Instrumental Facts of Piano Playing

Much misconception of key-treatment directly arises from failure to grasp the obvious fact, that the piano consists of two distinct portions, which are distinct from each other. This mental difficulty occurs, because

1. the pianoforte encloses within its outer case both the musical instrument itself, and
2. the machine for exciting it into sound.

The keyboard instrument should be considered to consist of

1. the sounding-board with its bridges supporting the strings,
2. and the strong frame that enables the strings to be kept at tension.

The mechanism for exciting the string into sound, and controlling its cessation is formed by the keyboard. The first portion is analogous to the violin itself, while the second portion, the keyboard, is analogous to the bow. At the piano, instead of the instrument being provided with one tool for exciting sound, we are provided with eighty-eight separate machines for transmitting movement to the string.

Pianoforte playing and education was analyzed and divided into its component parts. It was found to consist of two distinct branches, since it demands both 1) musical and 2)executive (the execution of the keys to generate sound) attainments. Executive attainments were found to embrace,

1. those relating to artistic-taste in the application of the possible instrumental- effects ; and
2. those relating to the ACT by means of which such effects become physically realized.

This tone-production process, or Key-Treatment, was again found to possess two distinct aspects,

1. the instrumental and
2. the muscular.

We will first deal with the former. Education in the instrumental-aspect of tone-production implies learning to understand the requirements in the shape of key-movement, that must be fulfilled for the production of each possible kind of tone. A general glance at this part of the subject is desirable, before proceeding to a more detailed analysis of the instrument and its mechanism, and its principles of action :

1. Much misconception of key-treatment directly arises from failure to grasp the obvious fact, that the pianoforte consists of two distinct portions, each as distinct from the other as the violin is from its bow. This mental difficulty occurs, because the piano encloses within its outer case both the musical Instrument Itself, and the machine for exciting it into sound. The mechanical portion of the piano should be considered to consist of the 1) sounding-board with Its bridges supporting the strings, and 2) the strong frame that enables the latter to be kept at tension. Furthermore, the mechanism for exciting It into sound, and controlling its cessation., is formed by the keyboard with all its accessories used to generate sound.
   The first portion is analogous to the violin itself, while the second portion, the keyboard, is analogous to the bow. At the piano, however, instead of the instrument being provided with but one tool for exciting sound, we are here provided with some eighty separate tools, or machines, for transmitting movement to the string.
2. For it is only by giving motion to the key, that we can, through Its hammer-end, communicate motion to the string.
   A transfer of energy that can only be effected during the hammer's brief contact and movement with the string, before the rebound of both occurs.