Piano Lessons- Music Theory Lessons

How to Play Trills on the Piano – Piano Lessons with Robert Estrin

I’ve had quite a few people recently asking me for tips on how to play trills on the piano. It’s no easy task – or is it? This video and article will provide a few tips and techniques you can use to help master trills. The first thing to do is make sure you play your trills with minimal arm weight. If you’ve watched some of my other technique videos you know that I emphasize arm weight as a very big component in tone production – especially when it comes to slower melodies. The challenge with trills is playing lightly, almost floating your hand above the keys to allow the notes to flow with minimal effort. The next thing in playing trills is keeping your fingers very close to the keys. Trills are played so fast that there is not a lot of time for movement, so it’s best to keep your fingers very close to the keys – so close you remain in contact with the keys! Another thing is to make sure your fingers are rounded. It’s nearly impossible to play fast with outstretched fingers; keeping them rounded will help improve speed dramatically allowing more than just one joint to execute the trill. These are some of the most important aspects when it comes to hand position. However, there is something fundamental about approaching trills. Even if it sounds like just a bunch of notes, you need to figure out exactly how many notes you are playing as if it’s written out. Learn trills like you would learn any other fast passage in your music working with the metronome increasing one notch at a time as you gain confidence. Another big question is how to know how many notes to play in a trill. One valuable technique that I use frequently is to play just one note of the trill. For example, if you are playing a trill and starting on the upper note, just play that upper note. You will get an idea of how fast you can play the trill by only playing one note of the trill first, either the top note or the bottom note – whichever one you are starting the trill on. This brings up an important subject in trills, what note does it start on? This could really be a subject for an entirely separate video but I am going to provide some basic information here. As trills are written, you will usually start on the auxiliary (the note above the written note of the trill; the next note in the scale of that key). For example, if you have a piece in C major and you have a D trill, you would start on E. Can you start a trill on the note written? For example, if it’s written as a D can you start on a D and move up to E? Yes; it depends on the context. There are different schools of thought on this but generally, I would say a trill is basically a long appoggiatura (a non-chord tone resolving into the harmony). So starting on the auxiliary generally makes musical sense. However, in different period styles and in shorter trills, use your judgment as to what sounds best and what you can execute with confidence. The last thing I want to address with trills is one of the biggest challenges; how to end them! If you don’t know exactly where you are it can be difficult to end them smoothly. The good news is there is a great practice technique for this. I always like to play the trill right up to the point before it ends, and then stop in a relaxed manner over the keys. Keep doing that until you have a good grasp on where you will be right before the last notes of the trill. Keep playing that passage over and over and eventually add the last notes of the trill. But don’t play them right away; pause in a relaxed manner before you play the last notes. At first, make the pause as long as you need it; eventually, make the duration of the pause smaller and smaller; until the pause is imperceptible to the listener but guides the ending of the trill for you!

What’s the Difference Between a Mordent and a Trill?

Mordents and trills look so similar on the page. You usually find these in Baroque era music of Handel, Bach, Scarlatti and other composers from that time. I want to show you one specific difference that’s very important. The beginning of the Sarabande movement of the 5th French Suite of Bach starts with a mordent. You can hear me play it without the mordent on the accompanying video first. Shortly after, there is a trill so you can discern the difference. You will hear it played first with no ornamentation. Mordents and trills differ from each other in two interesting ways. Bach wrote a mordent on the first note in the right hand which is a “B”. The secret to a mordent is you add the note below and then go back to the note that’s written so when you have a B you’re going to play B-A-B. So what’s different about trills? Right after that, you have a trill. Trills start on the upper note. Typically trills can have more than one or two notes and this is for freedom of expression. In fact, the whole Baroque era is noted by its ornamentation. And it isn’t just music. Take a look at the architecture and the art of that period. It’s noted for the filigree and all the beautiful fine detail. Ornamentation is an opportunity for the performer to add their own expressive element. That’s why if you listen to different performances of the same exact pieces of Bach, Handel, Telemann, and other Baroque composers, the ornamentation can be quite different. You can listen to how it sounds with the ornamentation. You have to watch the squiggly lines: the mordant has often has one less than trills and have a vertical line.

The Periods of Classical Music Part 1: Baroque Era

The Baroque era pretty much extends from around 1600 to the mid-1700s. What distinguishes this era of music from others? Baroque music, much like the art and architecture of the time, is very ornate. There are a lot of different textures and the music is very linear. The music often has several lines of music that intertwine. One of the paramount musical forms is the fugue – which has a subject and counter-subject that develop in an intricate fashion. It’s very important in Baroque music to not favor the top line of music as is typical in other periods of music. Baroque music is much more like a tapestry of sound – it should all blend together well. I perform an example of this in the video above with the fifth French Suite of Bach. Notice how even though there is a melody, I allow the other parts to have equal say. The other thing that is a vital component in Baroque music is keeping a steady beat. There is little give and take as in other period styles of music; you should be very clear and be able to hear the lines and allow the counterpoint to come through. You should also employ a minimal amount of pedal when it comes to the piano. When you are playing with other instruments, articulation is vital to getting a clear sound and style. Another thing to keep in mind with Baroque music is the ornamentation involved. You might notice a bunch of ornamentation markings sprinkled around Baroque scores and there are countless ways to interpret these. Ornamentation includes things like trills, mordants, turns and other techniques that are used to embellish your music beyond what’s written on the page.

