How to Play Repeated Chords Quietly on Piano
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
- Playing repeated chords quietly is not so easy to do when you're beginning piano so this short tutorial offers tips which I hope those looking for help will find useful.
Related Tutorial: How to Play Piano Quietly"
• How to Play Piano Quietly
Chopin Prelude #4 would be a perfect one for this
One of my favourite Mazurkas!
Thank you Paul. This was very informative. I'm really hoping to see more of your videos on technique and tutorials. They are extremely helpful. Thank you :)
Paul, where were you with this information when I began serious classical piano studies 27 years ago?
But, thank you so much for loving the phants. If people had ears like that we'd just flap them at concerts instead of clapping. But, seriously your playing is beautiful, flawless and rich and your tutorials very very helpful.
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this video. It is most instructive and the music you've chosen to play absolutely delightful.
U can always tell a pro piano from a home player by the volume of the music
Thank you so much Paul for your great and simple lessons!! I am a pianist who have been walking a large way through decades to find a better way to play the piano. Your explanations give me many answers largely searched. Sergio Vainroj from Buenos Aires Argentina.
I love your lessons. they really helped a lot!!!!! I'm your big fan from Taiwan
Even if you try to play "bad" as an example, it sounds really pleasing to my ears! :-)
Enjoyed that Paul. Thank you. I know you have probably been asked this a million times, but what's your technique for sight reading? I know people have different ways to do it, but just wanted your take on it. Enjoy your weekend.
Thank you, this is a very useful link for my student as part of her Grade 7 exam preparation.
Que bueno que hablas del tema; yo he tenido ese problema al intentar tocar Chopin pero casi nadie habla de ese problema.
Saludos.
7 años despues, lo solucionaste?
I knew the Schubert was going to come up!
Super!!!, Merci beaucoup pour ses vidéos, ils sont très utiles pour moi.
Thank you very much Paul for the very useful tutorial, which will no doubt help me play the No. 17 Prelude by Chopin. Speaking on that note (or piece of music), is there any chance you could make a tutorial on that prelude please? I'm having difficulty bringing out the melody. Perhaps others have the same problem and would find such a tutorial useful. In any case, thank you very much again.
great video
thank you!😊
Hey Paul, I recently noticed that I struggle quite a lot with repeatedly playing chords and octaves quickly (like in La Campanella which I am currently working on). Do you have any tips on how to practice these patterns? Anyways thank you so much for making these tutorials, they've always helped me with my practice and playing :) I really appreciate your work here, keep it up!
Are you planning to make a video tutorial about Chopin's polonaise op. 53 anytime soon? :)
Hello Paul, Could you make a tutorial video about Chopin etude 25 .5 (Wrong note etude).
Paul, Please enable the subtitles for all videos settings.
I want to read the translation of what you are telling
If you’re beginning piano you might have already tried to play a piece where you need to repeat the same chord a number of times in the left hand while singing out a melody with in right hand.
Sometimes it’s hard to find a way to play both hands together without the melody getting lost because the accompanying chords sound too loud and clunky and this can be frustrating - and if you’ve been having difficulty, here’s a few tips I hope will help you.
To play repeated chords quietly and smoothly on piano we need to know the technique of just playing quietly, and I talk about this in the related video “How to Play Piano Quietly” linked in the video info.
Now, to the technique of playing repeated chords quietly:
Let’s take a few examples of pieces where we need to play repeated chords in the left hand to accompany a melody in the right hand.
Chopin Mazurka Op.17 No.4
when we want it to sound like this ….
Chopin Mazurka Op.17 No.4
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Schubert Impromptu Op.90 No.4
when we want it to sound like this …
Schubert Impromptu Op.90 No.4
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
You get the idea.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The first time I played in those 3 examples the left hand was didn’t exactly enhance the melody rather spoiled it, and this came about for several reasons.
Firstly, I played the chords with too much downward speed and weight.
Secondly, when we play an acoustic piano, pressing down keys triggers hammers to strike the strings. The way hammers hit the strings and the sound the piano makes, is touch responsive.
So, when we press down a chord from the top all the way to the bottom of the keybed the hammers strike the strings.
But, that’s only half the story and it’s the other half that makes all the difference.
Once the chord is down we have to bring the chord back up again in order to replay it. If we bring the keys of the chord all the way up to the top, the hammers return all the way back to their usual resting place.
The technique to playing repeated chords smoothly and non-percussive in a way we need to play repeated chords accompanying a melody, is a technique split not into just one but two parts.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
part 1 is the downward stage which is all about lightness in hands and wrist and the downward speed you press the keys.
Part 2 is finding the exact place between the keybed and the total key release where you move the played hammers just away from the strings enough to replay the chord but don’t allow the hammers to return all the way back to their resting place.
Playing chords in this way means the hammers don’t have so far to travel towards the strings on repetition because they are closer to them than they usually would be, which means the striking speed is decreased, which means the sound is much softer.
However, if you don’t release the keys of your chord enough, the hammers can’t move back far enough from the strings to replay the chord, but with a little experimentation you will find the precise spot which will allow you to.
In effect you will be releasing the played keys of your chord approximately 4/5ths of the way up before you replay the chord, depending on your keyboard action, and piano actions vary a good deal.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
You will find repeating chords on piano in this way will soon become intuitive and you will be able to control the touch and volume of your repeated of chords precisely and predictably and most importantly - musically.
Hope this helps.
Thanks for the advice. I'm not familiar with the subtitle settings for videos but have tried to enable it for this video and will look into how to do this properly for the future. Meanwhile I've posted the video dialogue for you as text.
I am very grateful !
I'm from Ukraine.
I do not know English well, I use an online translator.
I have long been watching your channel and I really like it.
You are a great person and a great pianist.
It's very nice that you devoted my time and attention to me and wrote.
Mr. Barton, May I ask what equipment you use (camera and stand) to record the overhead video of your playing? I am looking to make simple piano tutorials for my niece and your setup seems ideal for that. Thank you and I really appreciate your videos.
Can you please do a tutorial for op 25 no 1?
I'm surprised I didn't hear the Waldstein sonata.
Not that I'm complaining, great video!
before i even start the video i'm calling prelude in e minor in this video
dang, at least i got the chopin part right
I actually thought of this piece as well because I started learning it yesterday lol
(and I actually was having trouble playing the repeated chords so this video was incredibly convenient)
Firestar729 the song is very relaxing to play, i wish you the best in learning it!
2:35 which Piece?
Schubert - Impromptu Op. 90 No. 4
but how do you play flowing repeated chords without pedal
Practice holding it longer before you play the next one
Scriabin op.8 no12
name of pieces?
Chopin mazurka op. 17 no. 4 and Schubert impromptu op. 90 no. 4
:)
Paul, please, PLLLLLEEASE. Do nocturne in c minor op 48 no 1
you're an old man?
woahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh pls i didn't know okay
He's a grown up. Use your ears. And watch the muscles in his upper forearms 💪