The piano handbook

294 Pages·2003·109.26 MB·English

by  Carl Humphries

•
iano
The
Handbook
Carl Humphries
The Piano Handbook
Carl Hampbries
A BACKBEAT BOOK
First edition 2002
Published by Backbeat Books
600 Harrison Street,
San Francisco, CA 94107, US
www.backbeatbooks.com
An imprint of The Music Player Network United
Entertainment Media Inc.
J
Published for Backbeat Books by Outline Press LId,
115j Cleveland Street, London W1T6PU, England
ISBN 0·87930·727·7
Textand music copyright © 2002 Carl Humphries. Volume copyright © 2002 Balafon. All rights reserved.
No part of this book covered by the copyrights hereon may be reproduced or copied inany manner
whatsoever without written permission, except inthe case of brief quotations embodied inarticles or reviews
where the source should be made clear. For more information contact the publishers.
Art Director: Nigel Osborne
Design: Paul Cooper
Editorial Director: Tony Bacon
Editor: John Morrish
Photography Miki Slingsby
Production: Phil Richardson
Origination by Global Graphics (Czech Republic)
Print-Qy,Colorprint Offset LId (Hong Kong)
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0809876
Contents
SECTION 1 SECTION 3 SECTION 5
UNIT 1 35 UNIT 7 100 UNIT 13 175
• The keyboard • Freeing-up the wrist • Classical style
• Posture and technique • Couplets • Sonata form
• Reading music • Phrasing • Alberti bass
• Hand positions and fingering • Stress • Black-key scales (2)
• Hands separately and together • Black-key scales (1) • Black-key arpeggios (2)
• The passing thumb
• Scale and triads UNIT 8 109 U IT 14 189
•·Legato pedalling (1) • Romantic playing
UNIT 2 53 ·Tone control & gradation • Rubato
• The black notes ·Repeated hand staccato • Legato pedalling (2)
• Keys & key signatures Left hand melodies • Black-key scales (3)
• Major & minor • Staccato scaIes • Black-key arpeggios (3)
• Intervals • Chromatic scale on A flat & C
• Major & minor scales • Two-octave arpeggios U·NIT 15 197
• Broken chords (1) Composing & improvising (2)
UNIT 9 123 • Modes
·
UNIT 3 66 • Jazz, rock, & blues (1) Left-hand voicings
·
• Dynamics • Scales & scale theory ·Off-notes
• Articulation • Jazz chord progressions Chromatic harmony
• Expression • Two-hand voicings •·Contrast; Theme & motive
• Tempo • Chord embellishment Development & variation
• Extended hand position (1) • Texture
• Legato & staccato SECTION 4 • Jazz scales and soloing
·
• Triplets UNIT 10 133 Rhythm Changes
• Hand position changes • Interpretation
SECTION 6
• Chromatic scale on D • Espressivo (2)
• Mixing up the hands (1) UNIT 16 211
SECTION 2
• Rotation • Contrapuntal playing
UNIT 4 74 • Melodic minor scales • Hand independence
• Rhythmic shaping • Arpeggios hands together • Ragtime
• Extended hand position (2) • Chromatic scale hands together • Wrist staccato
• Cantabile (1) • Beethoven
• Scales UNIT 11 145 • Four-octave scales & arpeggios
• One-octave arpeggios • Finger independence
• Ornamentation UNIT 17 225
U· IT 5 81 • Left-hand leaps • 20th century piano music
·Compound time • Mixing up the hands (2) • Tonal colour
Thumb control • Black-key arpeggios (1) • Modern music
• Direct Pedalling • Four-octave scales • Irregular metres and rhythms
•·Tonal balance • Contemporary music
·Espressivo (1) U·NIT 12 160 • Scales in 3rds & octaves
Two-octave chromatic scale Jazz, rock, & blues (2)
· ·
Four-note broken chords (1) Syncopation, grooves & swing UNIT 18 238
•·Rhythmic idioms • Latin styles
UNIT 6 90 ·Riffs & licks • Arranging
• Composing & improvising (1) Song form • Reharmonisation
• Harmony •·12-bar blues • Bebop & modern jazz
• Keys Lead sheets & standards • Ethnic, urban, fusion, crossover
• Chord layout • Embellishing a tune • Odd-time
• Voice-leading •·Pentatonic & blues scales • Free improvisation
• Chord Prog.ressions 7th chord fingerings • Creating a performance
• Cadences
• Melody & harmony Reference Section 259
Preface
W
elcome to The Piano Handbook, anew kind ofbook that aims Bartok. Meanwhile, experimental free improvisation will require that you
to introduce you to all aspects of the piano, and piano think about new ways ofconnecting up musical gesture and performance
playing, in a single volume. The piano has emerged as the with other disciplines like physical theatre and performance and
most exciting and important medium for creative music-making in Our movement studies. And if you're interested in the latest dance-house
culture. As aresult, it has a uniquely rich musical heritage. I've tried to groove, you'll want cosee how sequenced drum-machine break-beats or
reflect that richness in this book, on several levels. Afro-American drumming techniques can be transformed into exciting
Firstly, although The Piano Handbook isprimarily a tutor, to be used piano textures. It's all here between the covers ofThe Piano Handbook.
