One Scale, Thirteen Ways to Play it: Articulation Types Road Map

[@mozartiano123]

This gentleman shows the difference between playing piano and mastering piano

[@daves5562]

I don't understand how you have so little subscribers. You give such valuable insights for free that people would pay good amount of money for. Definitely one of the best channels for piano teaching. Thank you so much for what you do.

[@mattmilford8106]

I'm not little. I'm 6' tall.

[@RolandHuettmann]

My summary and what I understood: --- Time: 00:00 Pianist Denis Zhdanov: This is not a conclusive presentation of all ways of articulation. It is also a very personal view. (1) --- Time: 00:21--- Non-Legato Release the finger before you hit the next key. Try to hit key vertically, motion goes down straight to the bottom of the key. (2) + (3) --- Time: 01:02 --- Portato (pull and push) Portato is indicated in the score as a slur over a group of notes with staccato dots under the slur. Portato Pull: Fingers are moved towards the body, hit the key and slide on it, but it is an almost not noticeable movement. Always the wrist bounces a little bit. Portato Push: You slide on the key with a movement away from the body. Also, this movement is not noticeable in the end. The difference of Portato and Non-Legato is that more weight is applied, and the key is kind of "massaged". (4) --- Time: 02:24 --- Tenuto Tenuto is like portato, but fingers are released in a very controlled manner. Instead of releasing the finger as in portato, the wrist is pulled away while the finger wants to stay on the key a bit longer. There is a smoother end to the sound. There is a kind of diminuendo at the end of each sound. The damper covers the strings a bit slower. (5) --- Time: 03:28 --- Tenuto and Legato Same as tenuto but release the key only when the next key is hit. (6) --- Time: 03:42 --- Classical Legato Appropriate for Baroque and Classical music, Bach, Mozart, Haydn, ... Release the finger exactly when hitting the next key. (7) + (8) --- Time: 04:07 --- Romantic Legato (push and pull) More appropriate for Chopin, Debussy, Brahms, etc. Release finger later so that the sounds slightly overlap, but not for too long. Legato also can be divided into Legato Push and Legato Pull. Usually, it helps to flatten the fingers a bit. In classical legato they are more curved. (9) --- Time: 05:54 --- Finger Staccato There are many ways to play staccato. Most important is to release fingers immediately. For Finger staccato hold fingers in a flattened way, curve fingers quickly. (My remarks from Elina Akselrud lessons: "As if a cat wants to scratch a surface quickly".) (10) --- Time: 06:35 --- Wrist Staccato This gives a stronger sound. But it is not just a down-up movement of the wrist, but has a rotational movement included. For fingers 1-3 hand rotates a bit to the right and rotates back. Weaker fingers 4 and 5 and in comfortable position might rotate counterclockwise. Fingers have a stable position using the wrist to hit the keys. (11) --- Time: 07:56 --- Forearm Staccato A more powerful staccato used in more modern music, Prokofiev, Ligeti, etc. It might sound very rough. For scales it does not work as well, but for chords. (12) --- Time: 08:25 --- Baroque Staccato Baroque staccato is a special topic which is not discussed here in depth. Mainly, the duration of a note is cut shorter (into half). The tone ends in a precise way. The damper covers the string immediately after the note is finished. The sharp ending of the note gives and impression of staccato. (13) --- Time: 09:47 --- Light Glissando-like playing With light glissando we do not reach the bottom of the key. In Debussy's music there are a lot of such ways of playing. Or there are leggiero marks in Chopin's scores, or he wrote "small notes". Here we need to find a special and light touch. A lot of sensitivity on fingertips needs to be developed. The hand is moving more horizontally.

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Nice abstract!💪

[@RolandHuettmann]

This your video is a condensed lesson with lots of information. It is a very good lesson with perfect video shots of details. For my memory it is helpful when I also write about it and reference it... I know how much time goes into such tutorials. Thank you...

[@RUT812]

Thank you for the time stamps!

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

Wow. 10 years of piano study in only 11 minutes. A reference video to bookmark and come back to often. Merci beaucoup.

[@pianoforteyt]

So helpful! especially for a beginner self taught pianist like me 😁

[@mactonenamulanda4755]

Wow where were you all this time. True expert

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Was a bit busy bumping my head towards the KZbin’s iron algorithm wall🤕

[@Zellie1994]

I'm a beginner and I"m just stunned by the depth of this topic. Absolutely phenomenal demonstrations.

[@antoniovisioli4460]

Una perla inestimabile,. Grazie Maestro Zdanov.

[@jeffbarnett2348]

Thanks

[@gisseblanco]

Oh my god i've been waiting for this explanation all my life. Thank you!!!

[@goldie5788]

4:12 ohhhh my heart is melting 🥺 The smile you had when you mentioned romantic composers 😊 I'm very proud of you and your musical family. It make me tear because it use to be my dream as a girl but from some reason the conservatory kept telling me each year that all teachers are fully booked. I guess that because I felt hurt, I ended up staying away completely from music and now I'm trying to catch up and also heal a truma with music. You help me feel the compassion music has. Thank you so much 🙏

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

🎶 💛 I am glad you found the way back to what you love, and are returning to the true yourself after years of the distancing from music! It’s never too late to do more of what makes you happy!

