Rudolf Serkin

I am curious to hear what people think of Serkin's technique. It seems to me like another very good example of skeletality. His passage work is excellent and also shows how the arm and fingers coordinate their movement for optimal alignment. I don't think the movement of the Beethoven would be to everyone's taste, it is a little deliberate and heavy. Perhaps Serkin is not that strong on finesse. Anyway there are a lot of wonderful things going on. I believe Horowitz considered Serkin his greatest contemporary. Mozart: Beethoven:

Very interesting. Especially as Serkin had one big problem and that was not being able to get between the black keys with his thick fingers. I'm sure this had an impact of his choice of repertoir. How does he solve this problem?

Very interesting. Especially as Serkin had one big problem and that was not being able to get between the black keys with his thick fingers. I'm sure this had an impact of his choice of repertoir. How does he solve this problem? Are his fingers really unusually thick? Looks can be deceptive but I see nothing obviously abnormal. Quite honestly, I tend to see this argument as largely an excuse. Either a finger fits or it doesn't. If it doesn't- forget playing the piano to virtuoso level! If it does, then you simply have to make sure you prepare the keys before sounding them. I see places in the film where Serkin plays between the blacks, so his fingers fit. How often is that you need to move rapidly to the back of a white key anyway? There's almost always time to ease between and prepare the finger on the key. You rarely have to stab to get there without a chance to touch the key first.

From what I've read his problems was quite wellknown there is a story (from his son I beleive) how he sat playing scales for 8 hours before conserts just to get it right. It's not that easy (my third is eg near the limit) there is a level where you can reach between but with some difficulty. You can use some rotation and forward-pushing to get the finger between. Or use an in and out technique. It's also possible to curve one finger more than the other but that put's strain on the finger.Or play slightly on the side.Or bend your last joint and play more on the tip.Etc. There are quite a few påianists with this problem Anton Rubinstein was said to have extremely thick fingers which might explain his regular wrong keys and from what I've seen I think Arthur R also was a bit inabled by this even if his fingers just passed between the blacks.

From what I've read his problems was quite wellknown there is a story (from his son I beleive) how he sat playing scales for 8 hours before conserts just to get it right. It's not that easy (my third is eg near the limit) there is a level where you can reach between but with some difficulty. You can use some rotation and forward-pushing to get the finger between. Or use an in and out technique. It's also possible to curve one finger more than the other but that put's strain on the finger.Or play slightly on the side.Or bend your last joint and play more on the tip.Etc. There are quite a few påianists with this problem Anton Rubinstein was said to have extremely thick fingers which might explain his regular wrong keys and from what I've seen I think Arthur R also was a bit inabled by this even if his fingers just passed between the blacks. Have you tried starting with the finger perfectly parallel to the keys and sliding it straight forwards between the blacks, to prepare the key? I imagine that the A natural of B flat minor harmonic scales might be a slight problem for this, but generally it seems easiest to approach the keys this way. A small sideways adjustment is probably far more hazardous than slipping the finger straight in. Maybe there are some cases where this isn't an option, but I can't help but feel that if a finger can fits in there to start with, there's no real reason why this movement shouldn't be extremely reliable. If there's room to go in at all, the black keys basically "funnel" the finger into the right place.

I would think that thick fingers are advantageous for tone production because the greater surface area of finger on key could enhance control of the mechanism. In the delicate passage-work of the Mozart, Serkin has to round his fingers and calibrate his movement more precisely than a pianist with thinner fingers might have to. Anyway I don't think the question of how Serkin avoided hitting wrong notes is all that interesting. His overall physical approach interest me because he achieves his musical goals which very different from those of Horowitz so beautifully and he is such a dynamic presence at the keyboard and he remained a dynamic presence well into his eighties. There is a lot to learn from watching his scale work. Also, like most truly great pianists, I notice a high degree of aliveness in his movement. This is also important for understanding Horowitz, Sebok, Curzon, Michelangeli,Nyiregyhazi and Rubinstein among others. Their bones are constantly moving each other in a causal chain but the cumulative effect is a near-equilibrium. Serkin is more animated and I would place him closer to the Glenn Gould end of the spectrum. But I suspect that the same principle is at work. Once you feel the internal relations of the parts of the skeleton you can generate much more precise and energetic movements and this carries over into the quality of music making. In other words I want to explore how Serkin's choreography and quality of gesture translate into intense music making.

In my case it's manageable it's only the third. My distal phalange on the third is 3,2 cm and the first 2/3 just fits in. So playing with my third flat like Horowitz is out of question.one can say that I don't have an error marginal with my third. i use different techniques but mostly I keep my third inside the keyboard and kind of use the distal phalange as a finger of itself if you see what I mean. But I guess there is always a kind of small rotational movement involved.I do all kinds of things also pushing forward I guess.It's hard to describe because it all depends on the situation not the least what kind of speed is required. What I definetly avoid is twisting (generally) that's temptating if you have thick fingers but disastrous. Like you say B flat is not easy because the third on A could easily block the B (in the right hand) I think I'm doing exactly what you said going forward from second on G and than to A a bit from the upside. The third is a problem but also an asset I can get a nice juicy sound from it! I've seen pianists with fatter fingers who hardly fits in at all playing very well I guess they play a bit "on the side". You're right about thick finger/fingers and virtuoso technique-I think. I'd say neither Serkin nor Arthur R had what you could call a virtuoso technique but still they could produce a more wonderful sound and more accuracy than most.