This video might spark some conversation.

I really don't know what to say about the whole left/right brain thing, I think I'll leave that to a neurologist.

The rest of the tips seem very interesting, and my guess is they are much more suited for experienced players who have already developed technique (i.e., a beginner player should probably not be using low volume practice regularly since it's important for them to understand the connection between the force needed on a keyboard to the right volume from an acoustic piano).

Interestingly he was using the old Yamaha Grantouch for 10 years, which was also using a real grand piano action just like the AGs.

He says that listening with only the left ear will enhance left brain thinking. Well ... no. The left ear is connected to the right brain.

On this Gombessa said "I think I'll leave that to a neurologist." Frederic Chiu should do likewise.

I disagree on the volume thing. You have to play at adequate volume to develop sensitivity in your fingers. If the volume is too low, you will tend to press the keys with more force than what usually is needed, and that will make you develop bad habits and you will not be able to play pianissimo passages consistently. IMHO that's very bad for a classical pianist. No dynamics => no expression => flat sound.

P.S.: our DP keyboards are heavy enough to make our muscles develop without using tricks. Many of them are even too heavy, I would say...

This is all pseudo-Lang-Lang mumbo jumbo!

Listen to people like Barenboim: “a forte in relation to what?”

Incidentally, a ‘pianissimo’ is by definition a redundancy; akin to whispering a graduation speech to thousands of people.

The fun and joy of music can only be encountered through true analysis. So it is by this method that the truth is revealed.

Too much emphasis is given to dynamics and not enough to phrasing. Dynamics (pianissimo to fortissimo) are simply a means to an end; whereas, phrasing is the cadence containing the hidden message intended by the composer. If you take this approach, you will truly be able to have posthumous conversations with the likes of Bach and Beethoven. Trust me, Beethoven could not care less about your ‘perfect’ pianissimo, but he would turn on his grave if you ignored the message beautifully crafted within the phrasing.


‘F brute strength; it’s all about deciphering the process within the process, for this is the path that leads to truth’, by Bach.

There are definitely advantages to having access to a digital piano especially when you are learning a new piece, but when you are trying to put it all together and polish off a piece access to an acoustic is desirable unless you plan only to play on your digital piano. It's a good tool as this fine pianist is explaining but it's not a replacement. I use my VPC-1 every other day much as he's doing, but mostly just learn the notes and finger positioning through repetition. But it does take me a couple of hours on my acoustic to get my fingers fully retrained to the touch of an acoustic.

Two hours to fully retrain? I find this very odd as you presumably play on both of these constantly.

A redundancy is something that is (not always unnecessarily) repeated... So, what do you mean when you say a pianissimo is a redundancy by definition?
Dynamics are a (very important) subset of phrasing techniques for the piano. So, without dynamics, you have one less dimension to express yourself or to try to convey in musical shape the original message of the composer (if he/she wrote the piece for the piano, of course).

Bach composed mainly for organ and harpsichord, so he is not much involved in the matter of dynamics (meant as volume&timbral variations based on the touch).

IMHO Beethoven would kick your a** if you played on a piano one of its great piano compositions with absolutely no dynamics, trust me.

No, my work situation is such that I am away from my acoustic during the work week and practice on it only on weekends. That’s how I ended up with the VPC1 which I have in my company apartment.

I wonder, is volume the aspect one should listen to when assessing dynamics or is it timbre?

When I play via headphones, I don't notice the volume swings so much (I found them lacking in most DPs, even when I crank it), orders of magnitudes less compared to when I play the acoustic grand at my music school. What I do notice is the timbre getting harsh.

Then again, when my teachers plays forte, I tend to cover my ears and ask her to stop because it is painful to me.

Interesting question both I suppose.

You can adjust "volume" with the knob. Maybe with highly efficient headphones like the (sennheiser HD800 etc) and a powerful amp you might get more dynamic range. But too much and the FF are too loud and the pp are too soft as you note.

I guess you can adjust timbre most easily with the velocity curve and various EQing options on your computer.

Focal Clear is plenty loud, loud enough that my ears experience pain.
I believe this has more to do with how humans perceive loudness via headphones vs. a speaker or a real physical object in the room.

With cans you always think "it could be louder" even though you're already dumping SPLs int your ears that are damaging.
Not sure why that is.

Sadly, while I do have great little speakers, they don't stand a chance at recreating the scope, volume and presence of a grand piano.

I guess our brain is able to recognize if a sound is directly and precisely fired in our ears like a laser beam (i.e. headphones) or it's a sound coming from many different directions and with ambience reverb inside it (i.e. a real piano sound in a room). My hypothesis is that when the sound is too direct to the center of our ears, the brain tries to find what is missing and maybe it interprets that what is missing is volume, so you tend to increase it more than necessary.

I always suggest to lower the volume when using headphones, even if you think the volume could be a little louder. Otherwise, you risk to damage your hearing ability well ahead of time.

Interesting theory. When you listen to speakers in the mid/far field, most of the acoustic energy comes from indirect sources, you you might be on to sth.

I concur in regards to the volume. Always err on the side of caution and employ self discipline. That way, you can still enjoy your cans of awesome 20 years from now.

I don't claim to be a neurologist, but I'm pointing out the phenomenon of different hearing and interpreting with different ears. My theory tries to explain it, but it is only a theory.
Leaving it to neurologists will help understand the physiological side, and involving musicians will help us understand the nuances and the human communication significance of the nuances.

Do you hear and experience music differently when you listen with just one ear vs the other? I would like to know what your real life experience is.

Both ears are on at all times. Neither has an off switch. So I cannot help you.

It's interesting about what you said. I have my StudioLogic SL-88Grand midi controller and I've been using this as my main practice instrument ever since I moved to the US last year. To me, migrating from a Yamaha C3 every day in China to a digital keyboard with VST's everyday except when at lessons makes no difference. I had a chance to play an acoustic piano last month for an online masterclass and I felt that neither has my expressions been lost, nor my control of an acoustic instrument, and my phrasing was just like what I did on the midi keyboard. So I guess different people have different situations?

What's this guy on about, he's talking a load of rubbish..

He says he played on a yamaha dp with grandtouch for over 10 years to work out these tips.

And then there's the tips themselves which are obvious and silly.

I think it depends on people's level. If someone has already developed the connection between touch and sound on an acoustic or a very expensive digital, this will not be lost. Whether this applies to a beginner, that's different