I have a student who is 10 years old. No matter what piece of music he plays it all sounds the same, loud & heavy. I have discussed the difference between piano & forte but he doesn't seem to get it. I've played for him using the different dynamics but that doesn't seem to work either. How can I get him to understand the different dynamics & to control his weight?

-- Carla (rusdemp@hotmail.com), January 20, 2005

Answers

If he's a beginner, it may be that dynamics are just one thing too many to concentrate on. Try playing on his forearm, demonstrating the different touches, then have him do it on your forearm. Also, choose an easy 5-finger exercise (so he won't have to be concentrating on the notes) and have him "ghost" play it -- fingers just touch the keys but make no sound, then depress the keys without making a sound, finally play with minimal sound.

-- Alice (abell88@bloorwestvillage.com), January 21, 2005.

thanks for your suggestions. I've been using a tape recorder while he ghost plays scales and then plays them his way so he could hear the difference. That seems to be working. He's now starting to pay attention to the dynamics in his peices. He still has a heavey hand which will hopefully get controlled over time.

-- Carla (rusdemp@hotmail.com), February 10, 2005.