What Are The BEST Trill Fingers?

I’ve talked before about how trills must be measured. You have to know exactly how many notes you’re playing in a trill. Even though when you listen to a trill it sounds like a free form explosion of notes going back and forth, trills have to be measured so you know exactly how many notes you play. Otherwise, ending a trill is impossible because you’re leaving it to chance whether you end up on the right note or not! You don’t always get to choose your trill fingers. There are some instances, for example in Bach Fugues, where you must trill with four and five. These are the worst fingers to trill with! Try to avoid four and five as trill fingers. A lot of people think three and two are the best trill fingers. And indeed, three and two are pretty strong trill fingers. But the best trill fingers are actually three and one! Three and one are the strongest fingers. Your thumb is the strongest finger and the third finger is probably your second strongest finger. Three and one are terrific for trills. Four and two could work nicely as well. There are a lot of different possibilities. Three and one are great when you have that possibility. Three and two are good too. It depends where you’re coming from and where you’re going in your score to determine what the right fingering is. Not only that but if you have other lines within the same hand, sometimes as I said, in contrapuntal writing in fugues particularly, you might not have much of a choice as to which fingers to use for trills. I’m going to give you one final trill fingering tip.
I’m going to show you something that’s really interesting and it ties right in with the idea of measuring your trills. If you measure your trills, you might want to try alternating three, one, three, two. By using those fingers, you actually reduce the load of the trill to three fingers so none of the fingers have to work quite as hard. Not only that but it helps you to measure your trills. Even if you don’t end up using three, one, three, two as trill fingerings, it will help you to make sure that you’re playing the right number of notes in your trills, which is the most important thing! You never want to think of trills as something abstract from music. Just imagine that every single note is written out and play it as it’s written in the score. If you’re figuring out your own trills, find something you can play reliably. Don’t worry about trying to make the fastest trill. What’s important is that it’s musical, repeatable, and dependable. If you can use three and one, or at least three and two, you’re going to be way ahead of the game.

Brilliant Piano Finger Technique – Piano Lessons

When I was growing up, I would listen to some of the great pianists such as Horowitz and Rubinstein. I would also listen to some of the pianists from the early 20th century such as Hoffman, Rachmaninoff, and Joseph Levine. I was always so impressed with the pristine finger work. It almost would sound like a string of jewels because of the evenness of the notes, and I always wondered how to achieve that sound. So today’s show is about how to achieve brilliant finger work. I’m going to regress a little bit more. When I first started studying the piano with my father Morton Estrin, he showed me how to practice scales with raised fingers and often times my students ask me, “Why do I have to raise my fingers?” Let me show you what I’m talking about. With slow scale practice, it’s important for strength to raise the fingers. You may wonder why you would ever want to play that way because obviously when you play quickly, you don’t have time to raise your fingers. The secret to getting the evenness in your scale work and fast finger passages is the release of notes. For example, if you were to put your hand on a flat surface and just try to lift one finger, some of them are pretty hard to lift. Lift your fourth finger with your hands on a flat surface, and it’s very hard. It’s actually the release of notes that takes more strength than the pushing down of notes! So to strengthen and then to release is the reason for practicing slowly with raised fingers so you’ll practice the release of each note and that will lead to the pristine beauty you can get in fast finger work. That is one of the secrets for achieving beautiful clarity in your playing. There are many others that I will discuss in future videos in terms of hand position and other practicing techniques. For now, I suggest that you practice very strongly. Practice your scales and your arpeggios slowly with raised fingers then work up gradually faster. As you get faster, your fingers, by necessity, must be closer and closer to the keys until you can play quickly but still have the pristine evenness, so each note is exactly the same length because the raising of fingers accomplishes the release of each previous note.

Welcome to LivingPianos.com. I’m Robert Estrin. How many of you have played that famous C major sonata of Mozart, or always wanted to play it? If that sounds like you, you’re in the right place. We’re going to take a complete deep dive into how to learn and master this ubiquitous Mozart sonata, starting right from the beginning.

A Section-by-Section Approach

We’re going to start at the very beginning and work through the piece section by section. By the end of this video series, you’ll be able to truly master this wonderful sonata. Have your score ready. There’s a link in the description so you can follow along with the music, and I’ll be here to guide you every step of the way. As we go, I’ll explain sonata allegro form so you can understand the structure, but more importantly, learn how to execute it cleanly and get that sparkle you’ve always wanted in this piece.

Exposition

Sonata form begins with the exposition, where the main themes are introduced. The opening theme is in C major, and from there the music moves into the second subject. It’s helpful to slow down here and focus on just this section so everything is completely clear before moving on.

