Living Pianos

This is a great piece of music for students to learn. It is not a simple piece of music by any means, but it’s one of the easiest Beethoven Sonatas to learn and it is a substantial work. It’s interesting to know that the Op. 49 sonatas were composed much earlier than the opus number would indicate. However, they were published later.

There are many aspects to approaching Beethoven’s works that can be applied to this piece. It’s very important to play with a regular beat. So, practicing with the metronome is invaluable with Beethoven. It can make life much easier to memorize the piece first. Classical period music is not particularly hard to memorize and I have a video on the subject you can watch.

What techniques can you use in your practice of this work and other pieces of Beethoven?

You should practice in chords whenever possible. Learning to play your music in chords can be very beneficial. This aids in a number of ways. First, by reducing the music to chords, you will understand the harmonies. More than that, you will discover fingerings that accommodate the notes well. It also makes it easier to learn.

It’s important to bring out the melody which is typically in the right hand. One technique for achieving this is to play the accompanying parts staccato with a light wrist when the texture allows for it.

Another important aspect of practicing effectively is to work out your trills. It isn’t important to play a large number of notes. It is essential that you work out exactly the number of notes you can play with confidence. This will result in a musical execution.

Beethoven didn’t write out many of the dynamics in this piece. However, many editions offer suggestions for expression. For example, you can start this piece forte. In different editions of the piece, people will suggest certain dynamics and while no version is necessarily better than others, you should find something to create contrasts with the music to keep the performance compelling.

Obviously, these are not the only aspects to learning this piece or any work of Beethoven. But they will provide a good foundation for progressing through the music to bring it to a higher level.

Thanks again for joining us here at Living Pianos. If you have any questions about this topic or any others, please contact us at: Info@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729

Piano Lessons: Approaching Beethoven’s Sonata Op. 49 No. 2

I just recently received this question from a viewer and I thought it would be a good thing to address. If you play piano – or other polyphonic instruments – you probably have seen these before:

If you’re a singer or you play the flute, clarinet, trumpet, or perform another monophonic instrument you may have never seen these before in your notation.

These notes typically only occur in polyphonic writing. For example, on the piano you have multiple parts and sometimes you will have two different parts that play the same note. Imagine for example if there was a choir and there was the same note being sung between both the altos and the sopranos. Instead of writing the note twice, it would be easier to write the note on the same line and just add a line going up for the soprano and down for the alto.

Sometimes you might even see double stem notes for different rhythms. You might have a half note and a quarter note on the same note. This might sound confusing and it can be but it’s best to break down the music and understand how it is supposed to sound.

Hopefully this clears up the mystery for some of you out there! Thanks again for joining me Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com

What are Double Stemmed Notes?

I just recently received this question from a viewer and I thought it would be a good thing to address. If you play piano – or other polyphonic instruments – you probably have seen these before: If you’re a singer or you play the flute, clarine

Welcome to another video in our series on the Art of Pedaling. In the first video we covered the Right Pedal (Damper Pedal). Next we covered How to Use the Pedal to Add Color to Your Music and last time we addressed Special Uses for the Pedals. Today we are going to cover half-pedaling. So what is half-pedaling and how can you use it in your playing?

Pedaling really is an art form and half-pedaling is an advanced technique that can add a lot of depth to your music if employed creatively. In the video I use the Chopin Ballade in G minor to demonstrate this technique. There is a gorgeous theme in the middle section of this piece that perfectly captures what half-pedaling can bring to your music.

As I have mentioned in past videos, it is essential that you Practice Your Music Without Using the Pedal. Playing this piece by Chopin without the pedal is going to be a huge challenge but it’s very beneficial for you to understand where and how to employ the pedal by practicing without it first learning how to connect as much as possible with your hands.

As I mentioned in the past videos in this series, you’ll want to change the pedal when harmonies change. This technique involves releasing the pedal as soon as harmonies change and then pushing it right back down. This produces a clean sound. With half-pedaling you can create richness in key melody notes while minimizing lower notes avoiding a muddy sound.

The pedal does not have to be completely on or off. Experimenting with the amount of pedal is a great way to enhance your music. Using the half-pedal technique (by not pushing the pedal all the way down) you can capture the amount of sustain applicable to the sound you are after. You will hear that you can enhance the sound of particular notes by using different amounts of pedal. Experiment and see what you can come up with.

Keep in mind that every piano you play will have different characteristics. The pedal is never the same on any two pianos. Room acoustics also affect the sound. So, getting to know and experiment with your piano is essential to improving the sound of your music.

Thanks again for joining me Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729

The Half-Pedal Technique for Piano

Welcome to another video in our series on the Art of Pedaling. In the first video we covered the Right Pedal (Damper Pedal). Next we covered How to Use the Pedal to Add Color to Your Music and last time we addressed Special Uses for the Pedals. Today

The Concerto goes back centuries and is a very important musical form. You might have seen my video on What is a Sonata?; This is a good follow up.

