Roy Holmes method re. Chopin Etude op.10 no.1

easypeasypiano, DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, Dublin

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Dublin

[varkala]

@stockcar5472 You will not read about this in text books except the briefest of references- this is because the Czerny method won the war!! The problem being, like Iraq, it created more problems, e.g. high finger technique resulting in carpal tunnel etc, which then led to the weight transfer/rotation methods. The Bach method used the inherent grasping power of the finger; the Czerny and subsequent developments require active arm participation- even the finger supporting the wright of the arm.

[varkala]

@stockcar5472 Of course it works without pedal. The withdrawing of the finger from the key, towards the palm, circular non-stop movement, which is the Bach method, as opposed to the up/down/stop/start of Czerny means that this type of finger movement can be timed to be stacc. mezzo-stacc or legato, or any variation in between. It's the same qualitative movement, just a matter of degree. The problem with 'an evenly held wrist' is it doesn't take into account the different finger lengths.

[stockcar5472]

@varkala I meant movement. There is obviously finger power or else no notes! I am really talking about the expansion and contraction of the hand up and down the keyboard being smooth and an evenly held wrist which gives the necessary relaxation in the fingers. Does this technique work without pedal?

[440HertzPiano]

@varkala All that said, I think Legato WITHOUT pedal has it's places. I was wrong before, legato WITH pedal vs. non-legato WITH pedal ARE the same thing, essentially. But... legato WITH vs. legato WITHOUT pedal is different. The faster you go with pedal held down, the mushier it sounds. Think about it, pedal holds ALL notes played until you release the damper, so notes still vibrate for a long time. legato only lets the notes vibrate as long as you hold that note down. I think you know this. :)

[440HertzPiano]

@varkala I think legato should not be dismissed and always substituted for the pedal. In times where one hand needs to play staccato and one hand needs to play legato, it's necessary not to use pedal. In my opinion, the pedal is overused. I'm a bad example of this myself. I constantly have the damper down because I can't find the patience to connect difficult turns or passes when playing arpeggios or passages. Not only that, I find it uncomfortable to pass the thumb under the 4th or 5th finger.

[440HertzPiano]

@varkala In Op. 10 No. 2 I feel comfortable turning the wrist away from me slightly. Though with the double thirds it's a different story. I can turn my wrist 45 degrees and it's still uncomfortable to play true legato. Even then, it's a false legato because only one note of the third is held while the other note is released. Same with legato octaves, you can't hold a C octave AND play a C# octave with your right hand, so you must create an 'illusion' of legato by holding only the upper note. :)

[varkala]

@440HertzPiano I am delighted to read that quote; it supports my point of view!! The silence I think becomes less noticeable at increasing speeds. Your comment re thumb OVER tells me you know a thing or two, but you will incur the wrath of youtubers if you publicise it! I'm convinced things went awry when Czerny contradicted the finger movements of earlier keyboardists. (See my book New Dynamic Finger Power) I'm used to the same sort of criticism by weight transfer/rotation zealots!!

[varkala]

@440HertzPiano You are absolutely correct in my view. In Op10 No2 and the double third study it is possible ONLY if the wrist is turned the way you describe. (Many early writes discussed this method of holdng the hands). And it is certainly very awkward if you are using the Czerny method of moving the fingers, i.e. up and down/stop start. Try Bach's method- circular with the finger tips moving over the keys grasping towards the palm. This basic method can be adapted to mezzo-stacc and legato.

[varkala]

@stockcar5472 I don't know what you mean when you say the hand creates power. What power does the hand create relevant a succession of notes in a scale for example. If what you say is true when why did God give us 4 fingers and a thumb- I prefer to use 10 digits (or instruments) when playing the piano. Are you really happy to use only two (hands)?

[varkala]

@stockcar5472 I agree with a lot of what you say, but I don't understand what you mean by 'even tone rather than staccato'. And if you mean it is easier to play legato rather than staccato, I disagree; it certainly isn't easier at 176 quarters to the minute.