used
properly. A few
authorities had mention it, including famous pianist Vladimir Horowitz, famous
Russian piano pedagogue Heinrich Heuhaus and American piano pedagogue Abby
Whiteside etc. Technical drills should be in the context of music, not the dry
mechanical exercises.
Relaxation technique is only one aspect of piano playing. Our
goal is to use minimum motion and energy to achieve maximum result. Our
mind, our body and our whole arm ( including upper arm, forearm, wrist, hand and
finger) must stay alert all the time, not just relaxation. The distinguished
pianist Gyorgy Sander and piano pedagogue Abby Whiteside had mention it.
Knowing "Why and "What" then you know "How":
With a scientific background, I tend to learn things byreasoningand bythefacts.
not
just by experiences alone. In other words. I want to know why and what,
then I will know how to. If you learn playing piano by just experiences
alone. You will end up with endless practicing hours, aimless routine
repetition, fatigue caused by the wrong use of your muscles, not being able to
produce the beautiful music, no fun, or maybe you would eventually give up. In
order to play piano musically and naturally, You must know what to play and
why you should play in the nature's way.
What
to play? Techniques serve the music. You must have a clear artistic, aural image in your
mind. You must knowThe Music,
it's
structures, forms, rhythms, phrases, dynamics, basic harmonics , etc. In other
words, you must know what you want to hear from the piano.
"Whatever
was played, it must be played musically. Further still, it had to be played
orchestrally. Moreover, I had to find out for myself how to make the effects. In
other words, we first played not the piano but music. Then we played
music as it is rendered by special instruments."
-- Quote from Vladimir Horowitz
Why should you play in the nature's way not the other way? This will be explained in the topics:
The Piano,The
Tone, and
The PianistWith the knowledge of the sound of the piano, the anatomic
fact of our body (especially our upper limb), you know why you should
play in the nature's way.
How to Play?
After you study the above topics, you
understand how to play. Some famous pianist's techniques are mentioned in the topic
The Technique. In order to master the
technique you have to practice a lot, and practice consciously. The most
important thing to remember: you must use your brain to play all the time!
Technique is basically mental, the conscious mind must train the sub-conscious
mind. The brain must guide the fingers, not the fingers the brain.
In this article, every conclusion is directed from the
analysis of the facts. That means, every how to is validated by the
why not just my personal experiences or some other pianists' experiences.
The topics are as following:
The Piano- factual presentation of the piano actions. An intelligent pianist
should know the fundamental physics of his/her instrument.
The Tone - theoretical analysis of the sound and the tone of the piano.
The importance of a beautiful tone, the fine tonal balance, can never be
overlooked. "A good sound is created by the brain not by the hands."
The
Pianist- factual presentation of the anatomy of our upper
limb. An intelligent pianist should know the fundamental physiology directly
influence his/ her piano technique.
The Music- technique serves the music. A feeling for rhythm, phrase, nuance
and direction is desirable.
The Technique - develop
technique based on the above facts and analysis. A sound technique should be
a natural one and can never be divorced from music.
With my computer background, I can put this website to the
internet to let the world to see without spending a lot of expenditures. But
this is my first adventure, I only have time to write when I am retired now. I
would like to share my knowledge with those who love to play piano. And I like
to have your feedbacks on the topics I have presented here.
"Music is about communication, creativity, and cooperation, and, by studying music in school, students have the opportunity to build on these skills, enrich their lives, and experience the world from a new perspective."
—Bill Clinton, former President, United States of America.
The benefits conveyed by music education can be grouped in four
categories:
Success in society
Music is a part of the fabric of our society. The intrinsic
value of music for each individual is widely recognized in the many
cultures that make up American life - indeed, every human culture
uses music to carry forward its ideas and ideals.
Better Citizens : Music is a magical gift we must nourish
and cultivate in our children, especially now as scientific evidence
proves that an education in the arts makes better math and science
students, enhances spatial intelligence in newborns and music is a
compelling solution to teen violence. The very best engineers and technical designers in the Silicon
Valley industry are practicing musicians.
Friendships: Music study provides opportunities for
interaction with peers to establish new friendships
Success in school
Diligence: Studying music encourages self-discipline and diligence, traits
that carry over into intellectual pursuits and that lead to effective study and
work habits. An association of music and math has, in fact, long been noted.
Creating and performing music promotes self-expression and provides
self-gratification while giving pleasure to others.
Discipline of music study - particularly through participation in
ensembles - helps students learn to work effectively in the school
environment without resorting to violent or inappropriate behavior.
and music is a compelling solution to teen violence.
Perseverance and Commitment: The demands of piano
study teach children to develop a commitment to projects and
follow them through to completion
Concentration: The study of piano fosters
concentration that can carry over into learning other
subjects.
Pride in Achievement: Students develop a sense of pride in their
abilities through musical achievements
researchers found that students who report consistent high levels
of involvement in instrumental music over the middle and high school
years show significantly higher levels of mathematics proficiency by
grade 12.Students with coursework/experience in music
performance and music appreciation scored higher on the SAT.
Data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988
showed that music participants received more academic honors and
awards than non-music students, and that the percentage of music
participants receiving As, As/Bs, and Bs was higher than the
percentage of non- participants receiving those grades
Success in Developing Intelligence
Coordination: The coordination of both small and large muscles is strengthened
through piano playing.
Creativity: Music study provides a
forum for communicating feelings and using imagination for creative
endeavors.
Smarter: Music education makes kids smarter. Neurological researches
show music study can actively contribute to brain development.
compared to non-musicians, the brains of pianists are more
efficient at making skilled movements. These findings show that
musical training can enhance brain function.
Researchers found that children given piano lessons significantly
improved in their spatial- temporal IQ scores (important for some
types of mathematical reasoning) compared to children who received
computer lessons, casual singing, or no lessons.
Study found that pattern recognition and mental representation
scores improved significantly for students given piano instruction
over a three-year period. They also found that self-esteem and
musical skills measures improved for the students given piano
instruction.
The musician is constantly adjusting decisions on tempo, tone,
style, rhythm, phrasing, and feeling--training the brain to become
incredibly good at organizing and conducting numerous activities at
once.
Success in life
Patience:
The process of learning effective practice skills aids the child in developing
patience
Self-Esteem: As musical skills
are developed, students feel a strong sense of satisfaction
in their progress and develop a feeling of self-esteem that
transfers to other situations in life.
Confidence: Frequent performance helps
the child develop confidence and poise that will be useful
in dealing with many situations in life.
Fun and Relaxation: Playing piano and listening
to music is fun. This skill can provide hours of
entertainment and relaxation throughout one's entire life.
Music is one way for young people to connect with themselves, but
it is also a bridge for connecting with others. Through music, we
can introduce children to the richness and diversity of the human
family and to the myriad rhythms of life.
Music making makes the elderly healthier.... There were
significant decreases in anxiety, depression, and loneliness
following keyboard lessons. These are factors that are critical in
coping with stress, stimulating the immune system, and in improved
health. Results also show significant increases in human growth
hormones following the same group keyboard lessons.