How to Play Portato (Portamento) on the Piano

[TheDalayur]

jesus, Luke Skywalker faked his own death to play piano.

[xin]

portato is NOT THE SAME as portamento. portamento is a pitch sliding from one note to another!!!

[RuthlessAboutMusic]

thank you for that simple definition! So many of my teachers have always over complicated this technique and I like that you gave its definition with the phase "how much you like" thank you so much

[P.Robert-mr]

your definition of potato is absolutely correct. However Portamento is different and doesn't exist on piano . At some stage in the 19th century it got mixed in certain theory books. The original portamento is a continuous slide from one pitch for instance on violin which is obviously not reproducible on a piano, whereby the portato as you rightly say is a semi legato where your transport one note to the other, usually using the same finger . the combined effect of trying to make a legato using the same finger achieve the desired effect.

[royrosales]

Very enlightening video on pedal use. Thank you. Really appreciate this.

[guestbedroomstudios]

You are a clear and well spoken instructor, thanks for explaining this, my son had a song he needed this explained better for and you helped a great deal. Thanks.

[carnivalcruiserbill]

I like the Mozart K. 330 2nd movement as an example of portato. The word portamento should not be used in piano playing as portato and portamento have two different meanings. 

[zhaixi]

Portato is not Portamento, they have diffrent meaning, right？

[enzocypriani]

You played that mozart very beautifully

[FelixFrost]

the 2nd ballade of Chopin starts beautifully this way

[penny]

i was taught to use the slid /wipe touch as well, now do struggle while teaching student . thnk u . found more ways now

[maximulin]

Could you do a video about all the different dynamics (pianissimo, mezzo forte, fortissimo, ...), please? I'm a beginning Belgian piano student and I really love your videos a lot! I would love you to make a video about it, that would help me out so much! Thanks :)

[wez]

Incorrect early on about winds and legato..."start the first note and everything is on the breath." In the case of brass, one adds a soft tongue (Da tongue stroke/syllable) to each legato note. On valved brass not articulating for legato can be done but is not the best way to play legato. In particular, on trombone, not tonguing each note for legato gives a glissando!

[sigmundalcover]

If portato is not legato and not staccato but something in between, how is it different from playing a piece without any marking in it such as slurs, staccato or etc.? If its played the same, then why mark the portato notes?

[SergeyNeiss]

Portamento and portato are two different things!

[Wandelbart]

Very good explaination and examples. But even stars like Louis Amstrong and Ella Fitzgerald were not able to find a common ground in that discussion:

"You like potato and I like portato
You like tomato and I like tomahto
Potato, portato, tomato, tomahto
Let's call the whole thing off"

[fedorvoronovcomposer]

Hey, motherYars, from Google (with love)(brutal, non platonic act of loving quite physically that is):

portamento

ˌpɔːtəˈmɛntəʊ/

noun

MUSIC

1.

a slide from one note to another, especially in singing or playing the violin.

"some schmaltzy portamentos"

2.

piano playing in a manner intermediate between legato and staccato.

"a portamento style"

[Vampyreq]

Personally I find that playing repeated notes using different fingering puts my finger in a more relaxed state. It might just be a psychological, but playing repeated notes using the same finger "locks" your hand into the same position. Possibly causing tension?

And I find it more fun to play repeated notes using different fingers, I can strike the keys in a more "natural" way I guess? I can't fully explain it, but try playing
Friedrich Kuhlau's Op 20, No .2
You might get what I mean...

[diamondaxe]

Ah, on the electone organ i have, portamento is one note sliding to the next note without any distiction between notes.

[MrCapacitors]

On my Roland fp7f electronic piano I have plastic keys that have more friction than on my old fp8 piano.The keys even looks like ivory keys on the newer piano.