How to Learn a Piece Like This

How do you actually learn something like this? I always recommend reading through the entire movement a couple of times first, just to get acquainted and understand the overall shape of the music. Then get right down to work in very small sections. You can learn four measures at a time, or even just two. Many people think learning two measures at a time will take forever, but it’s exactly the opposite. The smaller the section, the longer and more productive your practice sessions will be. You won’t feel overwhelmed, and you can really digest the score. Two measures at a time is more than enough to make solid progress.

Learn the Right Hand First

At the very beginning, take just the right hand. Follow all the markings in the score, including the notes, rhythm, phrasing, expression, and fingering. If you’re using an Urtext edition, you’ll notice it contains only what Mozart wrote, which means there may be no fingering included. In that case, you may want to reference another edition that includes fingering, such as editions available from Virtual Sheet Music or IMSLP.

Learn just the first two measures with the right hand. This won’t take long. Play it several times until it’s memorized, checking back and forth with the score. Once it feels comfortable, increase the speed.

Then Learn the Left Hand

Next, learn the left hand. Because it’s built on broken chords, start by learning the chords as solid blocks. This helps you understand the underlying harmony and naturally leads to good fingering. Memorize those chords first, then break them up and play them as written.

You may find that using pedal creates a beautiful sound. While Mozart’s piano didn’t have a modern sustain pedal, it did have a knee lever that served a similar function. Still, too much pedal can blur the texture. Instead, you can use what I call a phantom pedal by holding the first note of each chord. It’s not essential, but it produces a lovely effect.

Once the left hand is secure, make sure the right hand is still correct. Check all the details. For example, notice the slur in the second measure and be sure to shape it properly. You never save time by learning something incorrectly, even if it seems minor.

Put the Hands Together

The hardest part of piano playing is putting the hands together. Once each hand is securely memorized, slow the tempo way down and try playing hands together from memory. And check your work. Make sure, for example, that the C in the right hand releases exactly when the E plays at the quarter rest at the end of the second measure. Be fastidious with the details, because you will spend ten times longer fixing anything you didn’t pay attention to initially. If you’ve ever learned something wrong, you know how hard it is to eradicate it. Don’t be in a rush to get it halfway there or even 95 percent there, because that last 5 percent will take far longer than learning the whole thing correctly in the first place. Get it right from the start by breaking it down carefully.

Trills Without Stress

In the fourth measure, there is a trill. Trills must be measured, but they don’t have to be fancy. A simple trill using steady 16th notes is perfectly effective. You can always embellish later if you want, but first learn a clean, basic trill so you can move forward confidently.

This same principle applies throughout the movement. Don’t get stuck trying to execute elaborate ornamentation. Learn the movement first. Mozart gives you artistic license with trills, and simplicity can be just as beautiful.

Scale Passages and Technique

Welcome to LivingPianos.com. I’m Robert Estrin. You might have clicked on this thinking, is this just clickbait? I assure you, it is not. What I am about to share with you is very real, and if you embrace it, it can transform your piano playing in ways you might not believe, all in just ten minutes a day.

Why Ten Minutes Can Make Such a Difference

How can ten minutes possibly change your playing? It sounds almost impossible. There are plenty of piano teachers who have students grind away at endless exercises, studies, and technical drills. I actually take a very different approach. I believe the most important thing to work on at the piano is repertoire. There is so much great piano music that already addresses technical challenges that most standalone exercises are unnecessary.

The One Big Exception

Here is the exception, and this is the key to everything. Scales and arpeggios. You have all seen books like Hanon, The Virtuoso Pianist. You might wonder who can possibly sit down and just rip through all of that. The truth is, you should be able to play all your scales and arpeggios under control. Maybe not at lightning speed at first, but comfortably and securely. The idea of spending hours on this sounds daunting. Here is the secret. You only need five to ten minutes a day.

One Scale a Week Is Enough

Take just one scale per week. That’s it. I am not a fan of endless technical work, but this is the one thing you absolutely need if you want to take your piano playing to the next level. Start with the C major scale. You will notice it is written in four octaves in Hanon. That is intentional. You need to be comfortable playing across the entire keyboard. Piano music does not live only in the middle. It uses the full range, so you must be at ease everywhere on the instrument.

Proper Seating and Position

Before you even play a note, make sure you are seated correctly. Sit far enough away from the keyboard so you are not cramped. If you are too close, you cannot reach the high and low ends comfortably, and your arm angles will be all wrong. Make sure you are centered. Keep in mind, the center of the piano is not middle C. It is closer to the name on the fallboard. Sit there so you can easily reach both extremes of the keyboard.

The Mystery of Scale Fingerings Simplified

When you look at scale fingerings, it can feel overwhelming. The good news is there are really only eight fingerings you need to learn. Once you learn them, you can apply them to many different scales. Even better, once you learn the C major scale, there are many other scales that use exactly the same fingering. This is why slow, careful practice is where all the value lies.

Slow Practice With a Metronome

Start with your metronome set to 60 and play one note per beat. Slow practice builds strength, control, and independence of the fingers. High, raised fingers help develop this control, and I have many videos that go deeper into this topic. Here, I am giving you the condensed version so you can get started right away. In just a year, doing one scale or arpeggio per week, you can learn all your major scales, minor scales, harmonic and melodic minors, and arpeggios. That is about 60 total. This slow work is like stretching for an athlete or dancer. It wakes everything up and builds clarity, so you know exactly which keys are down and which are up.

