From movement to sound

Towards a personal and reflexive performance

Abstract

This paper aims to motivate reflection and substantiation of the various phenomena involved in piano practice, developing a body of knowledge that allows us to better understand what happens during piano performance and thus improve our mastery over it. As the title indicates: "From movement to sound" is intended to address all the steps that are involved in piano practice to the performance of the musician, from which the same process is fed back.

Playing the piano is an art of movement, which implies the conscious use of the energy needed to trigger each sound and, along with it, notions of freedom to adapt these principles to the individuality of each pianist. In addition, the modern piano has a mechanism that allows a much richer range of sonorities than its predecessors, but to achieve them, the use of energy must be meticulously measured having a clear idea of the sound we want to produce, exploring different gestural techniques that allow us to achieve it safely and accurately. On the other hand, the search for an embodiment of the sound produced, both physically and mentally, is extremely enriching within the framework of piano interpretation processes.

In addition, emphasis is placed on interpretation from a deep and detailed analysis, the active listening of each sound that feeds back the processes of reflection on one's own practices, and the awareness of one's own emotions and feelings that gives a personal seal to each interpretation.