When we talked about Sonatas, I referred to the famous C Major Sonata K545 of Mozart. We discussed the structure of a Sonata extensively in the last video and we talked about how Sonatas can be written for any instrument and usually feature piano accompaniment.

A concerto, by contrast, is a piece of music written for a solo instrument or a small group of instruments along with a symphony orchestra. Symphony concerts often feature soloists at the start of the second half of the program. You will usually see a pianist or a violinist playing solo in front of the orchestra as they back them up. In the Baroque era, Bach wrote the Brandenburg Concertos for small groups of instruments accompanied by a small orchestra. There are countless Classical and Romantic period concertos which feature more than one soloist with an orchestra as well.

Many of you are probably familiar with the famous Tchaikovsky B flat minor Piano Concerto which starts with the thunderous chords on the piano. (You can hear them in the video example provided above.) While the piano is playing these huge chords, the orchestra is playing a beautiful melody which accompanies it.

There is a structural similarity between Sonatas and Concertos that is significant. Concertos are often written in the Sonata-Allegro form! If you want a detailed explanation of this please check out the link for the Sonata video provided above.

Thanks again for joining me, Robert Estrin: Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729

What is a Concerto?

The Concerto goes back centuries and is a very important musical form. You might have seen my video on What is a Sonata?; This is a good follow up. When we talked about Sonatas, I referred to the famous C Major Sonata K545 of Mozart. We discussed the

Recently I received this question from a viewer:

“If baby grand and upright pianos have shorter strings than grand pianos, and the pitch of a string is determined by its length, how can the smaller pianos play the same set of low notes as grand pianos?”

This is a very good question and one that deals with the physics and scaling of pianos. Longer strings make lower sounds, so how can you replicate the same pitch on pianos with shorter and longer strings?

This is where the scaling of pianos comes into play. The scaling of a piano has several factors which affect pitch. It is the combination of the length of the string, the thickness of the string, and the tension it is under that will determine its pitch. Scaling is something that is determined when the piano is designed and built and it is as much art as science. When replacing strings on a piano you must make sure the thickness and gauge of the strings is the same as the original ones or you could end up breaking strings! Even the steel strings vary in gauge across the piano.

Although even a small piano can create the lowest pitches, they are not pure tones. You might notice that when you play smaller pianos, the lowest notes sound muddled. The fundamental pitch is quite weak and the overtones are extremely audible. The overtones are present in all pitched sounds which create the color of the sound. In very small pianos, the overtones of the lowest notes are extremely pronounced obscuring the fundamental tone.

When I was a young boy I tried an experiment by taking my tape recorder and recording the lowest note on my father’s piano. I played the tape back on my father’s tape recorded which allowed me to hear it played back 4 times faster which also raised the pitch several octaves. The results shocked me. It sounded more like a chord rather than a single note! This is due to the overtones which are so predominant in the sound of the lowest notes of a piano. The smaller the piano, the greater the overtones and the less fundamental pitch comes through on the lowest notes. Larger grand pianos have stronger fundamental pitches on the lowest notes for a richer, cleaner sound but they still contain overtones as almost all pitched sounds do.

Let’s say you have access to a baby grand and a concert grand in the same room. If you played the same low notes on both instruments you would instantly be able to tell the difference in tone between the two because of the different balance of fundamental tones and overtones between to the two.

Thanks again for joining us here at Living Pianos. If you have any questions about this topic or any others, please contact us at: Info@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-372

How do Different Size Pianos Work?

Recently I received this question from a viewer: “If baby grand and upright pianos have shorter strings than grand pianos, and the pitch of a string is determined by its length, how can the smaller pianos play the same set of low notes as grand pia

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.

The good news is that if you keep playing the piano you will eventually develop more strength in your fingers. Some people will tell you that practicing scales and arpeggios is a great way to develop strength, and while they are definitely helpful, they aren’t the only solution for developing strength. Playing nearly anything will help you develop strength in your fingers – it’s something that will just develop naturally over time if you spend a great deal of time playing and practicing the piano.

When it comes to playing a particular piece of music with faster sections, often starting slowly and progressing the tempo is a great solution. Take out a metronome and set it to a comfortable tempo. Play the notes in time with the metronome and develop an approach that utilizes appropriate hand positions and finger patterns – everything should be lined up just right. Once you feel comfortable and can play the notes without errors, set the metronome speed up by one notch and start again. Keep working like this until you get the passage up to speed. You might not even notice a difference only setting the metronome up one notch at a time; that’s good! By practicing this way you will gradually build up speed and it won’t be as much of a challenge for you. If you have the patience to practice this way you will develop speed much more quickly.

Another thing to be aware of are techniques you will need to employ to play faster on the piano. It is a lot different from playing slowly and you will need to adjust your playing style. In my video about playing the piano loud, I talk about how to use the arms and mass to get a larger sound. When it comes to playing fast, you will want to use less mass but you don’t want the tone to suffer. In faster sections you should play with your fingers closer to the keys – nearly touching them with minimal arm weight. When playing slowly you can practice with raised fingers but you can’t do that when it comes to faster passages. The general rule is that you want to keep your fingers closer to the keys so you can use the smallest amount of finger strength possible and yet still create a nice sound. The good news is there is a way to practice this technique!

