Tone on the Piano

Wait, you can have good tone on a piano? I thought you just pushed the key and it made a sound. I thought tone had everything to do with the piano and nothing to do with the player. That’s what I thought the first time my piano teacher talked to me about tone.

Wait, you can have good tone on a piano? I thought you just pushed the key and it made a sound. I thought tone had everything to do with the piano and nothing to do with the player.

That’s what I thought the first time my piano teacher talked to me about tone. I was playing Debussy. It was flowy and beautiful, so she taught me to stroke the keys as I played.

The other way to have good tone is to have perfect hand position – no collapsing fingers, no flat fingers, no collapsed wrists. Your hand needs to be perfectly rounded, wrists at or above the hand, and a strong (not stiff) first finger joint.

Scales

Scales are a great tool for any number of things because they’re simple and should be memorized. The other instruments begin their practice with tone, and piano should be no exception. Play your scales slowly and watch your hands like a hawk.

Scales are a separate category of practice from tone. This is practicing tone, and it should be done before scales. Scales usually have a different focus, given to you by your teacher or your personal goals.

Should I Practice Both Kinds Of Tone Each Day?

Maybe. It depends on how long you practice each day. If you’re practicing for half an hour per day, just pick one. Start with the perfect hand position one until it’s mastered. Afterwards, master the finger stroke. If you have already mastered both, then alternate each day.

If you’re practicing for an hour or longer per day, then practice each kind of tone each day. If you’re in the inbetweeny stage where you’re practicing between half an hour and an hour per day, then go with your gut. If it’s boring to you, just do it once. If you enjoy it, do both kinds.

What About My Other Music?

As you practice tone, your good tone will naturally expand to the other music. It will stay in the back of your mind because you began your practice with concentrating on it.