This is another freeform improvisation in which I let this gorgeous Steinway concert grand guide the exploration of tonal colors. It turned out to be based on the pentatonic scale which is a fancy way of saying, “black keys”. You can learn more about pentatonic scales here.
You can explore the sound of a piano by playing the keys like a percussion instrument creating abstract sounds if you haven’t developed any kind of harmonic language yet. This is how I started my exploration into improvisation as a young child. Over time, you will find chords and patterns you can utilize in future improvisations making them less abstract. That’s how my improvisations have evolved over the years. However, I still love to play atonal improvisations!
In this video, I’m going to demonstrate why every pianist will eventually outgrow any upright piano. If you are serious about playing the piano, you will eventually need a grand piano or at least a baby grand. How can this be?
There are many differences between upright and grand pianos but there is one issue that limits upright pianos;
Speed of Repetition
In the video provided with this article, I play a selection of a Scarlatti Sonata that requires fast repetition on both a Yamaha U3 – a 52” tall upright piano – and a Steinway concert grand. You will see how the repetition capable on the upright is not nearly as fast as what is possible on a fine grand piano. You might be wondering,
What if you can’t play that fast anyway?
Does repetition really matter? Here’s a fun exercise for you to try. If you have an upright piano in your home, try playing the same chord twice in quick succession. You will notice that no matter how much force you apply to the keys, the second chord will never have the same amount of energy as the first one played.
The second chord will be quieter than the first chord on an upright piano.
It doesn’t matter how high the build quality is of the upright. It’s a case of physics. The vertical action on upright pianos have hammers which travel sideways rather than up and down as in grand piano actions,
Upright action design doesn’t take advantage of gravity the way grand piano actions do in allowing hammers to fall back into place as quickly.
Let’s take a look at a grand piano action:
As you can see, actions on grand pianos are laid out horizontally. The hammers fall down vertically when the keys are depressed. This design allows the hammers to fall back to their original position much quicker than any upright piano could ever allow. This is why, no matter how hard you try:
Upright pianos can never have the same speed of repetition as grand pianos.
Thanks for joining me, I hope this has been helpful for you. Please let me know if you have any suggestions for future topics or any questions about this one! Robert Estrin Info@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729.
I talk with people about this subject often. Any time you take a leave of absence from a musical instrument there is going to be some extra work involved in getting back into top playing form. I’m going to provide a few tips here to help you get back into good shape to play.
Luckily, the piano is one of the easier instruments to pick up after a long absence. I also play the French horn and I can tell you from experience that picking up a wind instrument after even a short absence is a big challenge. In the case of a wind instrument, your lips will become fragile after being away from your instrument, and playing too hard right away can blow them out – making it so you can’t play again for a while. It’s a very delicate process and you must build up slowly.
When it comes to the piano, your hands and arms matter most. If you’ve battled with tendentious, arthritis, or any other types of ailments you should definitely ease yourself into playing a bit slower. Even if you haven’t experienced any of these problems, you should still be careful. Jumping right in with some advanced repertoire could lead to injury.
The best thing you can do is simply play. Start with easier pieces you know and work your way back up. More important that just picking the right repertoire is simply playing again. Practicing will help you develop strength and you’ll be surprised how quickly you can get back into shape. Specifically pick some pieces that allow you to stretch the fingers and stay away from pieces that are percussive and hard at first.
You can play exercises – like scales and arpeggios or some of the one’s I’ve mentioned in previous videos – but the best thing you can do is simply start playing music again. Starting with something slow is your best bet and simply work your way up to faster and more complex music.
Believe it or not, you can get drastically different tones out of the piano simply by pressing the keys a different way. How to approach the keys is a major part of playing the piano and especially important when it comes to chords.
In the video example provided, I demonstrate a bad technique by “slapping” the keys; it produces a very harsh sound. So how do you avoid this? It really starts with both the mental and physical aspects of your playing. Don’t think of hitting the keys; instead think of putting pressure onto them. Think and play with the sensation that you are trying to apply pressure onto the keys and push them into the key bed. Playing them with pressure and force will produce a much more pleasing sound. To be technical, you will be releasing the weight of your arms into the key bed.
But what about quiet chords? The general rule is that the softer you play, the more effort you will have to make to delineate the melody notes (generally the top notes). When it comes to playing loud, you can play the chords with the same amount of force and the top notes will come right through – this isn’t the case with quiet chords. You’ll want to reach for the top notes in quieter chords and let the melody sing through despite the lower volume. The video accompanying this article gives a great example of this.
