Some Problems should be Noticed in Performance Practice for Piano

This is an evolvement of long process from piano learner to pianist. Many pianist spend most of time in their life on practicing and studying for piano, playing the piano of course need to start form children, it is called boy action by Chinese people. We often happen to many problems when we play the piano as compulsory work in practice room; Such as, the posture of body, memory, the using of pedal, expression and even channel of emotion. In this paper that will point out some problems which most piano leaner often discover. Firstly, the posture of learner is so important, although it is no fixed for the concept of distance which between chair and piano, it will be affected the result of performance. Than the using of pedal is non-absent part in performance practice. The good way to use pedal which adds the colour to the expression of music, on the opposition, the pedal will to be an obstacle of musical expression. Except for the action, this is necessary to control mind, such as memory, phasing, emotion and imagery. Music is the combination of skill and emotional expression. Technique is action that reacts under the control of mind. In the last part of this paper, I will comment the result of recorded performance last week. Finding the mistakes to correct, and remaining the original dominance.

Posture

Before the start of practice for piano, it is so important to control the distance and height between chair and piano. The suitable distance and height can help us to keep comfortable posture during practice for many hours. The next point about posture is for body, take me for example, my shoulder and waist can not to be straight when I sit the front of the piano to play. This posture is not only to show my ugly appearance, but leads to me can not get a good custom to play the piano; of course it is a seriously problem for children. When you modulated the suitable distance between chair and piano, put your hands on the piano which can help you to check if you get a good situation before starting. Owning the suitable situation before playing is to get a good beginning.

Pedaling

During the performance practice, the using of pedal is also to make long discussion. The damper pedal was never allowed to use as an outlet for rhythmic expression. That is, do not let movements of the foot, in relation to pedal, become a channel for feeling the meter. As an excellent musician frequently use foot to tap a meter, but that tap is not in connection with the damper pedal. Without using the damper pedal, until you have got a habit that to express spacing and rhythm in the fulcrums of the playing mechanism. The better the playing is less to use the damper pedal. Because of it should be to block the outline of musical progression. The soft pedal should be used more; it can be most effective in producing a subdued passage, it is very little value for playing more softly. The sustaining pedal is effective in holding musical organ points, and is often indicated by the composer when it is desired.

Memory

The medium in question with our performance, the aural image only believed the memory. The sound is unique way to let you recognize music, accuracy for image of the sound can give you security feeling in memorizing. It is the aural learners who have security with music memory. Long time listening will form a kind of habit which will be determined by muscular habits in production of tone. Muscular habits are a constructive assistance to memorizing, which correspond to a flowing rhythm. When I was in primary level for playing the piano, I could remember the melody quickly; but now I can not do this, and the memory has become a trouble for me. I analyzed this problem; the point is that I could not agilely use the keys of the piano before; however, now I have mastered where the key is on piano without seeing. The harmonic analysis for the musician is association of ideas. “If the eyes have never been involved in the learning, if ears alone have guided the movements that find the tones on the keyboard, there is the valuable “first experience” lending its tenacious quality to the most expert tool of remembering.”(Whiteside, A. New York, 1961, p62).  Next to point for nervous, sometimes nervous will interrupt your memory. Nervousness in playing may be caused by a number of things, but certainly the fear of forgetting contributes to a great extent to that nervousness. The best way to resolve this problem is that depend on the greater security in the aural memory. The other way is constantly practice.

Channeling of Emotion 

The channeling of emotion is to create beauty, but never distortion. The action is to express the intensity of feeling that as an unconscious part of the projection of the music. These actions are strenuous objection to them on the part of the audience which is called mannerisms. There is not the basis for objecting to mannerisms which the objection is generally made. We can understand that audiences enjoy the performance with the pleasure of watching. Music is sound, we only depend on our ear without seeing, which the beauty of a musical performance should be determined by hearing. In this aspect of performance to compare with other instruments, piano offers more pitfalls to produce tone by breath or bow. It is simply that the hitting process has completely associated with mannerisms which the key receives the power for tone, making it easy to allow the emotional surge. That is means that the pianist must has a great measure to get rid of his emotions, using the intensity of hitting. The sound will be associated with individual tones or chords. But we will find a problem that there is insufficient capacity if in fast playing, so we get emotion expressed in convulsive accents.

