@@duartevader2709 Just wanted to chime in, I would imagine you could apply the same notion, but in group impulses: not for every note, but for every few notes, and reduce the motion as you increase speed.
Maestro Rubinstein must have led a life filled with great passion and, most of all, curiosity! He must have compared spending another 100 hours at the piano to visiting places and meeting people. The 100 hours may have prevented a few wrong notes but would have sucked the life out of his music! I grew up listening to 80% Rubinstein’s Chopin and 20% others. His phrasing and tone is what I recall immediately when I flip through the pages of Chopin’s music. The rubato, the sense of rhythm, the drive, the poetry… I am not old enough to have seen him live. I didn’t know he sat like that and used his hands like that. Seeing them on YT has been a huge revelation. The anecdotes I heard from my professors and teachers suddenly made so much sense, too. Hearing Denis’s analysis of the mechanics made me want to apply it today. Thank you for another superb video! The quality of the content is peerless!
I love your example with the Debussy prelude! I was really hit by how Odysseus gave deepness to this line!! Rubinstein is the somnambule security of musical expression with the absolute manual liberty of a lion! I love him forever. Great video! Please continue!!
You are so absolutely right about expressivity being written into music theory! It’s all right there laid out for you if you just know the rules, and the fact that there are teachers who for some reason overlook the less talented students as hopeless cases in terms of expression is ridiculous. All this stuff you can teach, if the student is willing to learn
You need to upload this video once a month for the next 5 years; that was a lifetime of wisdom, experience and sharing of the most precious information on so many levels, in one video....thank you.... Extraordinary.
My playing totally changed when I realized that the wrists, forearms, and even upper arms and shoulders are every bit as important as the fingers. I also didn't really realize or think about how certain fingers are weaker than others and certain combinations of fingers are weaker than other combinations.
Rubinstein does a full body release where the forearm goes down but the whole arm goes up from the hips and feet. Motion initiated from the feet as if trying to stand on the keys. Tremendous leverage gotten this way!
Artur Rubinstein. I always stand in awe before his name. My pianistic hero since the early to mid 1970s when I first heard his playings. Has always remained my hero ever since. The true pianist-musician who inspired my ardent love for the piano at the time when my parents made me learn the piano but I resisted vehemently.
He said himself '' sometimes I play superb and people are ok with it ,,,but than I play so many wrong notes it's like writing another concerto and people are WOOOW ''....he was for sure one of a kind . And his memoires are absolutely brilliant ,as the person . And he was really playing awsome when he was at his worst . What a genius . And a bon viveur . In an interview he was also remembering his youth in Paris with Picasso and Enesco saying that '' my youth was wine , women and song ...in this order ;-))) . I think that he was one of the few who balanced his inner and personal life and that made a difference . It's not only about fingers and bla bla . Let's not forget that Horowitz had a decade of not playing due to depression .
We play for people. They know that no one is perfect & that anything can go wrong. They appreciate your humanity & that you're sharing an experience. They can spot a Show-off, but love those who are sincere. Thank you for a thought provoking video
That thing actually irritates me in his playing😅whatever he plays is it Chopin or Beethoven his face and posture is always the same. It doesn't tell me anything about what he feels about the music and his perception of it whatever he play. I would prefer sings of natural involvement of the face mimics and body gestures when it matches music and helps to understand it.
@@alexeytrushechkin1494 it's not like he was restraining himself in some way, most old school pianists just expressed themselves through the music alone. In my opinion, a lot of the pianists today who pull these ridiculous facial expressions are being disingenuous and most likely attention seeking.
Hello, Guys, take it easy. Note I didn't say anything about actually "making" faces. I said," I would prefer face naturally expressing something" Like Sokolov, Arrow even Horowitz (when he plays, not when he jokes with audience, but even this is natural). I admire Rubinstein's nobility. I've learned Beethoven 4th concerto and played it after listening to his recording. But, for instance, in Chopin's music, especially in refined ones-Mazurkas, even this etude(not Heroic Polonaise) it lacks what I would expect Chopin to sound like-grace, pain, sorrow and thin shades of sound. He is grandious, powerful!Maybe too powerful..
@@Samuri_Jack_Enjoyer I admire that generation of pianists, they are the best! Al also Rubinstein. His Beethoven concertis are superb! But I just said, not in all the pieces by Chopin steel posture is a zenith of expectacion. Not all Chopin is heroic and victorious. I would rather prefer poetic, tragic, refined, painful sound than a strait back.
Greatly appreciate this analysis into Rubinstein's technique. I have seen his videos for years but only recently have able to understand what I was seeing. This video crystallizes a whole lot of things in my mind.
The title should be: Wrong Notes Don't Matter(if you're Vladimir Horowitz) . The real champion of wrong notes. I heard Rubinstein live at age 89 in Chopin's Second Piano Concerto. Not a single wrong note! And Denis, you know how difficult that Concerto is. Btw, love your channel. Very professional.Bravo.
Whenever one dares to say that Horowitz wasn’t perfect, there is an army of offended fans attacking, pointing on his videos where he plays half of the notes but claiming that nobody ever did better🤣 Apparently, Horowitz was a great artist, but even a better hypnotizer.
@@DenZhdanovPianist The combination of his shrewd mind and the naive "hype culture" in the US worked well for him. Rubinstein didn't need all of these tricks and histrionics. He was simply a great Master and an Aristocrat.
To succeed, any brand must employ various psychological strategies to persuade consumers to choose their products. Thus, every great artist must also be a skilled “hypnotist”, and I am sorry to tell things in such a direct way for the sake of truth as I understand it - a skillful manipulator of other’s minds and feelings. I am truly sorry for breaking someone’s heart, but when we truly believe that some artist or some… toothpaste brand, whatsoever, is The Best, it’s not necessarily the objective truth, but rather what you were manipulated to believe by a successful marketing strategy or due to your personal sensitivity to this. Horowitz was amazing in manipulating people to believe that he is The Pianist. The gift of such scale is super rare. This view is not disrespectful; a rational and entrepreneur perspective common for professional musicians is as necessary as admiration and idolization typical for consumers of classical music. Both perspectives are necessary to fully understand reality.
@@DenZhdanovPianist Don't worry, my heart is not broken since, as I had said, I am not even a "fan" of VH. But after so many words of yours, I still don't get if, for you - "musical prodigy"... attested by a school- he was more a "great artist" or a skilled impostor. Comparing artists to toothpaste is a nonsense.
Well, Cortot adjustments and misses are often almost as common as the original notes, and the music still soars and makes you listen inspite of that old noisy sound. So.... no problems. Anyway, you should publish more of these!
Love the way Denis explains the hands. No longer young, Im finding my way to to ideas thru necessity but so nice to hear him confirm the use of the forearm and the finger movements.
I was an Arthur Rubinstein fan from the 1950s and learned early from him that music is more than getting all the notes right. Very good analysis from you. I must work on that arm going up and the hand goes down. Many thanks.
Thank you for this vid. Thoroughly enjoyed it. And your discussion of the techniques employed by Rubinstein was very instructive. Rubinstein was my fav pianist when I was a child. Such a healthy technique, and natural music making. Esp liked your discussion of the Chopin Nocturne passage. 👍👍
I absolutely love these videos, I really learnt a lot! I love the way you break everything down, very easy to follow! You should definitely do an analysis video on Seong-Jin Cho in the future, I believe he has one of the most efficient and solid piano techniques out there!
This is an inspiring lesson, well prepared and detailed. Rubinstein was such a nobel player, full of life, and funny as well. Thank you Denis -- well done 👍💛💐 !
Excellent video. Your description of Rubinstein as like a "king" is more spot on than you know--whenever I saw him live, he entered the stage with an aristocratic nobility even before he played a note. Even his wardrobe was kingly. There was a widely syndicated newspaper comic strip in my childhood called "The Little King" by the cartoonist Otto Soglow. You can google it. Rubinstein entering the stage of Carnegie Hall was the living embodiment of Soglow's Little King.
