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Clavier, October 2005

Incorporating Tools of Great Piano Pedagogy:

The Work of Abby Whiteside and Tobias Matthay

The work of Abby Whiteside and Tobias Matthay stands at the forefront of 20th century piano pedagogy; their approaches were innovative and opposed to the traditional methodology then in vogue.  While today we view their principles as being ergonomically sound and anatomically correct, during the period in which they lived, many teachers were advocating developing technique through repetition and arduous drill. Many pedagogues and medical professionals now believe this method was not only ineffective and counterproductive but could also create injury

The teaching of Abby Whiteside (1881-1956) has been reintroduced to us through the publication of Abby Whiteside on Piano Playing, Amadeus Press, (1997). This volume combines her books Indispensables of Piano Playing, (1955) and Mastering The Chopin Etudes, (1969) edited by the late Joseph Prostakoff and Sophia Rosoff former pupils of Whiteside. Rosoff, the President of the Abby Whiteside Foundation is the chief exponent of Whiteside's work and currently teaches in New York.

Whiteside believed that the entire body should be involved in piano playing. She studied anatomy and observed performances by great musicians and athletes in order to support her theories

Playing the piano is like skating or riding a bicycle. It is a physical process involving natural ease, efficiency and complete coordination. It is unfortunate for the pianist that there is not the same demand for a balanced activity in learning to play that there is for the ice-skater in learning his skill. The skater must deal constantly with a rhythmic balance until it is achieved, or else be subject to dangerous falls. Not so in piano playing. We can plod along with no rhythmic grace, hitting one key and then another and in doing so never achieve that undulating rhythm which alone is adequate for the mastery of mechanics as well as full musical development.1

According to Whiteside, a more natural coordination occurs when the pianist responds to a rhythm.  By rhythm, Whiteside does not mean a metronomic pulse or a relentless counting which can produce note-wise/vertical playing. This rhythm, or "rhythm of form" 2, corresponds to a large gesture initiated by the torso and upper arms to the hands. Thus the coordination occurs naturally from the center to the periphery.

Only a basic rhythm can coordinate the body as a whole. The performer feels the rhythm and listens to the tones. Feeling rhythm is one half of a beautiful performance, the other half is the aural image of the music.3

The "aural image" refers to conceptualizing the sounds and intentions of the composer and projecting the musical idea through a natural coordination from the center to the periphery. These function interdependently to create a blended activity and are not the result of years of hard work and relentless drill as Whiteside states:

Think of the expert playing of a talented eight-year-old. By what process did this expertness take form? Not by eight hours of a day or practicing finger exercises over a period of years. There was no period of years. It happened by the very simple process of the child's finding the tones on the keyboard which fitted the aural pattern dictated by imaged sounds. Nature made all the movements that were necessary for the desired result. 4 

It is the interference of certain aspects of traditional pedagogy that defies a natural coordination.  These include training the fingers for strength and independence, and the repetitive drilling associated with developing a technique. Not only are these methods inadequate for developing technique, but they can easily foster a note-wise vertical rendering of the musical line.

According to Whiteside, the coordination is most efficient in those who play by ear, are excited about learning and who are emotionally responsive to music.

 

The music student should begin by playing by ear. He must learn to read quite obviously but he should be an aural learner rather than a visual learner. Observe the ease and accuracy of pupils who have learned to play by ear. Their skill is never attained by those who learned the notes first and then built up a coordination that is dependent on the eye. The pupil's first approach to the keyboard should be a happy experience, and it should deal with music itself - not with verbal concepts. The pupil must be involved emotionally and intellectually from the first lesson, no matter how simple the beginning The teacher should begin with the most beautiful literature available, not with finger exercises or other such material... 5

Whiteside challenges the study of etudes such as those by Hanon and Czerny for developing technique. Finding those studies musically uninteresting, Whiteside believes that they should be "permanently shelved". 6 She does not however reject the study of Etudes entirely since she prepared the manuscript of Mastering the Chopin Etudes which was published after her death. This manual has been invaluable for students and professionals.

