Three Families of Sound (3.1)

Observe three approaches to producing sound: round, rhythmic and ringing.

• Using choral voicing [SATB] in C Major, play (from the bottom) C-G E-C, only with fingers 1 and 5 in each hand.
• Lift, drop, and follow through, 'rounding' the arms slightly in the direction of the 5th fingers of each hand to decelerate your downward motion.
• The Round Sound is produced by a slower, moderated key speed vis-à-vis the Rhythmic and Ringing Sounds.

• Use the same choral voicing [SATB] as in the previous chapter on the Round Sound. In C Major, play (from the bottom) C-G E-C, only with fingers 1 and 5 in each hand.
• Use a sudden thrust attack, an unprepared motion initiated with the fingers on the surface of the keys and moving forward, toward the fallboard, by moving the upper arm forward.
• As with the round sound, decelerate by slowing down the forward motion after the initial attack.
• Experiment with different key speeds by starting with fingers on the key surface and thrusting forward, either more or less quickly.
• The Rhythmic Sound is often appropriate when accents or sforzando are indicated in repertoire.

• Use the same choral voicing [SATB] as in the previous videos on Round and Rhythmic Sound. In C Major, play (from the bottom) C-G E-C, only with fingers 1 and 5 in each hand.
• Like the Rhythmic Sound, the Ringing Sound results from a sudden, unprepared motion.
• The Ringing Sound uses much more energy through the fingers, by utilising the fastest key speeds, and the greatest focus in the fingertips.
• The Ringing Sound is essentially a staccato attack, whether or not it is played with pedal.
• The Ringing Sound is appropriate for bravura passages, including when playing larger-scale piano concertos. For example, at the opening of Tchaikovsky’s Concerto No. 1, the Ringing Sound allows the piano to be heard over an orchestra, with so much less effort than with either the round or rhythmic approaches to sound.