Exceptional quality in this video, content, pedagogy, insights and entertainment (you can always add a bit more entertainment, it works well but always moderation not excessive things). Your points are all excellent and i am like a student listening carefully your every word and making sure i understand and try what you demonstrate. I've had a few piano teachers and university piano teachers and you're equivalent with them at the top. Agree that best pianists and best teachers are rarely the same person. You get inspiration from great pianists but don't listen to their opinions and you get technique from great pedagogues but use your own imagination. I have always been looking down on A. Rubinstein but your video corrected my bias on him. His technique of relaxed playing and forehand playing is superb but i think he played everything with it, and it sometimes sounds robotic. Most of all it's his snob like theatricals when playing that made him antipathetic to me and i still think i would not like his company as a person but he had some important technical mastery worth to learn from. Another controversial aspect that you did well not to mention is that he was part of the establishment (same ethnic background) and that gave him a preference to music critics which were also part of it and even after he was long gone you were forced by the establishment to revere him to be accepted in those corruption circles. But he was not without merit he was a true talent. The main musical critic i would make is that he used a one style of articulation to play nearly every repertoire and that does not always work compared to for example Cortot who had far more colors variety and sound expressivity.
I read both of his biographies years ago. I remember him saying that he began his rigorous practicing routine around the time he started recording. He realized the sins he was getting away with in concert wouldn't do for a recording that would be subject to scrutiny. More to his credit that he succeeded.
That was an incredible video, like every single one you make!!! Please, consider making one about Ervin Nyiregyházi, I think it would be sooooo much interesting!!!
"In my opinion, [learning by imitation] works great for 2-5% of music students." Well, that honestly felt good to hear. I rarely feel like I'm particularly good at piano, I've often felt inadequate, particularly in comparison to the other students in my studio in college, several of whom were playing things like hammerklavier and prokofiev concertos, but my college professor always told me how great I was at playing things back to her the way she had played them. Hearing you say that you think only one in 20 people can really do that made me feel good about my musical abilities in a way I haven't felt in over a decade.
Thanks for this good analysis. Although I can't say that I have listened all of his early recordings (there are many), my impression is that he played in a fast and flashy manner, and didn't miss many notes; that in his mid-career, his playing had more depth and maturity; and in his old age, his playing could be slower (perhaps the Chopin Nocturnes) . The live performances on RUclips are outstanding, and give the best impression of his playing, and are a testament to career achievement in old age. I just read now a 1975 article by Harold Schonberg, and he discounts the notion, based on listening to early recordings, that Rubinstein lacked technique or hit many wrong notes.
Not only innate technique - but hand size and more specifically the ratio of finger length to palm size i think, matters. Some of these techniques are just not possible with smaller than average hand size or shorter fingers Normalized hand and finger length allow you to play above the keys instead of the edges, making less tension If i win the lottery i would like to do the definitive study on this to see If any of my hypothesis are true
Will comment as I proceed through again. Highlights again the holes in the cult of perfection, in anything. The great ones are not those who play according to some imaginary and "trumped up" faux standard of flawlessness. They are the ones who speak to people, whose persons transcend their music. This "rule bound" straightjacket is a tradition still upheld in music academies, stringently, gives pedantry a legitimacy. It's about power and influence, a power currency. Look at the artists you riff on, Argerich, Horowitz , etc., all are great because of their courageous approach, they always deliver the goods, resist criticsim, are intimate and honest. They are people I would really like to know, drinkers, wo-manizers and songsters. As we age, we can get away with it less and less, before that lifestyle takes a toll on perfomance. So many of the stellar singers from the 1930s-60s were serious alkies, druggies, not just the jazz, bluesters. AR lived his life "onstage." Saw a rehearsal clip of him showing off at a Hollywood Bowl rehearsal, circa '37? He lifted his hands as high as possible over his head and came down with lightening velocity/arm weight to land on a perfect chord, with all present paying attention to his showboating antics. While Martha is a great player, the drama of her life is something she tries to keep more private; yet enquiring minds in a nosey public, want to know, identify with. Technique gold: In and out motion on arps, never heard of more or less pulling with 1-5 shorties, in with 2-3-4. Have tended to stay away from any pulling after a study of Glenn Gould. Strike the thumb from above. Verticality has been a feature of my more mature technique, no matter what the finger, but especially Mr. Shorty 1 and then 5 same way on the rotation, depends on how much time one has on a figure. Virutally unlimited variables on piano. Watching these guys closely is very instructive. Generous use of arm weight, immediately realeasing after the "hit," navigation by lateral forearm movement, setting up each new hand position, for the reasons you cite. My playing has been transformed radically for the better when I incorporated more verticality-you lift with the "crane" with fingers and hand dangling down prepping for the next contact "bridge." One of the most useful analogies ever. Slowed down we see it clearly. Only forearm and arm action will allow for this general "veritcality" as I now call it. AR shows high wrists and dangling fingers, healthy mode allowed these stars to play well into seniority. Piano is not well played "only with the fingers;" supporting structures absolutely required. Arm weight with verticality gets one to key bottoms easier, a momentary pause before proceeding to a new phrase postion. Whole arm weight properly employed takes a while to master if bad habits were built up over years. "Motion originates in the elbow," says a ton. Helpful demo of slow practice with this technique, with isolated finger useage, finger stabilizes the elbow, forearm movement. You can actually demo well an ineffeficient unhealty mode. It would pay off to look and learn. Very helpful term, "elbow micro impulses." "Crane" release as important as the "hit," sets it up, keeps things in motion for less tension, Emma Lieuman calls it "healthy" vs. unhealthy tension. Tension vs. "relaxation" is less precise and often leads to confusion. Rotate and change fingers on trills? New idea for me. Will try it. Ulnar deviation-I have been "trying" to keep the forearm lined up behind the middle knuckle as default. You say lean into the knuckle/hand palm most closely played, so it will rotate some; I think mine does this automatically, deviating from the default middle knuckle alignment, no matter where on the board; means playing like a crab walk in extreme 8vas, cross hands, etc. so hands dont' cramp at the wrist. My study of Argerich videos shows me how she uses her thumb under, vertically, almost like another 2-3-4 due to verticality. Lots of room under that high wrist with knuckle bridge which would support a tank, some hand rotation toward 1, then can just dance on repeated 1's if she wants. True artistry is about risk taking and "selling" one's ideas to others. High risk = high reward potential. Projecting confidence draws other's into our story, piano and elsewhere. "Mistakes" are forgiven as insignificant in this tradeoff. "Behaves like a king," or queen, this is always flawless even though the playing may not be. Creating a compelling story more important than precision. "Fueling art with rich life experience," way more impact than theoretical pedantry. I have come to realize that what I have in me is sufficient for expressing my vision. The great ones can't tell you how they do what they do, it's just in there. The really great ones often make poor teachers because they don't know how they pull it off. Find ways to sell one's vision in a compelling way; nobody can object because it's a one of a kind personal statement. Varying emphasis on certain notes for expressive purposes. "Delicately stepping on the resolution note." Transfer weight from finger/knuckle to knuckle for best support in the same position. We live in a naysaying, deprecating world, where people give weight to the negative over the positive, "Just send them to hell." Right on! Life should not be a reflection of pedant piano, but the other way around, which tanscends pedantry. One can play 3 Blind Mice expressively, there are no small parts, only small actors. Don't let them win, we have it our power to be winners in our own right, in everything. Fulfilled and enjoyable life will be reflected in playing style. Who am I to write such a Russian novel, where they say the writers got paid by the word? I adored the piano from the time of about 7-8, wanted to play. We had no money but finally about age12, I started lessons with the type Denis deemphasizes. Ok still. My dad wanted me to play hymns in church, his highest vision for music. I wanted to play like Jerry Lee Lewis with all the girls hanging about the piano. I quit until I was emancipated. Too late to major in piano at Uni academy, I majored in vocal music, had the voice and the temperament. Piano was a very distant 2nd. I have also sung all my life. Took up piano as specialty about 10 years ago. Had to develop better technicality to get my expressive qualities where I wanted. Worked at it. Early life was church music and classic rock and roll. I college I got the full monty on classical mode from which I deviated very soon. Last 10 years have been arranged jazz, blues, pop and show tunes. Though steeped in it in the Academy, I find classical styling less compelling. They all sounc the same to me, generally; I seek more color and individuality. Exact same technical considerations taught by the best, like Denis, so nothing lost for me there. Efficient, robust playing is just that, no matter the style. Technical considerations identical; expression is personally unique. I don't copy the teacher; I see what they are doing and see how that works incorporating it into my style. From the best teachers, this is generally helpful in my progression. Denis started out gaining our attention by talking about Rubenstein'g wrong notes, then went off into a discussion of his technique and style which far outweighed any pecadillos. It's amazing to me see how great players all have some unique features. For instance, I don't see how Denis can get his speed and accuracy with as much ulnar deviation he shows from the overhead cam. he seems to remain sufficiently relaxed. It's one reason I'm fascinated. Different strokes for different folks. Kudos, Denis, for being a part of the great advancing pianoshpere and perhaps a resurgance in piano interest. I have gone from grands to digital pianos, looking to upgrade as technology advances. This is a development which has brought back a lot of interest as grands are generally impractical in modern situations. You are coming into your own as reliable and "nice" teacher, without condescension. Humble request, Denis. Could you give a short lesson on playing tremolos on piano, my stuff features them all the time. I do good, but am willing to listen to the best teachers, who I respect. We stand with you, hearts and minds desiring political and economic pressure with regard to the tragic and unconscionable realities in the Ukraine; I seek the return of the Crimea, outright thuggish theft when the US and the West was asleep at the switich. Most of us here thought that when the Wall fell down, Russia would engage the West more. We were tragically mistaken. If you are still awake, thanks for listening. Dave Miller Florence, Oregon, USA
Hi David Thank you for your kind feedback, support and valuable opinions! I have an older video on broken chords and tremolos. I probably would present this topic a bit differently now, but maybe it will still be useful: ruclips.net/video/hvo9PdEQ1aQ/видео.htmlsi=UTKHi4tg8RomnPM2
Wrong notes are momentary, a bad performance is seemingly never ending. I don’t mind wrong notes in those performances one bit - don’t even think about it twice.
