Tag Archives: bach

How to Play Burgmüller: The Limpid Stream

Welcome to LivingPianos.com, I’m Robert Estrin. Today I am giving a tutorial on how to play Burgmüller’s The Limpid Stream. I have a bunch of Burgmüller tutorials for you. This is another beautiful piece. What’s great about these pieces of Burgmüller is that they’re accessible even if you don’t have a virtuoso technique. They are wonderful pieces of music, each with its own unique voice, and this is no exception. What I’m going to do for you first is play the piece. Then I will go through it thoroughly, showing you how to practice all sections of it and how to get the most out of this wonderful piece of music.

First of all, let’s talk about the name The Limpid Stream.

It sounds kind of odd. It’s actually from the French Le Courant Limpide. If you translated that directly, it would be The Clear Current. That still doesn’t quite roll off the tongue. But you could hear that it sounds like a babbling brook, which I think would be a better name for this translation! The Limpid Stream sounds kind of odd in English, doesn’t it? But getting back to the music, essentially this entire piece is broken chords of one sort or another, so naturally, learning it in chords first is critical for being able to understand the harmonies and to develop good fingering. So I’m going to show you how to do the two different sections in chords. It’s in A-B-A form. You have the first section, the second section, then a da capo back to the beginning section.

What I recommend doing is learning it in very small chunks.

If I were learning this, believe it or not, I would just take one measure at a time! That doesn’t sound like much. It’s basically three different chords. You start and end on the G-major chord in the first inversion. The left hand is even simpler. Then you play the hands together in chords. I don’t play the second chord because it’s the same as the first chord. Instead, I just hold it for two beats. After you play it in chords, then you play it as written.

Notice the double-stemmed notes in the right hand.

What is this all about? It’s basically as if you have two different instruments playing. Imagine for a minute that the top triplets are played on a guitar strumming, and the bottom part is played with a viola or something else. On the piano, of course, you can play more than two parts at a time. Even with one hand, there are two parts. So you must hold down that quarter note longer than the value of the eighth so they overlap. Naturally, you have to lift it up so it can replay again. Once you add the pedal, it’s much easier because the pedal can catch these notes. But it’s essential that you practice holding those notes long enough so that the pedal has an opportunity to grab those notes. Because if you just played it as eighths and tried to grab it with the pedal, you might not be able to get the pedal in time. But by holding it long enough, there’s plenty of time to catch those notes with the pedal. You want to pedal half measures. For the second measure, since it’s all just a broken G-major chord, you can just hold the pedal for the whole measure if you want. But doing half-measure pedaling throughout the entire first section works just beautifully.

It’s important to take note of the dynamics.

It’s easy to remember. As the notes get higher, they tend to get louder. As the notes get lower, they tend to get softer. Until the end of the entire section, which ends gently as it’s going up the G-major arpeggio. So the middle section can also be practiced in chords. This is really a great way to learn this section. You will develop good fingering and an understanding of the harmonic underpinnings of the music by practicing in chords first. Once again, I recommend taking very small sections at a time and to play slowly. Even if you’re learning two measures at a time, you may find it helpful to break it down to one measure. Just do that first measure until you get it memorized, then do the second measure until you have it memorized. Then put the two measures together, once again, practicing in chords first.

The right hand is all a series of two-note slurs.

You don’t want it to sound mechanical. The two-note slurs are accomplished with a wrist motion going down on the slur and up on the second note, essentially making the second note of the slur staccato. Why is this? Slurs mean to connect, and staccatos mean to detach. Because the slur ends on the second note, it is de facto detached, which is staccato. To make matters even clearer, Burgmüller puts in eighth rests, so you absolutely must release the second eighth of each group. What better way than with the wrist? I’ve talked about how the wrist plays staccatos with a down-up motion, so it delineates the phrasing. It also helps you avoid accenting the thumb. The thumb is the strongest finger, but here it’s playing on the weakest part of the beat. You can practice this very slowly using a down-up motion with the wrist. The arm doesn’t move up and down, only the wrist. Strike from above to make the slurred note stronger than the staccato note at the end of the slur. Then, finally, when you have the right hand worked out that way, you put the hands together.

The left hand also has slurs. You must delineate the slurs by not connecting what is not slurred.

That is the way to learn this second section. First, learn it in chords. Just learn the right hand, the two-note groups, and get that memorized. Even if it’s one measure, take the smallest amount you need in order to learn it in a reasonable amount of time. If it takes you more than five minutes to learn something, then take a smaller section because you want to be able to digest things quickly and easily. The smaller the section, the easier it is to master it. If you’re learning it from the music, same thing. Take small sections. Even if you aren’t memorizing the music, the small sections give you an opportunity to really study the score and make sure you’re learning accurately right from the get-go. And that is basically the secret to this section.