Thanks again for joining me and be on the lookout for part 2: How to Play Fast Chords on the Piano. I’m Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729
Asking if there is a right or a wrong way to learn the piano is a really loaded question. There is no clear cut answer but I’m going to try and answer this the best I can based on my experience. I’ve had the opportunity to study with several great teachers including Constance Keene, Ruth Slenczynska, John Ogden and my father, Morton Estrin. Despite many techniques and approaches for learning the piano, there are some basic truths that are almost universal among fine teachers.
Being able to count your music is one of the most important things you must learn. Practicing with a metronome to check your rhythm and timing is something that is vital in developing as a musician. Yes, there are some truths that are somewhat universal. Why not universal? Because there is more than one way to approach the piano – if you watch other pianists you will notice very different techniques.
My father, Morton Estrin, was my only teacher through high school (other than some master classes in Austria). When I attended the Manhattan School of Music I gained the opportunity to work with other concert pianists. However, for most of my early development on the piano, I studied with my father. He would describe playing the piano “with a quiet hand”. What he meant was that he used a minimal amount of motion and this is how I learned. I was taught to use as little motion as possible to produce the best sound I could. Now there are certain techniques which require more motion (such as wrist technique) but the principles of his method are fundamental.
When I went away to music conservatory I was surprised by my new teacher. She taught me to allow more movement in my playing and loosen myself up a bit. Now my father’s technique wasn’t wrong but in experiencing another way to learn I was able to develop further as a pianist. I used aspects of both of their methods to create a technique all my own. As I’ve said in other videos, no two people are built exactly the same. What might work for one person won’t necessarily work for another. If you have small hands – like me – there are some aspects of playing piano where you will be limited and other areas where small hands provide advantages; the same goes for people with larger hands.
So there are many correct ways to approach the piano as well as many techniques that may not be reliable. You must find solid techniques that work for you. There are dozens of techniques for learning certain aspects of the piano and there are hundreds of opinions on what is right and what is wrong. There are two things that matter as you continue to learn about various techniques and improve as a pianist. One is if the technique works for you. Two is if the technique can be applied to a certain aspect of playing but not another. Many times a technique will be a great way to solve one problem but will leave you struggling in other areas. This is why adopting many different techniques and developing your own playing style is so important.
So yes, there are right and wrong techniques for learning the piano. If a technique works for you don’t be discouraged if someone else does it differently. Right and wrong is more of a subjective experience when it comes to learning piano and what works for one person might not always work for another.
This question comes from a viewer named Diane. This is a very interesting question and yes, there is an answer to it; although it’s not quite what you might expect.
Throughout my development on the piano, I had the opportunity to study with some phenomenal pianists. My father Morton Estrin was my teacher in my formative years of study. Unlike me, my father has enormous hands! Later I studied with John Ogden who also was a very large man with tremendous hands. I also had the opportunity to study with some sensational women pianists: Constance Keene and Ruth Slenczynska – each of them had smaller hands and probably weighed less than a hundred pounds. These are definitely extremely different body types and as you’d imagine, their approaches to playing and teaching are very different.
When it comes down to it, the difference between men and women playing piano relies less on their gender and more on their physical stature and makeup. Now there are always exceptions to this; I am a great example. Not only do I have small hands but my thumb does not go totally straight – this means I have a pretty small reach. This is something I have had to overcome throughout my entire career. Just as someone having larger fingers and hands might have a tougher time playing between the black keys – there are pros and cons to hand size.
So how do men and women approach the piano? For argument’s sake, let’s say that men will tend to have larger hands and arms, while women will tend to have smaller hands and arms. Men will typically be able to play larger chords almost effortlessly just utilizing their forearms. I remember how Ruth Slenczynska would use her entire arms to produce an incredibly large sound!
When I studied with my father I was at a natural disadvantage. His hands are massive and are able to play chords without any problems – he has incredible reach. I have smaller hands and I would try and twist and contort them to produce the same effect as my father. As I began studying with women who have smaller hands I was able to learn a lot of valuable techniques for playing with smaller hands. I have actually produced a video on this topic: Are my hands too small to play the piano?
But this isn’t just a case of men and women. You really should watch some great pianists perform on youtube and watch the different techniques they employ. Each pianist will face his or her own challenges when it comes to their physical makeup and it’s very interesting to explore different approaches to the keyboard.
What’s most important is that you must learn what works for you. Don’t be afraid to employ different techniques when it comes to playing the piano and developing as a musician. We are all built differently and there are techniques for every hand and arm type imaginable.