I read in a book by Tobias Matthay about what he calls the "3 species of Touch": 1. Finger alone exerted against key, combined with loose-lying hand, and self-supported arm. 2. Hand exerted "behind" finger, with self-supported arm. 3. Arm-weight lapsed afresh behind hand and finger for each note. How do I incorporate what you said about the elbow in this?
The motion Denis is using here can come either from the shoulder - you can see his upper arm swing forward in order to thrust the finger into the key - or from the "hammering" muscles on the back of the upper arm (triceps) used to extend (straighten) the elbow. Only Denis can tell us precisely which muscles he is using to initiate this movement, but the fact that he feels it in the elbow leads me to believe he is using thrust (as mentioned by Sandor) from the triceps. As far as I know this exact mechanism isn't referred to directly in Matthay (at least not in The Act of Touch where the only arm touch he uses is that initiated by the release of upper arm muscles, not the activity of them: "the descent upon the key should arise rather from omisson than from commission of exertion.") It is however part of Breithaupt's method. Here is the touch described in the revolutionary book "Natural Piano-Technic": "The tone must be produced solely by the jerked extension of the fore-arm and the sinking of the hand, caused by the extension." Denis' technique is not pure Breithaupt by any means - he almost always has active fingers - but there are elements of Breithaupt to be found in all modern teaching.
Wrong notes and right notes are correct. Especially wrong notes because then that tells people that the music is natural and not robotic like sounding with every single right note, even though it is customary to listen to the right notes and feel impressed,
Yes, with some experience in piano efficiency your mirrored neurons allow you to almost physically feel sensations in somebody’s arm while watching it. Therefore, I live in a constant pain specializing on students wishing to overcome their technical limitations ouch😅😭
Thank you for the good advice but personally, I think many people overlook one MAJOR factor: people with big hands and wide handspan have a great advantage in playing piano compared to small hands. Reaching far note with simultaneous play other polyphonic note is muuuchhh easier. Why don't major manufacturers produce narrowed key pianos? Then do the experiment, control the variables, and prove it. That will be much beneficial to a number of small handed pianist who struggled with this( I found very few of small handed who played big chorded song well becuuse they have rare compensated factor, eg. they have fking unusually fast reflex compared to normal people, or very flexible finger.)
I don’t think people overlook it. Each teacher independently of their hand size has to deal with many students who have smaller hands or a poor ability to stretch fingers.
This is such a wonderful video, Denis! I'm still waiting on the Cziffra one, lol. I have heard some argue that the old masters like Rubinstein really had the most efficient, ergonomic piano technique which over passing decades has since been kind of lost. When you look at most of those players, you see extremely efficient playing, perhaps even more than what you would see from competition winners nowadays. While the average level of instruction has gone up, it may well be that the very best teachers of the early 20th century were better than modern ones. Or do you think that the technique developed by such pianists is in some sense "innate", despite teaching rather than because of it?
There are tons of fantastic players around, but we overlook them falling into idealization of the mysteriousness of the famous musicians, thus assuming that there is no one to match Rubinstein or Horowitz or else. One of the most sobering and painful stages of development is understanding how difficult it is to avoid the bias of big and small names. In reality, there are hundreds of pianists who are as good or better in both technical and interpretational aspects. Following this trend, this particular format works so much better, because when I say how to play, so few people actually watch it, since I am (frankly speaking) nobody. But when I say the same damn thing “look, this is what Rubinstein or Argerich is doing” - all of a sudden I get 10 times more views and everyone’s excitement.
@@DenZhdanovPianist I think if you post more of your own playing, people will see how you implement your technique into the making of music. People want to know what Martha Argerich is doing technically because we admire her playing. If we get to see more of your interpretations, then more will know what a great musician you are and will want to learn from you.
@@DenZhdanovPianist Now that I think about it, maybe the pianos are also at fault, nowadays they seem to have less of a singing tone, especially compared to old European makes. Interesting perspective, could you point me to a performance of someone relatively unknown who is pretty much as good as say Argerich? I've tried to test this by finding recordings of random pianists, but they are usually quite a bit worse. But that might be biasing my perception. And I totally feel you on getting views on RUclips. Another possible reason may be because people use those search terms, "Martha Argerich", etc. and your video might pop up if they are already following you. I have watched most of your technique videos, but I can see why they would only attract a niche audience.
Good artists are unique and if you adore Argerich and try to find someone who’d over-beat her, it might be tough because you got your preference. I love peanut butter with dark chocolate, and nobody can convince me that a cheesecake is better, you see what I mean? Just give it a few years, most probably you will naturally switch to another favorite, or lose an ability to idolize at all. Guys like Bazhanov, Vondracek, Shishkin, and many others are amazing players, who are unlikely to become as famous as Martha or Lang Lang, because they are somehow harder to sell to masses. For example, I love some of Ginsburg’s recordings, they hit me profoundly, but he is nowhere near Horowitz in terms of cult and promotion. I find Gilels or even Yudina more interesting and profound musicians than Horowitz, but I understand why they are not as idolized and lost against him. Horowitz combined a bit of education with much entertainment, this is exactly what works. For the same reason on YT one must make 80% entertainment and only 20% useful content, otherwise there is no real growth, people want fun first of all, independently of what they claim aloud. There are also some musicians who could be great, but deny getting in this bloody concert business in the first place, like for example Claudio Martinez-Mehner, one of the most unique living musicians by the level of gift and professionalism, however preferring to keep a low profile.
I'm out of town; will comment in more detail when I get home. Your vids have gone from brilliance to super-value teaching brilliance. Lots here for sound, advanved technical considerations. Your lessons are perfect for what wr need. Love your stuff.
@@DenZhdanovPianist Thanks for the quick answer. Yours is also a good question. His music I see already, but his life is very enigmatic. It would be helpful to know what inspires him, unfortunately there are only few documentaries about him. He learned how to conduct, that is a big plus that he has. But did he learned also composition? Or it is only his improvisation skills? His arrangements surely shows real composerlike understanding. If you know more then what is on youtube about him, then it would be nice. If not, then it‘s nothing new. Nevertheless, if you would like to say something about his technic and sound, would be also great. He only plays what fits his technic best and is experimenting most of the time with Interpretations.
He spontaneously improvised... Even more so than Horowitz... That's why it seems so. Improvisation ≠ wrong notes, it's part of personal interpretation and expression. The better improviser you are, the faster you can "learn" any piece. That's also why he learned pieces very fast by reading the scores or listening. All of the greatest artists have 'natural talent' usually backed by a perfect pitch and/or a form of synesthesia. Otherwise, how do you for example explain 5 year old Gyorgy Cziffra as part of the circus act, improvising on random audience requests? That's only 2 years after he touched piano for the first time.
