Argerich's Playing Reveals Terrific Lessons for All (if You Know Where to Look)

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Yes it’s Ravel not Prokofiev at 3:10, sorry for the titling mistake

[@Facconti]

Martha learned her technique from Scaramuzza in Buenos Aires. There are two books written by María Rosa Oubiña de Castro, who was another of his pupils, that contain his teaching. I have them both, but they are rather difficult to find. One is in Spanish and the other in French. They should have been translated to more languages and published already.

[@norarossetti7877]

Grazie!

[@Facconti]

@@norarossetti7877 The books are "Enseñanzas de un gran maestro: Vicente Scaramuzza" and "Précis de technique pianistique: pour la pratique et l'enseignement," by Marías Rosa Oubiña de Castro (alias "Cucucha"). Checking the books, I now see that the one in French is in fact a translation of an original in Spanish. There is as well a DVD called "Elementos de técnica pianística" by the same teacher, in which the principles are illustrated in video. Sebastián Colombo is another Argentinian pianist who belongs to this pianistic tradition and teaches it in the Utrecht Conservatory. He has published a book, too, dealing with this school called "Vicente Scaramuzza: La vigencia de una escuela pianística."

[@billtownsend937]

Thank you! @@Facconti

[@Valentina-Steinway]

@@Facconti- any ideas where I can find the French book?! I would so appreciate it!!❤

[@nicolasfaiche3713]

Scaramuzza was Enrique Barenboïm's piano teacher too. Enrique then tought his son Daniel.

[@josantonioalcantara]

Argerich is a different beast, she performs as natural as possible. Everything she does is extremely sophisticated even though it seems simple. Her sound quality and control are probably the best the instrument allows you to achieve. A consequence of her great technique. Everyone that have listened her study says the same, she always does it very very slowly which is relevant because it is not only doing it but know how to do it. It takes a lot of time to understand why and how to squeeze the most of slow study in music.

[@picksalot1]

Martha's seems carefree about her technique, not careless, because it is so reliable, efficient, and relaxed. She never appears to be fighting against her own biology.

[@DavidMiller-bp7et]

This is the most telling point in the comments. Impeccable description.

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

💯

[@crp5898]

​@@DavidMiller-bp7et por eso para mí, por regla general, para tocar lo que sea, debo hacer algún esfuerzo, es porque algo no está bien.... o todo.

[@erictrudel2624]

You are so perceptive. What you said about trying to learn from watching a great pianist, but not being aware that we filter what we see through the reductive lens of our experience makes so much sense. The one thing I would add to your wonderful analysis is the idea that the invisible in piano playing (or any sport or instrumental art, for that matter) is mostly proprioceptive and kinesthetic, and that’s something one cannot experience fully from watching a video. Thank you for your brilliant insights!

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Well said! I can analyze only things which I know how they feel when I did them myself.

[@TommysPianoCorner]

Excellent video. It’s very difficult to analyse what is actually going on when a great pianist plays. She has a nonchalance in her playing that perhaps explains why some might use the word ‘sloppy’, yet every finger is perfectly placed. Her playing never sounds sloppy - even in her 80s. I think what really sets apart the great pianists is that in reality nobody ‘taught’ them how to play. They intuitively find ways of doing things that work for their hands. More interestingly, the ways they do things as children might well be different than how they do them later (as of course hands grow over time). In the short clip you showed where she spoke about playing Sonata Facile at 4 years old, this demonstrates to me that the ‘technical’ side of things was pretty much transparent to her - perhaps a teacher would simply help her understand (as a 4 year old) what something should sound like. At four years old, nobody has the time to ‘develop’ technique - it either comes intuitively or you’re not playing such works at that age. She has an amazing ability to generate speed and is on record as saying that her problem is not ‘speed’ in the usual way (getting faster), but actually playing more slowly (as she can play even the most complex passages far faster than almost anybody else and so has to be careful not to do that). To me, anybody who wants to criticize her (and I’ve seen some comments on videos) simply demonstrates their own insecurity. Nobody needs to agree with every interpretation, however, I don’t think she interprets anything ‘by accident’ and all her decisions will be based on something.

Vincenzo Scaramuzza school

[@StephenGrew]

She's simply Brilliant! a true player of the highest, brightest qualities or quality!

[@chopin1949]

Your analysis is brilliant, Denis. Martha's playing has always been a total mystery to me, now it's less of one. Many thanks!

[@thepianocornertpc]

Denis,the passage at 3:10 is not Prokofiev, as mentioned on the scree, but Ravel Concerto in G Major.

[@lisaclausen8304]

I think she's fantastic. You're absolutely correct about relaxation! The general idea of relaxation is incredibly important for many different disciplines having to do with the body and piano is no exception.. .

