COURSE SUPPLEMENT

TWO CORE PRINCIPLES

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SOUND AND TOUCH: LESSON 2

BORIS BERMAN – INSTRUCTOR

“When pianists talk about beautiful sound, they usually mean a

singing, long-lasting tone that reveals as little as possible of the piano’s
inherently percussive nature.”

There are two general strategies for producing sound on the

piano. Berman defines them as “in” and “out” playing. They
both try to mask the attack, when the hammer hits the string.

1. With the “in” way of playing, the finger gradually immerses

into the key.

To visualize this, imagine fingers

growing roots in the keyboard, or
pressing on a very ripe strawberry.The
hands should have a slow speed and
move continuously. Continue descending
into the key, rather than stopping at the
moment of the attack.

2. The “out” type is the opposite. The sound is produced by a

quick stroke, as if the finger left the key even before the
sound could be heard.

This type of action is similar to playing the

harp (is not the piano a horizontally placed
harp?). The harpist strikes and then
escapes the string almost before the note
is produced, otherwise the finger will
dampen the sound.

Watch the lesson at tonebase.co Berman 1

 With "out" playing, don't direct the sound downward into the keyboard. The
movement here is a circular one, as if passing through the key without stopping. It
is the same type of movement as "follow-through" in baseball or tennis–the
racquet pass the point of collision and continue in a circular motion.

Berman prefers to switch from one type to another depending

on the circumstances. Generally, intense or introverted music
benefits from the “in” way of playing. Something more
extroverted and outspoken requires the “out” way of playing.

For loud passages, the “in” approach almost never succeeds.

Playing loudly, we must activate the key faster.

For the first theme of the first

movement of the Fourth Concerto by
Beethoven, you can play either "in" or
"out". However, when it appears in
forte in the recapitulation, the only
good way for Berman is “out". Playing
“in” brings in the unwelcome pressure.
See below for the excerpts that Berman
refers to .

Watch the lesson at tonebase.co Berman 2

 Brahms Op. 119 No. 1 mm. 1-5

Chopin Nocturne Op. 48 No. 1 mm. 1-3

Chopin Nocturne Op. 15 No. 2 mm. 1-4

Watch the lesson at tonebase.co Berman 3

 Chopin Polonaise Fantasie, Op. 61, mm. 1-2

Beethoven Concerto No. 4, 1st movement, mm. 1-5

Beethoven Concerto no. 4, 1st movement, mm. 253-257

Watch the lesson at tonebase.co Berman 4