Tiers of dynamics, well-regulated pianos, and expressive playing

The legendary pianist, Shura Cherkassky made triple ppps (pianississimos) melt in his hands through a fluid keyboard approach that encompassed an array of colors and shadings. In Shura's exemplary performance of Saint-Saens' Swan the pianist's multi-voice tier of dynamics was particularly astounding for its repository of textural timbres. Not surprisingly, the artist's touch sensitivity intertwined…

About Regulation and Tuning: My piano cried out for help!

This is such a sticky area, and the pun is intended. How frustrating to imagine a delicate pianissimo, want to produce it, and find that a note or notes won't spring forth with the beauty that a player had intended. For me, it had become painfully obvious that my Steinway M grand, 1917 which had…