When one starts playing the piano around the age of 3 and continues to do so throughout their life, studying with the best teachers and centering their life around music, it becomes difficult to discern what portion of their success is due to natural talent versus circumstances. There is evidence suggesting that absolute pitch is more likely to develop in children exposed to complex music from a very young age, raising the question of whether this is an innate quality or part of an adaptive process. Skills such as brilliant technique or masterful improvisation are effectively trained from a young age, and starting this training early, with passion and genuine interest, can result in appearing as a supernatural talent by adulthood. Achieving such proficiency in musical performance is nearly impossible if one starts after the age of 10-14; one can become very good but not excellent. While I do not discount the importance of natural genetic abilities-I teach children with vastly different innate abilities to learn and express themselves-I believe that the impact of early conditions and hard work is often underestimated. People tend to overemphasize the role of talent, undervaluing personal achievements. I know quite a few fellow pianists who are unbelievably skilled at improvising, sight-reading, memorizing, and transposing any piece to any key. They did not become "great" not because their skills are inferior, but because achieving true fame requires more than exceptional ability. Luck and social skills play an incredible role as well. With such people, it is often difficult to discern whether their abilities are natural or developed through passionate interest and extensive practice from a very young age; the two seem intertwined.
@@DenZhdanovPianist I think academia (mainly the field of child psychology) surrounding the topic of 'talent' has it backwards. Young children don't 'develop' perfect pitch or other gifts like synesthesia from a very young age due to early childhood exposure, they are born with that brain wiring already and then hone it. These gifts are responsible for drawing children to their crafts via curiosity and exploration, further facilitated by positive feed-back loop of getting relatively higher returns on efforts they put in. Their progress is also much faster than children who don't have these 'seeds' planted at birth. While we don't have recordings of 5 year old Cziffra improvising for the audiences, his story is well documented and corroborated because he also happens to be the youngest student to get accepted to Franz Liszt academy of music, where he really surprised his teachers, some of who had pedagogy lineage directly going back to Franz Liszt himself (i.e. Istvan Thoman). Cziffra for sure was special since he was a young child. He was self-taught, didn't know how to read music, and learned everything by ear until he joined the academy and got a more formal training. He recalls and accounts how at the academy everything on the piano was natural to him, no matter what they showed or had him do. I study gifted individuals in various fields as a serious hobby. For example, in a game of chess there is Mikhail Tal, who is widely regarded as a creative genius - his games are studied the most of any grand master in chess history. He wasn't a prodigy and started seriously studying chess much later than mostly all chess prodigies. He became the youngest both Soviet and world champion, held 2 separate undefeated streaks at the highest level of chess of 88 and 95 games that took 44 years to break, he also famously solved an 'impossible' chess puzzle in 1980s that modern chess engines that easily outclass any human grandmaster couldn't solve reliably until close to 2020 with cloud computation assistance. He is known for creativity, improvisation, and unexpected moves surprising his opponents and and even modern chess engines. The most interesting thing about him is that he didn't 'think' or calculate his moves, he played on instinct/intuition - which means he had advantage and could win on 'time' in fast-paced blitz chess, where time limit is very short. And he did win, even at an advanced age and while being sick (escaped from the hospital a month before his death and took a game away from Garry Kasparov in his prime, in 18 moves). Garry Kasparov famously talks about Mikhail Tal and how he was one-off and absolutely unique in chess, in that he didn't calculate but instantly 'saw' the variations at the chess board and he retained that ability until his death. All that screams a form of synesthesia. I also personally know, studied, and documented musicians with perfect pitch and synesthesia. The main difference between the artists who have only a perfect pitch and the artists who also have synesthesia (perfect pitch is usually already a given) is that those with synesthesia are always more creative - they start composing and improvising very early. While perfect pitch artists are able to maintain and acquire large repertoires through accelerated learning/reinforcement and better retention, synesthetes in addition to that are also prolific composers. One synesthete I know didn't even study music in an academic environment beyond age 16 and relied mainly on 'talent' for most of their adult life - didn't stop them from having a very successful career at multiple and simultaneous job posts (as a touring/performing musician and as a TV/radio pianist playing viewer/listener requests that come in on a short notice - loves the rush of spontaneity). This same person has a sibling who is only 1 year older, both were exposed to identical musical environment and lessons growing up, yet one of them with the gift of synesthesia experienced abnormally fast progress and got accepted to an advanced program at Yamaha Music School as a toddler, where they also surprised instructors with their deep (for the age) harmonic understanding during entrance audition testing (i.e. accompaniment by ear and reverse playing leads over chord progressions). Let me ask you, are musicians you know who are exceptional, did you try to figure out if they have either perfect pitch or a form of synesthesia? Usually people know that they have a perfect pitch but the same people might not know that they also have synesthesia - to them it might be a 'normal' thing to perceive and associate music to colors for example and it's a condition much more rare. I say this because to my surprise one synesthete I know, didn't even know it's an outlier condition, simply because they had nobody knowledgeable to discuss it with.
I believe that a teacher should never ask a student to imitate his/her way of interpreting a piece (Andras Segovia was criticized for doing this). First of all, everyone has a different physiology and can't possibly copy another person's technique. Second, a piece of music has a life of its own, and even the composer is not necessarily the best interpreter of the music (Chopin preferred Liszt's playing of Chopin's preludes to his own).
I am not fully convinced by your argument. It’s not about copying technique; it’s about universal physiological aspects and a careful adjustment to the needs of a particular student. Using an analogy, imagine there is an XXL-size suit that you can put on nearly every man, and then you carefully tailor it to their size. But every teacher can teach only what they know, and this is why you have students who play with flat fingers, students who play with curled fingers, a few students who play without technical issues, and many who play poorly. The real problem is not that teachers teach technique their own way; it’s that 95% don’t know how to teach it at all. In a special music school specializing in preparing prodigies, like the one I was trained in, you would typically have one-two teachers who prepares dozens of students with a very good, sustainable technique, because they know a whole bunch about efficiency playing principles. About five teachers in the same department are sometimes lucky to get natural talents who play the piano more or less naturally and without issues, while the rest of the class is unable to overcome their inefficiency. Additionally, there are usually a couple of teachers who have a very poor and dangerous misunderstanding of piano technique, and even gifted students under their instruction often end up with focal dystonia, among other issues. If a teacher avoids sharing their personal perspective on a piece, the education will be very formal and superficial. True art is passed from a master to an apprentice by demonstration and imitation at first, until a student matures enough to naturally feel they want to do it differently from their teacher. Imitation is as necessary a phase as maturing and separating. Only a small number of students will reach this stage and become independent, brilliant musicians who can be as good as or better than their teacher while doing things their own way. If I will have 3-5 students within my life span, who will become as good or hopefully better than me, I would be already quite happy. People get criticized for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes male competition participants are criticized for not wearing a blazer, and this can be a reason not to advance to the next round.
"the note originates more in the elbow region and stabilizes itself at the fingertip" - that is brilliant advice, thank you so much!
Glad it was helpful!
@@DenZhdanovPianist do you think this technique couldbe used in chopins op 10 4 or is that piece just too fast for it?
Some players are able to play it this ergonomic way. The capacity to play like this in a faster tempo develops as more you practice that.
@@duartevader2709 Just wanted to chime in, I would imagine you could apply the same notion, but in group impulses: not for every note, but for every few notes, and reduce the motion as you increase speed.
@@duartevader2709 Look into the taubman approach. Arm weight is literally just rotating into each note by use of the forearm (doorknob motion).
Maestro Rubinstein must have led a life filled with great passion and, most of all, curiosity! He must have compared spending another 100 hours at the piano to visiting places and meeting people. The 100 hours may have prevented a few wrong notes but would have sucked the life out of his music! I grew up listening to 80% Rubinstein’s Chopin and 20% others. His phrasing and tone is what I recall immediately when I flip through the pages of Chopin’s music. The rubato, the sense of rhythm, the drive, the poetry…
I am not old enough to have seen him live. I didn’t know he sat like that and used his hands like that. Seeing them on YT has been a huge revelation. The anecdotes I heard from my professors and teachers suddenly made so much sense, too. Hearing Denis’s analysis of the mechanics made me want to apply it today. Thank you for another superb video! The quality of the content is peerless!
I was always told:
"Two geniuses should never compared".
Enjoy them both for their brilliance.
I still live by that.
I love your example with the Debussy prelude! I was really hit by how Odysseus gave deepness to this line!! Rubinstein is the somnambule security of musical expression with the absolute manual liberty of a lion! I love him forever. Great video! Please continue!!
Thanks!
