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Author Topic: developing a legato touch  (Read 364 times)

Offline diverse379

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developing a legato touch
« on: December 23, 2006, 09:29:12 AM »
this is for the serious musicians the ones who are willing to put exercise some patience in deveioping their sound

when you practice scales or finger exercises you should concentrate on these ponts to develop your legato

I have copied these 9 points from a book called plaidy
technincal exercises
a book recommended to me by the MD for twinkie clark


Just to note when I studied with Victor simonson who i believe functioned as MD for Richard smallwood

he worked for months on my legato touch i sat and played scales slowly
being careful to lift the finger as soon as the other landed and the transition had to be perfect and he insisted i struck the key directly in the center

eventually i got tired of playing the scales slowly but i think i stopped to early there is something to practicing scales paisntakingly slow

these points below embodied everything
victor talught me.  apparently he knew what he was talking about because here the same points are in plaidy's book

I hope someone gets something out of this
remember you have to practice very slow like at 36 BPM

The Legato touch

This is the most important of all the touches because it occurs oftenest and is the on e universally to be employed where none other is speceified 
hold the hand as described
wrist not lowered or raised but level with the hand and arm
muckles should not be raised but level with the back of the hand
the fore part of the fingers must be gently rounded not so thea t the nails can touch the keys
thumb should be stretched horizontally so that the outer edge strides the key
the center of gravity of the hand in playing should fall inward toward the thumb

2 the fingers must be moved only from the knuckles the other two joints are neither to be contraced or extended either in striking or leaving the keys.  The same rounded position should be maintained throughout

the thumb must also be moved by the joint which connects it to the hand and should not cause movement in the hand

the unemplyed fingers must be kept at an equal distance fro the keys and not be allowed to sink down before striking them

in striking, the fingers must touch the key exactly in the middle

each finger after striking the key must be lifted from it quickly and at the very instant when the next succeeding finger strikes its key so that the successive tones may neither run into each other nor be separated by the slightest gap

no movement should be permitted to the hand other than that which necessarily arises from the moving of the muscles and sinews

in proportion as a full and strong tone is required the jingers must be raised so much the higher and press with greater weight upon the keys the more subdued the toned is to be, the more moderate should be the motion, as well as the pressure, of the fingers.

in passages that are to be rapidly executed, the fingers of course cannot be raised to so grea a height . if in such passages, however, great force is required , it will become perfectly possible , when the strength of the fingers has been developed to the utmost; for , generally spesaking, rapid passages may be regarded as a test of a performer's proper technical training


To be or not to be that is the question you anwer when you pray practice and read your word

Offline Mysteryman

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Re: developing a legato touch
« Reply #1 on: December 23, 2006, 02:24:19 PM »
Go post diverse although Im not sure I understand some parts completely.
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Offline diverse379

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Re: developing a legato touch
« Reply #2 on: December 23, 2006, 03:45:04 PM »
Go post diverse although Im not sure I understand some parts completely.

yeah i know it reads a little weird i copied these points pretty much word for word because i didnt want to lose any of the translation

pretty much you want to follow the points when practicing any finger exercises or scales

the main points are hand position
striking the key in the center of the key
lifting the finger just played exactly as the next finger lands

To be or not to be that is the question you anwer when you pray practice and read your word
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