[@djtomt]

I knew Agerich was amazing, but this sheds new light on her technique and makes me love her even more!

[@uranusterra579]

among others, Argerich's cadenza and very last notes in Burlesque Strauss are just a miracle; anytime I watch it, I am in awe! thank you for the video, very enlighten!

[@drrabner47]

It is incredible to watch her play this. You can see her anticipation for the upcoming octaves……and she delivers them effortlessly. She is truly amazing. Everyone who’s a pianist should watch her. But I don’t think anyone could duplicate what she does. She’s truly one of a kind. And still going strong at 82. She was born to play.

[@Briancl88keys]

Martha has mastered sharpening her own skills that are quite unique and very special.

[@kpunkt.klaviermusik]

Very, very interesting how you look at her playing. Yes she's playing soo relaxed while still with so much energy. It's like firing direct from the nerve reflexes. And I never see her playing with "round fingers" - what's taught by almost every piano teacher. What really amazes me is how she never "builds up" tension while pressing a key. At the moment the sound is produced she's already on the way to the next key. Sort of trotting technique. Never lasting weight on the keybed - just throwing the fingers (or better: the hand) on the keys. Then they are bouncing off immediately. This woman is a miracle to me. Thank you so much for making this video!

[@ghassanshehadeh1473]

Thanks!

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Thank you so much!😊

[@jean-pierrecoffinet7309]

This video series contain a fascinating pedagogical value in the analysis of the piano and musical techniques. They provide an extreme depth and accuracy in the explanations and insights, and are rich with examples. Thank you for this comprehensive legacy to the pianist community, at any level.

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Thank you!

[@dianakaedingrealtor5423]

Fascinating explanations. I am an intermediate student and have much to learn. My teacher speaks about releasing tension and shows me how, but really I am an infant in piano technique at this point ready to learn as much as i can. I always watch your tutorials whenever I learn a new piece . It is very helpful. One time in a Mozart piece, my teacher complimented me on a particular thing I was doing, and I explained I had learned it from your video.

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for sharing your positive experience☺️☺️

[@mitchnew3037]

Thanks for the advice 🎉🎉

[@DavidMiller-bp7et]

I salute you for breaking out some of the specific technicalities of the wonderful Martha. Others may well disagree, but for my money, she is the prime, and her own somewhate uniuqe, example of "the most efficient technique," efficient meaning that she can do what she imagines. I have been studying her now for a several years, even slowing down video tempo, to see what she is doing in fine detail. As you pointed out, it will only be helpful if one is ready to observe what is going down, in fine detail, because Martha makes it look so fun and natural. We might sumuumarize this as using whatever techniques to maximize "relaxation," a subjective term, in the hands, wrists, forearms; without which it is impossible to accelertate tempo exponentially. The remarkable Martha is not only my favorite model of piano technique, she is a favorite type of person, so relaxed, usually casual, warm as can be and economical in terms of wasted motions and energy. She is one person I would like to know, personally. Usually am ambivalent. She seems to have remained true to herself, despite all the show business pressures, from her youth. No showing off or trying to be impressive; you get her and what a person to get. I have brushed past a few of your thumbnails before. This one, using the honey trap of Ms. Argerich was very, very compelling. Loved it. I am not a classical repertoire player, rather, arranged jazz, popular standards, musical theatre; great technique will be the same across all genres and repertoires. One method of procedure has been to look at videos of great players, try to see what they are doing and seeing how that might translate into my unique persona and phisiognomy. Thank you.

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Thank you for your detailed feedback, much appreciated!

[@DavidMiller-bp7et]

Really outstanding and thoughtful post; on a level apart from most levels we see.@@DenZhdanovPianist

[@i.ehrenfest349]

Isn’t physiognomy the study of facial expressions?

[@DavidMiller-bp7et]

Yes, strictly speaking, but I refer to it more generally, as I got it from some very fine piano teachers, as like "physiognomy of the hand," or shape and form of the hands, each one unique such that 'one size can't fit all.' This is an important consideration, the uniqueness of each hand, which is often overlooked in traditional pedagogy. In my case, I have a minority condition called "clinidactyly" where my skinny 2 and 3 on each hand curve toward the pinky side, 4+5s are straight. It has an impact which I have been obliged to consider in my vertically oriented style playing becuse as 2 + 3 fingers depress, they bow out to the side under pressure. Makes a difference technically, but few consider such.@@i.ehrenfest349

[@i.ehrenfest349]

@@DavidMiller-bp7et That’s interesting. Maybe your mutation (it is, I’m supposing? Not weird, everyone probably has one or more mutations) could make you a slightly different kind of pianist, like El Greco painted tall, thin figures allegedly because of his astigmatism. I’m probably going to found a new school of piano playing based on my progressing dementia. It will be seen as daring and unconventional.

