Firm and soft sound extraction

In musical practice, sound does not exist in the abstract by itself. It always has a certain color – timbre, sound power – dynamics, and character, due to the means of articulation and dynamics – a stroke.

       Firm sound extraction

All these components determine the quality of the sound material, its content. Each sound has a certain duration. The duration of the sound is the tempo and tempo rhythm. As in human speech, the meaning and emotional coloring are conveyed by this or that intonation (interrogative, exclamatory, narrative, etc.). With a certain intonation, we pronounce words, phrases, sentences, and even a separate sound has intonation (A! Huh? A…)

The next step in mastering the firm sound extraction will be to work on exercises 1 and 2.

The main goal is to learn to play with free movements, with a sense of the performing apparatus’ freedom. Here it is very important to ensure that the movements of the arm, hand, and fingers do not depend on the intensity of the bellows. The preliminary movement of the bellows and the subsequent strike of the key with the finger makes it possible to obtain a bright, active sound. This can be compared with pronouncing consonants B, P, D, T, G, and K: first, the diaphragm is tensed, then the speech apparatus of the lips and tongue work.

The firm attack of the sound depends on the intensity of the bellows’ pre-moving and the velocity of the key being struck. The brightness of the attack will be more noticeable if, immediately after the appearance of the sound, the left hand is immediately relaxed, thereby reducing the intensity of the bellows. This type of articulation should be mastered on the right keyboard, varying the intensity of the bellows, the height of the hand lift, and the speed of striking the key. It is much more difficult to do this on the left keyboard, since the left hand needs to lead the bellows, which requires the tension of the shoulder muscles, and produce free strikes on the key with the help of the hand and fingers, varying the intensity of the sound attack, as well as its dynamics.

The development of coordination of movements will be facilitated by the exercise “Echo”- playing the same sounds on the right and left keyboards separately.

You need to follow not only the beginning of the sound but also its continuation and ending.

The completion of the sound removal depends on the method of guiding the bellows. If you first stop the bellows and then release the key, the end of the sound will turn out to be soft. Conversely, the end of the sound will be abrupt if the key is released without stopping the bellows.

Exercises 1 and 2 you must learn by ear with the help of a video, provided in this lesson, first with each hand separately, then by combining the parts of the right and left hands.

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

    Soft sound extraction

We have mastered the firm extraction of sound – these are “consonant” sounds. Now we should move on to the study of soft extraction – “vowel” sounds. This type of sound extraction is necessary for the performance of melodious music – cantilena.

The technique of sound extraction is mastered in the following sequence:

• Finger slightly bent and touching the key;
• With a smooth movement of the hand and fingers press the key;
• Start the smooth movement of the bellows, which must not precede the keystroke;
• Having reached the required volume level, you should continue to lead the bellows exactly as long as the duration of the note requires;
• For a soft end of the sound, you need to smoothly stop bellows, then release and raise your forearm from the keyboard; after removal of the finger, the sound of the valve hitting the soundboard should not be heard.

You must ensure that the hand acts as a spring between the fingers and forearm. A soft attack requires active attention and good auditory control from the student. The amplification of the sound should be natural and short-lived since the “bloat” of each note will be perceived by the listener as a mannerism.

In exercise 3, pay attention to the rising and falling intonations in the fourth and eighth measures, which should be performed with the indicated dynamics. You also learn exercises 3 and 4 with the help of a video and then play by ear from different keys, first on the right, then on the left keyboard.

Exercise 3

Exercise 4

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