Abstract
Piano tone and technique comprise two inseparable aspects of teachers’ work with beginner piano students. Historically, tone has been considered as a most essential ingredient in the world of music because mastery of tone production enables artistic expression. This chapter examines how tone may be characterized as sound vibrations—intensities of energy—that range from soft to loud, light to heavy, bright to dark, short to long, flat to round, and more. Pianists bring immense variations in tonal intensity to their performances by tapping into their emotional, spiritual, intellectual, intuitive, and physical energies. In a departure from treating piano technique as a kind of mechanical training, this chapter considers piano technique as something we may already know about because of how we use our fingers, hands, arms, and body in ordinary everyday life. Specific examples of how beginner piano students may explore five technical basics include: grabbing fingers, walking fingers , arm circles , our body, and appropriate posture at the piano.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
- 2.
For further examination of the interrelation between breathing, movement, and musical expression, see Pierce and Pierce (1989, pp. 167–194).
References
Arrau, C. (1982). Conversations with Arrau. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.
Bastien, J. W. (1973). How to teach piano successfully. Park Ridge, IL: Kjos.
Bernstein, S. (1981). With your own two hands. New York, NY: Schirmer.
Bernstein, S. (1991). Twenty lessons in keyboard choreography . Milwaukee, IL: Hal Leonard.
Breithaupt, R. (1909). Natural piano technic (Trans. J. Bernhoff). Leipzig: Kahnt Nachfolger.
Camp, M. (1981). Developing piano performance: A teaching philosophy. Chapel Hill, NC: Hinshaw Music.
Clementi, M. (1973). Introduction to the art of playing the pianoforte. New York, NY: Da Capo Press.
Cortot, A. (1928). Rational principles of pianoforte technique (Trans. Le Roy-Metaxas). Paris, FR: Salabert.
Czerny, C. (1837). Letters to young ladies on the art of playing the piano forte. Boston, MA: Oliver Ditson.
Czerny, C. (1839). Complete theoretical and practical piano forte school. London, UK: R. Cocks.
Fink, S. (1992). Mastering piano technique: A guide for students, teachers, and performers. Portland, OR: Amadeus Press.
Fraser, A. (2002). The craft of piano playing: A new approach to piano technique. Oxford, UK: The Scarecrow Press.
Gát, J. (1965). The technique of piano playing. Budapest: Corvina.
Gieseking, W., & Leimer, K. (1972). Piano technique. New York, NY: Dover.
Kochevitsky, G. (1967). The art of piano playing: A scientific approach. Evanston, IL: Summy-Birchard.
Mark, T. (2003). What every pianist needs to know about the body. Chicago, IL: GIA Publications.
Matthay, T. (1903). The art of touch. London, UK: Longmans.
Neuhaus, H. (1973). The art of piano playing. Wolfeboro, NH: Longwood Academic.
Ortmann, O. (1925). The physical basis of piano touch and tone. New York, NY: E. Dutton.
Parncutt, R., & Troup, M. (2002). Piano. In R. Parncutt & G. McPherson (Eds.), The science and psychology of music performance. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Pierce, A., & Pierce, R. (1989). Expressive movement: Posture and action in daily life, sports, and the performing arts. New York, NY: Insight Books.
Sandor, G. (1981). On piano playing. New York, NY: Schirmer.
Watkins, C., & Scott, L. (2012). From the stage to the studio: How fine musicians become great teachers. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Thompson, M.B. (2018). Piano Tone and Technique. In: Fundamentals of Piano Pedagogy. SpringerBriefs in Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65533-8_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65533-8_5
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-65532-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-65533-8
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)