If you want to improve coordination and balance between hands when playing you have to study classical music on the piano.
When the study of classical or academic music and popular music is approached in parallel, you can have a solid and coherent technical-musical base that allows you to perform competently in any genre.
Classical music, also called academic music, is a musical genre that encompasses works composed mainly between the 17th and 19th centuries, characterized by their melodic complexity, elaborate harmony, and well-defined formal structures.
These compositions, performed by acoustic instruments such as those of the symphony orchestra, piano, violin, and others, reflect the richness and diversity of musical styles and periods, such as baroque, classicism and romanticism.
Studying classical music on the piano involves immersing yourself in the vast repertoire of these masterpieces and exploring their technical, stylistic, and historical aspects.
When you study classical music, you acquire knowledge about music theory, notation and sheet music interpretation, as well as skills in mastering an instrument or singing.
Additionally, you become familiar with the life and work of prominent composers, their historical context, and the distinctive characteristics of each musical period.
By studying classical music on the piano, you develop your aesthetic appreciation, your artistic sensitivity, and your ability to interpret and express emotions through music.
In short, classical or academic music is the ideal vehicle to reach a high piano level and obtain tools to perform fluently in any musical genre on the piano.
Classical or academic music is designed to challenge our mental and physical limits.
When you study a work of classical music on the piano, whether from the baroque, classical or romantic period, you should always take into account several technical-musical aspects
Highlight the melodic lines of the right hand, and make a sustained accompaniment with the left hand at a moderate volume that does not interfere with the melodic role of the predominant voice in the piece.
Achieve differentiation between the upper and lower planes of the score by combining different types of articulation such as Legato, Staccato, and Non-Legato, in order to provide variety and contrast.
The progressive development of memory of the piece to be studied.
To the extent that we fix in memory, in our muscles and mind the musical notes, chords and rhythms expressed in the score, we make this music our own and in the process we gain the necessary confidence to play progressively with greater certainty, fluidity and thus increase the speed in our execution.
When learning to play a work it is important to think about it in the context in which it was created, considering time, century, country, composer, language, among other cultural features.
This information provides us with a sound and socio-cultural description that brings us closer to what could be a more accurate stylistic interpretation of the piece we wish to play.
If you want to delve deeper into this topic and optimize your method for reading scores beyond the reading itself, I recommend this article where you can also download my Guide to understanding and reading scores.
Classical or academic music seeks to exalt the skills of the performer, as well as enjoyment.
At the same time it is intellectual music that seeks to develop the thematic material, not so much repeat itself and fall into common places.
Playing and studying classical music on the piano always offers an experience that challenges the senses of the pianist and the audience.
You probably think that it is very difficult to access classical music to achieve the goal of coordinating your hand movements when playing the piano.
But, in reality, there are accessible and above all VERY powerful pieces that will allow you to start studying classical music on the piano today and move towards better coordination and balance between your hands.
Among hundreds of pieces to study classical music on the piano, we chose Telemann 's Gavotte in C to start , a baroque piece in a polyphonic style that precisely allows us at first sight and, especially when we begin to play it, the possibility of dividing our concentration between two different actions, one for each hand.
These actions, together, complement each other in a beautiful fabric of melodies, rhythms and chords.
Telemann's La Gavotte in C presents two sections and two very catchy right-hand melodies, that is, musical ideas that are almost impossible to forget.
This is powerful because once the music is in your head you can deal with the technical aspects and coordinate this idea with the accompaniment role of the left hand, which is designed with a simple form of counterpoint.
La Gavotte in C by Telemann is a great piece, beautiful, didactic, and easy to remember that will lead you to develop skills that every pianist needs in their toolbox and discover a hidden potential in you.
That is why it is perfect for getting started in the field of polyphonic music, a very special style because it requires dividing the brain in two, something like listening in stereo.
The Gavotte in C by Telemann is part of the academic program of the Basic 2 level of PIANO EN CASA , and like every one of the pieces included it fulfills a specific purpose and pursues strategic objectives for the piano training and evolution of our students, as you will see below.
With polyphonic music, your left ear is responsible for controlling the music of the left hand, and your right ear is responsible for controlling the music of the right hand, which commonly plays a melodic role.
But something even more particular happens in polyphonic music.
And the melody or main theme can alternate between the right and left hands, sometimes appearing on the upper staff and other times on the lower staff.
You must keep in mind that while the melody sounds in whichever hand is playing it, it should stand out in presence and volume over the other hand.
The other hand must make a countermelody or counterpoint, a kind of complementary voice that fills the free spaces left by the melody, and that in its design makes us perceive the chords that support the main idea, even without these chords being presented in the block.
Music, like society, is a hierarchical system. And polyphonic music, typical of the baroque period of music, above all makes us understand the roles of musical discourse.
As we have already explained before, Telemann's Gavotte in C is a piece of music that can be beneficial for the development of balance between the hands when studying piano.
Remember that when playing this piece, it is important to pay attention to the contrast in weight and strength between both hands, because you may find sections where one hand has a main melody while the other hand has a more subtle accompaniment.
In these cases, it is essential to maintain proper balance so that the hands do not interfere with each other.
Additionally, Telemann's Gavotte in C features passages of counterpoint and dialogue between the hands, which will require precise coordination and listening.
