Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1896-08-06

be seen that this is radically wrong, and
that such would not be the case we're all
teaching based on philosophic principles
In playing the piano habits will neces-
sarily be formed, and movements based
on the natural laws of expression of the
body are more easily acquired, and, when
acquired, enable us to express musical
thoughts more clearly and more forcibly
than habits formed at hup-hazard Tech
mic, as applied to piano playing, is the
power to express musical thoughts This
involves not only the ability to play the
proper notes with correct fingers, but re-
quires such control of the muscles and
nerves that all gradations Of tonal color
ing may be expressed. Piano playing has
been compared to an electric current-the
musical thought emanates from the brain,
passes through the nerves which move
the muscles to be used, the hnger strikes
the key, the hammer strikes wire, which
in it's turn produces a tone, the ear con-
veys the tone back to the brain, thus
completing the circuit. Weak or slug
gish muscles, therefore, not readily yield
ing themselves to the nervous stimulus
flowing from the brain, will break the cir
cult, and the musical phrase will fall short
of the ideal conception.
In piano playing the purely mental in
tellectual phrase finds its expression IN
the crcumscribed movements Of the I'm
gers and hand, using the knuckles or wrist
as the center of motion. Passages from
Bach's ''Fugues and Inventions" admira-
bly, illustrate this statement. An emo
tional phrase demands more freedom of
movement, which the frmness of the ell
bow-the emotional center-and length
of the forearm readily supply. Climaxes
and passionate outbursts of musical feel
ing demand the added strength and wider
swing through space of the; entire arm
from the vital center of the shoulder.
From a technical standpoint [ classify
all music under five general heads-oc-
taves, chords, arpeggios, scales and EN-
vided Octaves are of FIVE varieties,
namely, legato, staccato, broken, inter-
locking and deceptive. Chords are either
broken or solid In order to play an ar
peggio properly it must be taught in ten
or twelve different ways, and the pupil
will then understand how to correctly
practice all arpeggios. / usually teach
the principles Of arpeggios before at
tempting scales, as the movements of the
arm, wrist and fingers are very much the
same in both. and are more easily compre-
hended in the former than in the latter.
Under the head of embellishments | in
clude all varieties of trills, mordents and
appogiaturas.
[ consider the wrist the distributing
center for the energy Of the upper and
forearm. 1t is impossible for the nerv-
Gus stimulus from the brain to be properly
conducted to the finger tips when the
many tendons that pass through the wrist
are tense. Almost every pupil beginning
the study of the piano has some uncon-
scious mannerism Or trick peculiar to him
self of using the agents of expression.
Before Graduating these bad habits and
building up those which are correct, a
certain condition of passivity or relaxa-
ton must be achieved, just as the pot
ters' clay must be rendered soft and plas-
tic before it can be modelled into the de-
sired FORMS l find for this purpose the
Delsartean exercises known as relaxing
or devitalizing of inestimable value to the
beginner and advanced student alike.
We can utter so many words with one
breath, and when that is exhausted we
must draw upon the reservoir-the air
for another supply. We can play rapid
succession Of notes with given sup
ply of nerve energy. and when that is ex-
hausted we must draw upon the reservoir
the brain-for another supply. This
necessity Of our physical nature is the
basis of rhythm, and if the regularly re-
curing inclination to build up the waste
is unheeded. health and strength will be
impaired. Do not wait until a sensation
of WEAKNESS is felt before renewing the
energy. as we should no more play with
exhausted strength than speak with ex-
hausted breath
While conscious technic kills expression,
the very core Of the true system of tech
Iical expression is embodied in Hamlet's
advice to the players, Suit the action to
the word which. freely adapted, may be
made to read Suit the technical inter
probation to the musical thought
Copyrighted.