[@karolinabogusz6323]

Great video - Thank you Denis ❤

[@vitalybedros7678]

Lately I'm tending to keep my hands and fingers as "lazy" as possible, even if this leads to (temporarily) bad sound. I even switch from piano tone to electrical one to reduce the tension happening because I hear not what I want to hear, which allows me to play as relaxed, as possible. And then, after some time, when I've already learned how to play the piece in the most relaxed and lazy manner, without any tension and pain, I switch back to piano tone, and it sounds much better that it was before practicing it in that "lazy way". Also I like to warm up by playing the most difficult piece in order to "kill" the perfectionist inside me by letting myself to play imperfectly, but relaxed and not afraid of making mistakes. Tension is the worst enemy, relaxation is the best friend.

[@pianotechnique]

Easy - all the tension is Before touching the key - in the space between notes. That makes the moment of pressing the key be an actual release of tension. That's all. In my opinion. Thank you for sharing your talent with us, Den, and congrats on your amazing channel 🎉

[@anickas.58]

My observation is the following: completely relaxing the fourth and fifth finger is a game-changer for me. I stumbled across thos video yesterday and I tried some of the techniques explained in it. And I can already see progress and a huge improvement in my playing.

[@lyolevrich]

Denis 👍

[@ProfDrislane]

Super fast relaxation was also the "secret sauce" in Glenn Gould's astonishingly clear Bach playing, bringing independent life to multi-voiced textures. See for example the C# Minor Fugue (WTC Book 2), etc..

[@logicking3765]

As my Russian professor always says: “I don’t care what you do with your fingers as long as the sounds are good”.

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Yes that’s what many teachers say.

[@NN-rn1oz]

8:21 reminds me of something Taubman taught.

[@MeikeSela]

Thanks for sharing, such a great and enlightening video! Although I play classical guitar these ideas are a big game changer and I will defenitely dive deeper in this aproach of coordination. Espacially the lifting of certain fingers or fingergroups, like to take a swing, and then kind of roll them off feels so good in the hand. And the kind of passiv initiation of a movement from a larger joint like wrist or arm is always good to remamber again. Again thanks so much for sharing!

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for commenting!

[@johnschlesinger2009]

Thanks for such an interesting analysis of this wonderful pianist's keyboard manipulation.

[@charlesvanderhoog7056]

I found the best and most relaxed way is FIRST to learn a piece by heart and THEN start to practice it. Learning a piece by heart is rather easy IF you know music theory. Especially Beethoven and Mozart are easy to remember, after a while you get the hang of how they composed, especially Beethoven. You can almost do it yourself. What you learn, by heart, is a mixture of chords, automatism (your hands 'know' the piece better than you, so ask them, use them), melody, dynamics and sounds. You always know, then, when you do something wrong and you will never play a piece in the same way twice so it never becomes boring. You need to learn pieces in about five locations otherwise blackouts are guaranteed. This is called The Tradition, i.e. the way Lizt, Brahms, the Russian Rubinstein, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Horowitz, Volondat learned and played their pieces. The only written source I ever found for this is "Piano playing with piano questions answered" by Jozef Hoffman. If you follow that, you will learn pieces by heart quickly, never have a blackout or, if you have one, you will still be able to continue, as I have found, and your nerves and tensions disappear.

[@romaric9874]

What do you mean by « you need to learn pieces in about five locations… » you mean five different places ? Sorry my english is not perfect.

[@jeanlucchapelon]

If you think that the « Hammerklavier » is easy to remember !!! 😂

[@VGP]

I think I read somewhere that Martha purposely makes certain sections of music more difficult when she practices. That way the actual music may seem easier to play, because one may have gotten used to playing the harder version. An analogy could be when a runner trains for a marathon. Running at marathon pace should feel comfortable and controlled. Those feelings can be cultivated from having done speedwork, i.e. doing runs or intervals that are much faster than marathon pace.

[@ballyhigh11]

I've seen Martha make a tiny mistake recently (in her 80s!!) but truly, honestly, it added to the performance. Like you said, it utterly unfazed or bothered her. And why should it? She is a truly outstanding artist and she got a 5 minute ovation.

[@rectangleboy]

How do you train instant finger relaxation?

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

By doing just that!

[@bobbygadourymusic5476]

Fascinating!

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Thanks!

