Dear Mr. Chappell: Often a music critic will say that a pianist had nice colors, and teachers and pianists always talk about touch and tone. What does “colors” mean? How can an interpreter change colors? Doesn’t the composer decide the colors? Can you change the touch and tone without changing the dynamics, or is touch… [continue reading]
How To Create Color in Piano Playing
March 26th, 2012Total Freedom In Music
December 21st, 2011Dear Jeffrey: I have learned my piano piece and I play all of it correctly, the way the composer asked for it to be played. What more is there for me to do? I feel like something is missing. Dear Learner: There is an aspect of playing music that I call “the intangibles”. These are… [continue reading]
What Is “Character” In Music?
July 6th, 2011Dear Mr. Chappell: I have heard music teachers say, “Try to play this phrase with a different character.” How can a musician control the character of the phrase? What would be the variables one can use to control/paint/portray the character? Can the character change in each phrase, or change in the phrase itself? How does the… [continue reading]
Rachmaninoff Third, Part Nine
May 31st, 2011People who were there: “Were you happy with your performance?” People who missed it: “How was your concert?” Well, if this had been any other concert, I could briefly answer, “It went great,” and then we could move on to the next part of our conversation. Not this time. How was it? It was like… [continue reading]
Rachmaninoff Third, Part Eight
May 30th, 2011“Were you nervous?” I don’t get nervous for a performance in the sense of being frantic or having the shakes or anything like that. But I do notice that I sometimes start behaving a little differently right before a concert. I’ll find something to do until the concert begins, like fiddling with my cuff links… [continue reading]