How to Play the Scale Correctly

As you play, keep your shoulders relaxed. Avoid any up and down motion of the arms. This is finger work. The thumb tucks under smoothly, staying close to the keys so it is ready for the next note in the right hand going up and the left hand coming down. Memorize where the thumb crossings happen. Once you do, everything feels natural. This kind of practice feels good because you really get to dig into the keys, with rounded fingers and unused fingers lifted and relaxed.

Building Speed the Right Way

After playing one note to the beat, move to two notes per beat. Go all the way up and down several times. Then move to four notes per beat. At this point, lighten up and stay close to the keys. Listen carefully for evenness. Make sure each note is articulated cleanly and that notes do not overlap unevenly. This listening is just as important as the physical motion.

When and How to Use This Practice

You can do this as a warm-up, or you can do it when your mind is tired of learning repertoire. Five to ten minutes a day is all it takes, and the results are profound. Do exactly the same thing with arpeggios. Remember, this technique comes from the fingers, not the arms. You cannot play fast or accurately by flailing your arms. Fingers are the key.

Why This Works

About 90 percent of piano music is made up of scales, arpeggios, and broken chords. This work not only gives you technique, but also a deeper understanding of keys and harmonic relationships. It ties together technique, theory, and musical understanding. All of this, in just ten minutes a day, can truly transform your piano playing. If you have questions, feel free to leave them in the comments on LivingPianos.com or on YouTube.

Welcome to LivingPianos.com. I’m Robert Estrin. Today we’re going to explore a fascinating question about piano tone and design. Did we lose something when piano builders moved from straight-strung pianos to overstrung, or cross-strung, designs? You’re going to hear the difference for yourself by listening to the same Chopin excerpt played on two very different instruments: a meticulously restored 1870 Chickering concert grand and a 20th-century Baldwin with a modern scale design. By comparing these instruments directly, using the same music and the same recording setup, you can decide what you hear and what you prefer.

What Is Cross-Stringing?

First of all, what is cross-stringing anyway? Cross-stringing was an attempt by piano builders to fit longer strings into smaller instruments. The idea actually dates back to the 1820s, when a piano builder named Jean-Henri Pape experimented with crossing strings over one another inside a very small cabinet. By using two bridges, with strings running in different directions, he was able to achieve greater string length in a compact piano.

The Rise of Cross-Stringed Pianos

It wasn’t until the 1850s that cross-stringing really took hold. Steinway introduced a square grand piano with cross-stringing, and that innovation marked the beginning of the end for straight-strung pianos. By the end of the 1800s, nearly all pianos were being built with cross-stringing. This allowed not only for longer strings, but also for bridges to be placed more centrally on the soundboard, improving sound transmission.

The Hidden Trade-Off

In straight-strung pianos, many of the strings sit around the perimeter of the soundboard. Cross-stringing solves that issue, but it introduces a new challenge. There can be noticeable tonal differences where the strings transition from one bridge to another. This is one reason why some pianists, including Daniel Barenboim, have renewed interest in straight-strung instruments and are working with modern builders, such as Chris Maene in Belgium, to recreate historically accurate designs.

Hearing the Difference on a Modern Piano

To demonstrate this, let’s look at a Steinway Model S, which, like nearly all modern pianos, is cross-strung. On this piano, the strings switch from one bridge to another between B and B-flat. If you listen carefully, you can hear a change in tone between those two notes. The tonal continuity is interrupted right at the bridge transition.

How Manufacturers Try to Minimize the Problem

Piano makers have worked hard to reduce this inherent issue in cross-stringed designs. On the Steinway Model S, for example, the scale transitions from three plain steel strings to two copper-wound strings between E-flat and D. There is a subtle tonal change there as well, but it’s far less dramatic than the change that occurs when the strings move from one bridge to another.

Why This Matters for Romantic-Era Music

This is exactly why some pianists prefer historically accurate instruments for music written in the 1800s. The tonal continuity of straight-strung pianos can be especially well suited to composers like Chopin. To illustrate this, you’ll hear a short Chopin excerpt recorded at the same point in the music on both pianos, using the same microphones and identical recording conditions. Check out the video to hear the differences for yourself!

What Do You Hear?

I’m very interested in your opinion of what you’ve just heard. There’s no right or wrong answer here. What matters is what you prefer and what sonic differences stand out to you. Do you hear greater smoothness and continuity, or do you prefer the power and projection of the modern design?

The Pros and Cons of Cross-Stringing

To be clear, cross-stringing has real benefits. You get longer strings, more centrally located bridges, and greater efficiency in soundboard vibration. But you also lose some continuity and smoothness from the top of the keyboard to the bottom, and there is undeniably a change in tone.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, so please leave your comments here at LivingPianos.com. Let’s get the conversation going!

