PREPARING THE HAND AND MIND FOR TOUCH AND TONE

BY HERVE D. WILKINS

THE subject of piano tone production can be approached from two sides, the one side having to do with the physical, muscular and material aspects of the subject, and the other side concerning itself with the acoustical, mental and psychical phenomena of piano playing.

A large part of the theorizing and practice of piano touch is based upon the assumption that a tone is loud or soft only in proportion to the deadweight, or to the brute force of the blow upon the key, and that breadth or bigness of tone is likewise dependent upon the amount of muscular strength employed by the player. 'The practice of a heavy pressure upon the keys was, perhaps, taught formerly more than it is at the present time. Pupils were trained to practice with alternating heavy and light touches.

THE LIMITS OF TOUCH.

According to some systems, pupils are still taught to become conscious of every contraction and relaxation of the muscles of the fingers and wrist, and even of the upper arm. Pupils are also quite frequently taught that certain musical effects must invariably be made by certain definite, corresponding muscular movements.

There are various reasons why a heavy pressure upon the keys should be avoided. The first and principal of these reasons is one depending upon the structure of the piano mechanism, which is such that the tone is produced just a little before the pianoforte key "touches bottom," although to the ear it seems that the tone was sounded at the exact moment when the key touches bottom. Consequently any heavy pressure which may be brought to bear after the wire has been set into vibration and the tone sounded can have no possible effect upon the tone itself. The moment the little hammer has struck the wire it bounds back to its position and the wire is then separated entirely from the hammer and the machinery for operating the hammer. After the stroke nothing yon may do at the keyboard can alter the manner in which the wire will continue to vibrate and produce tone. The moment you take your finger from the depressed key a little wad of felt called a damper falls back on the wire and the vibrations cease. That is all that can possibly occur after you have once struck the key.

If it be argued that the practice of a heavy touch is necessary in order to strengthen the lingers, it can be answered that breadth of tone, fullness, clearance, expressive changes and perfect control in playing depend upon the freedom and control of motion? more than upon muscular strength. This is the reason why many pianists of inferior physical stature and muscular development often display great control of tone, and great powers of endurance, for endurance in piano playing, as in other athletic pursuits, depends more upon economical and skillful expenditure of strength than upon the possession of inordinate brute force. The fullest and most expressive piano tone is not produced by pounding, pushing, snapping or jolting the keys, but rather by the employment of skill and finesse in the touching of the keys, in exercising perfect control, over free moving hand and fingers.

In the finale of Beethoven's Sonata fop. 53 Stuttgart Edition), the Editor has suggested an alternative passage in easier form, wherein, he says, a player of moderate acquirements would become lame in the endeavor to play the notes as written. Such a provision would never be needed by an accomplished player, making all motions with perfect freedom. Cramp is usually induced by the habit of making hard motions instead of free motions in playing.

FINGER CONTROL.

The control of the fingers mentioned as an essential part of touch consists both in directing them sideward's to find the right keys, as in all sorts of chords, extensions and double note playing, also in tone production which is a control of the descent of the fingers so as to form the tone as desired, whether loud or soft, short or sustained, but there need be no anxious calculation thai the finger must descend sands, swiftly or heavily.

The whole process of tone making becomes spontaneous, like a vocal utterance, and the lingers produce the intended effect automatically and without any studied consciousness of effort on the player's part.

In order to acquire this habit of. musical automatism or intuitive physical action it is regarded by some authorities as necessary to practice with hard, taxing movements of the fingers, of the wrist, and even of the arm.

ne such teacher gives as his reason for inculcating heavy pressure by the fingers that the impression upon the mind is thus strengthened and that a definite finger action is thereby sooner acquired. This is a material rather than a rational argument, and those who advocate for the pupil a study of muscular consciousness also have their reasons for so doing, but these reasons cannot be derived either from the nature of music, nor from any psychological or mental considerations. The playing mechanism must work as spontaneously and freely in playing as the vocal mechanism does in speaking or singing.