[@Enad700]

Martha is genetically wired for the piano both in her artistic intelligence and in her motor skills. I saw in a TV documentary, about her and her husband at the time, Charles Dutoit, who lived in Switzerland, she candidly stated and without wanting to offend you, but rather praised this piano star, so, looking surprised, she stated that she never did arpeggios or that kind of practice. She's in a particular class I think. She didn't talk about any basic work she did but it seems she would work directly on the scores. You are right about her naturalness, her spontaneity. Without ever forcing herself or imposing herself in being so sympathetic, whether she is playing or not, she has a generous and reassuring presence, she's a person of integrity.

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Yes!

[@corouniud7592]

It seems to me that each of them (them = outstanding pianists) have their unique way to piano technique. If you think of Michelangeli, Pollini, Horowitz, Rubinstein, Richter, Ashkenazy, Trifonov, Gilels, Kissin, Yuja Wang, Lang Lang, Murray Perahia, Katsaris, Hamelin and so on, you cannot find any two of them with similar approaches to piano playing. Basically, all of them have exceptionally good hands for playing piano, each with their own characteristics. It is really interesting to compare them: for instance Rubinstein, Horowitz, Pollini, Argerich and Wang octave technique: so different! Thank you for the very interesting video!

[@Leopolypondibali]

Great format! May I order Hamelin and Volodos for analisys?🙏

[@Leopolypondibali]

А ещё до кучи: Rudenko, Lugansky, Wang, Andsnes, Blechaz, Cho, Pletnev, Sokolov. Луганский не загадка, но очень показательный пример. Остальные со своими секретиками

[@micaelabonetti949]

​Михаил Плетнёв 🙏

[@achat77]

Can you analyze Michelangeli’s technique next? It also looks effortless and very efficient.

[@martoneill]

Depth of knowledge fantastic. Very inspirational- thank you

[@ueboyrjbxodnsj8522]

3:10 its the same Ravel, not Prokofiev

[@anjag4008]

Thanks for this interesting analysis! It would be great if you could do the same for other great pianists. 🤩

[@gabrieltancredinicotra]

great video, I agree with almost everything. You have really captured the main point of her play, in my opinion, which is the ability to play without going to the bottom of the key, remaining on the escapement, just providing a very precise and rapid impulse, without losing the fullness and clarity of the sound. This associated with instant relaxation and constant anticipation of each subsequent position. Listening to her live I'm always surprised at how very lightly she plays, as if she had found a way to make the piano play with minimal involvement with her own muscular strength. This is also what allows you to over-articulate without effort and without side effects. When I figured out how to stay "mid-key" it was life-changing in my piano technique, the sound becomes bright and light. As regards the repeated notes, I don't fully agree: in my opinion the second finger finds itself in that position only naturally when the third finger is repositioned, not due to a muscular effort to lift it; observe her closed hand: the fourth and fifth are perfectly relaxed and curved towards the inside of the hand; the movement seems to me to be a sort of circular movement only downwards from the third towards the thumb and then up repositioning the third. However, such a technique is not possible on every piano, the action must be adjusted with an escapement very close to the string to allow striking at such a speed; Unfortunately she never said anything about this, about what type of regulation she requires. I saw a video of her rehearsals in Milan, in which she had to play Tchaikovsky concerto, and she complained about this, that the piano didn't respond well in the repeated notes.

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

I was a bit vague about whether she specifically uses muscular effort for the second finger because, honestly, I am not fully sure. I was just stating what I see-that it has an incredible range of motion and speed. I see your point, and I would lean towards agreeing, given certain situations. However, the range of this motion is unusually wide, especially as seen in Liszt's rhapsody video. I suspect there might still be some kind of elevating motion, initially involving a quick throwing up using extensors, but the rest of that motion relies on inertia with an already relaxed finger. But again, this is where I can only make assumptions. I am really curious if it's something her first teacher specifically trained her to do or if it's her natural gift.

[@diffugerenives]

I like this video for the most part, but that's not the Prokofiev 1, which I heard her play at Carnegie Hall with Dutoit conducting the Montreal Symphony in the 90s (along with the Prok 3rd in the same concert), but that's the 3rd movement of Ravel.

[@josephgiuseppedegregorio4553]

very interesting, great work

[@dylankelly5511]

Thank you! ❤❤❤

[@johnclaiborne2749]

I'm not sure if you've ever done a video analyzing, and commenting on, Murray Perahia's playing, but as an amateur classical pianist, I've always looked to him as the absolute textbook of how the instrument should be played from a purely mechanics-perspective. And because of his mechanics, I think his performances are technically extremely good (not to mention the fact that his interpretations are usually wonderful as well). You made a comment regarding how Argerich's "pinky" is so relaxed, and I see the same with Perahia.

[@Daniel_Zalman]

Denis, it would be helpful if you showed what she does in the parts that you demonstrate with what other pianists do in those spots...it would be easier to understand the difference between her "efficient" playing and other less "efficient" approaches.