Over the years I’ve made a lot of videos about pianos and practicing piano. Today I’m going to provide a concise list of some areas to focus on during your development as a pianist and give some examples of past lessons you can refer to. 1. Memorize, Memorize, Memorize! One of the most important aspects to practicing the piano and developing as a musician is to spend time on a regular basis memorizing music. I can’t stress enough how important this is and how it is often neglected. Any pianist specializing in solo classical music must spend a vast amounts of time memorizing music. The amount of music in the world is endless and nobody can memorize all of it. But if you spend time on a daily basis memorizing music, you will develop security and mastery of performance. Not only will you expand your repertoire, you’ll be giving your brain a workout and you will spend more time focusing on how to play your music rather than what you have to play.

2. Sight Reading Sight Reading is another crucial element to your development as a pianist and is another topic that is often overlooked. Wouldn’t it be great to explore new repertoire and try it out before you commit a significant amount of time learning it? That’s where sight reading becomes incredibly beneficial. Developing your sight reading is very important and if you work on it regularly, you will continually improve.

3. Playing With Other Musicians Playing music with other musicians is not only fun, it’s a necessary experience in developing your own skills. Even if your primary interest is playing solo piano, you should seek out opportunities to play with other musicians and do it as often as possible. There is no need to be intimidated by playing with musicians who are better than you are. In fact, this is one of the best ways to advance your scope as a musician. Even if they play other instruments, examining their sense of style, phrasing, timing and other aspects of their playing can help you develop a new depth of understanding to music. Sight reading might be incredibly difficult on your own as you will find yourself starting and stopping when you make mistakes. When you sight read with other musicians, you will be forced to recover and you won’t be able to stop playing. It forces you to become a better at sight reading!

4. Improvise Often and Don’t be Afraid to Explore New Styles of Music Improvising is so important to understanding your music and gaining a new depth of understanding about how it’s constructed. Many styles of music such as rock and jazz rely on improvisation as a key element to the music and encourages musicians to create something new and interesting every time they perform. Developing your improvisation skills (even with classical music) is a crucial element to becoming a better and more well-rounded musician. Exploring new styles of music enables you to experience and understand styles you might not have been aware of; it can also be a great deal of fun! I’m a classical pianist but when I’ve been at parties with other musicians and played blues music, it’s been a great deal of fun and an incredible learning experience to improvise with them and learn how they approach music. Improvising is also a universal language. If you learn how to read a lead sheet for jazz standards, you can take that anywhere in the world, to play with any musicians. Spoken language is not a barrier for musical performance!

5. Practice Mentally This is something that people might not ever think of. Practicing mentally away from your instrument can offer benefits not possible while playing your instrument. Playing music requires a thought process and there are tremendous benefits to thinking through your music. Let’s say you’re waiting in line at the grocery store. You can practice your music mentally by thinking through a piece with every nuance of performance without any physical restrictions. Going through your music when you are away from your instrument allows you to think about it in a different light. Naturally, practicing with your instrument is essential, but you may rely on motor memory rather than the music. Practicing mentally allows you to think through your music playing it exactly as you want. This can have tremendous benefits strengthening your memory. Just play through your music in your mind and see how far you get. You can always refer to the score to clarify the comprehension of the score.

HOW TO MEMORIZE MUSIC

This might sound like a silly question but sometimes you have a piece you can play with the music in front of you but you haven’t memorized it yet. You might be able to play the whole piece by barely glancing at the music but you still need it in parts. This can be cumbersome and is something you want to avoid. So how do you fix this? I have produced a video in the past on How to Memorize Music. If you haven’t watched it yet I highly recommend it as a companion piece to this article. My very first lesson as a child when I studied with my father Morton Estrin was how to memorize music. It’s a crucial skill that every musician should learn. Taking small sections of music and memorizing each hand separately, then putting them together helps you memorize even the most difficult passages of music. This is a great system to use but how do you account for a piece you almost have memorized? How can you push yourself over the edge and get the whole piece down? I actually have two methods for you. The first is the band-aid approach to practicing music. This technique is simple but very effective. Play through the piece as far as you can from memory. When you encounter a spot that you can’t go past without looking at the music, you stop. Then take this small section and study it intensely. Use the method I detailed above and learn each hand separately first to get the section memorized securely. If the band-aid approach doesn’t work for you don’t worry; you have other options. Rather than starting all over again and learning small chunks at a time, expand the amount of music you learn for each section. So where you might have been memorizing 3-4 measures at a time, try and work with 8-10 measures at a time. Make sure you learn the hands separately and then combine them together. I highly recommend that in the future you start by memorizing your piece as the first step and not the last step. Start by progressing through your music in small chunks and learn each hand separately; then combine them when you’re ready. Ultimately this is a much more efficient way to learn your music.

DO PIANISTS SLOW WITH AGE?