The development of technique through the playing of scales especially at a young age is also discouraged since they foster note wise learning and listening. They are not compatible with the concept of a blended activity and overall rhythm, and should be thought of as musical entities rather than a technical feats:

Scales, which are the essence of beautiful playing, can develop habits which will prevent beautiful playing if they are practiced too soon. They should never, never be used as the basis for developing a technique. The scale is full of subtle difficulties that can not be possibly realized until the mechanism has been greatly refined. A basic rhythm is more readily brought into play by large skips. Used early as a form of technique, the scale is entirely a matter of finger production.7 

How does one incorporate Whiteside's principles when teaching a typical youngster or adult for that matter? It takes inventiveness on the part of the teacher to help the student blend coordinate movement with an overall rhythm and more subtle listening. The student must be shown the sitting bones, torso, upper arm and how they relate to piano playing.  This is a hands-on approach for the teacher and not designed for one who likes to sit in an armchair on the other side of the studio.

Does one need to possess perfect pitch or a great gift for music in order to take advantage of this approach? According to Whiteside, "what logic is there in using the least productive tools for the less gifted?" 8

The least productive tools include a preoccupation with details at the beginning stages of learning that negates a natural coordination from the center to the periphery. One can experience the impetus of the center, or upper arm in Whiteside's example:
                                                                                                                                                                   

If the student's hand can not reach an octave, he can use the thumbs since they provide an excellent connection with the upper arm.

In addition to improvisation, techniques that engage the ear and encourage a blended activity are transposing, and outlining or "pulsing."   One can transpose an entire piece or a difficult passage and then replay it in it's original key. Students should learn to do this from the beginning stages of learning. Even if one has not learned to play by rote, transposing by sight still engages the ear more.

Outlining or "Pulsing"10 suggests reducing the piece to its essential harmonic  elements and playing only the "skeleton." This must be done musically and convincingly as if the composer had intended it that way. This approach promotes a listening-ahead experience, an overall emotional rhythm, more natural coordination and discourages a vertical reading.

The reason for outlining is to enhance the basic rhythm in the torso. Make a swinging continuity the one imperative achievement-not accuracy in key hitting. The aural image should be established and accurate before the outlining begins. Once started with the outlining, let it dance-accuracy or no accuracy-until the rhythm possesses you, and you feel a compelling desire to move with the music. Move how? Twist, turn, sway, bounce - just anything you feel like doing, using the resistance of the ischial bones against the chair seat as you would use your feet against the floor if you were standing. You will play with much less beauty and excitement, if you think of how you look instead of feeling the thrill of the action.11

In the Trumpet Menuet by Duncombe, practice four measures at a time stopping on the first beat of the fourth measure. Making sure the upper arm is creating the impulse for the rhythmic profile, play the 1st beats of each measure only. Then return to the beginning and only the 1st beats again, but tuck in the 3rd beat of measure 3. Return to the beginning and tuck in beats 2 and 3 of measure 3. Repeat the procedure and fill in the measures backwards until the four measures are played with a sense of ease and rhythmic direction. Filling in backwards provides the open space for uninterrupted rhythmic flow from the beginning to the end of a phrase.  Although this is an elementary example, this method can be applied to any passage in the literature.

Whiteside offers suggestions for outlining Chopin's Etude, Op. 10 #7 using the first measure as an example.  In 1a, the most basic skeleton is illustrated which would be from downbeat of measure 1 to downbeat of measure 2. 12

In 1b, the midway point which would be the V chord is tucked in.  

In 1c,  the sixth beat is now added which further reinforces the harmonic direction to the repetition of the tonic harmony.

1d includes the 3rd beat of the right hand with the left hand figure as written.

In 1e the left hand figuration is removed in place of including more of the right hand, yet the left hand pattern is still in the ears of the pianist.

These examples should be followed by the entire excerpt as written.

It is important to remember that the upper arm must provide the basic impetus for the outlines and the ear must be engaged to follow the direction of the passage harmonically. Although the above outlines are possibilities of outlining, it would be advantageous to do them sequentially.13

                                             

Another technique Whiteside used in order to engage the mechanism and emotion of the pianist is Splashing.14   This  refers to playing clusters on the keyboard in a virtuosic manner with abandon. Take a difficult passage and play its rhythm in clusters all over the keyboard with a closed yet loose fist. The pianist must be uninhibited, already have an aural image and respond emotionally to the passage. Following that experiment, he should go back and play the section as written and see if the passage does not feel easier and the body more coordinated. All of the above techniques foster engaging the entire mechanism and emotions in learning composition from the outset. It was her belief that the more traditional modes of practicing do not develop the habits necessary for a successful performance.

In her essay Practicing a Performance, Whiteside offers a convincing comparison between two practice scenarios: one that is geared toward performance and one that is perfunctory. The first would include incorporating the techniques as described above with attention to overall shape, emotion, use of the upper arm and going from the general to the specific.  A practice session which denies the above would include repetition, emphasis on detail without concern for the whole, slow practice for a long periods of time, use of smaller muscles and levers which are independent rather than interdependent.