Taking sections of your music – specifically, places where you experience problems – and focusing on them individually is one of the best things you can do correct mistakes in your playing. Make sure you practice at low speeds and figure out which hand positions and finger patterns work for you before moving on. Like many things in life, playing faster on the piano is something you must work for over time. You may find practicing a select number of notes with accents and different rhythms will aid in progressing the speed. There is no simple solution but practicing the techniques illustrated above should help you improve your speed. Thanks again for joining me, Robert Estrin – Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729

How to Play Piano Faster

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.

One of the most overlooked aspects of playing any instrument is correct posture. When it comes to the piano, posture is crucial to your musical success as well as your health. I have a whole separate video on How to Sit At the Piano that you should watch for more specific information. If you find yourself in a situation where you can play the piano but the bench is not high or low enough you must take the time to correct the problem before playing.

When it comes to actually playing, try starting with something slow. Don’t jump right into advanced music – let your fingers, arms, and hands warm up by playing something slower that will utilize all parts of the body. Some people start with scales. If you do, start playing at 1 note to the beat and with raised fingers which gently stretches the muscles. Gradually build up your speed until you feel comfortable. You don’t have to warm up with scales or arpeggios; you can pick any piece of music and just start slower than normal.

There is no real secret to warming up on the piano. It’s a simple process of making sure you’re mentally and physically prepared. Make sure your hands are warm and comfortable, ensure that you have good posture, start with something slow, and you can enjoy yourself for the long haul!

Thanks again for joining me, Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729

How to Warm Up on the Piano

This is one of the most common questions we get asked. You might think how fickle some musical instruments can be with tuning and assume that a piano would probably have to be tuned after it’s moved because of the potential stress the strings exert on the structure.

Conventional wisdom states that you would need to tune a piano after it’s moved; some people might even insist on tuning a piano if you roll it across a room. Is this really the case?

Pianos are much more robust than many people might imagine. After all, pianos used to be transported across the country on horse and buggy, they are very rugged instruments and a simple move across a room or even across town is not going to necessarily knock it out of tune. It would take a tremendous amount of force to knock a piano out of tune just by moving it.

For longer moves – let’s say across the country or hundreds of miles – unless the piano is shipped in a climate controlled truck it could possibly need to be tuned once it arrives at it’s new location. The move itself is not what will make the piano go out of tune however, it’s something much more important.

The climate of the room where a piano is kept is the determining factor in whether or not a piano will have to be tuned once it’s moved. Pianos need a stable environment in order to stay in tune and unless you are moving a piano in a climate controlled truck it may need to be tuned once it reaches its destination and becomes settled to it’s new home. Just moving a piano across town will probably not make the piano go out tune as long as the climate in your home is similar to the climate where the piano was previously. So how long should you wait before you decide to tune the piano after a move?

I always recommend letting a piano sit in it’s new location for at least a couple of weeks before performing its first tuning in its new location unless there are some issues with the piano that need to be addressed sooner. This will give the piano time to settle and acclimate to it’s new home. You shouldn’t wait too long after a move to tune your piano though as there is a potential danger to be aware of.

Many people might not know this but neglecting to tune a piano could be damaging to the instrument. The piano can shift up or down in pitch – and it’s something you might not even notice – and it can take a number of tunings before you can get the piano back up to the standard A440 pitch and keep it stable. So after a few weeks (2-8 weeks) tune the piano and keep tuning it on a regular schedule.

Thanks again for joining me. If you have any questions about this topic or any others relating to pianos or music in general please feel free to ask: Robert Estrin, Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729.

Do you Need to Tune Your Piano After it’s Moved?

Today’s question is something you might or might not have heard of. You’ve undoubtedly heard a prepared piano on film scores but you might not even realize what you were hearing. Today we’re going to discuss what it is as well as how you can experiment with these sounds yourself.

The piano has been around and advancements have been made over hundreds of years. Despite where the instruments are today, some composers still want to get even more out of the instrument. Composers like John Cage and others have experimented with altering the piano by adding different tools and other objects to the inside of the piano.

The video included with this article gives you an example of how a prepared piano can look and sound, although there are endless possibilities. We used just a few household objects placed on top of and between the strings. You are certainly not limited to just these types of enhancements; sometimes players will pluck strings or make changes to the keys as well – the only limit is your imagination and the capabilities of your piano.

If you feel brave enough to try and prepare your piano and experiment with different sounds, go for it!

This is a musical instrument after all and anything you want to do to illicit new sounds is fair game – there are no strict rules for what you can and can’t do. Just be careful not to harm the piano and certainly be wary of doing anything that involves pulling the action of the piano – this is something only a technician should be doing for you.