Welcome to LivingPianos.com, I’m Robert Estrin. The subject today is about why you must slow down your counting on long notes. You might think that if you do that, it’s going to be out of rhythm. Well, it’s possible that if you take this to heart, you could overcompensate. But the reason why this is so imperative is that there is a natural tendency, when nothing is going on on the piano, to rush your counting.
Watch the video to see the demonstration!
I’m going to give you an example using the last movement of Schumann’s Kinderszenen: Scenes from Childhood: The Poet Speaks. There are these long notes. I’m going to play it with the correct rhythm, and then I’m going to show you the danger of what can happen if you don’t intentionally slow down your counting. If you were playing this and not really elongating the counting on the long notes, you could easily end up rushing the counting on the long notes.
You must feel like you’re elongating the counting.
If you don’t feel like you’re elongating the counting, you’re probably going to end up rushing. I hear it all the time. Not just with students, but even with professional pianists! Sometimes they lose the pulse on the long notes. So you must accentuate the length of the counting so that you can hold the long notes long enough. The difference it makes in the sheer poetry, apropos of this piece of music, is profound.
It’s important to choose the right tempo.
Have you ever found yourself listening to someone play a slow movement and it seems like it’s just interminable and it drags, but you hear another person play it and it’s just ethereal? Strangely, it’s the one that seems like it’s dragging where they’re not holding the long notes long enough. Oftentimes, it’s because they’re taking such an interminably slow tempo. They can’t possibly hold the long notes long enough. The whole thing bogs down, and it becomes a pain to listen to. But when the correct tempo is chosen, and the long notes are long enough, that’s what makes a great musical performance! So take it to heart in your playing. Of course, you can always check your work with a metronome to make sure you’re not overcompensating. Thanks again for joining me, Robert Estrin, here at LivingPianos.com, Your Online Piano Resource.
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2 thoughts on “Why You Must Slow Down Your Counting on Long Notes”
I find that Sarabande is also an excellent example for playing the long notes , with slow elongated counting.The poetry in the music–I really like that Robert!!
You are an excellent teacher.
Thank you! From the many comments,the idea of holding long notes long enough applies to all instruments and styles of music!