either for self-study or with ateacher, it gives you the world of the piano That doesn't mean that the book is just a pick'ri'rnix of different
asawhole. It guides you through the process oflearning to play in awide styles, crammed into asingle volume. It's nor. It has become fashionable
range oftraditional and modern styles. It introduces the piano's enormous coassume that differem cultures have nothing substantial in common: J
repertoire, and the vast choice of recordings available by great players. that the best rhey can hope for is to exist alongside one another in the
And it directs you to the many books written Onmore specialised aspects isolated ghettos ofour multicultural society, with only chaotic and random
of the subject. Ir also tells the story of the evolution of the piano and its interactions. This view has dominated music education in the western
impact On western musical culture. In short, it aims to give you the world over the last few decades, bur its limitarions have become
broadest possible foundations for your own personal exploration of this increasingly apparent to those who work in the field.
wonderful instrument. I've decided to challenge that approach, not just by looking at
Secondly, The Piano Handbook takes a completely new approach to concrete historical connecrions between different musical cultures and
learning the piano, intended to reflect its special characteristics. The languages, but also by focusing on che deeper organic and structural
amazing versatility ofthe instrument - its ability to bring complex music sirnilariries between different kinds of music. All music reflects basic
within the grasp ofthe individual player - has made it central, not JUStfor human resources and concerns: nor just how we think and feel, but also
performers but for composers. That's why playing and composing have how wehear, how our bodies gec involved inplaying and responding, and
repeatedly come together on the piano toproduce exciting approaches that how our own playing and the music we relate counfold in time itself.
treat playing itself ascreative, in liveperformance asimprovisation and in One consequence of this is chat in The Piano Handbook you're
the privacy of the composer's studio. In this book, you'll learn to play, encouraged todevelop musical auiareness by thinking about issues critically
compose and improvise side by side, and you'll see how closely related foryourself. The aim isnot just COseehow different styles ofmusic reflect
these aspects really are. the same deeper forces, but rograsp what chat might mean for your own
Thirdly, this approach means you'll be able to compare and contrast involvement as a player and creacive individual. To help, I've
techniques used by classical masters like Bach and Mozart with those of recommended awide range of books in the reference section, designed co
jazzand rock greats like Bill Evans orJerry LeeLewis. You'll also discover deepen your critical understanding ofmusic.
that those techniques are there foryou tousein your own way,tohelp you There's afull-length tutorial section, intended for older children and
unlock your own creative and musical potential. In other words, you'll adults who want to move rapidly through the earlier stages oflearning the
learn about each different style in a way that take it on its own terms, piano toalevel where they can cakeadvantage ofthe rich repertoire ofthe
giving it the respect it deserves asaculture or genre. That leaves you free instrument. Focusing on laying the foundations ofasound technique, the J
to choose the elements you wish to take further, as you discover more book combines established methods with the latest thinking about
about your own strengths and interests. instrumental learning. You'll find quite afewofthe best-loved classics of
The approach I've taken inthis book reflects my experience over many the piano repertoire, alongside newly composed study-pieces and exercises
years as a player, composer and teacher. I've found rhat the best way ro designed to illustrate and tackle the major points of technique and
learn is generally to begin with things you want to learn. Too many interpretation. There are often pointers to additional reiared pieces for
modern reachers force young people ro srruggle with music they can't learning, and exercises topractise, ifyou want COproceed atamore relaxed
relate to, and which offers few obvious opportunities for self-expression pace. As you progress, you'll come across sections dealing with
and realising one's creative potential. It's one reason young people reject improvisation, jazzand other non-classical styles, and the fundamentals of
active involvement with their own musical heritage, in favour of music theory and composition. These explain how and why melody,
Walkmans and computer games. Teachers areleft trying tolure them back harmony and form work differently in various types of music. The
with watered-down imitations ofpopular musical styles that are actually outcome isagraded course that Ihope will be enjoyable and challenging
less creative than the classical music that drove them away in the first in new and exciting ways.