[@rohinagrawal9727]

this is quite the opposite of horowitz technique. so incredible to have someone in there 80s play so well

[@za7850]

This is great! These technical breakdowns are some of the best piano videos on this platform

[@DavidMiller-bp7et]

Absolutely, he has one on VH, also wonderful study.

[@norbertgrimm614]

Denis, could you please do an analysis of Khatia Buniatishvili‘s Liszt‘s Grand Galop chromatique?

[@christopherfleming7505]

Interesting video. As a piano teacher, I am skeptical about how useful all this knowledge is in a practical sense, as I suspect Martha Argerich acquired her incredible technique in a largely unconscious way. In my 20 year experience of teaching piano students at the conservatory, the most technically advanced players don't tend to be aware of the exact movements they are doing. They simply figure out how to move their body in a way that produces the results they are looking for. For example, I remember an exceptionally good pupil who was playing Schumann's Carnaval. After playing the formidable "Paganini" with astonishing brilliance, I asked him how he thought about his wrist position for the piece. He looked blankly at me, and was unable to answer. The more technically challenged students can benefit from a teacher who corrects posture or hand movements, as long as they are willing to do the hard work of practising while paying full attention to these aspects.

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

I would argue that this knowledge of technique optimization is of drastic importance, including (and especially aiming at) highly talented students who are ready to launch worldwide performing career. An unconscious, uneducated choice of motion strategies is the main reason why pianists of all levels get often injured in the long run, including top level artists such as Leon Fleisher, Lang Lang, Andsnes, etc. I would never believe in my early 20s that while being a winner of a dozen international competitions and successfully performing 25 different concerti with various orchestras I could run into health issues. Later on, I had to learn the hard way about short-term and long-term piano techniques and rebuild my approach from scratch😅

[@PianoturtleX]

I do agree. I am not fully aware of technical analysis for each passage. Experimentation is used all the time until a passage feels just right for the speed required paying attention to how my fingers and arms feel as I go and I have never been tense in a way that would injure my fingers.

[@jamesallison4875]

She is miraculously talented. It’s always a joy to watch her play. If you’re not a genius, maybe don’t worry about it.

[@norbertgrimm614]

This video is such a nice Xmas gift, many many thanks for new insights on piano technique! I think it is worth to mention that Martha took lessons with Peter Feuchtwanger who also focused on the relaxation aspect of piano playing.

[@ericastier1646]

Such insightful and amazingly pertinent analysis of Argerich's technical approach, Denis. I believe her particular technique imposes constraints on her style of playing such as she cannot phrase legato and shade with as much details as say, Russian piano school. Her style is like a water faucet that is open and creates a fluid flow of notes. It's not lyrical, not painting like more like a constant movement. Also it's not creature like it does not breathe, it's more like matter in movement. I believe her pianism is about enjoying the mechanical aspect of piano playing and comes whatever music is possible from that rather than the other way around having music in mind and finding a technique to produce it exactly.

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Thanks for your thoughts Eric!

[@RanBlakePiano]

?

[@ericastier1646]

@@RanBlakePiano troll

[@fmboykudo]

Happy early Christmas Denis!

[@bluepearl4806]

Thank you very much for your very valueble explanations🙏🙏🙏🌺🌺🌺I just wonder wether Marta Argerich plays very slowly when she study any oiece for the first time? Do you thing she work on a piece first slowly?

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

I’ve heard this from a friend but I have no idea whether this is true. It may vary depending on a piece. Starting to work on a piece slowly in order to find most comfortable motion routine and elaborate on details, and then gradually speed up is a frequent case even among the fastest pianists though.

[@bluepearl4806]

@@DenZhdanovPianist Thank you verry much dear Deniz🙏💕💐🌺I folowed you every video wether tecnical or musical I LOVE all of them and I folow this rule very carefully thank you very much🥰🙏💕🌺🌺🌺💕

[@renevillarreall.r.3503]

It's not Prokofiev, but Ravel concerto at 3:20

[@nicolasgut6534]

Marthaa!! Finally... ;)

[@zixian430]

Would love to see you analyze Arcadi Volodos’ technique

[@paulluc5070]

The best pianist in the history of music. She plays and I fly over the seat…The unique in the whole world!

[@johnmorris4646]

From a listener's perspective, I think Argerich is brilliant and joyful.

