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On piano keyboardsNovember 25th, 2008
The keyboard: we find it enjoyable or we hate it because too heavy, we blame it for all evil or we praise it because it has let us play well. Each mechanics is different and gives the pianist a different feeling when playing. I received several questions about this topic from a reader, which I will try to answer.
A first received idea is that it’s easier to play with a lighter keyboard. I don’t agree with it. If a light keyboard gives less “work”, it poses other problems, notably the need of an even more precise control. For example, Horowitz’s Steinway is so light that most pianists are unable to play it: a simple finger lying on the keyboard is enough to play a bad note.
A second received idea is that all the pianos of the same brand are identical. If it is almost true just out of the factory, the instrument is then tuned and maintained according to other criterions and mostly by other technicians. A Steinway D can be heavy or light, all depends on mechanical tunings! Proof of this being Krystian Zimmermann, in order to avoid possible annoyances with the piano mechanics he has on stage, travels with his own Steinway mechanics. Moreover, the feeling of heaviness doesn’t only come from its mechanics on its own, but also from its mechanical harmonization. On the other hand, the Steinway tone richness and the almost infinite possibilities of their mechanics are important arguments which make me choose Steinway on stage.
Finally, I wanted to say that two kinds of pianists exist. Pianists very sensitive to mechanics and those who are not. Horowitz was part of the first category, only playing on his piano, whereas Richter was almost insensible and could adapt to all keyboards. All of this is finally a question of the pianist’s technique: some have a technique which enable them to play all types of pianos and others do not.
Among pianists, some like heavy keyboards and some like light ones: there’s no accounting for taste! And you, what do you prefer?