September 2000: Arpeggi vs. Rolled Chords - Unit 3

One of the most difficult things about playing our instrument is achieving equal tonal and equal timing control with all four fingers of each hand. This is a consistent problem in all of our playing, but it is an essential component in the proper debelopment of arpeggi and rolled chords.

EQUAL TIMING CONTROL refers to the ability to play each note equidistant from it nieghbors. For example, let's say you are playing a series of eighth notes. It is far easier to execute the note that falls precisely ON the beat point than it is to do the same for the note that falls precisely HALF WAY through the beat. When you are trying to play an arpeggio, or even more difficult, a rolled chord, the ability to control WHEN each finger plays is the primary source of problems. You want to play equidistant notes but one or another of your fingers plays earlier or later (albeit by just a teeny tad of time) and the arpeggio becomes uneven and sounds uncontrolled.

EQUAL TONAL CONTROL refers to the ability to play each note at precisely the same volume level, or, to play sequentially louder or sequentially softer notes when executing a crescendo or decrescendo passage. Listen to yourself play a simple sequence of notes in a melody. Do all your notes sound the same, or rather, are some weaker or more outstanding than others? Admittedly, there are times when we want to emphasize a note. But when the emphasis is not intended we need to be able to control the power with which each finger plays.

How does one achieve these goals? The first step is to do daily finger exercises within which you concentrate on complete closure of each and every finger every time you play a note. But in addition, you must listen very critically. Are all my notes of equal strength? Are all my notes equidistant (providing that is what is notated)?

Never consider an exercise as a piece of music but rather as a series of single notes that must be individually controlled. Gradually, you can then learn to control a sequence of notes so each one is equally strong and equally spaced - which I like to call "EQ'd".

See you next month.

Stephanie

you can access Units 1 and 2 of this lesson in The Archives

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