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Hi

I would like some advice. I am working on the dynamics on Bach Inventions no 9, especially on the “>” accents that appear for both the treble and bass clefs. I noticed I can ‘hit’ the accents on the treble clef without applying equal force with the left hand; but I cant seem to isolate the required force with the left hand only, I end up accentuating the right hand too.

Any advice and techniques to isolate the left hand, or even the right hand? Thx in advance.

There are a lot of things that help to develop complete hand independence, which is basically what you're after.

Probably the first thing is to learn to play LH louder than RH - it helps if you have a piece in which the tune is in LH, or where the tune alternates between RH and LH, so you get used to always playing the tune louder whichever hand has the tune. (Then you play the melodic notes louder wherever they are in the texture, which requires finger independence within the same hand if there are chords.) Then play with a different articulation in each hand, e.g. RH staccato and LH legato, then vice versa.

You can do all that with the Bach piece as a preliminary towards developing hand independence, as a stepping stone towards playing accented notes with one hand.

A good trick is to put a little gap between the RH and LH where you want to accent one hand only. This way you can concentrate on the hands individually at the problem note. You can then make the gaps shorter until you can just do it.

I try to think of it as tying shoelaces: you need to do one thing in which both your hands work together. First, I practise the one accented note with the weak note, as loud as I can with LH and simultateously as soft as I can with RH - all the time thinking that this is one co-ordinated movement I need to learn. Sooner or later, this works. Same thing of course if it is a interval, or a triad etc. Then I expand with the two notes (or intervals, triads etc) that come before. Then with half a measure. If I have lost it, back to one note again.
While practising this, the only goal is to get this difference between loud and soft correctly, even if it means hitting the accented key(s) with way too much force. Later, I can polish it and make it more subtle.

Thanks JOHNSTAF and ANIMISHA.

Great tips that I will implement in practice today.

Using scales, you can practice alternating loud hands if using actual music makes it too complicated.

I like this one Malkin! Thx you.

Another way of using scales to develop hand independence is play your scales, hands together, legato in one hand, staccato in the other, and then reverse and repeat!

Regards,

Thanks Bruce...I just found such exercise on Pianist magazine no 97! Working on these exercises this weekend.
I noticed I am playing the piece much better following everyone’s advice. Ha, it is funny observing my brain - hand connection as I am learning this technique!

I've said this before, but I'll repeat it here. Its very simple. I used this when learning Invention No 8 and it worked a treat.

Play CDEFGFED repeatedly in both hands an octave apart. Play one hand legato twice as fast as the other hand which should be played staccato. Change hands. You should find one way easier than the other. Continue the exercise until the hardest way is working.