Artistic Judgement and Pulsational Training

In piano playing, pulsational training cultivates a keen, internalized rhythmic sense—often described as an acute perception of time-lapse and pulse—that ensures precise timing, steady forward momentum, and the ability to maintain a living, bodily groove even amid complex passages. This foundational skill allows performers to subdivide beats reliably, execute rhythmic subdivisions with accuracy, and keep the music's driving energy intact throughout a piece. Artistic judgement, in turn, governs how this pulse is shaped and inflected, deciding when to adhere strictly to the beat for structural clarity, when to introduce subtle agogic accents or rubato for expressive depth, or when to flex the tempo at phrase endings to convey human emotion rather than mechanical precision. Together, these elements transform mere technical execution into compelling musicianship: pulsational training provides the reliable rhythmic framework, while artistic judgement breathes life into it, enabling the pianist to communicate the composer's intentions with nuance and individuality. Ultimately, mastery arises from the interplay between disciplined inner pulse and sensitive interpretive choice, ensuring that performances remain both rhythmically vital and profoundly expressive.
The other two items constituting "Artistic Judgment" do however require much special training. Training as distinct from general pulsational training, because it is distinct from that of general musicianship. We must have special knowledge of all the means of expression, of which the particular instrument is capable. We must possess the judgment and taste that will enable us to select precisely those means that will best convey our musical sense.
Such training is to be obtained :

1. by listening to the performances of good players, when one has learned how to listen.
2. by oneself experimenting at the instrument, and profiting from such experiences.
3. by the most direct method, in other words, by taking advantage of the guidance of a teacher. Provided, such teacher himself possesses the necessary knowledge and experience, but is also able to communicate his technique.

Having a sharp cutting edge of pulsational-sense and perception of time-lapse, where the command over tone-production involves special training for the particular instrument, implies the ability to draw from the piano every effect dictated by our musicianship and our artistic-sense.

The emphasis on integration of keen rhythmic awareness (pulsational-sense), precise timing (perception of time-lapse), and specialized mastery of sound creation (command over tone-production), highlights a core principle in advanced piano technique. It underscores that such skills enable performers to fully realize their musical interpretation and aesthetic vision, extracting the instrument's full range of expressive possibilities through deliberate, habituated control.
The phrasing closely aligns with concepts from Tobias Matthay's 1903 book *The Act of Touch in All Its Diversity: An Analysis and Synthesis of Pianoforte Tone-Production* (and its condensed extract, *The First Principles of Pianoforte Playing*, 1905). Matthay argues that true pianistic artistry stems from the "act of touch"—a trained, sensory-driven interaction with the keys that bridges intellectual/emotional musicianship with physical execution. This involves:

• Rhythmic and temporal acuity: A "sharp cutting edge" (or keen edge) in sensing pulses and time intervals ensures accurate grouping of notes, maintenance of tempo, and expressive rubato, where subconscious faculties handle rapid subdivisions while conscious attention focuses on musical shape.
• Tone mastery through training: Command over tone requires understanding key resistance, muscular discrimination (e.g., finger, hand, and arm exertions), and precise initiation/cessation of effort at the moment of sound onset. Matthay categorizes touches into species (e.g., finger-exertion for agility, arm-weight for depth) and attitudes (clinging for sympathetic tones, thrusting for brilliance), all honed via instrument-specific practice to avoid mechanical flaws like hardness or unevenness.
• Expressive potential: This foundation allows drawing diverse effects—variations in quantity (dynamics), quality (timbre, from singing to incisive), duration (staccato to legato), and speed—directly serving the performer's artistic intent, transforming technical proficiency into communicative music.

In essence, the idea posits that without this refined "touch," even profound musical insight remains unexpressed, as the piano demands a symbiotic blend of perception, technique, and artistry for full realization. Matthay's methods, influential in early 20th-century pedagogy, remain relevant for developing nuanced control in performance.