Does one need to forget about all of their traditional training in order to accept and utilize Whiteside's tools into their teaching? Again it is up to the teacher to select those principles which best suit the specific needs of a student. Incorporating many of Whiteside's tools will allow one to play with more ease, feel more balanced, sense a more natural rhythm, and be able to express the emotion of the music more effectively.  Whiteside's theories afford the opportunity to present more coordinate principles of piano playing to all ages and levels in a most accessible fashion.

*   *   *   *

Tobias Matthay (1858-1945) was a well-known teacher and author of pedagogical materials. Aside from Myra Hess, his most famous pupil, Matthay also taught Harriet Cohen, Eileen Joyce, Irene Sharrer, Nina Milkina, Clifford Curzon, Eunice Norton, Dame Moura Limpany, Bruce Simonds, and Ray Lev. Other Matthay pupils and "grand pupils" had careers as teachers in the US and abroad who continue to perpetuate his theories of playing with ease and fusing technique with musicality. His two most well known books, Musical Interpretation (Boston: Boston Music Co. 1913) and The Visible and Invisible in Piano Playing (London: Oxford University Press, 1932) discuss musicianship, the connection of technique and interpretation, teaching, how to practice, pedaling and use many examples from the literature.


In contrast to Whiteside, who emphasizes larger muscle groups and overall shape, Matthay's focus is on smaller details. He breaks down rhythm into metrical units, advocates counting out loud, and being attentive to phrasing and articulation from the outset.  The common ground for both pedagogues is their belief in ease in execution, beauty of sound and a kinesthetic awareness. They engage different parts of the playing mechanism in order to achieve this goal.


Matthay elaborates on the role of forearm rotation in piano playing.

Although he believed this motion is often times so small it is barely perceptible, he nevertheless felt that it's action should be trained independently. (as opposed to Whiteside who felt that it operates with sufficient skill on its own.) 16 He speaks about forearm rotation in most of his writings and believes in its importance when teaching beginners.

In First Lights 1939, Matthay introduces the student to forearm rotation through sequential steps. Steps 1, 2 and 3 introduce the concept of rhythm, tone production, and describe the mechanism of the piano in a general way. The student begins by playing shapes with a closed fist holding the hands sideways.

In Step 4, Playing by Weight, the student places his hands with poised weight and sounds the notes E-flat and G-flat.  Matthay has the student playing on the black keys a third apart since it is easier to control their descent and release, and they also conform better to the span of the closed fist.  If one were to examine how the fists put down the notes one would observe a slight pull of the upper arms. The student is not required to read notes but memorizes the shapes and the topography of the keyboard. Attention is given to seeing that the notes are sounded evenly, softly and that the hands play exactly together. Thus the ear is involved in discriminating quality of sound from the earliest stages of study. This is also most useful for adults who are either beginning or returning to piano study after a long lapse regardless whether or not they have learned to read notation.

 

Step 5, Fist Tunes and Games introduces tunes to be played with the lightly clenched fist sideways again sounding the black key thirds.

                                        

Matthay's suggests counting out loud in order to establish a metronomic pulse.

Step 6 requires the student to play the fist tunes in step 5 with the fist now turned over. (knuckles up) The x's on the fingers indicate those points at which the hand touches the key. This can vary depending on the size of the hand.

                                                          

                                                                                                        

Step 7 describes what it feels like to have a rocking forearm by placing it down on a table and turning it to the side. This can also be illustrated by imitating opening a door or a combination lock and being aware of the rotary action. This step also includes playing various little tunes with the fists rotating in contrary motion, the most natural way according to Matthay.

Step 8, With Accentuation reiterates the concept Matthay touched upon is step 3, namely playing with a faster motion in order to get a louder sound.

                                          

 Step 9, Walking With the Fingers, focuses on playing the same tunes which were played with the fists with various fingers. It might be more practical to move to Step 10, learn the note names, and focus on playing the tunes with the fingers on white keys.

Swaying uses only half and whole notes, which are already familiar, so that the student can focus on playing with the fingers for the first time.

Whereas the tunes in Step 10 were mostly stepwise, Step 11 introduces tunes With Skipped Fingers. Grandma and Grandpa is a perfect example where the each hand is playing mostly skips one hand at a time. Matthay states that stepwise motion is easier to negotiate for most youngsters. While this may be true, playing skips might be easier from a rotational point of view for the older student or adult. In this instance, it is suggested that the tunes be studied out of sequence or interspersed with those moving stepwise.