You are so absolutely right about expressivity being written into music theory! It’s all right there laid out for you if you just know the rules, and the fact that there are teachers who for some reason overlook the less talented students as hopeless cases in terms of expression is ridiculous. All this stuff you can teach, if the student is willing to learn
You need to upload this video once a month for the next 5 years; that was a lifetime of wisdom, experience and sharing of the most precious information on so many levels, in one video....thank you.... Extraordinary.
Thank you!😊
My playing totally changed when I realized that the wrists, forearms, and even upper arms and shoulders are every bit as important as the fingers. I also didn't really realize or think about how certain fingers are weaker than others and certain combinations of fingers are weaker than other combinations.
Rubinstein does a full body release where the forearm goes down but the whole arm goes up from the hips and feet. Motion initiated from the feet as if trying to stand on the keys. Tremendous leverage gotten this way!
This is so good 😊
Thanks for watching!
This channel is amazing! I thought he had hundred thousands of subscribers because the quality is just so high
Such a good analysis of "small" things during maestro's playing, that you can not see if you do not know exactly what to look for ...
Artur Rubinstein. I always stand in awe before his name.
My pianistic hero since the early to mid 1970s when I first heard his playings. Has always remained my hero ever since.
The true pianist-musician who inspired my ardent love for the piano at the time when my parents made me learn the piano but I resisted vehemently.
He said himself '' sometimes I play superb and people are ok with it ,,,but than I play so many wrong notes it's like writing another concerto and people are WOOOW ''....he was for sure one of a kind . And his memoires are absolutely brilliant ,as the person . And he was really playing awsome when he was at his worst . What a genius . And a bon viveur . In an interview he was also remembering his youth in Paris with Picasso and Enesco saying that '' my youth was wine , women and song ...in this order ;-))) . I think that he was one of the few who balanced his inner and personal life and that made a difference . It's not only about fingers and bla bla . Let's not forget that Horowitz had a decade of not playing due to depression .
We play for people. They know that no one is perfect & that anything can go wrong.
They appreciate your humanity & that you're sharing an experience.
They can spot a Show-off, but love those who are sincere.
Thank you for a thought provoking video
One thing among a lot of things I admire about Rubinstein is how he sits like an absolute statue and makes no weird faces, even more so than Horowitz.
That thing actually irritates me in his playing😅whatever he plays is it Chopin or Beethoven his face and posture is always the same. It doesn't tell me anything about what he feels about the music and his perception of it whatever he play. I would prefer sings of natural involvement of the face mimics and body gestures when it matches music and helps to understand it.
@@alexeytrushechkin1494 use your ears.
@@alexeytrushechkin1494 it's not like he was restraining himself in some way, most old school pianists just expressed themselves through the music alone. In my opinion, a lot of the pianists today who pull these ridiculous facial expressions are being disingenuous and most likely attention seeking.
Hello, Guys, take it easy. Note I didn't say anything about actually "making" faces. I said," I would prefer face naturally expressing something"
Like Sokolov, Arrow even Horowitz (when he plays, not when he jokes with audience, but even this is natural). I admire Rubinstein's nobility. I've learned Beethoven 4th concerto and played it after listening to his recording. But, for instance, in Chopin's music, especially in refined ones-Mazurkas, even this etude(not Heroic Polonaise) it lacks what I would expect Chopin to sound like-grace, pain, sorrow and thin shades of sound. He is grandious, powerful!Maybe too powerful..
@@Samuri_Jack_Enjoyer I admire that generation of pianists, they are the best! Al also Rubinstein. His Beethoven concertis are superb! But I just said, not in all the pieces by Chopin steel posture is a zenith of expectacion. Not all Chopin is heroic and victorious. I would rather prefer poetic, tragic, refined, painful sound than a strait back.
Denis! You are a joy and a wonder and a delightful human being! and a heck of a teacher and pianist!
Thank you!😊
Greatly appreciate this analysis into Rubinstein's technique. I have seen his videos for years but only recently have able to understand what I was seeing. This video crystallizes a whole lot of things in my mind.
The title should be: Wrong Notes Don't Matter(if you're Vladimir Horowitz) . The real champion of wrong notes. I heard Rubinstein live at age 89 in Chopin's Second Piano Concerto. Not a single wrong note! And Denis, you know how difficult that Concerto is. Btw, love your channel. Very professional.Bravo.
Whenever one dares to say that Horowitz wasn’t perfect, there is an army of offended fans attacking, pointing on his videos where he plays half of the notes but claiming that nobody ever did better🤣
Apparently, Horowitz was a great artist, but even a better hypnotizer.
@@DenZhdanovPianist The combination of his shrewd mind and the naive "hype culture" in the US worked well for him. Rubinstein didn't need all of these tricks and histrionics. He was simply a great Master and an Aristocrat.
I'm not an Horowitz fan, but hey...your comment appears quite desrespectful. "Hipnotizer"?!
To succeed, any brand must employ various psychological strategies to persuade consumers to choose their products. Thus, every great artist must also be a skilled “hypnotist”, and I am sorry to tell things in such a direct way for the sake of truth as I understand it - a skillful manipulator of other’s minds and feelings.
I am truly sorry for breaking someone’s heart, but when we truly believe that some artist or some… toothpaste brand, whatsoever, is The Best, it’s not necessarily the objective truth, but rather what you were manipulated to believe by a successful marketing strategy or due to your personal sensitivity to this. Horowitz was amazing in manipulating people to believe that he is The Pianist. The gift of such scale is super rare.
This view is not disrespectful; a rational and entrepreneur perspective common for professional musicians is as necessary as admiration and idolization typical for consumers of classical music. Both perspectives are necessary to fully understand reality.
@@DenZhdanovPianist Don't worry, my heart is not broken since, as I had said, I am not even a "fan" of VH. But after so many words of yours, I still don't get if, for you - "musical prodigy"... attested by a school- he was more a "great artist" or a skilled impostor. Comparing artists to toothpaste is a nonsense.
As always, it is a pleasure watching Denis’s videos.
Well, Cortot adjustments and misses are often almost as common as the original notes, and the music still soars and makes you listen inspite of that old noisy sound. So.... no problems. Anyway, you should publish more of these!
I love these videos. Would you ever consider doing one on Ivo Pogorelich's technique?
Love the way Denis explains the hands. No longer young, Im finding my way to to ideas thru necessity but so nice to hear him confirm the use of the forearm and the finger movements.
I was an Arthur Rubinstein fan from the 1950s and learned early from him that music is more than getting all the notes right. Very good analysis from you. I must work on that arm going up and the hand goes down. Many thanks.
Thank you for this vid. Thoroughly enjoyed it. And your discussion of the techniques employed by Rubinstein was very instructive. Rubinstein was my fav pianist when I was a child. Such a healthy technique, and natural music making. Esp liked your discussion of the Chopin Nocturne passage. 👍👍
Thank you for a very interesting video . When it comes to playing the wrong note ( notes) I call it improvisation 😅 .
Love it😊
I absolutely love these videos, I really learnt a lot! I love the way you break everything down, very easy to follow! You should definitely do an analysis video on Seong-Jin Cho in the future, I believe he has one of the most efficient and solid piano techniques out there!
I am not playing any instrument but I watch your videos to the end 😅 and... OMG you are so smart!
This is an inspiring lesson, well prepared and detailed. Rubinstein was such a nobel player, full of life, and funny as well. Thank you Denis -- well done 👍💛💐 !
Could you also make a video analysing some technical legends like Cziffra, Hamelin or Katsaris, id love to know how they do it
At some point!..
Excellent video. Your description of Rubinstein as like a "king" is more spot on than you know--whenever I saw him live, he entered the stage with an aristocratic nobility even before he played a note. Even his wardrobe was kingly. There was a widely syndicated newspaper comic strip in my childhood called "The Little King" by the cartoonist Otto Soglow. You can google it. Rubinstein entering the stage of Carnegie Hall was the living embodiment of Soglow's Little King.
That was a masterclass of the highest degree, bravo sir!
Thank you kindly!
I am reading the Arthur’s two autobiography books -
The way the books are written, you feel like he shares with you his extraordinary life and talent.
Посмотрю вечерком! Спасибо за прекрасные видео!
Exceptional quality in this video, content, pedagogy, insights and entertainment (you can always add a bit more entertainment, it works well but always moderation not excessive things). Your points are all excellent and i am like a student listening carefully your every word and making sure i understand and try what you demonstrate. I've had a few piano teachers and university piano teachers and you're equivalent with them at the top.
