These must be
acquired by aid of the ear, which tests and judges each shade and
quality of tone. He counsels the student to listen to each tone he
produces, for quality and variety.
CLEARNESS A MUST PRINCIPLE
"The player, as he sits at the piano, his mind and heart filled with the
beauty of the music his fingers are striving to produce, vainly imagines
he is making the necessary effects. Paderewski will say to him: 'No
doubt you feel the beauty of this composition, but I hear none of the
effects you fancy you are making; you must deliver everything much more
clearly: distinctness of utterance is of prime importance.'' Then he
shows how clearness and distinctness may be acquired. The fingers must
be rendered firm, with no giving in at the nail joint. A technical
exercise which he gives, and which I also use in my teaching, trains the
fingers in up and down movements, while the wrist is held very low and
pressed against the keyboard. At first simple five-finger forms are
used; when the hand has become accustomed to this tonic, some of the
Czerny Op. 740 can be played, with the hand in this position. Great care
should be taken when using this principle, or lameness will result. A
low seat at the piano is a necessity for this practise; sitting low is
an aid to weight playing: we all know how low Paderewski himself sits at
the instrument.
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