Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Teachers Forum Andras Schiff/Grigory Sokolov playing technique

Hello. This is my first post here on PW and as an amateur pianist, I will post various questions and, through time, hope to be able to participate throughout the forum.

I wish to know what 'piano schools' both Schiff and Sokolov play. German? Russian? etc. I mention these two as they are my favourite pianists. Yet, I notice that they both play completely differently. Schiff sits very still, low and upright whereas Sokolov seems to sit high, moves a lot when he plays and hunches over the keyboard. Also, Schiff seems to sit further back from the keyboard whereas Sokolov seems to somewhat hunch over the keyboard, looking directly down to the keys.

I prefer how Schiff sits and plays at the piano. He said in a masterclass that the music should be flowing, not you. I agree with this.

I wish to study a particular method of 'school' (preferably Schiff) and would like any further information on their 'schools' and any other stylistic schooling that may be out there. French? Italian? etc.

I was led to this forum via the following thread:

http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/948834/5.html

Do Schiff and Sokolov employ the Arm Weight Technique? It seems to me that they do, though Sokolov's fingers do 'bounce' and 'fly' more than Schiff's.

I would be grateful for any response/information as although I am an amateur, I wish to study hard, go to music school and give my utmost best to make a career out of the piano.

Kind regards

I don't think you should regard their 'schools' as being responsible for the way they sit and their posture. Pianists are individuals, and everybody is built differently, and have to adopt the seat height and posture that suits them.

Sokolov is obviously the product of the 'Russian school' - he won the Tchaikovsky Competition as a fully-fledged virtuoso at 16, during the era of The Iron Curtain. But compare him with Vladimir Ashkenazy and Mikhail Pletnev, both also products of the Russian school, and you can see their completely different styles from Sokolov and from each other - though when they play Russian music, you can immediately hear the "Russianness" in their playing (though not so much in Western European music), in their tonal production. Pletnev sits upright and barely moves his body, even when doing the most amazing acrobatics at the keyboard, and looks the very opposite of the stereotypical "Russian bear".

Whereas Schiff is from the Central European tradition, but despite being schooled in Hungary, he doesn't play Liszt, and doesn't have the power of the Russians - even his Brahms and Bartók sounds lightweight (actually his Beethoven too......). You can't tell from his playing what school he comes from.

As for 'arm weight', you have to use it, once you start playing advanced music with big chords and octaves - whatever school you study in. (My teachers never once mentioned 'arm weight' to me - I just naturally started using it when the time came....). I don't know what your current standard is, but you'd be better off studying with a good teacher (whatever 'school' he or she claims to be from), and when you go to a conservatoire, choose your teacher accordingly: by then, you'll know better what kind of teacher you prefer, to get you to the next step. These days, all conservatoires have teachers from all 'schools' - you don't have to go to Vienna to study with a teacher steeped in the Austro-German tradition, or to Moscow to find a Russian teacher.

I find that there is very little value in the names of these "schools" of playing piano. It's like the term "bel canto" for classical singing: it's used by so many people who teach widely different things that the term has no meaning.

It is best not to worry about these terms and trying to figure them out, and just appreciate each performer for their own abilities and observe how they play. But understand, while we're all human, our specific physiology may mean we will look different when playing. There are some famous pianists who you just shouldn't imitate, even though what they did obviously worked well for them.

Best to work with a teacher who can help you arrive at a technique that allows you to play your best in a healthy way.

Many thanks for your responses.