Welcome to LivingPianos.com. I’m Robert Estrin. Today I’m going to share five techniques for playing Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. I’m not talking about the furious last movement, but the beautiful, subtle first movement. There’s a lot more to this movement than you might think. Many people assume this movement is easy, but it is anything but easy to play well. By the end of this lesson, you’ll have a handle on how to approach it and really bring this movement to a high level.
1. Learn the Piece Securely
The first thing is simply to learn the movement adequately and securely. Practice in chords first so you really solidify your playing. Starting anywhere, you’ll see it’s just a bunch of broken chords. That’s one part of it, but the biggest challenge of this movement is being able to project the melody on top with your weak pinky finger while not letting the triplet eighth notes dominate the sound. You don’t want to hear the accompaniment louder than the melody or it loses everything.
2. Balance the Melody and Accompaniment
How do you get the right balance? A fantastic way to practice this, as I’ve shown before, is to play with different articulations within the same hand. This is difficult at first, but well worth the effort once you already have a good command of the music. If you’re still learning the notes and can’t yet play through it comfortably, wait on this technique. Once you have a solid performance, use it to take the piece to the next level. Try playing the triplets with a gentle finger staccato so your hand learns through articulation which notes to bring out. This is so effective because you can clearly feel the difference between short and long notes. The triplets are played short, the top line is played smoothly. That’s easier to quantify than just playing loud and soft, which are more relative. You’ll also develop a physical sense of how the triplets feel in relation to the weight of your arm, which leans toward the melody while the other fingers play lightly.
3. Feel the Pulse in 2, Not 4
Another issue is that many people play this movement too slowly. You might hear a slow tempo and think it’s in 4/4 time, but notice that it’s written in 2/2, not 4/4. That means the pulse is the half note, not the quarter note. If you think of the quarter note as the beat, the piece bogs down and loses its flow. When you feel the beat of the half notes, the movement becomes more relaxed and fluid. The tempo may actually be a bit faster, but it feels calmer because you’re thinking in broader beats.
4. Understand the Dotted Rhythm
There’s also the dotted rhythm to consider. It’s not what you might think. Because of the triplets, many assume the sixteenth notes fall between the last triplet and the next beat, but that’s not correct. A dotted rhythm is based on four subdivisions of the beat—three plus one. That means the sixteenth note comes in sooner and lasts a bit longer than you might expect. When played this way, the rhythm feels fuller and more serene. Instead of sounding mechanical, it has that relaxed, dreamy quality the music needs.
5. Crescendo to Subito Piano
The last point is one of Beethoven’s trademarks: the crescendo to subito piano, which means growing louder, then playing suddenly soft. This is not something to overlook. Beethoven really meant it! If you skip that or underplay it, the music loses impact. When you follow Beethoven’s instruction, it creates tremendous contrast and emotional depth. It’s so much more effective that way.
Bringing It All Together
These five techniques will help you unlock the depth and beauty of this beloved piece that will make people cry! The Moonlight Sonata moves people to tears not because it’s loud or flashy, but because of its delicate balance between simplicity and passion. I hope these tips help you discover new levels of expression in your performance. If you have additional insights, share them in the comments at LivingPianos.com—Your Online Piano Resource. Thanks for joining me.