At the very end, you may need to practice that scale passage slowly with the metronome ticking to quarter notes.

Take a tempo slow enough that you can play it, and be sure to practice that with a decrescendo back to the original theme. It’s not written, but it’s logical. Descending lines tend to get softer, just like when you’re singing, you naturally get louder with the higher notes and softer as you descend in pitch. You want to get that same sound out of the piano, so it gives it an organic quality, like singing, or a wind instrument, or a bowed instrument. You want to achieve a flowing line. Once you can play it at that tempo, then raise it a notch. Keep raising the tempo by one notch every time you not only get it perfectly, but it feels comfortable. It may take you a little while. But if you spend just five minutes, you will get the scale passage up to a faster speed. Keep going to the point of diminishing returns. You might not be able to get it up to performance tempo in one sitting. Don’t worry about it. There’s always tomorrow! Always take your practice to the point of diminishing returns. Don’t beat your head on something that you’re not making any progress with. Always consider taking smaller amounts and playing hands separately.

Try to break things down into smaller elements that you can absorb so that every minute of your practice is productive.

You don’t want to spend 20-30 minutes doing something where you’re not getting anywhere. That’s what my teaching is all about. You want to maximize your effectiveness in the work you do. And I do that with all of my students. If you’re interested in private lessons, you’re welcome to contact me! Thanks again for joining me, Robert Estrin, here at LivingPianos.com, Your Online Piano Store.

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What WAS Living Piano?

Welcome to LivingPianos.com, I’m Robert Estrin. Today’s subject is: What WAS Living Piano? I recently made videos, “What IS Living Pianos?” and “What ARE Living Pianos?” But What WAS Living Piano? Well, Living Piano actually predates Living Pianos by a number of years. It was a live show that I performed throughout the state of California dozens of times at universities, colleges, art centers, conventions, and even on a cruise in which I presented a historic concert experience showing the entire lineage of the invention of the piano, starting with the harpsichord, going through to the earliest piano of Mozart, the fortepiano, to the modern piano and beyond with cutting-edge technologies including my modular piano system prototypes.

I would dress up in period costumes and play the period styles on the instruments they were actually written for!

What was remarkable about the show is that I performed it for so many different people, from senior citizens to preschoolers, and everybody was fascinated. The piano is so ubiquitous, but most people never have actually experienced the development of the piano that took thousands of people over hundreds of years to achieve. Living Piano allowed people to hear how the piano evolved and what the music written for it at different times sounded like on these instruments. Not only that, but I gave the audience a chance to come up afterwards and inspect the instruments and try them out for themselves. People loved the show!

It was an incredibly impractical show.

When you become an early instrument specialist, you not only have to learn how to play the instruments and transport them, but you also have to learn how to service them. Every time you play a harpsichord, you have to tune it! It doesn’t hold its tuning very well at all. You wouldn’t even believe the complexity of what it takes to do a show like this. But I’m glad I experienced it. It was the impetus for Living Pianos. It gave me a chance to perform in so many different places including annual conventions of the Piano Technicians Guild and the Piano Teachers Association. It was really quite a show. If you’re interested in learning more, you can watch the Short documentary about the Living Piano live show! Thanks again for joining me, Robert Estrin, here at LivingPianos.com, Your Online Piano Store.

For premium videos and exclusive content, you can join my Living Pianos Patreon channel! www.Patreon.com/RobertEstrin

Contact me if you are interested in private lessons. I have many resources for you! Robert@LivingPianos.com

What is Living Pianos?

Welcome to LivingPianos.com, I’m Robert Estrin. Today’s question is: What is Living Pianos? In a nutshell, it’s my life! And it’s your life too, if you have a passion for the piano the way I do. It’s actually a double entendre. There are two meanings to Living Pianos.

I have a video called What are Living Pianos?

That video tells about the restored American and European pianos that are so rare today, which we sell all over the world and have been doing so since 2006! But it’s much more than that. It’s really about living the piano. As a matter of fact, if you type “living the piano” in your browser, Living Pianos comes up!

I was lucky enough to grow up in a musical household.

My entire family is made up of musicians of one sort or another. Pianos have always been central. My father, Morton Estrin, was a concert pianist. He was my teacher and my sister’s teacher. He taught countless people, from Billy Joel to conductors, composers, and pianists the world over. My sister, Coren Estrin Mino, is also a pianist and a teacher. My uncle was a professional musician. The list goes on and on. My life is centered around teaching, performing, and media. This is what makes me want to get up in the morning!

My mission is to keep the piano alive in the 21st century, in the United States and around the world.