This is a very interesting question. We know as people get older their mobility may suffer and their minds can potentially slow down. But how does this affect their ability to perform music? Today we are going to discuss this and the answer might surprise you! You might think that a performer would naturally slow down with age – but this isn’t always the case. When it comes to prodigies, they tend to play very quickly when they are young, but as they mature they begin to take more time with the music. This is not a case of slowing down due to physical limitations, but as a way to express the music on a deeper level. They learn to express themselves with every note instead of rushing through the music almost like a sporting event. The technical side is one thing, but there is a whole other aspect of why you might find yourself slowing down your playing as you get older. If you take a piece you know very well, you may have played it hundreds or even thousands of times – and to you it might seem slow because you know every single note of it inside out. While it might seem “slow” to you, for your audience, they must digest the music for the first time. They might be overwhelmed by the volume of music to digest. As you mature as a musician, you appreciate what it is like for people to listen to a piece they are not familiar with. Age is not always an indicator of the speed of a musical performance. I’ve heard older pianists who play very fast and younger pianists who play much slower. Sometimes personalities come into play. Often times the differences between professional musicians and talented students are the tempos they take – and this doesn’t mean that more accomplished artists play faster or slower than students. For example, many times, less experienced players will play slow movements much slower than what works, which bogs down the performance, losing the pulse which keeps the music alive. It takes experience to understand how to get these sections to flow and sound natural. Generally, older musicians tend to play slower. But I don’t believe it has anything to do with mobility and age, it’s much more a product of learning how to play expressively.

Welcome to LivingPianos.com. I’m Robert Estrin. Today we are talking about a seminal question: whether it is better to buy a new Steinway or a vintage Steinway. You might wonder why anyone would buy a 100 year old piano instead of a brand new one. I get this question all the time, and technicians debate it endlessly. Some say old pianos are junk. Others say they do not make them like they used to. So who is right? Let’s break it down.

The Wood Makes a Difference

The first point is the wood. In the 1920s and 1930s, and even earlier, piano makers had access to old growth wood. Today, most woods are plantation grown. Older woods tend to have tighter grain, which produces greater resonance and depth of sound. There are even major challenges now in obtaining Sitka spruce from Alaska, which is protected. This has created a real crisis in sourcing the finest tonewoods that were once commonly available to piano manufacturers.

Hand Building Versus Machines

Another important factor is how pianos are built. Modern pianos rely heavily on CNC machines, which stands for computer numerical control. These machines are incredibly consistent and precise. Vintage pianos, on the other hand, were hand built. Each one has its own individual personality. When you find a good vintage piano, it has a soul that machines simply cannot replicate. That individuality is something many pianists find irresistible.

The Golden Age of Piano Manufacturing

If you go back to the period before World War Two, there were over one thousand piano companies in operation. Only about 300 or 400 of them were full scale manufacturers, with the rest being smaller assemblers or short lived firms. Still, it was the heyday of piano manufacturing in America. Compare that to today, when only a couple of companies are producing perhaps two or three thousand pianos a year. It was truly a different era.

Why Old Pianos Can Be a Problem

Here is where many people get burned. Pianos are not violins. Violins tend to improve with age, but pianos are machines that wear out. Old strings, cracked soundboards, and worn actions mean that many vintage pianos are essentially furniture unless they are properly restored. To unlock the magic, restoration is essential.

The Hybrid Solution

The solution is a hybrid approach. For example, my piano is a Steinway Model S that my grandfather bought for my father in the early 1940s. It was built in the late 1930s, and it has since been completely rebuilt. You get the original rim, the case, and the structural elements that cannot be replaced. If you are lucky, you also retain the original soundboard, which can be resurrected to produce a magnificent tone. All of the action parts can be rebuilt using Steinway or Renner components. Hammers might be from Steinway or Abel, depending on what is most appropriate for that particular piano.

This is why it is critical to work with a rebuilder who truly understands pianos. Not every Steinway performs best with current Steinway parts, even though Steinway now owns Renner. When done correctly, you can install new strings and a new action while preserving the tonal beauty of old growth wood. This approach gives you the stability of a new piano combined with the tone of aged wood. You can hear a beautiful pianissimo and a gorgeous, singing sustain. That is what people mean when they talk about singing wood from old growth forests. You also get tremendous power and a deep bass growl that is hard to find in most new pianos unless you are spending well into six figures on top tier instruments.

What About Consistency?

One advantage of buying a new piano is consistency, and that is generally true. However, new pianos also have a break in period. During the first couple of years, strings stretch, felt parts settle, and everything gradually seats into place. So the real question is whether you can hear the difference. Listen to Asian production pianos. Listen to new Steinways. If you have tried new Steinways, how do you feel they compare to vintage instruments? I would love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment at LivingPianos.com, we are Your Online Piano Store!

Also see: New Vs. Vintage Steinway – What They DONT’T tell you:

Welcome to LivingPianos.com. I’m Robert Estrin. I have a really interesting show for you today. We’re going to be comparing a vintage Steinway concert grand to a much newer Steinway concert grand and listening to the difference. We’ll hear two excerpts of Chopin on these two instruments. Many people have very strong opinions about older versus newer Steinways, and today is a chance for you to listen and decide for yourself.

A Modern Steinway Concert Grand

First up, we have a 2004 Steinway concert grand. It’s all original and barely used. You’ll hear a performance of Chopin’s F-sharp Nocturne on this piano. Take a moment to listen and notice the tone. The piano is dialed in and a pleasure to play, with a clean, responsive sound.

