Key-Aspect of Technique  «Prev  Next»

Tone-producing Impulse

The Short Duration of the Tone Producing Impulse:
  1. Realize that no tone, whether in staccato or legato, ever takes longer to produce than for Staccatissimo. The hammer instantly rebounds from the string, regardless of what you do after the sound is made, and thus leaves the tone after that quite unalterable act of sounding the piano string.
  2. Hence you have to live your "touch-life" during that short moment of key-descent.
    You must intend the musically needed sound, and you must accomplish the production of any desired tone-inflection during that flash of descent with the key.

Tenuto, Legato, and Tone Cessation:

Question: What is the difference between Tenuto and Legato? In music, tenuto and legato are two different types of articulation that affect the way a note is played or sung. Tenuto is an articulation that instructs the performer to hold a note for its full duration and to give it emphasis or weight. This means that the note should be played or sung with a slightly longer duration than indicated in the written music, and with a slight emphasis on its beginning or end. Tenuto markings are usually indicated with a horizontal line above or below the note. On the other hand, legato is an articulation that instructs the performer to play or sing a series of notes smoothly and connectedly. This means that each note should flow seamlessly into the next, without any audible breaks or pauses between them. Legato markings are usually indicated with a curved line above or below the notes. The main difference between tenuto and legato is that tenuto emphasizes a single note, while legato emphasizes a series of notes played together. Tenuto markings indicate that a note should be held for its full duration with emphasis, while legato markings indicate that a series of notes should be played or sung smoothly and connectedly. In summary, tenuto is an articulation that emphasizes a single note and instructs the performer to hold it for its full duration with emphasis, while legato is an articulation that emphasizes a series of notes played smoothly and connectedly.
To make a tone continue (as in tenuto or legato) you must hold the key down after the initial short sound-producing impulse has been completed; Therefore, you msut hold the dampers off the strings, which continue sounding for a while, or until you allow the key to rise, when the dampers silence them.

Production of Tone and Duration always distinct:
The action of holding a note down should always be quite distinct from the action of sounding it.
Note: Muscularly, it should also be quite distinct and different as we shall see presently. The key may be depressed quite violently for a forte, yet the holding down of the key needs to be a gentle action.