Agree that best pianists and best teachers are rarely the same person. You get inspiration from great pianists but don't listen to their opinions and you get technique from great pedagogues but use your own imagination.
I have always been looking down on A. Rubinstein but your video corrected my bias on him. His technique of relaxed playing and forehand playing is superb but i think he played everything with it, and it sometimes sounds robotic. Most of all it's his snob like theatricals when playing that made him antipathetic to me and i still think i would not like his company as a person but he had some important technical mastery worth to learn from.
Another controversial aspect that you did well not to mention is that he was part of the establishment (same ethnic background) and that gave him a preference to music critics which were also part of it and even after he was long gone you were forced by the establishment to revere him to be accepted in those corruption circles. But he was not without merit he was a true talent. The main musical critic i would make is that he used a one style of articulation to play nearly every repertoire and that does not always work compared to for example Cortot who had far more colors variety and sound expressivity.
I read both of his biographies years ago. I remember him saying that he began his rigorous practicing routine around the time he started recording. He realized the sins he was getting away with in concert wouldn't do for a recording that would be subject to scrutiny. More to his credit that he succeeded.
That was an incredible video, like every single one you make!!! Please, consider making one about Ervin Nyiregyházi, I think it would be sooooo much interesting!!!
One video of this type on Claudio Arrau would be great. This one was really interesting.
"In my opinion, [learning by imitation] works great for 2-5% of music students." Well, that honestly felt good to hear. I rarely feel like I'm particularly good at piano, I've often felt inadequate, particularly in comparison to the other students in my studio in college, several of whom were playing things like hammerklavier and prokofiev concertos, but my college professor always told me how great I was at playing things back to her the way she had played them. Hearing you say that you think only one in 20 people can really do that made me feel good about my musical abilities in a way I haven't felt in over a decade.
Good for you! 💪
Thank you for this wholesome lesson.
Very helpful and generous-spirited.
Very interesting video, Denis. And a timely reminder about putting things in perspective - I’m sure Rubinstein would have agreed with you!
Thanks for this good analysis. Although I can't say that I have listened all of his early recordings (there are many), my impression is that he played in a fast and flashy manner, and didn't miss many notes; that in his mid-career, his playing had more depth and maturity; and in his old age, his playing could be slower (perhaps the Chopin Nocturnes) . The live performances on RUclips are outstanding, and give the best impression of his playing, and are a testament to career achievement in old age. I just read now a 1975 article by Harold Schonberg, and he discounts the notion, based on listening to early recordings, that Rubinstein lacked technique or hit many wrong notes.
Not only innate technique - but hand size and more specifically the ratio of finger length to palm size i think, matters. Some of these techniques are just not possible with smaller than average hand size or shorter fingers
Normalized hand and finger length allow you to play above the keys instead of the edges, making less tension
If i win the lottery i would like to do the definitive study on this to see
If any of my hypothesis are true
Sure, people with smaller hands have to adjust and are more prone to tension issues.
Great video. Thanks, Denis!
Will comment as I proceed through again.
Highlights again the holes in the cult of perfection, in anything. The great ones are not those who play according to some imaginary and "trumped up" faux standard of flawlessness. They are the ones who speak to people, whose persons transcend their music. This "rule bound" straightjacket is a tradition still upheld in music academies, stringently, gives pedantry a legitimacy. It's about power and influence, a power currency.
Look at the artists you riff on, Argerich, Horowitz , etc., all are great because of their courageous approach, they always deliver the goods, resist criticsim, are intimate and honest. They are people I would really like to know, drinkers, wo-manizers and songsters. As we age, we can get away with it less and less, before that lifestyle takes a toll on perfomance. So many of the stellar singers from the 1930s-60s were serious alkies, druggies, not just the jazz, bluesters. AR lived his life "onstage." Saw a rehearsal clip of him showing off at a Hollywood Bowl rehearsal, circa '37? He lifted his hands as high as possible over his head and came down with lightening velocity/arm weight to land on a perfect chord, with all present paying attention to his showboating antics. While Martha is a great player, the drama of her life is something she tries to keep more private; yet enquiring minds in a nosey public, want to know, identify with.
Technique gold: In and out motion on arps, never heard of more or less pulling with 1-5 shorties, in with 2-3-4. Have tended to stay away from any pulling after a study of Glenn Gould. Strike the thumb from above. Verticality has been a feature of my more mature technique, no matter what the finger, but especially Mr. Shorty 1 and then 5 same way on the rotation, depends on how much time one has on a figure. Virutally unlimited variables on piano. Watching these guys closely is very instructive. Generous use of arm weight, immediately realeasing after the "hit," navigation by lateral forearm movement, setting up each new hand position, for the reasons you cite. My playing has been transformed radically for the better when I incorporated more verticality-you lift with the "crane" with fingers and hand dangling down prepping for the next contact "bridge." One of the most useful analogies ever. Slowed down we see it clearly. Only forearm and arm action will allow for this general "veritcality" as I now call it. AR shows high wrists and dangling fingers, healthy mode allowed these stars to play well into seniority. Piano is not well played "only with the fingers;" supporting structures absolutely required. Arm weight with verticality gets one to key bottoms easier, a momentary pause before proceeding to a new phrase postion. Whole arm weight properly employed takes a while to master if bad habits were built up over years. "Motion originates in the elbow," says a ton. Helpful demo of slow practice with this technique, with isolated finger useage, finger stabilizes the elbow, forearm movement. You can actually demo well an ineffeficient unhealty mode. It would pay off to look and learn. Very helpful term, "elbow micro impulses."
"Crane" release as important as the "hit," sets it up, keeps things in motion for less tension, Emma Lieuman calls it "healthy" vs. unhealthy tension. Tension vs. "relaxation" is less precise and often leads to confusion. Rotate and change fingers on trills? New idea for me. Will try it. Ulnar deviation-I have been "trying" to keep the forearm lined up behind the middle knuckle as default. You say lean into the knuckle/hand palm most closely played, so it will rotate some; I think mine does this automatically, deviating from the default middle knuckle alignment, no matter where on the board; means playing like a crab walk in extreme 8vas, cross hands, etc. so hands dont' cramp at the wrist. My study of Argerich videos shows me how she uses her thumb under, vertically, almost like another 2-3-4 due to verticality. Lots of room under that high wrist with knuckle bridge which would support a tank, some hand rotation toward 1, then can just dance on repeated 1's if she wants.
True artistry is about risk taking and "selling" one's ideas to others. High risk = high reward potential. Projecting confidence draws other's into our story, piano and elsewhere. "Mistakes" are forgiven as insignificant in this tradeoff. "Behaves like a king," or queen, this is always flawless even though the playing may not be. Creating a compelling story more important than precision. "Fueling art with rich life experience," way more impact than theoretical pedantry. I have come to realize that what I have in me is sufficient for expressing my vision. The great ones can't tell you how they do what they do, it's just in there. The really great ones often make poor teachers because they don't know how they pull it off. Find ways to sell one's vision in a compelling way; nobody can object because it's a one of a kind personal statement. Varying emphasis on certain notes for expressive purposes. "Delicately stepping on the resolution note." Transfer weight from finger/knuckle to knuckle for best support in the same position. We live in a naysaying, deprecating world, where people give weight to the negative over the positive, "Just send them to hell." Right on! Life should not be a reflection of pedant piano, but the other way around, which tanscends pedantry. One can play 3 Blind Mice expressively, there are no small parts, only small actors. Don't let them win, we have it our power to be winners in our own right, in everything. Fulfilled and enjoyable life will be reflected in playing style.
Who am I to write such a Russian novel, where they say the writers got paid by the word? I adored the piano from the time of about 7-8, wanted to play. We had no money but finally about age12, I started lessons with the type Denis deemphasizes. Ok still. My dad wanted me to play hymns in church, his highest vision for music. I wanted to play like Jerry Lee Lewis with all the girls hanging about the piano. I quit until I was emancipated. Too late to major in piano at Uni academy, I majored in vocal music, had the voice and the temperament. Piano was a very distant 2nd. I have also sung all my life. Took up piano as specialty about 10 years ago. Had to develop better technicality to get my expressive qualities where I wanted. Worked at it. Early life was church music and classic rock and roll. I college I got the full monty on classical mode from which I deviated very soon. Last 10 years have been arranged jazz, blues, pop and show tunes. Though steeped in it in the Academy, I find classical styling less compelling. They all sounc the same to me, generally; I seek more color and individuality. Exact same technical considerations taught by the best, like Denis, so nothing lost for me there. Efficient, robust playing is just that, no matter the style. Technical considerations identical; expression is personally unique. I don't copy the teacher; I see what they are doing and see how that works incorporating it into my style. From the best teachers, this is generally helpful in my progression.