A Vintage Steinway Concert Grand

Next, we turn to a vintage Steinway concert grand from 1916. It has been carefully rebuilt and retains its original soundboard, so the comparison is fair. Here, you’ll hear Chopin’s B-flat minor Nocturne. Listen to the tone and see which piano resonates with you more.

What Makes Each Steinway Unique

No two Steinway concert grands are exactly the same. Each is hand-built, and the woods used throughout the piano are unique because no two trees are alike. Beyond that, every piano benefits from the fine craftsmanship of its makers. Still, there is a general distinction between older and newer Steinways that you can often hear.

Join the Conversation

I’m curious if you can hear the difference between these two pianos. Let’s get a conversation going in the comments here at LivingPianos.com. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Again, I’m Robert Estrin, and thanks so much for joining me!

New vs. Vintage Steinway: What They Don’t Tell You

Johann Sebastian Bach is the grandmaster of counterpoint and arguably the most influential figure in Western music history. But for many pianists, approaching his works can be intimidating. From the intricacies of the fugue to the controversy of using the sustain pedal, understanding the logic behind the notes is the key to mastery.

In this video compilation, we explore the history, theory, and practice techniques required to bring Bach’s music to life, culminating in a full performance of his Toccata in E Minor.

The Well-Tempered Clavier: A Tuning Revolution 00:21

To understand Bach’s 48 Preludes and Fugues, you must first understand the term “Well-Tempered.” In the early 18th century, keyboard instruments used specific tuning systems that sounded pure in some keys (like C or G major) but sounded horrendous in distant keys (like F# or C#).

Technicians eventually developed a “well-tempered” tuning—a compromise that allowed all keys to be playable without re-tuning the instrument. To celebrate this technological breakthrough, Bach wrote a prelude and fugue in every single major and minor key—twice.

The Chorale Connection 04:14

While Bach’s preludes and fugues can sound incredibly complex, they share a DNA with the simple four-part chorale. Whether it is a dense fugue or a rapid prelude, the music is fundamentally built on the voice leading of Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass.

When you strip away the ornamentation of a prelude, you often find the same harmonic structure used in hymn writing. This structure didn’t just stop with Bach; it forms the foundation for Beethoven, Brahms, and almost all Western music that followed.

The Great Debate: Should You Use Pedal in Bach? 11:31

Bach never wrote for the modern piano; he wrote for the organ and other keyboard instruments (clavier) that did not have sustain pedals. This leads to a debate: Purists say “no pedal,” while modernists argue Bach would have loved the color it adds.

** The Verdict:** You can use the pedal, but not the way you use it in Chopin.

Chopin: You use the pedal to connect notes that your hand cannot physically reach.

Bach: There are no notes written that the fingers cannot hold. Therefore, pedal should be used only for color, not for legato.

Practice Tip: Practice all Bach pieces without any pedal first. Once your fingering and connections are secure, add small touches of pedal for warmth.

The Secret Power of “Extreme Slow Practice” 17:38

If you have a piece that is feeling rusty, or one you can’t quite get to a professional level, extreme slow practice is the solution. When you play fast, imperfections blur by. When you play extremely slowly, it is like putting your playing under a microscope.

This technique forces you to be deliberate. It moves you off “autopilot” and forces your brain to re-engage with the score, solidifying your memory and security.

Why is the “Italian Concerto” a Concerto? 22:09

A concerto is defined as a soloist (or group) playing with an orchestra. Yet, Bach’s Italian Concerto is for solo keyboard. How does that work?

Bach utilized the “Italian Style” of the Concerto Grosso by writing specific dynamics into the score. He created the illusion of an orchestra by juxtaposing loud (forte) sections representing the full orchestra (tutti) against soft (piano) sections representing the soloist.

Anatomy of a Fugue 25:35

A fugue is a composition based on counterpoint—the interweaving of independent melodic lines. It is similar to a “round” (like Row, Row, Row Your Boat), but far more complex.

The Subject: The main musical theme.

The Answer: The subject repeated in a different key (usually a 5th higher).

The Counter-Subject: The melody played simultaneously with the answer.

Bach manipulates these themes using mathematical precision—playing them upside down (inversion), backwards (retrograde), or at different speeds.

Performance: Toccata in E Minor (38:02)

To truly understand the emotional power of a fugue, you must hear it in context. We end this video with a performance of Bach’s Toccata in E Minor. It is an emotionally charged work that concludes with a brilliant three-voice fugue.

While the analysis is fascinating, remember the most important rule: Listen to enjoy. You don’t need to analyze every measure to feel the awe of how these separate lines weave together to form a magnificent whole.

Today you are going to learn about the biggest piano practice mistakes you may not even realize you are making. Most pianists spend years practicing harder and harder and still do not get better. In almost every case, it comes down to one hidden mistake. Virtually all students make it, including intermediate and advanced players. If you have ever wondered why your playing seems stuck, this is likely the reason.