[@TomLawton-r2i]

O raves: you AIM to the surface. Arm weight gets you to the bottom anyway otherwise the sound would be "surfacey". But it's so quick that the rebound of the key keeps you from "keybedding" and playing past the botto..Aiming for the surface with alot of arm weight gets you to the escapement

[@lorrainelager852]

I played for my teacher and fluffed some passages in a Mozart sonata i barely practiced that week, and they said i was sloppy and needed to move my fingers more (i use a rotational technique). There's a recording of Martha giving a recital with omissions in the Beethoven D major sonata no 7, because she apparently had a technical catastrophe. So i guess it's sloppy if you're unprepared or are having an "off day".

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

While we can’t play without finger activation, a proper installment of rotational and in/out motions technique can actually help playing classical types of passages with minimum practicing, although fingertip activation does add a final touch of articulation brisk and glance.

[@nowkentapplegate5315]

Her technique is peerless. The proof is in the resultant sound and it's myriad shades of nuance and control . Thank you for this astute analysis.

[@OutOfWards]

This is how I felt when encountering Rachmaninoff Etudes. I simply could not understand how things were or are suppose to be executed till watching, and deeply studying pianists of this current time.

[@amaurylopez5558]

Thanks for a great observation and analysis of Martha Argerich. Other great pianist active at that level today? You’re excellent explaining clear techniques 👍👏🏼🫶🏼

[@RaineriHakkarainen]

Dimitri Bashkirov her teacher Anastasia Virsaladze teach saying to Bashkirov the most important lesson is the love of beautiful colorful piano sound! More colorful beautiful piano sound than Argerich=Wilhelm Kempff Emil Gilels Radu Lupu Artur Rubinstein Vladimir Ashkenazy Grigory Sokolov! More genius than Argerich=Sviatoslav Richter Solomon Cutner Grigory Sokolov Maurizio Pollini Stanislav Bunin Maria Grinberg Murray Perahia Alexei Lubimov Dinu Lipatti Stanislav Igolinsky! More powerful louder than Argerich=Mikhail Pletnev! The Second Loudest ever was Lazar Berman! The 3rd Loudest was Erwin Nyiregyhazi! Horowitz his technique better than Argerich's technique! Beethoven wanted louder instruments piano fortes!

[@ClulssCrs3310]

This was an awesome breakdown. The goose part though, killed me 😂

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Best way to make knowledge rememberable

[@mariafatima3743]

Gostaria de saber o que você pensa sobre o metodo Taubman e sua tecnica.Obrigada.

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

It’s worthy to study closely!

[@jwilliams8210]

Nice talk. Small editorial note: I think that is Ravel Concerto in G, 3rd movement, not Prokoviev 03:10, as the video shows.

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Yes, that was already mentioned in description!

[@jwilliams8210]

@@DenZhdanovPianist Sorry. I didn't read all the responses first...

[@DavidMiller-bp7et]

Reprised it again; unlimited treasures to find.

[@squishyrrr]

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Thanks for commenting! You too!☺️🎄

[@masterlup]

Could you do a technique breakdown of Cyprien Katsaris. Im still baffeled by his technique. It seems as if he never streches his fingers. His speed is ultra sonic.

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Great idea!

[@billiswillis8293]

4:47 "Her four arms are parallel to the floor..." Aha! I knew it! That's why she can play like she does. Thank you so much for revealing the secret.

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

It’s better to notice 1% of useful information in a video than nothing at all!👍 BTW the height of a sitting posture is a very frequent reason for pains and inefficiency among players of ALL levels, so I wouldn’t encourage to treat this piece of information arrogantly, whatever basic it is.

[@billiswillis8293]

@@DenZhdanovPianist Oops... I bet you didn't have the time to warn Glenn...

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

I bet you really believe that Glenn Gould was able to play romantic virtuoso pieces with an incredible precision, lightness, and speed of Argerich.

[@ananthd4797]

We need a Cziffra video! 🤣

[@mrsunshine151]

Hahah my piano does that with 5 or 6 notes Also name of the piece please?

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Chopin Variations op.2 This one has a bass string missing, so the hammer gets literally stuck in that hole 😂

[@bw2082]

At 3:11 that is ravel and not Prokofiev 1

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

oops that’s an unfortunate titling mistake, thanks for noticing … ravel happens😅

[@simply-yoga-haifa]

Thanks for the video. The subtitles you add to the video hides the piano, would be better to place it in the upper part of the screen...

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

I can’t choose its placement!😅

[@davidsheriff9274]

There is a great video of her playing a concerto with Charles Dutoit conducting, and after the first movement, she says to Charles in French, "Charles, you have to keep up with me, these hands wait for no man",he smiled at her, but she looked pretty serious.I wonder if we were getting a little glimpse of what their marriage was like and also possibly why it ended.I would give anything to see her, but unfortunately she doesn't play in the states too often.