Denis started out gaining our attention by talking about Rubenstein'g wrong notes, then went off into a discussion of his technique and style which far outweighed any pecadillos. It's amazing to me see how great players all have some unique features. For instance, I don't see how Denis can get his speed and accuracy with as much ulnar deviation he shows from the overhead cam. he seems to remain sufficiently relaxed. It's one reason I'm fascinated. Different strokes for different folks. Kudos, Denis, for being a part of the great advancing pianoshpere and perhaps a resurgance in piano interest. I have gone from grands to digital pianos, looking to upgrade as technology advances. This is a development which has brought back a lot of interest as grands are generally impractical in modern situations. You are coming into your own as reliable and "nice" teacher, without condescension.
Humble request, Denis. Could you give a short lesson on playing tremolos on piano, my stuff features them all the time. I do good, but am willing to listen to the best teachers, who I respect.
We stand with you, hearts and minds desiring political and economic pressure with regard to the tragic and unconscionable realities in the Ukraine; I seek the return of the Crimea, outright thuggish theft when the US and the West was asleep at the switich. Most of us here thought that when the Wall fell down, Russia would engage the West more. We were tragically mistaken.
If you are still awake, thanks for listening.
Dave Miller
Florence, Oregon, USA
Hi David
Thank you for your kind feedback, support and valuable opinions!
I have an older video on broken chords and tremolos. I probably would present this topic a bit differently now, but maybe it will still be useful:
ruclips.net/video/hvo9PdEQ1aQ/видео.htmlsi=UTKHi4tg8RomnPM2
@@DenZhdanovPianist Thanks. Will check it out. Updated version when you get a chance?
Excellent video and analysis, thank you!
great Job!
Wrong notes are momentary, a bad performance is seemingly never ending. I don’t mind wrong notes in those performances one bit - don’t even think about it twice.
I read in a book by Tobias Matthay about what he calls the "3 species of Touch":
1. Finger alone exerted against key, combined with loose-lying hand, and self-supported arm.
2. Hand exerted "behind" finger, with self-supported arm.
3. Arm-weight lapsed afresh behind hand and finger for each note.
How do I incorporate what you said about the elbow in this?
The motion Denis is using here can come either from the shoulder - you can see his upper arm swing forward in order to thrust the finger into the key - or from the "hammering" muscles on the back of the upper arm (triceps) used to extend (straighten) the elbow. Only Denis can tell us precisely which muscles he is using to initiate this movement, but the fact that he feels it in the elbow leads me to believe he is using thrust (as mentioned by Sandor) from the triceps. As far as I know this exact mechanism isn't referred to directly in Matthay (at least not in The Act of Touch where the only arm touch he uses is that initiated by the release of upper arm muscles, not the activity of them: "the descent upon the key should arise rather from omisson than from commission of exertion.") It is however part of Breithaupt's method. Here is the touch described in the revolutionary book "Natural Piano-Technic": "The tone must be produced solely by the jerked extension of the fore-arm and the sinking of the hand, caused by the extension."
Denis' technique is not pure Breithaupt by any means - he almost always has active fingers - but there are elements of Breithaupt to be found in all modern teaching.
@@subplantant Beautiful comment, very informative. Thank you!
2:00 😅(Rubenstein practicing with accompaniments by his side).
Wrong notes and right notes are correct. Especially wrong notes because then that tells people that the music is natural and not robotic like sounding with every single right note, even though it is customary to listen to the right notes and feel impressed,
I also notice that Rubinstein sat quite high at the piano. Higher than most.
True!
Thank u so much great explanation❤
around 6:20 reminds me some principles of Gyorgy Sandor's technique
Sure, all good approaches have something in common despite all the differences
I learned a similar technique to what you described. At 11:15 I could feel the tension in my forearm just by watching you. Ouch!
Yes, with some experience in piano efficiency your mirrored neurons allow you to almost physically feel sensations in somebody’s arm while watching it.
Therefore, I live in a constant pain specializing on students wishing to overcome their technical limitations ouch😅😭
Grazie per il tuo prezioso video
I wonder what Rubinstein's technique might have been if he had studied with Busoni in Berlin in the early 20th century.
Thank you for the good advice but personally, I think many people overlook one MAJOR factor: people with big hands and wide handspan have a great advantage in playing piano compared to small hands. Reaching far note with simultaneous play other polyphonic note is muuuchhh easier. Why don't major manufacturers produce narrowed key pianos? Then do the experiment, control the variables, and prove it.
That will be much beneficial to a number of small handed pianist who struggled with this( I found very few of small handed who played big chorded song well becuuse they have rare compensated factor, eg. they have fking unusually fast reflex compared to normal people, or very flexible finger.)
I don’t think people overlook it. Each teacher independently of their hand size has to deal with many students who have smaller hands or a poor ability to stretch fingers.
This is such a wonderful video, Denis! I'm still waiting on the Cziffra one, lol.
I have heard some argue that the old masters like Rubinstein really had the most efficient, ergonomic piano technique which over passing decades has since been kind of lost. When you look at most of those players, you see extremely efficient playing, perhaps even more than what you would see from competition winners nowadays. While the average level of instruction has gone up, it may well be that the very best teachers of the early 20th century were better than modern ones. Or do you think that the technique developed by such pianists is in some sense "innate", despite teaching rather than because of it?
There are tons of fantastic players around, but we overlook them falling into idealization of the mysteriousness of the famous musicians, thus assuming that there is no one to match Rubinstein or Horowitz or else. One of the most sobering and painful stages of development is understanding how difficult it is to avoid the bias of big and small names.
In reality, there are hundreds of pianists who are as good or better in both technical and interpretational aspects.
Following this trend, this particular format works so much better, because when I say how to play, so few people actually watch it, since I am (frankly speaking) nobody.
But when I say the same damn thing “look, this is what Rubinstein or Argerich is doing” - all of a sudden I get 10 times more views and everyone’s excitement.
@@DenZhdanovPianist I think if you post more of your own playing, people will see how you implement your technique into the making of music. People want to know what Martha Argerich is doing technically because we admire her playing.
If we get to see more of your interpretations, then more will know what a great musician you are and will want to learn from you.
@@DenZhdanovPianist Now that I think about it, maybe the pianos are also at fault, nowadays they seem to have less of a singing tone, especially compared to old European makes.
Interesting perspective, could you point me to a performance of someone relatively unknown who is pretty much as good as say Argerich? I've tried to test this by finding recordings of random pianists, but they are usually quite a bit worse. But that might be biasing my perception.
And I totally feel you on getting views on RUclips. Another possible reason may be because people use those search terms, "Martha Argerich", etc. and your video might pop up if they are already following you. I have watched most of your technique videos, but I can see why they would only attract a niche audience.
Good artists are unique and if you adore Argerich and try to find someone who’d over-beat her, it might be tough because you got your preference. I love peanut butter with dark chocolate, and nobody can convince me that a cheesecake is better, you see what I mean? Just give it a few years, most probably you will naturally switch to another favorite, or lose an ability to idolize at all. Guys like Bazhanov, Vondracek, Shishkin, and many others are amazing players, who are unlikely to become as famous as Martha or Lang Lang, because they are somehow harder to sell to masses. For example, I love some of Ginsburg’s recordings, they hit me profoundly, but he is nowhere near Horowitz in terms of cult and promotion. I find Gilels or even Yudina more interesting and profound musicians than Horowitz, but I understand why they are not as idolized and lost against him. Horowitz combined a bit of education with much entertainment, this is exactly what works. For the same reason on YT one must make 80% entertainment and only 20% useful content, otherwise there is no real growth, people want fun first of all, independently of what they claim aloud.
There are also some musicians who could be great, but deny getting in this bloody concert business in the first place, like for example Claudio Martinez-Mehner, one of the most unique living musicians by the level of gift and professionalism, however preferring to keep a low profile.
I'm out of town; will comment in more detail when I get home. Your vids have gone from brilliance to super-value teaching brilliance. Lots here for sound, advanved technical considerations. Your lessons are perfect for what wr need. Love your stuff.