What Most Pianists Think Practice Is

Many pianists think practice means logging hours at the piano, playing pieces from beginning to end, and hoping consistency will come with time. Unfortunately, this kind of practice often reinforces problems instead of solving them. The biggest mistake is mindless repetition. Practicing by repeating rather than problem solving is the number one reason pianists fail to improve.

Why is this so damaging? Errors turn into habits. Awareness disappears. Tension creeps in. And enormous amounts of time are wasted. From a neuroscience standpoint, neural pathways do not know the difference between right and wrong. They only know what you repeat.

Why Starting at the Beginning Every Time Does Not Work

One of the hidden practice mistakes people often make is always starting from the beginning of a piece. It feels comfortable because it is the part you know best. You get the illusion of progress by playing what already sounds good. But this avoids confronting the weaknesses that give practice its value. The result is predictable. The beginning improves, the middle stays about the same, and the ending barely improves at all. You polish the opening until it is smooth, reach a difficult passage, and suddenly everything falls apart. Because it is not fun to play what sounds bad, you avoid the very sections you should be practicing. Your brain rewards familiarity, not progress. That is why this approach feels productive even when it is not.

The Fix: Practice Small Sections and Start Where It Is Hard

Instead of starting at the beginning, focus on what actually needs work. Sometimes that means starting from the hardest passage. If you have played the opening a hundred times and the rest is not improving, begin your practice right where the problems are and master even a tiny section completely.

Another Big Mistake: Practicing Too Fast

Practicing too fast is another major problem. If you cannot play a passage securely at a given tempo, practicing it fast only burns sloppiness and tension into your playing. It is tempting because it is exciting and you want to hear the piece at speed right now. But hoping it will magically clean itself up never works. Do not confuse tempo with mastery. Speed will come naturally once you have solidity and control. If you can play something slowly with security, you can gradually increase the tempo. Playing faster than you can play accurately destroys progress because you are reinforcing errors.

Why Bad Habits Are So Hard to Fix

Once tension and sloppy motions are ingrained, they become extremely difficult to eradicate. My wife Florence, who teaches flute, sees this all the time. Students trained from the beginning can develop a beautiful, relaxed sound. Students who come with years of tension often struggle to undo it. Your hands memorize motion patterns, correct or incorrect. That is why you must never allow sloppy, tense playing to become routine.

Slow Practice Works

If you play a passage too fast and think you can fix it by repeating it again and again, stop. Instead, take a very small section and practice it slowly and securely. At first, slow practice can feel harder because it exposes what you do not really know. But this is exactly what allows you to clean up imprecise finger patterns and achieve a beautiful sound.

Stop Avoiding Your Weaknesses

It’s easy to play through a piece while glossing over the parts that give you trouble. But avoiding weaknesses guarantees they will never improve. Isolating problem spots is uncomfortable, but it is essential if you want real progress. Many people have emotional resistance to this. Your ego would rather play the parts that sound good. But what really happens is your worst measures never improve, your tension builds, and the piece hits a progress wall.

Diagnose the Problem Before You Try to Fix It

To fix any problem, you must first diagnose it accurately. Often the first thing to check is fingering. Look carefully at what is written in your score. If the fingering does not work, explore alternatives. A great resource is IMSLP.org, which offers many editions of the same music with different fingerings. Sometimes a new fingering solves a problem instantly!

Another factor is motion. Practice just the leaps or just the difficult movements. Stop before the note you tend to miss and rehearse the motion itself. You can also use rhythmic practice to improve coordination. Coordination issues often come from the hands not being precisely together. Practice stopping just before both hands play to ensure exact alignment. Balance between the hands is another major issue. Do not be afraid to exaggerate the melody. Use arm weight to project a singing tone. You can always refine later, but first establish clarity and balance.

Always Put It Back in Context

After fixing a problem in isolation, always put it back into the musical context. Practice is not just about solving problems. It is about reintegrating them into the piece. Good practice is problem solving. Work on small sections. Analyze instead of rushing. Control instead of speed. Attack weaknesses directly. Even if you spend a lot of time on a very small amount of music, the benefits are enormous because solutions transfer to other sections.

A Simple 10 Minute Daily Practice Routine

For the first one or two minutes, warm up with something simple like scales. Keep shoulders relaxed, fingers rounded, and motions economical. Warm up thoughtfully, not mechanically.

For the next three to five minutes, identify one problem spot and isolate it. Solve it thoroughly, even if it feels difficult at first.

For the next few minutes, continue working on difficulties using slow practice or rhythmic variations.

In the final minute or two, reinforce your work with a clean, relaxed playthrough of just the section you fixed.

Practice With Intention, Not Just Repetition

Simply repeating a passage over and over does not guarantee improvement. Mindless repetition often reinforces mistakes. Practicing with intention means identifying the problem, isolating it, and working on it carefully until it is solved. Focus on one issue at a time rather than trying to fix everything at once. By practicing deliberately and thoughtfully, even small daily improvements will compound into dramatic progress.

What part of your pieces have you been avoiding? Leave a comment and I will help you diagnose it. I read your comments and take them seriously. I hope this helps you. Again, I am Robert Estrin. This is LivingPianos.com, Your Online Piano Resource.