From Legato to Staccato–staying connected (Piano Technique) Video

The universal chant among my adult students is “I can’t play those darn staccato scales and arpeggios. They’re impossible!”

And the reason for all the moans and groans is, they feel DISCONNECTED, and not safely secure in the keys. It’s in part PSYCHOLOGICAL.

If students can pull off a nice, swinging, well-shaped LEGATO, all they have to do, is SNIP the LEGATO into a clean and healthy staccato. (This presumes that the arms are relaxed, and the wrists are supple–that does not change in staccato mode)

Instead of presenting a long-winded sermon on how to play detached notes with a desired ease and bounce, I extracted one of my SKYPED lessons via Fresno/Sydney Australia that explored the transition from legato to staccato (using the A minor arpeggio)

I hope this is helpful for those grappling with staccato. It should be more of a pleasure than a pain.

Another helpful link:

“From Legato to Staccato, Think Ping Pong Balls”

http://arioso7.wordpress.com/2010/12/01/playing-scales-from-legato-to-staccato-think-ping-pong-balls/