Would you be interested to make a video about Volodos? Maybe his technic…
Or maybe more about his life than about his music?
Sure, that’s a good suggestion.
Why in particular his life interests you more than his music?
@@DenZhdanovPianist Thanks for the quick answer. Yours is also a good question.
His music I see already, but his life is very enigmatic. It would be helpful to know what inspires him, unfortunately there are only few documentaries about him.
He learned how to conduct, that is a big plus that he has.
But did he learned also composition? Or it is only his improvisation skills?
His arrangements surely shows real composerlike understanding.
If you know more then what is on youtube about him, then it would be nice. If not, then it‘s nothing new.
Nevertheless, if you would like to say something about his technic and sound, would be also great.
He only plays what fits his technic best and is experimenting most of the time with Interpretations.
He spontaneously improvised... Even more so than Horowitz... That's why it seems so. Improvisation ≠ wrong notes, it's part of personal interpretation and expression. The better improviser you are, the faster you can "learn" any piece. That's also why he learned pieces very fast by reading the scores or listening. All of the greatest artists have 'natural talent' usually backed by a perfect pitch and/or a form of synesthesia. Otherwise, how do you for example explain 5 year old Gyorgy Cziffra as part of the circus act, improvising on random audience requests? That's only 2 years after he touched piano for the first time.
When one starts playing the piano around the age of 3 and continues to do so throughout their life, studying with the best teachers and centering their life around music, it becomes difficult to discern what portion of their success is due to natural talent versus circumstances.
There is evidence suggesting that absolute pitch is more likely to develop in children exposed to complex music from a very young age, raising the question of whether this is an innate quality or part of an adaptive process. Skills such as brilliant technique or masterful improvisation are effectively trained from a young age, and starting this training early, with passion and genuine interest, can result in appearing as a supernatural talent by adulthood. Achieving such proficiency in musical performance is nearly impossible if one starts after the age of 10-14; one can become very good but not excellent.
While I do not discount the importance of natural genetic abilities-I teach children with vastly different innate abilities to learn and express themselves-I believe that the impact of early conditions and hard work is often underestimated. People tend to overemphasize the role of talent, undervaluing personal achievements.
I know quite a few fellow pianists who are unbelievably skilled at improvising, sight-reading, memorizing, and transposing any piece to any key. They did not become "great" not because their skills are inferior, but because achieving true fame requires more than exceptional ability. Luck and social skills play an incredible role as well. With such people, it is often difficult to discern whether their abilities are natural or developed through passionate interest and extensive practice from a very young age; the two seem intertwined.
@@DenZhdanovPianist I think academia (mainly the field of child psychology) surrounding the topic of 'talent' has it backwards. Young children don't 'develop' perfect pitch or other gifts like synesthesia from a very young age due to early childhood exposure, they are born with that brain wiring already and then hone it. These gifts are responsible for drawing children to their crafts via curiosity and exploration, further facilitated by positive feed-back loop of getting relatively higher returns on efforts they put in. Their progress is also much faster than children who don't have these 'seeds' planted at birth.
While we don't have recordings of 5 year old Cziffra improvising for the audiences, his story is well documented and corroborated because he also happens to be the youngest student to get accepted to Franz Liszt academy of music, where he really surprised his teachers, some of who had pedagogy lineage directly going back to Franz Liszt himself (i.e. Istvan Thoman). Cziffra for sure was special since he was a young child. He was self-taught, didn't know how to read music, and learned everything by ear until he joined the academy and got a more formal training. He recalls and accounts how at the academy everything on the piano was natural to him, no matter what they showed or had him do.
I study gifted individuals in various fields as a serious hobby. For example, in a game of chess there is Mikhail Tal, who is widely regarded as a creative genius - his games are studied the most of any grand master in chess history. He wasn't a prodigy and started seriously studying chess much later than mostly all chess prodigies. He became the youngest both Soviet and world champion, held 2 separate undefeated streaks at the highest level of chess of 88 and 95 games that took 44 years to break, he also famously solved an 'impossible' chess puzzle in 1980s that modern chess engines that easily outclass any human grandmaster couldn't solve reliably until close to 2020 with cloud computation assistance. He is known for creativity, improvisation, and unexpected moves surprising his opponents and and even modern chess engines. The most interesting thing about him is that he didn't 'think' or calculate his moves, he played on instinct/intuition - which means he had advantage and could win on 'time' in fast-paced blitz chess, where time limit is very short. And he did win, even at an advanced age and while being sick (escaped from the hospital a month before his death and took a game away from Garry Kasparov in his prime, in 18 moves). Garry Kasparov famously talks about Mikhail Tal and how he was one-off and absolutely unique in chess, in that he didn't calculate but instantly 'saw' the variations at the chess board and he retained that ability until his death. All that screams a form of synesthesia.
I also personally know, studied, and documented musicians with perfect pitch and synesthesia. The main difference between the artists who have only a perfect pitch and the artists who also have synesthesia (perfect pitch is usually already a given) is that those with synesthesia are always more creative - they start composing and improvising very early. While perfect pitch artists are able to maintain and acquire large repertoires through accelerated learning/reinforcement and better retention, synesthetes in addition to that are also prolific composers. One synesthete I know didn't even study music in an academic environment beyond age 16 and relied mainly on 'talent' for most of their adult life - didn't stop them from having a very successful career at multiple and simultaneous job posts (as a touring/performing musician and as a TV/radio pianist playing viewer/listener requests that come in on a short notice - loves the rush of spontaneity). This same person has a sibling who is only 1 year older, both were exposed to identical musical environment and lessons growing up, yet one of them with the gift of synesthesia experienced abnormally fast progress and got accepted to an advanced program at Yamaha Music School as a toddler, where they also surprised instructors with their deep (for the age) harmonic understanding during entrance audition testing (i.e. accompaniment by ear and reverse playing leads over chord progressions).
Let me ask you, are musicians you know who are exceptional, did you try to figure out if they have either perfect pitch or a form of synesthesia? Usually people know that they have a perfect pitch but the same people might not know that they also have synesthesia - to them it might be a 'normal' thing to perceive and associate music to colors for example and it's a condition much more rare. I say this because to my surprise one synesthete I know, didn't even know it's an outlier condition, simply because they had nobody knowledgeable to discuss it with.
I believe that a teacher should never ask a student to imitate his/her way of interpreting a piece (Andras Segovia was criticized for doing this). First of all, everyone has a different physiology and can't possibly copy another person's technique. Second, a piece of music has a life of its own, and even the composer is not necessarily the best interpreter of the music (Chopin preferred Liszt's playing of Chopin's preludes to his own).
I am not fully convinced by your argument.
It’s not about copying technique; it’s about universal physiological aspects and a careful adjustment to the needs of a particular student. Using an analogy, imagine there is an XXL-size suit that you can put on nearly every man, and then you carefully tailor it to their size.
But every teacher can teach only what they know, and this is why you have students who play with flat fingers, students who play with curled fingers, a few students who play without technical issues, and many who play poorly. The real problem is not that teachers teach technique their own way; it’s that 95% don’t know how to teach it at all. In a special music school specializing in preparing prodigies, like the one I was trained in, you would typically have one-two teachers who prepares dozens of students with a very good, sustainable technique, because they know a whole bunch about efficiency playing principles. About five teachers in the same department are sometimes lucky to get natural talents who play the piano more or less naturally and without issues, while the rest of the class is unable to overcome their inefficiency. Additionally, there are usually a couple of teachers who have a very poor and dangerous misunderstanding of piano technique, and even gifted students under their instruction often end up with focal dystonia, among other issues.
If a teacher avoids sharing their personal perspective on a piece, the education will be very formal and superficial.
True art is passed from a master to an apprentice by demonstration and imitation at first, until a student matures enough to naturally feel they want to do it differently from their teacher. Imitation is as necessary a phase as maturing and separating.
Only a small number of students will reach this stage and become independent, brilliant musicians who can be as good as or better than their teacher while doing things their own way. If I will have 3-5 students within my life span, who will become as good or hopefully better than me, I would be already quite happy.
People get criticized for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes male competition participants are criticized for not wearing a blazer, and this can be a reason not to advance to the next round.
thought it was wrong notes etude
I thought transpostion was the most frightening skill :-)
Artur...
There is an obsession nowadays with “right” notes. “Right” notes without a feeling is just as bad as wrong notes all over the place.