Everybody that is a fan of classical music has definitely heard this piece before. The massive chords complement the orchestra so well; the sound is incredible and powerful. Many people will attempt to play these chords but many people won’t play them correctly. In this lesson, I’m going to discuss how to play these chords and produce the desired sound.
If you watch any professional pianist on youtube or live you might notice that they move their arms up and down and look very animated as they play. Many people might not realize that this is done mostly for show and the actual sound is produced not by these exaggerated motions but once the fingers come in contact with the keys.
It doesn’t matter how big your piano is, you will always produce a better sound if you push from the surface of the keys. Producing more volume is simply a matter of producing more energy in the point of attack – not by striking the keys harder from above. Slapping the keys produces a very harsh sound and it’s also incredibly difficult to play accurately.
Try and play some chords on your piano by simply placing your fingers over the keys and pushing them into the key bed. Try just pushing down and don’t even strike the keys at all. You will be surprised at how loud and wonderful the sound can be just by using this technique.
Thanks again for joining me Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com
4 thoughts on “How to play the opening chords of the Tchaikovksy’s Piano Concerto”
Thank you, Robert. I receive immense insight and pleasure from your mini-features. Thanks also, John and RZ.
Good points,thanks Robert,
regards,,Brandon Morad
The difference between playing these chords the right way and the wrong way is sort of like the difference between deep tissue massage and a fist fight. 😉
Having seen a slow motion video of how hammer shanks bend and twist, my guess is that the harshness of striking from above has something to do with the higher initial acceleration making them distort more. That would change the part of the head that actually hits the strings.
Excellent article, and excellent response by John. I’ve noticed that that greatest players are always willing and able to demystify what they do, and make it clear and helpful for others. Thanks for the straightforward truth, and the logical explanation. I’m now inspired to work on it.
Hacks and posers hide behind vague and mystical pronouncements and empty showy maneuvers. The one that bugs me the most is the players who make a big show of deeply massaging the keybed AFTER they strike the note, ostensively milking the tone out of the piano, or getting “vibrato”. What a crock. When I see that, I can’t bear to listen any more.
I was hampered by training that did not focus on the sound I was creating in the air, but instead on the feelings of fingers matching black dots on paper, and muscle memory. Playing jazz interactively with others opened my ears. Now I am hyper sensitive to the sound I produce, how it blends with and enhances other sounds, or simply how it hangs in the air or bounces off the walls. I actually suspect I play differently as the humidity changes, because the piano and the acoustics change.
I can’t stand when someone overpowers and bangs on a piano. Can’t they hear the poor thing scream? Touch depends on the piano. Your touch and playing style will automatically adjust to what is best for that particular piano in it’s particular environment if, and only if, you are guided by the sound produced at every moment, rather than physical sensations or dramatic movements. You must separate your brain into two parts that focus on different aspects simultaneously, and inform each other. One part does the playing, the other part is acutely listening, being affected by the music as an audience, advising and coaching the playing part, all in real time.
Great players make any piano sound great, or at least they adjust to make it sound as good as possible. No need for excuses if the piano has weaknesses. They play that piano differently to minimize or hide its weaknesses. Hacks bang away at every piano the same way, oblivious to what sounds are coming out. If it sounds bad, they can always blame the innocent piano, with a superior nose in the air and an imperious wave of the hand.