This is no easy task when you consider that the piano has been on a slow decline for over a hundred years. That’s why connecting with people like you who care about the piano is enriching. It makes me feel like there is value to my life. So I thank you all for joining me and encourage you to subscribe to LivingPianos.com and YouTube! You’ll find a treasure trove of content I’ve been putting together for many years! Thanks again for joining me, Robert Estrin, here at LivingPianos.com, Your Online Piano Resource.

For premium videos and exclusive content, you can join my Living Pianos Patreon channel! www.Patreon.com/RobertEstrin

Contact me if you are interested in private lessons. I have many resources for you! Robert@LivingPianos.com

What Is the Most Important Finger in Piano Playing?

Welcome to LivingPianos.com, I’m Robert Estrin. Today’s question is: What is the most important finger for playing the piano? Of course, all of your fingers are important, and they each play a vital role. Imagine playing the piano with less than ten fingers. It would be really hard! It’s hard enough with all ten fingers. But there’s one finger that really is pivotal for playing the piano. Not only that, but it is arguably the most important finger that you have for everything.

The most important finger is the thumb.

Why are the thumbs so important? Naturally, being able to grasp objects with the thumb, because it’s opposing the other fingers, is incredibly important. And it’s in no small part how civilization developed. Our thumbs enable us to utilize tools. The thumb gives you control. In piano playing, there are three aspects that make the thumb vitally important. The thumb is your strongest finger. The third finger is pretty darn strong, but not like the thumb. Instead of having three bones like your other fingers, the thumb only has two. And it has a unique set of tendons and muscles.

How does this impact piano playing?

First of all, when playing scales, arpeggios, or any passages that go up and down the keyboard, because the thumb has the flexibility of being able to oppose the other fingers, you can use the thumb to cross other fingers. It can go under the hand to reach for the next note. Imagine trying to play scales without your thumbs. It’s really hard because crossing over fingers without using the thumb is awkward. Sometimes you have to do that when you’re playing counterpoint. You might have to hold a note with your thumb while other notes are being played on top. If the thumb is already engaged in playing a note, it can be necessary to cross with different fingers.

The thumb is vitally important for playing octaves and other larger intervals.

Unless you have very large hands, you probably can’t play an octave with your other fingers. Even if you had an extra finger like your other fingers instead of a unique finger like the thumb, you wouldn’t be able to get the control and power of the thumb. It’s the magic of the arch! You can get the power of the arch of the whole hand with the thumb. It’s the power of the arch that gives you control when playing octaves as well as chords. This enables you to get the balance you want. You utilize the rocking of the hand from the left to the right to balance the tone from one side of the hand to the other side. You can get a certain amount of that with your other fingers, but because the thumb has unique musculature, it enables you to achieve superior control. So when you’re playing octaves, for example, you can get the balance you want by how you distribute the weight of the hand. That’s also what enables rapid, powerful octaves.

That’s the power of the thumb!

It’s your strongest finger. It’s opposable, so you can cross it and easily get fluidity on scales, arpeggios, and other passages that go up and down the keyboard. And lastly, the power of the arch gives you control and speed on octaves and chords. Thanks again for joining me, Robert Estrin, here at LivingPianos.com, Your Online Piano Resource.

For premium videos and exclusive content, you can join my Living Pianos Patreon channel! www.Patreon.com/RobertEstrin
Contact me if you are interested in private lessons. I have many resources for you! Robert@LivingPianos.com

The Difference Between Playing Bach and Mozart

Welcome to LivingPianos.com, I’m Robert Estrin. Today, I’m going to talk about the difference between playing Bach and Mozart. They are two great composers. You hear their music all the time. Many pianists play both composers. There are some fundamental differences in the approach to playing Bach versus Mozart, which we’re going to discuss today.

The fundamentals come down to two criteria: the period styles and the instrument that they wrote for.

Bach lived from 1685 to 1750. Interestingly, he never wrote for the piano. Did he ever play the piano? Well, yes, there are records of him having played a very early incarnation of what was a piano. What distinguished the piano from other keyboard instruments of the age was the fact that the piano could play loud and soft, which is how it derived its name, the fortepiano or pianoforte which was later shortened to, the piano. Bach never specifically wrote for the piano. In fact, he never wrote for any particular keyboard instrument other than the organ. All of his keyboard music, other than his organ music, was written simply for clavier, which means, “keyboard”.

What instrument did Bach play?

Bach played the clavichord. It was his favorite keyboard instrument because of its expressiveness. On the clavichord, the key mechanism would be in contact with the string to impart vibrato and other expressive elements that the harpsichord could not do. Yet the harpsichord was the most popular keyboard instrument in performance because of its robust tone. The clavichord was so quiet that it really wasn’t a performance instrument. So we can presume that most of Bach’s music was performed primarily on the harpsichord. And the harpsichord, as I said, didn’t have dynamics. You could push the keys with great energy or push them lightly, and you would get the same volume. And this is key to the type of music written for the instrument: contrapuntal music, music with intertwining melodies. The harpsichord had a strident sound that cut through, which worked very well with chamber music. The clarity of tone allowed the counterpoint to come through.

