Dynamics. Contrast. Variety. <-- these are the things I lack.
When I listen to music, those are the qualities I love most. Horowitz modified the keys on his piano so he could have a greater dynamic range. Maybe it's because I'm naturally timid, and that is translated into timid piano playing. Horowitz was once asked who was the angel and who was the devil between he and his wife. He said he was both. As a musician, both qualities are necessary to convey emotion that keeps the audience interested.
Take a pencil. Draw 10 boxes in a row on a white sheet of paper. Leave box 1 white. In the 10th box, fill it in as black as you can. Fill in the rest of the boxes from the blackest shade, all the way to pure white. You should end up with a relatively smooth gradient. Think of each box as a dynamic level. ppp being the white box, and fff being the black box.
The point of dynamics is NOT how smooth the gradient from white to black is, it is how many boxes you use.
Take two great pianists: Vladimir Horowitz and Artur Rubinstein. Here, each play the same song; Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 35 "Funeral March." This is the very slow and eerie (and famous) third movement.
Rubinstein (watch at least until the 3:00 mark)
Horowitz (watch at least until the 2:15 mark):
Hear the difference? Rubinstein's performance was even and predictable, but lacked emotion. He used only half of his boxes. Horowitz uses his entire dynamic range. The emotion he conveys is inimitable.
What was all that about? Well, I only use 3 or 4 boxes, and those few boxes are on the white end of the scale. I play timidly. I don't convey enough "devil" when it's called for. I play music, but I don't vary dynamics much, and that makes for boring music. The skill and technicality is there, but the music is not.
Anyway, I have a lot to work on this week.
4 comments:
The only thing that would make that Horowitz one better would have it be better than 240 on youtube so the sound would be better.
You're hurting my brain with these posts. I feel like I'm in school again.
i used to play that main theme on our green family piano when I was a eleven recording spooky soundtracks for scary stories Lorrie and I acted out.
Horowitz makes it sound like the funeral procession complete with professional mourners is approaching the gravesite where you are standing and when they arrive you are accidentally pushed into the grave. And then you die, too and are in heavenly bliss and maybe the people left behind on earth are also in a blissful state because you are not there anymore. But then the funeral procession begins again, because this time, it's your funeral.
Post a Comment