Make The Piano Sing

MAKE THE PIANO SING
BEETHOVEN, CHOPIN, & LISZT TEACH LEGATO
LEARN MORE AT TONEBASE.CO/PIANO

MAKE THE PIANO SING
BEETHOVEN, CHOPIN, & LISZT TEACH LEGATO
In Italian, legato literally means “tied” or “bound.” In music,

legato is a term that instructs us to play in a smooth,
connected style with no audible breaks between notes.
In this way, legato is a kind of articulation, often contrasted

with staccato (“detached”) articulation. Standard notation for
legato playing is either the word legato or a slur over the notes
that the composer wishes to be played legato.
As pianists, we have to work especially hard to play in a legato

style. String, wind, and brass players can vary the dynamic
level of a single pitch by modifying bow pressure and airflow.
Consequently, they can use dynamic variation to give a sense
of direction to every note they play, which helps them create
connected musical phrases.
When we depress a key at the piano, however, the resulting

sound immediately fades. Even when we depress the sustain
pedal, the sound will eventually die. As a result, we have to
find creative ways of achieving a legato sound.
Luckily for us, dynamic variation is only one way – this PDF
explores how Beethoven, Chopin, and Liszt approached legato
playing as performers and pedagogues.

TOUCH & FINGER PLACEMENT
To achieve a smooth, legato sound, let’s first consider our

touch – how our fingers connect with the keys.
While we use our fingertips (near the nails) to produce an effective staccato
sound, we can use our finger pads to achieve a successful legato sound.
Auguste Boissier, the mother of one

of Liszt’s students, recalled that the
composer-pianist encouraged her
daughter to practice legato playing
with the “palm” of the finger,
because its softness and resilience
helped to give her tone a “lovely
mellowness.”

TOUCH & FINGER PLACEMENT
Beethoven instructed his students to
achieve a legato sound by playing
close to the keys, namely, by placing
the hands over the keyboard “…in
such a position that the fingers need
not be raised more than is
necessary. This is the only method
by which the player can learn…to
make the instrument sing.”
"THIS IS THE ONLY METHOD BY WHICH THE PLAYER CAN

LEARN TO MAKE THE INSTRUMENT SING." - BEETHOVEN

MAKE THE PIANO SING!
Notice that Beethoven
encouraged his students to
make the piano "sing."
Legato playing is often compared to

cantabile (singable) playing, and we
can enhance our legato by imagining
ourselves as singers.
Beethoven viewed the notes within a musical phrase as a series of stressed

and unstressed syllables, occasionally even adding words to a particular
melody and singing it.
Imagining ourselves as singers helps us to

achieve connected, natural phrasing. To
Chopin, unnatural phrasing sounded “…as
if someone were reciting, in a language
not understood by the speaker, a speech
carefully learned by rote in the course of
which the speaker not only neglected the
natural quantity of the syllables, but even
stopped in the middle of words.”
Directionless and riddled with musical hiccups, unnatural phrasing

undermines legato playing and – needless to say! – should be avoided.

MATCH THE PIANO'S DECAY
In other words, the dynamic level at which a note ends should determine the
dynamic level of the note we play next. If we don’t match these dynamic
levels, we unintentionally accent each note we play, and our phrases sound
disconnected as a result.
To play in a legato style, we need to listen carefully

to each note’s decay.
In other words, the dynamic level at which a note ends should determine the
dynamic level of the note we play next. If we don’t match these dynamic
levels, we unintentionally accent each note we play, and our phrases sound
disconnected as a result.
Ultimately, the longer a note lasts, the more it decays. When we play slow
music, we often find ourselves holding notes for quite some time.
Consequently, we must pay especially close attention to the decay of our
notes when performing in more leisurely tempos.

FINGER PEDALING
One technique that we may use to play in a legato style is
finger pedaling.
While the sustain pedal certainly allows us to connect notes that would
otherwise be impossible or very difficult to play legato, our fingers can create
a similar sustained effect on their own.
Clementi advises pianists to “…keep down

the first key till the next has been struck…”
This is perhaps the most fundamental step
towards achieving a legato style.
To finger pedal, we take this idea further,

only releasing the first key after we hear a
brief overlap with the next. The resulting
subtle blur in sound enhances the
connectedness of our musical phrases.
Beethoven knew this: in his annotated

edition of Cramer’s études, he includes
directions for finger pedaling sixteenth-
note sequences: “To obtain the strictest
legato, the finger must not be lifted off
the first note of each group until the
fourth note is to be struck.”

CONCLUSION
Clementi notes that many passages in Beethoven’s work require a legato
touch even when the composer did not indicate this articulation with the
conventional slur. This, however, he believes “a cultivated taste will
instinctively perceive.”
As we develop our own musical

tastes and grow as pianists, we
learn that legato playing is often the
default. Clementi echoes this
sentiment: “When the composer
leaves the staccato and legato to
the performer’s taste the best rule is
to adhere chiefly to the legato,
reserving the staccato to give spirit
occasionally to certain passages,
and to set off the higher beauty of
the legato.”
While we have to master all kinds of articulations as pianists, we are already

well on our way to success if we begin by practicing our legato!
"...GIVE SPIRIT TO CERTAIN PASSAGES AND SET OFF

THE HIGHER BEATUY OF THE LEGATO." - CLEMENTI

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MAKE THE PIANO SING

BEETHOVEN, CHOPIN, & LISZT TEACH LEGATO

LEARN MORE AT TONEBASE.CO/PIANO

In Italian, legato literally means “tied” or “bound.” In music,

In this way, legato is a kind of articulation, often contrasted

As pianists, we have to work especially hard to play in a legato

When we depress a key at the piano, however, the resulting

LEARN MORE AT TONEBASE.CO/PIANO

To achieve a smooth, legato sound, let’s first consider our

Auguste Boissier, the mother of one

LEARN MORE AT TONEBASE.CO/PIANO

"THIS IS THE ONLY METHOD BY WHICH THE PLAYER CAN

LEARN MORE AT TONEBASE.CO/PIANO

Legato playing is often compared to

Beethoven viewed the notes within a musical phrase as a series of stressed

Imagining ourselves as singers helps us to

Directionless and riddled with musical hiccups, unnatural phrasing

LEARN MORE AT TONEBASE.CO/PIANO

To play in a legato style, we need to listen carefully

LEARN MORE AT TONEBASE.CO/PIANO

Clementi advises pianists to “…keep down

To finger pedal, we take this idea further,

Beethoven knew this: in his annotated

LEARN MORE AT TONEBASE.CO/PIANO

As we develop our own musical

While we have to master all kinds of articulations as pianists, we are already

"...GIVE SPIRIT TO CERTAIN PASSAGES AND SET OFF

LEARN MORE AT TONEBASE.CO/PIANO

In-depth masterclasses on repertoire

Skill-building lessons on technique

Foundational courses for beginners

Interviews and special features

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