Mozart was born in 1756 and lived only 35 years.

During Mozart’s life, the fortepiano had developed somewhat and gained popularity. So Mozart did write for the piano, although he played both the harpsichord and the piano. But his music took advantage of the fact that you could play loud and soft, so different parts could be played dynamically with the two hands.

Let’s talk a bit about the stylistic differences between Bach and Mozart.

Bach lived during the Baroque era, which is noted for its counterpoint. I keep using that word. What does it mean? It means that you have separate lines of music intertwining with one another, so you get music where everything has equal importance between the hands and the different lines. All of the lines have equal prominence. Bach wrote using counterpoint. Contrast that with Mozart, where you clearly have melody and harmony. For example, in his famous C major, K 545 Sonata, you have a melody in the right hand and broken chords in the left hand. There’s not much going on in the left hand, but you have a beautiful melody in the right hand. So you have a clear melody against harmony. This is in no small part because the instrument itself was capable of playing different dynamics in different registers.

As the instrument became more capable, the musical form evolved.

The form had evolved from counterpoint, the interweaving of different lines, like a tapestry of music, to more structured music with different sections. The sonata allegro form, with its exposition, development and recapitulation, was very structured formal music where different sections were clearly delineated, rather than the intertwining of different lines in the Baroque era. That’s why the performance practices are so dramatically different. In a fugue, you want to clearly show the counterpoint and the important lines of subjects, the opening motif of a fugue. For example, you want to hear a clear delineation whenever the opening statement of a fugue returns. Whereas in a sonata movement, you want to show the themes that come back at strategic places within the movement. The structure is of paramount importance. You can hear the melody clearly in one hand and the accompaniment in the other hand. It’s the delineation of the structure of the work that makes the performance alive and digestible for an audience. Where, in the case of Bach, it’s the counterpoint and bringing out subjects strategically in fugues or inventions so the listener can make sense of the cacophony that could result if those subjects were not delineated clearly. Whenever the subject recurs, you bring it out so that the listener can make sense of the complex score, and you can bring clarity to the counterpoint. Whereas in Mozart, it’s the delineation of each macro section within the work that must be clear to the listener so the overall structure of the music can be appreciated.

While Mozart did write for the piano, it wasn’t like a modern piano.

During Mozart’s life, the piano didn’t have nearly the power or range of expression of a modern piano. The action was very simple. When you push a key on a modern piano, you’re putting dozens of parts in motion. Whereas the simple mechanism of a Mozart-era piano was not capable of the incredible repetition and power that a modern piano can produce. There were also only about five octaves of keys and no pedals. It’s a totally different instrument, but it had the same dynamic aspect of the modern piano that the harpsichord lacked. Those are some fundamental differences between the music of Bach and Mozart, the period styles of the flourishing counterpoint and ornamentation in baroque music, and the formal structure of Mozart’s classical era music, along with the different instruments they wrote for. I hope this is enlightening for you! Thanks again for joining me, Robert Estrin, here at LivingPianos.com, Your Online Piano Resource.

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Contact me if you are interested in private lessons. I have many resources for you! Robert@LivingPianos.com

3+3=5?

Welcome to LivingPianos.com, I’m Robert Estrin. Today, I’m going to tell you how three plus three equals five. You probably clicked on this because you thought it was either a mistake or that I’d lost my mind. Well, believe it or not, it’s neither of those things! I’m going to show you how three plus three equals five in certain circumstances.

Recently, I made a video about triads.

Triads are the building blocks of Western music. A triad is a chord consisting of three notes arranged in thirds. You have two thirds: one on the bottom and one on the top. However, the outer interval is a fifth! How can two thirds equal a fifth? Have you ever thought about this? Now, many of you will probably know instantly what the answer to this is, but I thought it was interesting to ponder how you can build a chord out of two thirds and end up with a fifth, because that doesn’t make mathematical sense.

The reason is that the bottom third and the top third share the same middle note.

So you have a root, a third, and a fifth, which consists of a third on the bottom and a third on the top. And that’s the simple mathematics of it. So in triads, a third plus a third equals a fifth! But the math is still right, so don’t worry about it. Don’t trade in your calculator or rack your brains over this any further. I hope this is clear. If any of you still have questions about this, put them in the comments, and I’ll be happy to answer! Thanks again for joining me, Robert Estrin, here at LivingPianos.com, Your Online Piano Resource.

For premium videos and exclusive content, you can join my Living Pianos Patreon channel! www.Patreon.com/RobertEstrin

Contact me if you are interested in private lessons. I have many resources for you! Robert@LivingPianos.com