place. Perhaps you have experienced something like this. The piano as an instrument has always been about individuals
Byconcrast, The Piano Handbook encourages you to approach each and finding uniquely rich ways to realise their potential as musicians. You
every style of music seriously: that is, in its own way. In other words, if could even say that's why the instrument was invented and developed in
you're going to play jazz, you've got to learn about scales, voicings, and the first place. Ir's certainly whar I've designed The Piano Handbook co
soloing, soyou can improvise alongside teal jazzmusicians. Ifyou're going prepare you for.But it also means that the really important things in your
to play classical, you need to master classical technique and phrasing and experience of piano playing aren't going ro come from this or any book.
understand the culture in which great masterpieces of the past were They will come directly from you.
created. If 20th century music interests you, there's no substitute for
learning toanalyse and play challenging composers such asSchoenberg or CARLHUMPHRIES 2002

THE ORIGINS OF THE INSTRUMENT
The piano could be said to stand at the centre of the traditions of western music that
have flourished in the last few centuries. As an instrument, it epitornises the role
that technological sophistication has played in western music's attempt to develop a
rich language without sacrificing expressive control or creative freedom.
like other keyboard instruments (such as harpsichords and organs), the piano
allows an individual player to create melody, harmony and texture all at once,
unfolding the complex structures of western music in the process. At the same time,
the piano retains a large element of the physically expressive control over sound that
is natural to singing and playing but missing from other keyboard instruments.
This combination of factors has enabled the piano to become the central
instrument of western music, both for virtuoso performers, composers, and
improvisers, and for ordinary people making music in their own homes, where it
remains easily the most mechanically complex piece ofequipment to be found,
The piano uses small hammers that strike the strings inside and bounce off,
leaving the strings to vibrate freely. This mechanism has its origins in early forms of
zither - an instrument that dates back to the Bronze Age - in which strings
stretched between sticks or over a wooden board are struck or plucked. later the
zither developed considerably, thanks to the addition of a resonating chamber and
Playingthe spinet moveable bridges that could alter the pitch of the note, as on the monochords used
Christina Antonio Somisplaying asmall octave by ancient Greeks in their early experi menrs with the mathematics of musical
spinet inthemid-18th cemury. Other members of
tuning and harmony. Sophisticated examples of zither still in use include the
Somis's familyplay violin andcello.
Japanese koro and Hungarian cimbalom.
The first zithers arrived in Europe from the Middle East in the 11th
century as portable instruments (psalteries). From these the
dulcimer evolved - the first such
instrument with metal strings
specifically designed to be struck
by small hammers. The
dulcimer became an important
precursor of the expressive
control over volume offered by
the modern piano. Taken up
and developed in the late 17th
Bentsidespinet
The spinet (above),thevirginal and the
harpsichord (right) produce their distinctive
sounds byrrfeansofmechanically plucked strings.
The spinet pictured isawing-shaped model
known asa"benrside" type, with strings running
obliquely tothe keyboard. The insrrumenr was
made inLondon in 1742 byJoseph Mahoon.
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Virginal
The virginal wasanearlykeyboard
instrument. This onewasproduced inItaly in
the 1660s and, given itslavishdecoration, was
probably made forawealthy customer.
century by Panraleon Hebenstreit, a virtuosic German player, the dulcimer showed
the exciting possibilities of having astruck stringed instrument where volume could
be freely and dramatically varied.
Although the Greeks are rhoughr to have used a primitive form of water-organ
that operated rather like a keyboard, rhe hurdy-gurdy (or organisrrum) was probably
the first stringed instrument to use a keyboard, appearing around the IOth century.
This used a wheel that was turned by hand to stroke the strings, making a Clavichord
continuous sound, while simple levers (keys) caused small anvils to press against the Clavichords wereimportant earlykeyboard
string at different points along its length, altering the pitch. inscrurnents; the one pictured below isGerman
and dates from theearly 1800s. Pictured aboveis
Over the next few centuries, primitive pipe organs were also developed, with the
itsaction, orplaying mechanism. It employed a
pipes activated by sliders in turn controlled from identical handles (which had ro be
metal "tangent" at theend ofeachkeytostrike
marked with identifying letters). These eventually became the pivoted keys that thestring and make itvibrate.
remain a feature of modern keyboards: black keys were
gradually added in the 13th and 14th centuries. A fusion of
this type of keyboard arrangement with the string-based
sustaining mechanism of the hurdy-gurdy appeared in the
17ch century. Known as che geigenwerck, it
looked racher like aharpsichord.
By the 15th cenrury, the keyed monochord
and polychord had appeared, and it was from
the larrer that the clavichord most probably
evolved. The compass of the keyboard on this and
other keyboard instruments was significantly expanded
during the 16ch century, from two octaves to four-and-a-half. This
process continued with the development of harpsichords, and then pianos,
through to six-octave instruments at the end of the 18th century. The modern
piano keyboard has acompass of88 notes, covering alittle over seven octaves.