[@zeroossi5967]

viedo on how to read like a pro piano scheet music pls

[@marktapley7571]

I read that Argerich was very difficult to deal with and would often cancel performances at the 11th hour so the organizers had to always schedule a backup pianist in case this happened. No problem, would have just quit booking her.

[@nestorar]

The more she cancelled/cancels the more in demand she is. If this bothers you, then don’t plan on going.

[@edgardomartinezlazaro3800]

I think the way Argerich plays can't be learned. She is so natural, I guess she doesn't know what she really does to play like that. She just does it. We can see God's Hand in her playing.

[@katefarman]

Son ami feu Nelson Freire avait lui aussi '' un touché de balle '' Extraordinaire Difficile à différencier de Martha dans bcp d'oeuvres

[@daniels1633]

Fantastic video thank you for this very insightful of Martha’s playing

[@marksmith3947]

At 4 I played the Bach C major prelude WTC I and the Chopin prelude 20. I was so proud of myself for getting the stretch of a ninth that one time. What happened after that? Lol. I should have practiced more)

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Maybe you got a happy life with much fun instead?😅🤣

[@marksmith3947]

@@DenZhdanovPianist I didn't have the drive to become a pianist. I'm a mathematician who is a musician on the side. It's not bad. You definitely can't do the reverse!

[@RanBlakePiano]

@@marksmith3947interesting sm 89 still playing and attracted to calculus ……

[@edgarperez8949]

She is the goddess of technique and fast playing while making it seem perfectly natural. Other great pianists have speed and technique but nobody looks as natural as Martha, I think Barenboim said something along these lines about her. My guess is that her hands are extremely pianistic, just the right size and shape, with the right flexibility between all fingers to be able to play effortlessly pretty much any type of technique, but this is only one factor, I would also guess that she developed a mind for speed, she knows exactly how to think about each passage, it is like a kinesthetic awareness of the mechanics of piano playing, it is not just having an ear for speed, she knows exactly how to translate it to the body, another pianist who is incredible at this is Valentina Lisitsa, they just figured it out... Other pianists for example Krystian Zimermann, who have flawless techniques, don't look anywhere this natural, that's why everyone reveres Martha Argerich..

[@RaineriHakkarainen]

Not True! Come on! Argerich never was the greatest! Dimitri Bashkirov her teacher Anastasia Virsaladze teach saying to Bashkirov the most important lesson is the love of beautiful colorful piano sound! More colorful beautiful piano sound than Argerich=Wilhelm Kempff Emil Gilels Radu Lupu Artur Rubinstein Vladimir Ashkenazy Grigory Sokolov! More genius than Argerich=Sviatoslav Richter Solomon Cutner Grigory Sokolov Maurizio Pollini Stanislav Bunin Maria Grinberg Murray Perahia Alexei Lubimov Dinu Lipatti Stanislav Igolinsky!

[@RaineriHakkarainen]

More powerful louder than Argerich=Mikhail Pletnev! The Second Loudest ever was Lazar Berman! The 3rd Loudest was Erwin Nyiregyhazi! Beethoven wanted louder instruments piano fortes! Horowitz his technique attack better than Argerich's technique!! Argerich not the best genius! Argerich not the best piano sound! Argerich not the best technique! Argerich not the most powerful!

[@SimonParker-hv6uu]

Very interesting video. Its one thing to say what she does. Its another thing to do it. All the great piainists as far as i can tell are aleays relaxed at the keyboard. Arrau was famous for this. But his way of playing was bery different from Martha's. As you say she does use alot of wrist.

[@rodrigogb6022]

Thanks, Denis. As always very insightful, very keen observations. I honestly think that there is no limit to technique learning; connecting your physical abilities to your musical intentions is the ultimate goal of a musician. In that respect, then it is a work of the imagination to make a clear auditory image, in order to be conveyed to our playing mechanism ! It would of course be a tremendous investigation to find out how she thinks about music, what she thinks during practice and during performance! Congratulations, Denis ! Merry, merry Christmas!!!! By the way, when we teach children (there is so much involved in teaching), are we concerned with efficiency?? Or we go trimming little by little as they grow to higher levels??

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Thank you for your feedback! I personally do try to help children to form efficient habits from the very beginning.

[@rodrigogb6022]

@@DenZhdanovPianist another idea, Denis, realizing, like you said, that this is no dissertation. One thing is acquiring the techniques, and another is to put them to good use. It is like having a bag of the finest stones and diamonds, in themselves valuable, very valuable, but transcending in beauty only if they fall in the hands of Van Cleef, Fabergé or a creative jeweler. Likewise, acquiring the best, and most efficient way of approaching the piano is half of the journey, as we still need to create organic and organized pieces of music. Do you like this analogy?

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Sure thing!

