Is Legato Made With the Fingers?

In this video, Charles expands on a quote from Stephen Hough about legato, what it truly is, and how to better achieve it at the piano, including a talk through some measures of Rachmaninoff's Prelude in D, Op. 23 No. 4.

Charles Szczepanek is an international prize-winning pianist, has collaborated with GRAMMY Award winners, and has taught music for over 20 years to everyone from his next-door neighbor to finalists on NBC's America's Got Talent. Through Pianist Academy, he now brings that wealth of knowledge to you: the beginner, the intermediate, the professional, or the fellow music teacher.

Chapters:
00:00 - What is Legato?
00:36 - Stephen Hough on Legato
01:17 - Awkward Fingerings to Achieve Finger Legato?
03:18 - 4 Examples in Rachmaninoff Prelude in D, Op. 23 No. 4
11:53 - Summary and Practice Questions

#pianolessons
#pianolegato
#piano
#charlesszczepanek
#pianistacademy

[PedroStreicher]

This topic is so important... I don't know how in 2023 there are still so many piano teachers who forces de student to do a finger legatto even in the most uncomfortable and dangerous passages. Thanks. Great video as always.

[FlexLessons]

As a fellow teacher, I appreciate how reasonable and clear your instruction is. Great video!

[jowr]

Such an important topic. In Taubman lingo, "enslavement to notation", also "trying to connect the unconnectible".

[KuronekoJo]

My current piano teacher taught that idea at my first lesson (I only had 2 years of piano lessons with other old school teachers at my senior age), and yes, I was able to put my fingers in proper position and less tense, release right away because I don’t need to hold on to the notes. I was using half pedaling in Burgmuller op100-1 even the sound got a bit too dissonant due to scale-like phrases, but I started to enjoy creating sound with pedal because even playing one single note, if with pedal, sound could sing differently. Later on, I learned to play some Baroque pieces without pedal, but since my fingers weren’t so tense, I could experiment different voice tones.

But I was invited by this piano teacher who’s not my teacher but an acquaintance, to join her recital with her other adult students, and she asked me to play it once just so she can check the people who’s joining her recital, and when I played the Burgmuller op100-1 with very light pedal, not even with any dissonance but she told me not to use penal at all in her recital. She’s in her late 60s, once studied in Vienna, but I was shocked when she said Burgmuller op100 should be no pedal except “Ave Maria”. She probably never understands how piano could sing in different voices. I asked her “what about the left chords when it has to transfer to distant place?” She said I should play right hand melody longer than it has to be, so it’s not so obvious. I’m glad she’s not my piano teacher.

My current teacher says, if a student is small, and can’t use pedal, or they can’t produce the sound properly, what’s important is making them listen to the piece by teacher’s demonstration to let them feel that this is how piano can sing.

I don’t actually mind if I can’t use the pedal for that piece, just for that occasion because I enjoy playing all I want at home with sound I want to create. But one can’t enjoy music if teacher limits her students that way.

[Vmokritsk]

Great video and excellent example. Looking back, I can say that trying to finger-legato every line marked legato (especially in romantic music) was the biggest obstacle to relaxed hands, smooth sound and natural phrasing during my students years, but I simply did not have enough courage to ‘think out of the tradition’. Being a teacher now, I see that finding the most reasonable movement is an extremely important task for piano player. And it turns out to be a very creative part of our work, because there are almost no marks regarding physical movements in piano music notation: everything tells you what should sound but not how to achieve it actually. You just have to reinvent proper movements, using your taste and experience (and common sense, of course).

[hetedeleambacht]

Maybe interesting to insert a video of your foot pedaling? So nice to see how precisely subtle pedaling is used creating legato yet having each note clearly audible

[hetedeleambacht]

excellent video on legato, one of the best i ve seen so far on youtube

[TommysPianoCorner]

I totally agree. I think it is even more important for pianists with smaller hands where even notes relatively close together can cause an uncomfortable stretch between the fingers. Yet people will still argue that it should be strived for at all costs - go figure 😊

[lawrencetaylor]

This is out of my pay grade, but it makes perfect sense. Hopefully I'll finish my Method Book Volume 1 with a clear path for the future.

[piano]

Technically, you could do a finger substitution from 5-1 on the F# so it can still be held during the counter melody. Just saying it's possible, though I never did that when playing the piece myself.

[TaoistDragon]

It is definitely the biggest misconception about piano that it's played all with the hands. Good pedal technique is just as important to the overall piano playing. I do appreciate you using Rachmaninoff as an example as well because the common "joke" about playing Rachmainoff is that you need gigantic hands. It shows that using different skill sets like pedal technique can turn what could have been an awkward passage into something that flows very naturally.

[hetedeleambacht]

lesson: dont create tension trying to play legato, if you can use a pedal to create legato, i wonder harpsichord and early piano music must ve used quite different fingering then later classical music...how interesting! I didnt realise that

[nezkeys]

What about people who say play legato without the pedal? I actually think that without the pedal that a lot of phrases sound awful / borderline impossible to play legato

[serwoolsley]

Mmmm why do i feel most teachers always think finger legato >>>> pedal legato, even when passage is awkward and uncomfortable?

[JoeLinux]

"Fake your Legato". This is why I don't care for pianos that are too bright. From my perspective, the weighting of the notes is critical. Clearly all skilled pianists have the ability to make the music flow. I've never been a person who can play without pedal. You have to listen to your own playing, and another factor for me is that it takes quite a while for a piece to settle in.

[richierocha]

What is the deal of teaching Legato with your fingers when using the pedal all the time. It just doesn't teach me anything and doesn't make sense. I will go further, there is NO sign of a sustain pedal on the sheet. Now, don't get me wrong, it sounds great and you play very nice, but this doesn't go with the title. or the title should be " Legato mode is not made with your fingers"