The surest road to mechanical attainment lies through the aiming at an ideal, working on this principal the student should always have in mind an ideal of tone and melody or tune, so as to have a musical motive for every act and for the manner of every motion, thus continually taking exact account of the effect as made and making the tone the only measure of effort.

Just as in speaking, a cultured person will seek t> express his ideas with logical exactness, and also with absolute distinctness, also with every emphasis and inflection demanded for effective utterance. Just so in piano playing, one must have a musical idea, must express it clearly, with appropriate accents and inflections and every other detail of effective musical utterance.

The study of muscular motions and sensations is not directly a musical study at all, whether piano practice shall be profitable and shall result in eventual proficiency is largely dependent upon what the pupil is thinking of during practice. The study "from the tone," aiming always to achieve a musical result, in both tone and melody is really the most exalted way to cultivate the mind and hand to the matter and manner of musical performance. The most musical way is also the best mechanically.

REFLEX MOTIONS.

Psychologists take great account of what arc called reflexes in any muscular operation. Thus when a piano key is sounded there are three reflexes, the motion can be seen, the touch is felt by the player, and the tone is heard. It is most important for the piano student to study by sight the proper motions of fingers, hand and arm. To study ease and freedom of action through the sense of touch, and to study the qualities and the nature of tones, so as to produce the best possible tone from a given instrument, so also to make his playing effective in large or in small localities, and especially to play with power and discrimination in vocal and instrumental accompaniments and with orchestra.

All these aims can he attained, not by the principles of a priori reasoning, assuming that power of tone is dependent on strength of muscle, and .is the result of hard motions in playing loudly or of weak motions in playing softly. Nor can it be assumed in advance that certain effects in delivery, such as legato, accent and staccato require certain and exclusive movements for their production.

A prominent Chicago critic has, only recently, made note of the fact that certain virtuosi produce results in delivery and phrasing by movements precisely opposed to those usually prescribed in instruction books and by good teachers. There are certain ways of holding the hands and of moving the fingers, hands and arms, and also certain mannerisms which are taught in books, but are never seen on the concert stage. The more musical and skillful an artist is in his production of and his control over tone, the less will he indulge himself in mannerisms. There is, aside from such artificialities enough of importance in connection with tone and expression, to engage the lifelong attention of any artist.

PSYCHIC FORCE IN PIANO PLAYING.

The element of willpower and psychic force enters largely into all human utterances, whether with voice or instrument. The tremendous sonority at times shown at the piano by players of inferior physique and muscular constitution is only explainable on psychological grounds. Just as in the human voice there is a force and a carrying power, which evidently are due to other than mechanical forces. So in tone production at the piano there are features which cannot be accounted for as mere mechanical results, but as phenomena of life.

All the above considerations go to prove that in the study of the piano, as of other musical instruments, it is better to strive for an ideal in tone, rather than to study mere motions, in the expectation that certain musical expression will thus be acquired. In this way it will be found that the legato is something higher and beyond the mere connection of finger pressures on the keys, that the staccato is a down, rather than an up, touch; that portamento cannot, any more than any other expression, be defined or explained in mere words, nor can it be learned by mere motions, nor can slurring and the endings of phrases, isolated, and repeated notes, nor fortissimo nor pianissimo be taught in words or by motions, they must all be ultimately learned as music, through an information and training of the mental powers.

There is a noted saying which was first applied to oratory, but which is well fitted to characterize good piano playing:

"Suaviter in modo,
Fortiter in re."

Which may be freely translated.

Graceful in manner,
Resolute in deed, or in effect.

To produce fortissimo and all powerful effects without muscularity or exaggeration and to show a pianissimo which shall not be weak and meaningless, to play with perfect elasticity and delicacy and with such command as to make the music rise and fall, and undulate and soar, at will, all these are certainly most desirable acquirements, and they can best be attained by objective concentration, by self forgetfulness. and by diligence in study.

To practice mechanically and over consciously is but drudgery.

To have ideas and work them out is the true way to enjoy living and working and to develop all one's powers and gifts to a symmetrical completeness.