[@desirehowland7737]

What is left to say? Maybe just that we each need to listen to this fine analyzation again and again each time making an effort to work the details for ourselves. I expect this type of detailed control of hand position with relaxing and preparation applies to many aspects of technical and artistic life. Thank you Denis. One more thing: Raymond Beegle (Fanfare Magazine) declared that the "poetic touch...tone...and technical skills" of Arsentiy Kharitonov to have NO peer today. If you listen to his "Russian Triptych" (no temperament used & at A-433Hz) album you may also realize that Equal Temperament tuning restricts clear and expressive playing. Listen to this fine demonstration by Dennis Dougherty who may just very well be the finest piano tuner alive today by correcting the flaws with ET tuning. Tone, pianos mechanics and harmony all improve by getting away from temperaments totally: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bISZmoOiesqmmLs

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

That’s extremely interesting, although I have to say that while some examples sounded very charming, the others were sounding too unusual to me. I doubt this system will make it in the big way anytime soon, because it’d need to break the world-wide listening habits…

[@johannes_kreisler]

Thank you so much for this breakdown! I love your videos and always learn a lot from them. I adore Martha Argerich, and I appreciate your analysis of her technique. She is truly a great musician and pianist. If you are interested in doing more videos on specific pianists, I would love to know your opinion on Claudio Arrau's very peculiar way of playing the piano, and also on Martha Argerich's friend Nelson Freire.

[@carlosazambujayt]

Very good video, really insightful and helpful! 👏👏👏 Not even the mic right in front of your face made me like the video any less! 😅

[@sgerianda]

She had brilliant teachers from the day one. As far as I remember, her parents were some kind of diplomats so they provided the best of the best. She didn't just start playing like this by herself. Of course she's brilliant, but she was pampered first and then went on to fly by herself. And she's also Jewish I think. It helps a lot in classical music realm. It helps immensely.

[@Daniel_Zalman]

Does her teacher, Friedrich Gulda, have similar efficiency?

[@Facconti]

She didn't get her technique from Gulda, but from Scaramuzza, her teacher in Buenos Aires. Watch other students of Scaramuzza's, like Bruno Gelber, or students of his students (Sergio Tiempo) and you'll find similar efficiency (although Martha is in every sense on another level).

[@kpunkt.klaviermusik]

Gulda himself said, she already knew everything when she came to him - he couldn't teach her much.

[@yurigubanov5506]

Interesting, she has a curly pinky on her left hand, when not playing - a problem I am struggling with now.

[@arturonicolayevsky9675]

Martha is a miracle of playing and certain pieces she plays wonderfully. I would not say she has the most efficient technique, she had the talent and easy to play fast since she was a girl. Arrau and De Larrocha are no efficient and relaxed pianists they service the music they move people and impress. However Arrau played much faster than argerich when Arrau was in his 50s, better fingers and faster octaves and he played everything effortless now matter how fast or loud

[@renelicht]

😍😍😍😍😍

[@prototropo]

I love, love, love Martha, but yes--she is sloppy. She effectively glissandos like a double martini in presto passages, but her fundamental pianistic skill still shines, along with emotional expression and that best-friend personality.

[@lyolevrich]

Martha Argerich is an enormous talented pianist perhaps a unique example of such a long-lived virtuoso! 🙏 But for sure she doesn’t care,at all, about the (different) styles of (different) composers:it seems at the end a wonderful fingers playing

[@wbiro]

There are other ways to think about the music that you are performing (or creating if you are an improvisationalist) (and music is primarily thinking). For example, you are focusing on the notes too much. Look for the 'art' between the notes, and above them, and all around them, and as if the notes were the building blocks and not the end goal, where everything BUT the notes are the end goal (the end goal being 'saying' something). It is as if the notes were the rivets in the Eiffel Tower. Is the Eiffel Tower really about the rivets? The rivets are at the bottom level of conveying things, especially higher thoughts, as are the notes. This is just a different way of thinking, of approaching the art, remember, and the high end of music is in the mind, not the hands, and not on the paper. In other words, do not over-focus the mind on the rivets, or the end result will say little...

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Although technical efficiency is one of my expert areas, on my KZbin channel, I share a wide range of videos exploring imagination, expression, interpretation, fantasy, associative thinking, and creativity. I also feature many of my own performances, which are often praised for their artistic depth, going far beyond technical precision. Thank you for raising channel’s engagement though.

[@guadalajara4848]

The first piece is obiously not one of Prokofiev"s concertos but Ravel's. Do you know music ?

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

This titling mistake is obviously mentioned in both cards and video description since the first day. Do you know how to read?

[@JoeLinux2000]

Drinking a glass of wine helps a performance. But be careful. Not too much.