Piano Chord Voicing Techniques

[@seanwilliams5953]

Absolutely saved my life man! First piano KZbin tutorial that actually had a huge impact on my playing! Will honestly remember this video forever! Thank you!

[@meynagurl5653]

So well explained and Albert's literally like the best piano teacher ever!

[@key-notes]

Thank you-that's really kind of you!

[@JohnSmithExtra]

He's the shiznit!

[@a.a.dehulster7567]

Thanks for your lesson! This blue Danube exercise is very good and amusing way to train the skill of voicing. Your lesson made me more aware of the different levels of the keys in relation to the different levels of the knuckes of the fingers. For exemple if one plays f# - a - c# with fingers 1-3-5, fingers 1 and 5 will have to exert less deep than finger 3. (Of course a no-brainer😄) If you apply this consciously, it is easier to keep the level of the hand horizontal and stable, it is not thrown out of balance resulting in more control. Correct me if I’m wrong!

[@angeles3527]

Thank you so much, this was extremely helpful. I look forward to trying out these techniques.

[@Erdos777]

Thank you for this demonstration video. I used this as a reference video to ask advice about these techniques in the Piano technique discussion group on Facebook. Some pretty interesting responses. I myself really appreciate your insights on chord voicings.

[@joecrosby3933]

Very well explained. Thanks!

[@Guidussify]

A really excellent tutorial! Thank you.

[@rafadawabe]

thank you

[@CaptainCaveman782]

that was really interesting! I came for the 3rd definition but the overview was great I have terrible trouble with voicing, I just can't seem to get the keys down at the same time. This video really helped. I never even consider that the melody I often playing with the weaker fingers. Many thanks Subscribed!

[@key-notes]

Thanks so much for your kind words! So glad to hear this helped!

[@christinegaubert5745]

Very timely lesson, I have just started learning Tchaikovsky’s “Morning Prayer” I think your instruction will be very helpful to get this sounding the way it should. Thank you

[@key-notes]

That's a perfect piece for practicing chord voicing. I'll add it to the list of repertoire to add to the key-notes members' area!

[@Erdos777]

@@key-notes I was given this piece to work on chord voicing years ago. It really is wonderful. Such a simple little piece. But so challenging technically.

[@nachoazor7978]

I loved your video, thank you so much!

[@key-notes]

Thank you for your kind words! So glad to hear the video was helpful to you.

[@alex_jpeg]

I’ve been learning piano for 4 months, I’m studying chopins 4th prelude and will perform it for my classes final I’m trying so hard to be able to voice each of the chords so they sound nice as the progress but boy is it hard 😭

[@alex_jpeg]

also that piano is so beautiful, the things I’d do for a real acoustic piano instead or a digital 😩

[@key-notes]

This might not be much of a consolation, but Chopin’s E minor Prelude never gets any easier! Because of the chromaticism of this piece, in which any of the three voices in the left hand creeps downward by a half step, which note to call attention to (to voice) is ever-changing. Keep practicing and best of luck for your performance!

[@Jimyblues]

Excellent!

[@key-notes]

Thank you! Hope these tips are helpful.

[@vripiatbuzoi9188]

That's fine but how does one avoid the hard note from going down before the others? All three techniques tend to make to emphasized note go down first causing a loss of tightness in the chord.

[@key-notes]

That’s a fair point, and understandable. The best answer is to use your ears to listen to make sure all the notes of the chord sound at the same time. As you practice these techniques, you’ll improve the ability to press the keys simultaneously, enough so that any differences in timing are inaudible. Incidentally, two colleagues of mine once shared with me that they performed experiments using Bösendorfer’s recording technology (first SE and later CEUS), in which professional pianists’ playing of chords was recorded and analyzed. To my surprise, they both reported that once you zoom in to the millisecond level, it turns out that even highly trained professionals don’t actually press all the notes of a chord exactly together, even if they sound perfectly together. Then, when the experimenters programmed the computer to play the notes exactly together down to the millisecond, they both told me that the chords somehow didn’t sound as beautiful as when played by professionals. I haven’t heard this experiment myself, but it sound like the core message is that a voiced chord note will indeed be played slightly ahead of other chord notes, but not noticeably so. In practical terms, it means we should rely on our ears! Hope this helps.

[@ur.kr.2814]

@@key-notes This is an extremely helpful elaboration!

[@Erdos777]

Sometimes you may actually want that to happen!

[@DavidMartinez-rk6fd]

Really nice video, congratulations! Almost so nice as your piano!

[@billligon4005]

Question: Is there an easy way to change/unlearn/erase techniques (fingering et al) previously learned wrong? And how to determine the actual need to change/unlearn/erase a particular technique?

[@key-notes]

Due to how the brain learns, there isn't an easy way to unlearn techniques such as fingerings. A new pattern needs to overwhelm the old pattern, but some memory of the old pattern will still linger. That said, I think it's best to be pragmatic about making such changes in your playing. If you're able to achieve what you want musically (and more importantly what the composer wants, to the best of your ability to ascertain it!), and you're able to do so without side effects such as too much tension, then it might not be worth all the effort to change your technique. When learning a new technique, it's best to learn it in a brand new piece of music, one you've never learned. Once you master the new technique in new pieces, you'll find it much easier to use the technique in your familiar repertoire. This is the best way to incorporate new techniques into your playing!

[@stydras3380]

Thanks for the thorough explaination, will try the exercises! Also: Gorgeous Imperial, is it your personal piano?

[@key-notes]

Thank you and I hope the exercises help! Yes, I'm very fortunate to have found the piano of my dreams in this Bösendorfer Imperial. I knew the moment I played the first notes that this was "the one," and Bösendorfer here in Vienna helped make this dream come true. Now I can no longer blame the piano when I don't get the sound I'm after!

[@stydras3380]

@@key-notes Ha! Very fortunate :) I hope I one day can say that aswell. I currently play on an old Blüther which is quite nice and has a lovely sound but has its crooks.

[@key-notes]

@@stydras3380 Blüthners are beautiful! My mentor Paul Badura-Skoda was very proud of his older Blüthner and demonstrated its "aliquot" strings in the treble for me in one of our earlier lessons. Maybe a technician or restorer could fix any issues for you?

[@stydras3380]

@@key-notes Ah yes, the Aliquot system is very nice unfortunately I have quite an old beauty from a time where the Aliquot strings weren't as common. It's from about 1902 :) ! Still, the base especially for the size is gorgeous. As for the "crooks": It's mostly just an old type of action which is bit bit heavy hitting and not so responsive as I wish, but my technician already did a good job adjusting it! Also the treble is a bit weak, but my technician already proposed to set the treble pins a bit more to counter that. Unfortunately Corona is keeping him from coming so I'll have to wait a bit.

[@key-notes]

@@stydras3380 Just be patient and enjoy it until your technician can come... then enjoy it even more!