                                 

Again the teacher can suggest using a combination of fingerings for the above examples and find tunes which are more up to date and can appeal to both children and adults.

 

 Step 12, The Straight-On Five-Finger Exercise prepares the student for more difficult tunes and scales to be studied first in contrary and then in parallel motion.

 

  Like Whiteside, Matthay does not assign scales to beginners. He suggests waiting until the student has become more comfortable with forearm rotation which becomes more complicated in scale playing. Scales makes use of single and double rotations as indicated by Matthay with arrows.

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The rotation according to Matthay is always from the last finger used toward the new finger with each finger acting as a pivot for the next. The passing of the thumb requires a single rotation. The teacher must also insure that the student fuses the rotary motion with an alert finger action or else subtle control and clear articulation will not be attained.

Scales are presented in more detail in some of Matthay's other pedagogical works such as in The Pianist's First Music Making.  Although written in 1918, and intended to be used in conjunction with The Child's First Steps, The Pianist's First Music Making can be used as a supplement or sequel to First Lights. This series consists of music composed by Felix Swinstead with commentaries by Matthay.  Some of the beginning tunes are fist tunes recalling those in the First Lights.  The Pianists First Music Making also includes some short etudes which, not surprisingly focus on forearm rotation.

Matthay's credo is beauty of sound, ease in execution, the integration of technique and interpretation, and a thorough analysis of the playing mechanism. In his voluminous and often times repetitive writings Matthay indicates that the teacher must analyze everything for the pupil. One could argue that although his principles are logical, such detailed explanations might be overwhelming, especially for a younger student, and hamper the ease in execution which is Matthay's purpose. It is up to the teacher to decipher from his writings which principles are most applicable to any given situation, and present them with utmost clarity. 24

Although the philosophies of Whiteside and Matthay first appeared over a half a century ago, their rational principles are still applicable to today's teaching. Examining their work closely reveals that their theories are not so opposed but in a sense, complement one another.  Whiteside focuses on the aural image of the music through a basic rhythm using a natural coordination from the center to the periphery. Matthay explains the use of forearm rotation through a series of sequential musical examples and focuses on smaller details and how they relate to overall musical shape. Subscribing to a dogmatic approach stifles teaching creativity and inhibits learning. Therefore, it is only through synthesizing the work of such masters that our teaching becomes more subtle and individualized. When viewed as tools rather than a method, the pedagogy of such innovators as Whiteside and Matthay can be easily incorporated into our teaching strategy. These tools can unravel many complexities of piano playing and bring more joy to all wishing to make music at the piano.

 

ENDNOTES

1. Abby Whiteside on Piano Playing: Mastering the Chopin Etudes, (Portland Oregon, Amadeus Press, 1997) p.157

2. Throughout her writings, Whiteside uses the terms, rhythm of form, basic rhythm and emotional ryhthm to distinguish from rhythm relating to specific meter and smaller divisions thereof.

3. Abby Whiteside on Piano Playing: Indispensables of Piano Playing, (Portland Oregon, Amadeus Press, 1997) p 6-.7

4. Ibid., p.107

5. Mastering the Chopin Etudes, p.157, 160-161

6. Indispensables of Piano Playing, p.50

7. Ibid.

8. Ibid.,  p.10

9. Ibid.,  p.100

10. Mastering the Chopin Etudes, p.191

11. Ibid., p.56

12. Ibid., pp.54-55

13. Conversation with Sophia Rosoff  January 12,2004

14. Mastering the Chopin Etudes, p.154

15. Tobias Matthay, First Lights on Piano Playing,  (London: Bosworth,  1939)  p. 12

16. Ibid., p.13

17. Ibid.,  p.17

18. Ibid.,  p.20

19. Ibid.   p. 23

20. Ibid.,  p. 26

21. Ibid.,  p.29

22. Ibid.,  p.35

23. Ibid., p.6

24. Matthay's writings were so difficult to understand that Ambrose Coviello published a book:     What Matthay Meant: His Musical and Technical Teachings Clearly Explained and Self-Indexed. (London: Bosworth and Co., n.d.)

Isidor Phillip is reported to have said the following to Matthay, "It takes you 800 words to say whiat I say in eight."    Fernando Laires, Isidor Phillip Always Taught With Dignity and Few Words,  (Clavier: May/June2003, p.15)