The First Principles Of Pianoforte Playing

A complete playing tutorial for self learners or school use.

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DIRECTIONS FOR LEARNERS.
11
You must consider these three (the finger, hand and arm) to be three separate levers—and the arm-lever itself to be available either as Fore-arm only, or as Upper-arm in conjunc­tion with the Fore-arm.          Now you have learned that you can use these three levers independently of the others in a meas­ure, and you will now see that you can also move each one of these three independently of the others. Touch can therefore be accompanied by movements of either the finger, hand, or arm, and it is these movement-distinctions that are called Finger-touch, Hand-touch, and Arm-touch, respectively.
§ 38. While learning to recognise these movement-distinctions, be most careful not to allow this to confuse you as to those other, and far more important distinctions (as to muscular-state), which you have learned to recognise as the Three Species of Touch.
If you have thoroughly grasped the meaning of these " Three Species of Touch" (§§ 31-36) you will now be able to under­stand what the accompanying movements really signify, as follows:—
§ 39. Finger-touch—when you move the finger only dur­ing key-descent; this may consist either of:
a)  An exertion of the finger only (First Species of Touch-formation).
b)  An exertion of the hand behind the finger (Second Species of Touch)—but note that it is the finger only which moves, although the hand is active.
c)  Arm-weight released behind hand and finger (Third Species)—but note again, that the finger alone moves, in spite of the triple nature of the muscular-com­bination.
§ 40. Hand-touch (formerly termed "Wrist-touch")—when you move the Hand alone during key-descent; this may consist either of:
a) The combined exertion of the hand and fingers (Sec­ond Species)—but without showing any movement of the fingers relatively to the hand, the hand therefore alone moving with the key during its descent.
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