Welcome to the Piano World Piano Forums Over 3 million posts about pianos, digital pianos, and all types of keyboard instruments. Over 100,000 members from around the world.
Join the World's Largest Community of Piano Lovers
(it's free)
It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!
Thanks for your opinion. I consider it a voicing problem ( maybe the most serious as it severely limits the expression available to a pianist ) when forte and soft blows have the same character.
As a new piano owner, I didn't know there was not actually consensus about this. For what it's worth, I am on the same camp as Keith. "Color" for me is when the note is struck hard, the tone character _changes_, not just get louder. Hopefully in a pleasant way I've been re-listening to the 2015 Chopin Competition, and the Steinway and the Yamaha has clearly more "color". The Kawai sounded very nice, but it lacked that "color". I want the piano to be big and angry in ff, and soft and gentle in pp, and a broad range in between.
That's why it irks me when the teacher at a masterclass says "you need a different color there". Don't they really just mean a different dynamic since the dynamic change is what changes the color?
Thanks for your opinion. I consider it a voicing problem ( maybe the most serious as it severely limits the expression available to a pianist ) when forte and soft blows have the same character.
As a new piano owner, I didn't know there was not actually consensus about this. For what it's worth, I am on the same camp as Keith. "Color" for me is when the note is struck hard, the tone character _changes_, not just get louder. Hopefully in a pleasant way I've been re-listening to the 2015 Chopin Competition, and the Steinway and the Yamaha has clearly more "color". The Kawai sounded very nice, but it lacked that "color". I want the piano to be big and angry in ff, and soft and gentle in pp, and a broad range in between.
That's why it irks me when the teacher at a masterclass says "you need a different color there". Don't they really just mean a different dynamic since the dynamic change is what changes the color?
They mean a color change which may or may not include a dynamic change. The most obvious example of this would be same dynamic but with or without the shift ( una corda ) pedal. And the color change asked for may include a dynamic change as well as perhaps a different type of attack, balance among notes, release, pedaling etc.
That's why it irks me when the teacher at a masterclass says "you need a different color there". Don't they really just mean a different dynamic since the dynamic change is what changes the color?
I'm with the teacher on this issue. I understand that the dynamic change drives the tonal change, but it's often the tonal change that I'm really after; I truly want the "different color." If it's a different dynamic that gets me there, then so be it.
That's why it irks me when the teacher at a masterclass says "you need a different color there". Don't they really just mean a different dynamic since the dynamic change is what changes the color?
A loaded issue. 😠I would agree with what pianoloverus is getting at. And there's all the fleshy fingertips stuff. I like John Browing's explanation that the finger angle that places the pads of the fingers on the keys produces a slower (softer) tone that doesn't veer into harshness.
That's why it irks me when the teacher at a masterclass says "you need a different color there". Don't they really just mean a different dynamic since the dynamic change is what changes the color?
I think a teacher would never say "play louder-faster", or "play louder-slower". They would rather say "play with anger", "play with anger and grief", "play majestically". Because emotion is what makes music, and every pianist would approach it differently. To me, "play with different color", means play with different emotion--change dynamics, phrasing, tempo, etc.
#1 nice, soft and sultry. No clue as to the make. #2 ladylike & rubber bands. I am going to guess an Estonia, only because every one I have ever heard sounded of rubber band reverb. #3 my favorite. Complex and clear. Bechstein ?
Piano is hard work from beginning to forever. Accept this as truth or risk a quick exit with tail between legs.
![[Linked Image]](http://www.pianoworld.com/forumpicts/MOYD13/MOYD_23.gif)
