(25) Staccato Practice, Soft Practice
The literature lists numerous methods for improving technique such as the rhythm method (change the rhythm or accented note), tapping, etc. The biggest drawback with such methods is that they waste time because there are too many rhythms, etc., that you need to practice. A particularly effective method for developing finger independence and accuracy, taught by Combe, is staccato practice (SP) in which every note is played staccato. If initially, you feel awkward playing staccato, it is a diagnostic that there is a weakness in the technique. Thus, like parallel sets, SP is both a diagnostic tool for discovering weaknesses and for strengthening them. Difficulties with smooth runs or hitting notes accurately are remedied with SP. Parallel sets get you up to speed so quickly that you can start HT (hands together) before you have sufficient accuracy to synchronize the two hands accurately. SP is the best way to convert that speed to technique (HS) and to accurately synchronize the two hands (HT). SP should be practiced HT as well as HS.
Chopin taught staccato practice; his method was to practice staccato before practicing legato (Eigeldinger). This works because if you only practice legato, you are always pressing down on the keys, whereas you need the extensor muscles for finger independence and speed. There are three ways to play staccato: by using the fingers only, wrist only, or the arm. Chopin's staccato is different from Beethoven's. For SP, use mostly finger staccato at slow speed because you are practicing for finger independence, then you may need to add very small amounts of wrist and arm staccatos for higher speeds.
Because the finger is off the key after playing the note, you give up control over the hammer in SP. This is another reason why SP is important — for you to practice how to handle the hammer when you give up control over it. SP forces each finger to be responsible for its note, so that a weak finger or missed note is immediately audible. Most students have a weak finger 4, which shows up in SP every time, forcing you to practice it more. SP helps with practicing relaxation because the fingers are not always resting against the piano and especially with rapid relaxation because of the rapid return of the fingers to their rest positions. Bach understood the value of SP and incorporated it into eight of his fifteen Inventions. Although he did not indicate staccatos in his manuscripts, it is clear where it is needed, and most sheet music indicate it.
What is so surprising is that staccato play works at any speed, and with all technical motions such as quiet hands, relaxation, jumps, soft, loud, etc. It is especially effective for practicing fast, soft passages – the holy grail of pianists. Pianissimo technique is best practiced using staccato. SP creates a robust technique so that you can play on any piano, whether the action is light or heavy and strengthens your performance ability. Thus when practicing with staccato, do not change any playing motions – just add staccato.
Those who had never routinely practiced SP may initially find it difficult to play. This is normal; with continued practice, you will be able to play every note with clear staccato. Best of all, your technique will be transformed! By slowing down, you should be able to play every note staccato. Once the slow play is satisfactory, speed up gradually. As speed increases, maintaining staccato will become progressively harder. This is an indication that you need more SP. There is an unmistakeable sign that you have succeeded with SP: that sign is quiet hands [Quiet Hands & Fingers].
SP is helpful for accuracy because you have less help from other fingers to locate the next note, as you do in legato play. It also helps with gaining speed because the staccato motion is inherently faster than legato motion. By practicing staccato at one speed, you are practicing the motions needed at a higher speed because of the faster finger speeds needed for staccato. Thus SP is another method for overcoming speed walls and for increasing speed. At the highest speeds, the staccato and normal motions tend to merge: this tells you something about how to play fast: the fastest plays are mostly staccato motions! The advantages of SP are so numerous and pervasive that they can not all be written down in a few paragraphs, and any accomplished pianist will find an endless number of ways to benefit from it.
SP will greatly improve memorization of the piece because this action is completely different from hand memory. You may find that you need to work on memorization all over again, which is a warning that you had not memorized adequately.
Staccato must be practiced HT to improve the left-right hand coordination. This is especially important for those who use HS practice and parallel sets, both of which reduce the time needed for HT practice, resulting in poor coordination between the two hands. HT-SP is how you compensate for this loss. Repeat: the importance of SP cannot be over- emphasized.
Practice softly: During most practice sessions and especially with SP, the benefits of practicing softly also cannot be over-emphasized. Soft practice minimizes fatigue and stress so that you can practice relaxation and concentrate on technique. Loud practice is easier because it provides crutches that hide technical flaws. You may be able to temporarily play faster by playing louder, but that doesn't teach you technique. With loud practice, you pick up more bad habits, play non-musically, and acquire technique more slowly.
In most instances, listening to students practicing is unpleasant because they are practicing too loud. Beethoven's music teaches us a most important lesson — that music is mostly soft, so that the brief loud sections stand out. However, his music can be so exciting that we are all tempted to play them louder than they should be, which is not musical and bad for technique. Thus even loud sections should be practiced softly until the technique is acquired; otherwise, you may never acquire the technique.
The holy grail of technique is to play rapid passages softly and clearly, like a string of pearls. Soft SP, without pedal [(39) Damper (Sustain) Pedal, Physics of the piano sound], is the only way to get there.