How to Play Piano with Feeling: Part 3
The gift of knowing how to play piano with feeling is – not really a gift but the skill resulting from lots of practice and growth as a pianist, which can take some time. But playing “with feeling” is like having an engaging conversation that is highly interesting, even somewhat emotional – as opposed to playing “with no feeling” (just technically accurate), which is like struggling to stay awake during a boring lecture. Sort of.
Can someone be taught to be a dynamic speaker? It’s certainly possible. Think of that comparison as you look at different ways to create playing that is more engaging and interesting.
We have explored how to play piano with feeling by using:
- various dynamics of sound: soft vs. loud
- including rubato by varying the tempos of sections or just a few notes (rob time from one note and give to another)
- and having “fluid playing” – not continuously pausing on the bar lines
The Arpeggio
Another aspect of how to play piano with feeling is appropriately adding arpeggios in your performances. An arpeggio is rapidly playing one note of a chord at a time (a broken chord), instead of all at once.
You may be surprised at how often arpeggios are written into pieces. Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, for example, and Clocks by Coldplay. The same pattern of the notes of the same chords are played repeatedly. Sometimes slowly as individual notes, or fast as played on a harp.
The word arpeggio comes from the Italian word “arpeggiare” – which means to play on a harp. You can imagine a harpist plucking one string at a time or strumming a glissando over a section of strings (Here’s a demonstration.)
Arpeggio broken chords are great to use to “fill in” between the melody notes, or in-between beats of the accompaniment. The beginning of “Cheers” comes to mind because it illustrates this very well. And also John Denver’s “You Fill Up My Senses.” One of my favorites: Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama“.
It Comes Down to Chords!
As you can tell, any way chosen to play arpeggios, slower broken chords, or filler in-between melody notes depends on knowing the chords. Understanding chord construction shoots you to a higher level of piano performance and composition. It instantly improves sight-reading skills because, if you know the chord, you know what note/s will come next – because they are part of the chord!
It is so enlightening and fun when you understand why and how the composer chose certain chords for a certain song! You truly can know how to play piano with feeling once you know the foundation of chords within a song – because knowing the notes used from the chord frees your thinking to concentrate on how with feeling you want to play – and not have to stay hung up on figuring out note-reading.
Next week will be introducing a process to construct the chords you want – nearly instantaneously!
How to Play Piano with Feeling
As you have already realized, the volume dynamics, the fluid playing, the rubato, and the appropriate addition of arpeggios – these all take time to develop in your playing. However, you can start with small embellishments in your daily playing that are comfortable and build on that each week, more and more!
Leslie Young is the author/composer of the Revolutionary Piano Method. She co-founded a K-12th grade charter school in Texas and has been a piano teacher for about 40 years. She has had experience teaching a variety of students tackling piano for the first time or as returning student
She states: “In teaching piano to students of varying ages, what also varies is a commitment of time and the amount of dedication. Children of certain ages may do very well with a parent as teacher; others may need someone who is not family to instruct them. Some older children and adults prefer to make progress on their own, and this method is designed to act as a meticulous guide through new material. Some adults and teens insist on professional teachers, which also encourages continuity. Because these books are self-explanatory, a new or experienced professional teacher will have no trouble using the Revolutionary Piano Method with students. It is an easy way to learn piano.”
Leslie believes that “learning to play the piano is more about diligence and perseverance” – but would add that just as critical to success is the method that is used, the encouragement of critical thinking, and the instructional principles that promote immediate success.
What Would the First Lesson for a Young Student Look Like?
What Would the First Lesson for a 6 to Teen Look Like (video)?
View sample pages of all the books for students
ages 6 to teen:
View sample pages of all the books for students
4 to 5 years old:
View sample pages of all the books for older
teens and adults:
View the books on Amazon:
