• Store
  • Sign-up
  • Sign-in
Menu
Practising the Piano
  • Home
  • Resources
    • Multimedia eBook Series
    • Online Academy
    • Video Lessons
    • Annotated Study Editions
    • Repertoire Resources
    • Piano Technique Resources
    • Amateur Piano Groups & Clubs
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • Online Events
    • London Piano Courses
    • Practice Clinics
    • Online Performance Workshops
  • Blog
      • Practising
      • Learning Pieces
      • Technique
      • Performing
      • Teaching
      • Archive
  • About Us
    • Help & Support
    • Contact us
HomePractisingThe Pot-Bellied Monster

The Pot-Bellied Monster

By Graham Fitch, 2013-05-24 Posted in: Practising

Heinrich Neuhaus spoke of the pot-bellied monster, a fault in piano playing where the harmony swallows both bass and melody. I find myself discussing the layering of sound all the time with my students, the ability to do this skillfully is such a crucial aspect of fine piano playing. If we want to build a hierarchical sound where we can sense foreground, background and middle ground it is not just the volume that counts, but also the texture – the type of touch we use within a given dynamic level.

In this example from Schubert’s G flat Impromptu, it is not hard to see that the harmonic middle needs to be played more softly than the top melody, but the rippling quavers also need to be extremely even tonally and yet rhythmically structured. An impressionistic wash won’t do here:

Schubert

Whenever we see fortissimo, it is as though there were an unspoken command that we’ve got to try and play everything on the page as loudly as possible. Let’s now look at the climax of Rachmaninov’s beautiful Elegie that someone brought to their lesson today:

Rachmaninov

The three-layered structure is clear here, with the main melodic line in the RH, the bass A (that needs to last all the way through the two bars in one long, deep pedal) and the middle part. Now, this middle part supplies not only the harmonic filling but also forward momentum and a certain turbulence but it should not be on the same tonal level as the top or bottom. Experiment with omitting the middle part completely and you will discover that you can already achieve an ample triple fortissimo without it, especially if you have wrung out the maximum amount of good quality juice from the bass octave. The middle part contributes little to the overall decibel level of the passage, and rather than hammer it out it is much more effective to shape it so that it starts life at a single forte and rises to no more than a single fortissimo by the second bar. At no point should it cover the top line.

Very often a composer will create three layers in the texture but not complicate the page by notating this explicitly – they expect educated musicians to know what is happening. One such example is from Chopin’s D flat Nocturne, where the task of the LH is to create not only a transparent harmonic background for the RH melodic line but also a more substantial bass line that underpins the whole.

Chopin

How do we achieve this?

  • Play the bass notes tenuto – hold them a fraction of a microsecond longer than the rank and file semiquavers.
  • Play the melody and the bass line minus the middle.
  • Practise the contents of the LH stave with both hands so you can make an aural blueprint more easily – when you have this clearly in your ear, the LH alone will be better able to reproduce the sound.
  • Play the RH and the bass line while miming* the middle part.

The Art of Piano Playing – Heinrich Neuhaus (click here)

*Miming is a practice tool – I describe this in detail in Volume 2, Chapter 7 (Miming and Other Types of Silent Practice) of Practising the Piano eBook Series

Tags: ChopinChopin Nocturne in D flatfurther readingharmonyHeinrich Neuhaus The Art of Piano PlayingPractising The Piano eBook SeriesRachmaninovRachmaninov ElegieSchubertSchubert Impromptu in G flattexturetouch

Related Posts

On Attitude & Gesture

On Attitude & Gesture

By Graham Fitch, 2012-11-17
Posted in: Performing

Some years ago, I had the privilege of sitting in on some lessons taught by a colleague who specialised in teaching talented youngsters. Because she also had a background in dance, she managed to bring to each lesson some of the qualities of a classical ballet class where every gesture…

Read More

Tags: attitudeBoris SavlucChopinexpressiongesturegesture in piano playingjs bachLang Langrepetition
On Attitude & Gesture
The Practice Sleuths Episode #2

The Practice Sleuths Episode #2

By Informance, 2025-02-27
Posted in: Practising

Our Practice Sleuths Graham Fitch and Adina Mornell tackle the age-old debate of slow vs fast practice and how both approaches can be used to unlock your full potential!

Read More

Tags: building speedChopinfast practicefingeringpractice sleuthsslow practice
The Practice Sleuths Episode #2
The Pitfalls of Mechanical Practice

The Pitfalls of Mechanical Practice

By Graham Fitch, 2019-03-07
Posted in: Practising

I get quite a lot of inspiration for topics to write about on my blog from my students. During a lesson something might crop up that seems important, or certainly worth writing about. On two separate occasions this week people had been attempting to solve what they perceived as technical…

Read More

Tags: annotated study editionrhythmsSchubertSchubert Impromptu in E flat
The Pitfalls of Mechanical Practice
An Interview with Nicola Cantan

An Interview with Nicola Cantan

By Graham Fitch, 2018-04-05
Posted in: Practising

A few weeks ago I had a visit from Nicola Cantan of Colourful Keys to record an interview with me for her blog. We spent a very pleasant half hour or so chatting about teaching, practising and performing and I thought I would share the video with you here. You'll…

Read More

Tags: Colourful KeysNicola Cantan
An Interview with Nicola Cantan
Five Fingers

Five Fingers

By Graham Fitch, 2013-10-25
Posted in: Practising

My piano chum, Leon Whitesell, has a brand new Facebook group called Piano Playing Questions. In a recent post, Leon referred to the five-finger exercise formulae of famous Russian teacher, Vasily Safonov (who was the teacher of Scriabin, Medtner, Josef and Rosina Lhévinne, amongst many others). This reminded me that…

Read More

Tags: fingersfive-finger exercisesHanonJosef and Rosina LhévinneLeon WhitesellMedtnerpeter feuchtwangerpractice toolsQ&AScriabintheoryVasily Safonov
Five Fingers
“I Haven’t Done As Much Practice As I Wanted This Week”

“I Haven’t Done As Much Practice As I Wanted This Week”

By Graham Fitch, 2017-06-09
Posted in: Practising

"I haven't done as much practice as I would have liked this week" seems to be a very popular statement at the beginning of a piano lesson. Before one note has been played self doubt, anxiety and guilt are already in the room, and impending disaster is sure to become a self-fulfilling…

Read More

Tags: practising
“I Haven’t Done As Much Practice As I Wanted This Week”

Previous Post

The Piano Teachers’ Course EPTA UK

Next Post

Zigzag Practice

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

*

Sign-up To Our Mailing List!

Sign-up to our email newsletter for free resources, news updates and special offers!

TOPICS

  • Practising
  • Learning Pieces
  • Technique
  • Performing
  • Teaching

LINKS

  • Online Academy
  • Informance
  • Help & Support
  • Contact Us

© 2025 Practising the Piano All Rights Reserved

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Privacy Policy
  • T&Cs
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website.OkMore Information