Piano and Music Videos

When you hear short notes – on almost any instrument – this is usually called staccato. We are going to be discussing two types of staccato notes – one is single staccato notes and the other is slurs which end in staccato notes such as two note slurs.

For the video example above, I chose the last movement of Mozart’s K331 Sonata in a major which ends with the famous Alla Turca movement. This is a great piece for staccato demonstration and if you have the chance you may enjoy following along with the video.

The most important technique in playing staccatos is using the wrist. If you rely on the arms the notes won’t snap like they should – it will sound limp. The arms are simply too big and ponderous to rely on for this technique. But how do you approach the staccatos with your wrist?

In the case of a single note, you will want to place your fingers over the keys and simply use your wrist to play the notes. You will want to move ONLY the wrist; do not involve your arms at all except to carefully place the hands over the right keys. By practicing this technique and relying on the wrist, you can develop incredibly speed and fluidity.

When it comes to slurs that end in staccatos, you will want to achieve this is one motion. In this particular piece there is a two note slur that ends in a staccato. For this example you will want to play down for the first note of the slur, and then up for the staccato. The video above provides an excellent example of this. It doesn’t matter how many notes are in the slur, you will always want to go down with the wrist on the first note then come up on the staccato note.

When you put this all together, you will notice a very big change in the sound of the music. Your short notes will have a nice crisp sound to them – they will delineate themselves from the slurred notes.

Now, staccato doesn’t always mean short. It technically means detached. There are examples of slower music where the notes aren’t short but are simply detached from each other. This is an entirely different technique I will cover in a future video but for today, the examples above will help you start playing staccato like a pro.

Rubato is a technique typically used during Romantic period music, such as Chopin, Schumann, and other composers. It is not something used as much during baroque or classical era music: Bach, Mozart, Haydn, and others.

Simply put, Rubato is a give and take in the timing of music – it adds an expressive element. Some people make the mistake of gaining or losing time when it comes to implementing rubato; this is not what rubato is at all. Instead of gaining or losing time, it’s simply playing ahead or behind the beat but always coming back to the correct time. This provides an incredible amount of tension and release to the music.

In the video example above I play the Chopin Nocturne in b-flat minor both with rubato and without. You will notice that you can tap along to the beat of the music whether I am playing with rubato or not. This is something to keep in mind, when playing rubato. You should be able to tap along rhythmically even with the give and take of the beat.

If you lose the pulse, your music will die. What does this mean? It’s not the eight notes; it’s the longer notes that create the pulse of the music. When playing rubato it is important to keep the pulse.

My father demonstrates rubato playing with the metronome getting ahead and behind of the metronome without losing a beat! This is an incredibly difficult skill to master but it can bring your music to new levels. The secret to playing good rubato involves being able to feel the large beat and not just the subdivisions. You will find that you have a lot of freedom to mold the tempo and add an expressive element while keeping the pulse alive!

You’ve probably seen pianists gliding all over the keyboard almost effortlessly. It’s amazing to witness their speed and precision – it seems almost impossible. Sadly there is no turn-key solution for playing the piano faster but I will try and give you some tips on how you can improve your speed.

Learning to play fast is something that takes a lot of work and dedication. It’s not something you can master overnight; it’s something that can take years to develop and a lifetime to master. The most important aspects to improving your speed are to develop strength in your fingers and play lightly as you increase speed.

In the video on the top of this page, I use the Mozart K332 Sonata to demonstrate these techniques.

This is a very important issue when it comes to playing any instrument. There are books written on how to warm up on the piano and countless techniques and exercises you can utilize. I’m going to share a few tips with you that I use in my own practice and performances. The good news is, none of this is as complicated as you might think.

Let’s start holistically. Any warm-up is predicated on you being physically healthy; if you are ailing from anything such as stiff muscles, soreness, illness, or anything that would hinder your well being, it can affect your performance on the piano. If you suffer from any chronic ailments, you should take your time with easing into playing the piano.

The first thing you will want to do is make sure that your hands are warm. If you have cold hands it means that your blood is not circulating well and if you just start playing virtuoso music without warming up your hands you could do some damage. An easy solution for this is to run warm water over your hands so you feel comfortable before you start playing.

I strongly recommend doing some stretching on a regular basis – whether it’s yoga or simple stretches you would perform before a workout. This can be incredibly valuable to your long-term health as well as keeping you injury free while performing.

Beethoven’s Fur Elise is one of the most recognizable pieces of music in history. Many people play this piece and certain mistakes are very common. I will give you some pointers how to approach this little gem of Beethoven.

The beginning is not the problem for most people; it’s the middle section. Most people will tend to slow down dramatically when they reach the middle section because there are much faster notes. So how do you fix this problem?

Beethoven actually marked the piece with a Con Moto tempo (which means in motion). It’s not marked Allegro (or fast). The best thing to do is approach the piece with a more relaxed tempo, so that the change in the middle section will not be so daunting.

In the video presentation above I provide an excellent tempo to start with so that the middle section will be much more manageable. If you have an opportunity to watch the video it may be helpful for you.

Another common mistake for a lot of people is the timing. The piece is written in 3/8 time but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people playing the wrong number of notes! You absolutely have to count when it comes to performing this piece.

While you may encounter other problems when it comes to Fur Elise these suggestions should put you on the right track.