FREE ONLINE LESSONS (The Touch That Counts)
Many people are amazed at how professional musicians know just what notes to play. Sometimes, it isn't about the choice of notes you play but rather the way the notes are been played. A pianist can choose to play it to its simplest and yet still sound unbelievably professional. The difference is the touch. Achieving the ability to produce a clean and expressive touch is every pianist's asset.
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Sustain effect
The sustain pedal needs to be used for most contemporary styles and the right technique when using it is really very important to produce a clean tone. The pedal needs to be pressed down at the start of a new chord, and be immediately depressed (lifted up) together whenever a chord is been played, and immediately pressed down again to sustain the next chord. By doing so, you can really obtain a clean sound whenever a new chord is been played.
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Note accents
For a more dynamic feel, the accents should be emphasized on the down beats, where the 1st beat is usually strongest.
Sometimes, the non-accented notes can be over exaggerated and played really softly and unnoticeably, that they become ghost notes. This technique is widely practiced in improvisation, that gives a listener a sort of interesting feel like they can feel the notes, but they cannot quite exactly hear them.
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Glissando effect
Another concern is the proper usage of Glissando effect, where you play the notes in the chord either in a quick ascending or descending manner. Using Glissando gives some variation to your playing. However should you use it, the Glissando must be played with equal tempo and equal strength for every note. If no Glissando is intended, all notes should be played together firmly, with equal strength for every note played.