The channeling of emotions can not be left to chance, which is many favor of exploding with the hitting process. As a pianist must get excited with his phrase rhythm-the actions called mannerisms. In rhythmic progression, the expression of emotional intensity must through the feeling. The good way that helps your performance reach the heights of emotional expression is to combine the rhythmic line and dynamics.

Phrasing

Except for a certain kind of reaction to editors ‘marks, phrasing could be a power to support the pianist to express the beauty of playing. The editing of phrasing more often stands in the way to find the inner meaning of the music. When the performer reacts the rhythm possesses and expresses to music, he can hardly fail to put forth phrases of grace and charm. When a rhythm is absent from a performer’s equipment, there can never be graceful phrase modeling. I would like to have phrasing mean, one reason for absorbing rhythm, another one is that the handling of the details of phrasing to augment that rhythm and not to destroy it.

Imagery

We have got a habit to acting upon a thought, we need is a desire, an imaged result, and we move and act expertly to get the thing we desire. Imagery suggests a kind of result, but the same imagery will not always work in correcting a result. Sometimes it depends on the right imagery for the right person at the right time. There is a logical reason why imagery serves us better than an attempt at an explicit account of the action of levers. Imagery stimulates a coordination there is no boundary line for these areas. The good imagery suggests a result there are far more chances for nature to take over the coordination. Most of imagery need to depend on your experience, listen to more works, watching to more films, this way can help your imagery under understanding of works. When imagery has worked its charm, which is the time when it will be possible for the intellectual concepts of action to assist in the learning. “Imagination is more powerful than knowledge,” says Einstein.” (Whiteside, A. New York, 1961, p61). When I practice the piano, I will use the imagery to deal with the composition, which let how express the formation of different piece with different technique. But I often used the imagery when I play the lyric part of piece.

Comment of recorded performance

I have listened the result of recorded performance, I found some lacks about my performance, some of them have disturbed me for long time. Firstly, my big problem is nervous to take performance in the public place. I can not express in the public place the same as in the practice room when I play the piano with other people. The nervous will bring many problems to me: one point- I found that my finger can not strongly hit the keys when I am so nervous; it is like that my finger are flying on the keys rather than hardly hitting; particularly I play the fast piece. But I found the good way to resolve this problem is that I practice the piece slowly and hitting every key hardly in the practice room. This way helped me resolve this problem, however, it brings me another problem is that I can not cantabile to play some part of piece. Every tone displays hardly that like the sound of knock.

Secondly, I found that memory is so difficulty with the increase of technique level. When I was a primary piano leaner, I could remember the piece so fast, but now it has become a difficulty thing for me. Now I often forget the text, particularly when I was nervous.   

Finally, it is to difficulty to accept other people’s suggestions, which is means that I am a subjective person. This is a bad habit to improve my piano ability and study. It is necessary to get a good habit for studying piano. To accept other people’s advice that can help me to constantly get new knowledge lead to get rid of fault. The subjective character only holds up my progress of technique.

Of course, I have some advantages about my piano skills, such as I try to keep playing every tone correctly when I practice slowly. That can keep playing every tone correctly when I am playing fast, or using the normal speed to play. The fact that play the piano need to take long time to practice; one day or two days, we can not find any progress and development. This is a gradually process. Of course, it can not apart form your insistence and passion, particularly is your interest; they can help you to establish a good mood and estate to enjoy the happiness which brought from music. Every performance could not get the best result you desire, but one time failure can not prove anything. I believe that I will be successful if I insist on practicing for piano.

Music is a representative of beauty, in china there is an old sentence: your performance takes your one minute on the stage; you must spend ten years on practicing. These prove that to be a pianist is not moment achievement, we need to do much hard work and depend on the spirit of persistence. Do not be afraid the failure, failure is a mother of success. Although I do not think that I played the performance very well last week, I will take some lessons from that performance lead to never make them in my future.

 

Bibliography:

Goldstein, J. A Beethoven Enigma, (New York, 1988).

Bazzana, K. The Performer In The Work, (Clarendon, 1997).

Whiteside, A. Indispensables of Piano Playing, (New York, 1961).

Ben-Tovim, A. Children and Music, (London, 1979).