Alongside the clavichord, whose existence was first reported in 1404, there
5
THE STORY OF THE PIANO
emerged a family of keyboard instruments with mechanically plucked
strings: the harpsichord, virginals and spinet. These used a
sophisticated mechanism (the 'jack') to pluck the
strings and then damp them when the key was
released. They differ from one another in shape, size
and arrangement ofstrings.
The clavichord, spinet and virginals, though
extremely popular, were roo quiet to be effective
outside of small domestic gatherings. By contrast
the harpsichord was expanded to produce a bigger
sound, with the strings running perpendicular to the
keyboard (in the same direction as the keys) and with
several strings for each note, sometimes tuned to different
octaves. Srops were introduced to create a crude sense of
dynamic contrast, either by lifting all the dampers away
from the strings at once (producing more resonance through
sympathetic vibration of strings) or by keeping them
partially in contact with the strings as the notes sounded.
In spite of its popularity and suitability for concert use
throughout the 17th and lSrh centuries, the harpsichord could
not provide the dynamic control of individual notes offered by the
dulcimer or even the clavichord. That meant demand for a concert keyboard
instrument with real dynamic control remained unsatisfied, paving the way for the
introduction of the piano.
Double-manual harpsichord
Forgreater musical versatility, extra
keyboards C'rnanuals") wereadded cosome CHRISTOFORI'S BRILLIANT INVENTION
harpsichords fromthe 17th century. This two-
By the end of the 17th century, three types of keyboard instrument were in use:
manual model replicates a1638 Ruckers original.
organs, the harpsichord family, and clavichords. None offered the son of dynamic
response that would allow keyboard players ro achieve the subtle
expressive contrasts of volume being demonstrated by other
performers, such asviolinists and string orchestras.
The first instruments recognisable today aspianos were built by
Bartolomeo Crisrofori, the keeper of instruments at the Florentine
court, at the turn of the 18th century. He built only a small
number of pianos, but brilliantly solved the technical problems
posed by an instrument in which strings have to be struck by
hammers. But his results were pracrically ignored by the musicians
of his own time in Italy.
A visitor to Cristofori described the resulting instrument as a
"gravicernbalo col piano eforte" (aharpsichord with soft and loud),
and it is from this that the modern piano takes its name. (Piano is
short for pianoforte: some early instruments are known as
forrepianos.) In spite of the lack of interest, Crisrofori continued to
refine his piano action, even developing the una corda mechanism
Playing the harpsichord that corresponds to the left-hand pedal on modern pianos. He used a hand stop to
Amusical scenepainted byEdith Hipkins in direct the hammer at just one of the two strings used for each note. He also
1885 showsawoman playing aharpsichord. (The
discovered that longer, thicker strings would produce more tone, providing that the
instrument at rhebackofherchair isacirtern.)
strings could be securely maintained under a greater tension. That meant
strengthening the case and altering the way the runing pins were mounted in the
wooden block that supported them.
Crisrofori's greatest stroke of genius was his development of the escapemene
mechanism, whereby the single downward movement of the key is convened into
6
Cristofori action
Thissequence (below)illustrates theaction ofa
1726Cristofori piano. The design isremarkably
sophisticated considering itwasthe first ofits
type, though Crisrofori went ontoimprove it.
Cristofori piano
This instrument wasmade by the
man whovirtually invented the
piano, Bartolomeo Cristofori. He
made thisgrand piano inFlorence,
Italy,in 1722.
two distinct movements of the hammer: upwards to hit the string, then immediately
back down again so that the string is left free to vibrate. The trick was to let the
hammer (and its shank) 'escape' from the rest of the mechanism, so that it was free to
rebound and fall back down (with gravity) on hitting the string, even if the piano
key remained depressed. It was no longer connected to the part of the piano
mechanism controlled by the keys.
In terms of tonal character, the pianos of Cristofori bear little resemblance to the
instruments of today. The sound is much more delicate and projects less than that of
the harpsichord, and the touch is extremely light, owing to the small size of the
hammers. Nevertheless, they do achieve a real dynamic range while being
considerably more powerful than the clavichord.
ACCLAIM FOR THE NEW INSTRUMENT
In the early decades of the lSth century a number of instrument manufacturers in
France and Germany, inspired by the success of Hebenstreit and working
independently of Cristofori, experimented with actions that used hammers to strike
strings. None of these really took off until Gottfried Silbermann came across a
description of Crisrofori's instruments and attempted to recreate their design,
developing his own version of the piano action, known as Prellmechanik.
In 1736 Silbermann showed his instruments to the greatest German composer of
the time, Johann Sebastian Bach, who was impressed but stated that the action was
heavy and the upper register weak. After many years of refinement Silbermann once
again presented one of his pianos, this time in Potsdam at the court of Frederick the
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