[@goldie5788]

@@DenZhdanovPianist Thank you. soon as I'll have enough theoretical knowledge about practicical , I'll start online lessons with you, If it's ok 🙂 So I'm waiting to meet you and start my musical juerny with your guidness 🤗

[@mmesbati9967]

Wow❤❤❤❤ GREAT !!!PURE GEM! I LEARNED a lot! No one has explained like you ! THANK YOU❤❤

[@ProgramistaNaBudowie]

Thank you very much!

[@robertkurzeja4349]

You are a gifted teacher. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[@rajx82]

Thanks so much, this was an amazing explanation that I couldn’t find anywhere else until I found this video!!

[@AntoineVideoLibrary]

Thanks very much for this detailed lesson about piano touch. I wish I have the time to be your student.

[@josephslotnick4516]

Excellent and extremely valuable tutorial. Clear explanations.

[@harbinguy1]

A great explanation of the techniques!!! Thank you‼

[@felipeleao7562]

Absolutely FANTASTIC tips!!! You deserve SO MUCH MORE views! Thank you SO MUCH for that content!

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you!

[@eliasmq]

Olá Denis aqui do Brasil. Que belo trabalho. Quanta generosidade compartilhar conosco seu conhecimento e talento. Por gentileza , continue com esta motivação. É uma contribuição muito valiosa. Obrigado. Elias

[@lynn_anderson2]

Very interesting, thank you!

[@Tautropfenoase]

Fantastic tutorial and introduction. Thank you so much.👏🥰👍

[@eltonwild5648]

Can you do a video with exercises for piano dynamics? Like passages that have crescendos and so on

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Good idea, thanks. There some hints here and there in my tutorials, especially in later videos with pieces tutorials, but probably I should do a separate video sometime.

[@ranblake3165]

Love these but this one needs louder audio

[@Palmbushes]

Super helpful! Thank you!

[@anesthesiabeyond8519]

Finally I found this! Absolutely awesome! I have been struggling to avoid being mechanical. Here are the answers for me! Can’t say enough thank you! 🙏🙏🙏

[@mitchnew3037]

Excellent video, as always ❤👏🫶🏻

[@sadenababayi]

It was really good and helpful for me, thank youuu💕

[@d.k.1465]

Thank you

[@Brahms1234]

Thank you for the helpful video!

[@trimatch-king6103]

Mr. Zhdanov, your videos are excellent ! I think the mic has some contact with the piano and it is generating noise! Thank you for your lessons.

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Yes the older videos are not great technically.

[@ShihWeiHuangLove]

🤣🤣 love the reference from Ross.

[@Griwhoolda]

Oh man, that SCARED me when it showed up; I thought I was going to be interrupted by an ad.

[@vanewfies]

Perfect summary of piano touching tecniques. Great job! So helpful for all piano students. I love it! Thank you so much! You are a great teacher!

[@kayyuyinghuang4603]

Fabulous content! I’ve watched several videos of yours. The instructions are concise and full of humor. Thank you for the great work.

[@elmasgun4313]

Thank you for the very helpful tutorial. I wonder if I misunderstood that part, the wrist staccato actually becomes the forearm staccato, because the movement takes place from the elbow with rotation. Since the wrist is released, it moves in the form of a reaction to movement. Is not it?

[@catarinatang980]

Wow great content thanks!

[@starshipwhite]

I don't understand how you reach such a speed for the glissando technique.

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Duracell, not just random batteries!😎🐇

[@roxroe6731]

When and how to practically used these techniques? So many variations but the application is hard to decide where to apply each.

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

At the professional level we use a combination of common rules, tradition, and personal taste to decide on articulation of the spot in case there are no composer’s marks. For piano learners however there are many learning editions where an editor suggests how to play the piece, in case there are no composer’s suggestions like in Bach

[@joannaporreca1166]

Thanks! Great explanations!

[@otm011]

Wow amazing video! Which touches are appropriate for playing fast passages?

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Depends on how you can minimize your movements and what is fast. Of course there might be no time to make broad movements like arm staccato, but all the other types might work in a pretty rapid tempo, if motions are well coordinated and there is no unnecessary tension. But for extremely fast ones a glissando style light playing and normal legato work best

[@nicolasolkoski]

Hey... When to use portato push and pull in a piece? Theres some indication in the sheet music for each one? Thank u

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

There is no official rule, it depends on physiology and comfort mainly, and can vary from player to player. I treat it as two different touches because I actively use what is called -in and -out motions for achieving a more efficient playing experience.

[@Daniel_Zalman]

What kind of effect, sound-wise, is one trying to achieve with portato marking? Detached but not percussive?

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

It adds also to the gestural / body-language impression when you look at a player. Think of dropping Yoga balls (portato) vs gail (staccato)

[@Daniel_Zalman]

@@DenZhdanovPianist Spasibo!

[@leonardodelyrarodrigues3752]

11:07 Jeu perlé.

[@GomgomItom-dk9tw]

I don't doubt super pianists are mostly from Ukraine traditionally even we ve known that they are from CCCP

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Thank you, but there are plenty of amazingly masterful folks in every country!

[@GomgomItom-dk9tw]

@@DenZhdanovPianist yes but world piano history built on by 3 greatest legends from Ukraine Horowitz Giles Richter . i dont think this is coincidence to see your lecture. chinese korean american french etc it s not matter at all bc they all playing on the base of those ukraine legends skills.

[@D.U.D.E-]

The first three sound the same 🤡