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Glenn Gould plays Bach on the harpsichord

i am focusing a lot on technique in my studies with a professor who came out of the toronto school. i am watching gould's technique now with amazement.

first of all, isn't he tying himself up in a knot with his shoulders hunched up like that?

and so many extra movements--how can he have freedom or speed like that?

and the way he lifts his fingers looks like it would cause strain. in fact everything about his technique looks strained, without ease, to my untutored eye.

i'd very much like to know what the experienced pianists here see.

thanks.

Well, I'm not an experienced pianist, but I've read an awful lot about Glenn Gould. I think it is safe to say that no one recommends imitating his body position, but Charles Rosen in Piano Notes, does say that Gould's extremely low position, while making it difficult for him to play brilliant octaves, does make it possible for him to "achieve a beautiful technical control of rapid passage-work with different kinds of touch." (page 4)
I tend to be doctrinaire about things like technique, and great performers like Glenn Gould and Wanda Landowska and many others are nice antidotes to the inquisitionist in me trying to find proof for my lastest doctrine.
Don

Has anybody here tried that strange finger-tapping technique Gould used that his teacher Guerrero invented? Here's a description of it from another Guerrero student, William Aide:

"The left hand taps the fingers successively to the bottom of the keys. The right-hand fingers are boneless; they reflex from the keybed and return to their original position on the surface of the keys. The left hand should tap near the tips of the right-hand fingers, either on the fingernails or at the first joint. The motion of the tapping should be as fast as possible. The second stage of this regimen is to play the notes with a quick staccato motion, one finger at a time, from the surface of the key, quick to the surface of the keybed and back to the surface of the key. This is slow practice, each note being separated by about two seconds of silence (The Idler, No.38, p.59)."

No. That's why I don't move student's fingers/hands for them either. Anything that leaves out the efferent nervous system whilst engaging the afferent from externally is next to useless. It's good for experiencing the relaxed return of the finger/key though.

Hi piqué!

I met you at one of your book signings in New York. Still with your Grotrian, I assume? You might really like the book "A Romance on Three Legs" by Katie Hafner, which is about Glenn Gould and his quest for his perfect piano, but it also contains many interesting bits of info on Gould's technique and history. He was a quirky guy, but damn if he wasn't made to play some piano.

I love watching Glenn Gould play... I realize his posture certainly isn't to be imitated, but the man certainly seemed to be connected to his instrument. Not sure about the harpsichord you posted, but one thing to note is that Gould would have his piano's modified to have an extremely light touch. I'm sure this helped with the speed, or maybe rather allowed him to play at his speed?

Also note that in these videos of him later in life, he was apparently on lots of meds, including those for pain, anxiety, etc. all mixed with up to 10 Valium a day. I don't understand how he did it.

Not sure if you are only interested in his harpsichord video, but I thought you might want to see some of his other videos (if you havent already)
Goldberg Variations 1-7
you can get the rest by looking in related vids on right...

These of Partita No.6 are my favorite, maybe.
Partita nº 6 (1. Toccata)

Partita nº 6 (2, 3, 4)

Partita nº 6 (5, 6 y 7)

Sorry, I'm not an experience pianist (yet), but just wanted to give you some more material for viewing inspection

Hi Pique, Thanks for pointing out this video. I note GG is seated much higher than I've seen him sit at the piano. He does have allot of extra movement in his fingers but what strikes me is his ability to play without tension. I believe that whatever posture allows you to play without tension will be right for any individual.

Uchida once said something like "the sound is the only thing that matters". She meant that any technique that works is OK. But I don't think it makes sense to waste much time studying something that seems to work for maybe 1% of accomplished pianists.

I only know one other professional pianist that sits as low as Gould, although Gould's teacher Guerrero apparently sat in a low position and had similar finger technique(Gould tried to emulate him according to the book about Gould with the inteeresting title Bravo Fortissiomo).

Hi All, I'm the author of A Romance on Three Legs, and I have to say, this was one of the most fascinating and inscrutable aspects of researching the book.

I've been to visit both GG's piano and his famous Pygmy chair in Ottawa, and I was truly shocked to see how low he sat. The chair (which he had a very very strong attachment to), was a folding bridge chair that his father modified for him in 1953, largely by taking several inches off three legs. It now looks -- truly -- like a child's chair and is just a few inches off the ground. Add to that the fact that he would then raise the height of the piano by placing blocks under the legs, and you've got a really awkward position.

In the book, I go on at some length (not too much, I hope) about why this position was actually good for him, and well suited to his repertoire and musical tastes, and Guerrero's role in GG's adoption of that particular position.

In any event, if any of you ever find yourself in Ottawa, I strongly recommend a visit to the chair, because the photos simply can't convey how wild it looks.

Katie

Hi Katie,

Loved the book! Cool to know your a PW member.

BTW, In my above link for Partita 6... that is CD 318, is it not? Curious as to why the S&S name was taped over above the keys... I don't remember that mentioned anywhere?

(sorry pique, is not my intent to hijack thread )

Hi there,

Yes, I do think that that must be 318, and I double checked with Kevin Bazzana, my very reliable source on all things GG. He said that he, too, thinks it must be CD 318. Bruno Monsaingeon made those films in 1974, so it's hard to think what else he’d be playing except 318, even after its tragic accident.

Kevin thinks it also sounds a lot like 318, and, also judging from the sound, he said the action seems very 318-ish. Also, some trademark 318-ish wear-and-tear is occasionally visible.

I can only think that the word Steinway is covered over because he did swap out pianos at some point during those films, and Monsaingeon might have wanted more anonymity for the pianos.

Hope that helps!
Katie