Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner That last 10%

I opened this topic some time ago and it got side-tracked so I'm trying again.

What does one have to do to make our music stand out and sound polished and beautiful? What skills does a professional pianist have that a gifted amateur does not? How do we attain that last 10% that makes the music so wonderful. What steps do we need to take to achieve this level of playing?

I am looking for helpful answers beyond the obvious: "practice".

There are many ways to answer this question, which in itself, is very vague to begin with.

I believe the difference is two part:
1. knowing what you want
2. being able to achieve what you want

If you don't know what you want, then you won't get it.
If you know what you want, but don't know how to achieve it, then you won't get it.
If you know what you want, and know how to achieve it, then you will get it.

In practice, this means having sensitive hearing, both auditory and inner hearing. The auditory just provides feedback but it's the inner ear that directs that sound. What takes direction from the inner ear is the playing apparatus' movements at the keyboard. If the coordination is poor or isn't used efficiently, then the results will be poor. Only when the coordination is excellent that the body and mind is freed from its arduous task and inner hearing can be concentrated upon.

I'm convinced that the "last n% of work" doesn't actually exist, and that it's a false (or arbitrary) dichotomy dividing "what is done" and "what is not done".

Proficiency here can be thought of as an asymptote, and that no matter what level of skill you achieve, you will always feel that there is some "10%" that you have yet to finish. This is exactly the sensation that the artist or athlete or professional or person undergoes when they feel that they are never really finished or never really satisfied.

The better entry point here is "I am not aware of things that need improvement" which brings us to the question "What does need improvement?" Afterwhich you ask "How do I improve these things?"

It sounds like you just have some vague notion that there is more to do, and there always is, and this is fine, but without knowing the nuanced details and subtleties that need improvement, it's difficult to get anywhere; you are asking the broad question "how do I improve?", to which the similarly broad answer is "practice".

Strong, detailed answers require strong, detailed questions.

I'm talking about polish. Let's say I can play a piece proficiently - up to tempo, with appropriate expression and phrasing, solid rhythm, good musical understanding and good technique. Educated listeners say it's quite good, yet, it doesn't have that final something that makes it sound great. Something isn't quite there. To me, there seems to be a indescribable something that separates an amateur from a professional, (beyond editing of recordings.) How does one get from quite good to great?

I recently participated in a master class led by a former professional concert pianist. We adult students sounded "quite good" at the piano. When she sat down and played the same music,something magical happened. What is it?

First question, since this will help triangulate the problem area(s): Can you hear the lack of "polish" whilst playing, or only after hearing a recording of yourself?

Additionally, can you feel the lack of "polish" whilst playing (in the fingers/hand/mind separate from hearing)?

Ha! I've experienced the same thing! Most strikingly in a masterclass with Lisitsa, but it is experienced to lesser degrees with others as well.

Yes, I can hear it and feel it. What I can't do is identify what is making the pianist I mentioned above turn music into magic.

I doubt Atrys, the one who asked about playing with arm weight, is a credible source of advice regarding anything piano playing related.

The first thing is remember that piano play is a finite, non-magical system. There is nothing that anyone can do outside of pressing keys at particular moments at particular velocities for particular amounts of time.

Anyways:

You say that you can not only hear the lack of "polish", but you can feel it while playing. This is actually a good thing; you would be in a much worse position if you could hear but not feel. Knowing through touch that the product isn't going ship at its finest means certain motor substrates in your brain are firing when your executive function wants something else to fire.

This is difficult to pinpoint top-down, so let's try bottom-up.

You can feel and hear the lack of "polish"; when reciting the piece, are there particular moments when your inner monologue says "there! damnit!" or is it harder to say exactly where (not what) these frustrations take place?

I doubt JoelW has a sound, functioning brain to give advice regarding anything at all: http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1912383/OCD_or_normal?.html#Post1912383

Funny, actually. I like playing small and large works now. Isn't that weird?

Funny, actually. I understand the arm weight school is nonsense now, and am having no troubles anymore. Isn't that weird?

I've heard many amateurs as well as professionals (and would-be professionals), and what strikes me as the biggest difference (apart from the more polished and finished product of the latter, in the main) is that amateurs play for themselves, whereas professionals play for the audience. Or, to put it another way, amateurs often believe that if they play with passion, that passion will be conveyed to the listener - whereas the professional knows that it's not enough just to play with passion - the audience also has to feel, and believe, in that passion.

Another way of putting it is that many amateurs just don't project (sufficiently) what it is they want to convey about the music to the listener: they think that if they feel it, the audience will too. (I read many such posts from PW members here). Which is not the case - the audience cannot get inside the mind of the performer. They can only hear what they hear, and if the playing sounds insipid to their ears, the playing is insipid.

Whereas the professional knows what to do to convey the message of the music to the audience. It matters not a jot whether he actually sincerely feels the passion - as long as he is able to convey it convincingly to the audience. It doesn't even matter whether he thinks the music is totally rubbish, as long as he doesn't play it like it's rubbish. The audience cannot read his mind, after all.

When you listen to a concert pianist performing close-up, you realize: 1) the huge dynamic and tonal range he employs - which can even sound exaggerated to an amateur, and 2) he is not playing for himself, nor is he in private communion with the composer - he is projecting the music for an audience, who may be listening at the far end of the large concert hall.

Here is a classic example of what I mean: http://youtu.be/o8J1kc6tp1E
Does the phrasing, the rubato, and not least, the 'extreme' voicing sound exaggerated?

I often find that amateurs don't sufficiently bring the melody (and counter-melody, if any) out of the accompaniment, nor phrase it strongly, or individually enough. The cultivation of a beautiful tone, beautifully phrased, is often what separates a professional from an amateur. It's not enough that you hear the melody clearly and beautifully - the audience needs to hear it too.

Hear the variety of tone and articulation (and rubato) in this:
http://youtu.be/k0Axnmi2Qn4

Depends.

@bennevis
She can hear the lack of "polish" whilst playing, so we can rule out the typical "untrained ear under motor load" diagnosis that starters have.

Don't let the accompaniment define the melody. Find the long line and subordinate everything else.

Great post.

gooddog,

If your ideals are to sound as polished as a concert pianist, that might be a problem. If not, please define what you mean by polished. Regardless, I'm afraid the answer simply is... practice (attentively).

...and have a good teacher. That's a given.

PS:

Damon,

Best signature on the site!

About a million highly specific details in the service of one big picture
When I'm hearing a great interpretation it's like everything is in 3D and I've been used to looking at 2D normally. Every detail is carefully brought out, in a specific way, for a good reason.

(That's the part of the work that takes 10 hours a day. 10 hours a day is the advantage the professionals have.)

Many musician's don't take enough care of the ends of notes. When they do, they have a large variety of articulation that sets them apart from an unpolished sounds.

Another thing is the endurance of the ear: to hear long term. Measure to measure is a good start. This anecdote will be hard to tell in writing, but: I watched a master class, and the teacher narrated while he played. Phrase by phrase he would say, 'now I'm hearing the F; now I'm hearing the E,' etc. Those said E's and F's were announced a measure - sometimes a full two measures - ahead of time. It was a wonderful musical effect. The line had so much continuity - direction, if you will. This is a technique that would separate the men from the boys, if you know what I mean.

More importantly than hearing what you're playing, can you hear what you're not playing? "Heard melodies are sweet, but unheard melodies sweeter."

This is what you need to do.

Record yourself playing.

listen to how it sounds, i guarantee immediately you will know if you like your sound or not.

listen for the parts where you know it is too obviously not how you want it to sound.

you will find for certain parts, you may have to adjust your motions/position entirely.