When the piano “is playing” the pianist
By Roberta Pili | November 19th, 2009 | Category: Cover | 2 commentsBe aware of getting a good piano for your practicing or performances. Otherwise you will be not playing the piano but the piano will be playing you! One of the essential requirements pianists should take care for is their instrument, both for practicing and performing. The well-regulated action of the piano is as important as a perfectly tuned car for a driver of Formula 1. Pianists happen to be often facing some problems with the instrument, particularly regarding the action, which can reveal unevennesses in the technical adjustment of the keyboard in relation to the other workpieces.
It is essential to recognize that the piano action is like the anatomy of the instrument, as arm, wrist, hand and fingers are the anatomy of a pianist. Both mechanisms are based on the leverage principle. Knowing how the action works on this system means understanding our own anatomy by playing.
A well-regulated action has to be sensitive and responsive in order to fit the variety of touch and technical abilities of the player. A professional piano technician usually works in direct relationship and communication with the pianist, in doing so he can operate on the action as far as the pianist is demanding this kind of technical support to meet his own needs. The further positive aspect of this work leads in a balanced tone production. The pianist can then build up his work on a perfect instrument, which is the starting point for a performance on a high artistic level.
Sometimes, having a high-developed piano technique can depend on a perfect piano action. And a perfect piano action depends on a very good technician. If we can find a good technician, we can develod our technique…
Hello, Roberta,
I know that you expressed the beliefs of generations of piano-players. I can see how the leverage works in the piano action: depressing one side of the fulcrum rises the other. But how does it work inside the body, how is the use of anatomy in playing based on the leverage principle? In other words: where’s the fulcrum here?
Thank you for your comment, Pathan.
In few words, the best way to understand the function of the leverage principle in our body is given by an accurate study of human anatomy. We can be able to reproduce the leverage use with hands, arms, shoulders and back once their motoric system has been completely captured in theory and then by consciously using them.
The fulcrum has to be considered in each part of the body which is directly connected with the playing.
It is worthy to concentrate first on the separated feeling of the fulcrum in the hand, the lower arm, the upper arm. Then combine all these through the mental imagination and we will soon realize, after a focussed study and practicing, that each fulcrum builds a common line in between the entire arm. Solving this question it is then possible to apply our anatomic sources to extend our capacities in a technically exact performance.