Interpretation and Tempo – One Final, Critical Tip
Good piano performance demands pianists know and obey this rule
In past essays (here and also here) we have discussed the mechanical aspects of performing with good tempo and the musicality of performing with good tempo. In closing these essays, I want to offer one further, critical guideline. My piano students have greatly benefited from following it.
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“Slow and steady beats fast and erratic every time”
This is a catchy way to express a basic truth about both what a piano student CAN do and SHOULD do regarding tempo. It will seem to some that I’m repeating myself. Perhaps I am, but this point certainly bears repeating.
Artistically, the fundamental assumption of every single listener I’ve ever encountered in 40 years of professional performance is that the underlying beat of the music is STEADY. A listener does not even need to know a particular piece of music to know that STEADY is how it is supposed to go. Even with accelerations and decelerations, steadiness rules.
Technically, this truth sets the pace for your performance. No matter what your desire, good performance requires you to play the piece only as fast as you can keep the beat while not making errors. Pauses, wrong notes, confusion, stop and start; all these things indicate that you are performing too damned fast. Slow down. It is not relevant whether you like it or not. A good performance demands EVEN playing.
It must be noted here that if your audience is ONLY yourself, then all bets are off. You are welcome to do any old thing that makes you happy. If you prefer a stop-start-redo style of piano playing then go to it. Do NOT, however, make the mistake of thinking anyone else prefers their piano music this way. Listeners find such a performance sadly lacking in quality. Additionally, you personally will never get to enjoy the physical sensation of making music with a good, solid, steady rhythm if you chose to play this uneven way. If you don’t mind making these sacrifices, then fine, but know that they ARE sacrifices you WILL make.
Additionally, this type of playing is not very effective practice, either. Think of it. You hit the wrong note – once. You stop and then hit the right note – once – and move on. From your hands’ point of view, it’s a 50/50 proposition whether next time you will hit a “correct” note or a “wrong” note. Want to improve your odds of always hitting the correct note? Then stop moving forward in the music and practice hitting that correct note again and again and again. Only by grooving-in the action by sheer repetition can you increase your body’s chances of always doing “the right thing.” This is covered in many other essays in the category “Practicing.” For more advanced coverage of this topic and many others see the ebook “Dan Starr’s Big Book of Adult Piano” available here.
Tags: interpretation, Pianists, Piano, Piano Performance, piano students, Tempo
