Playing with Emotion
By Laura Leigh Birdwell, N2Arts Correspondent
Taking your music to the next level
 

hen I was young pianist practicing Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, my teacher was becoming frustrated with the way I was playing the piece. I couldn’t understand why. I had mastered the technique and I had played the piece flawlessly. But still, she said there was something missing.

She said, “You’re too detached from Beethoven. What do you feel when you play this piece?” I told her I didn’t really feel anything. I was just doing my piano homework, trying to perfect all the songs in my songbook. “Do you enjoy playing this piece,” she asked. I was honest, “Not really - I keep thinking about my friend’s slumber party on Friday!” She handed me a CD and replied, “You need to be more connected to the piece. Go home and listen to the way this musician plays the Moonlight Sonata. Focus on what Beethoven is trying to say. Focus on the emotions behind the piece.”

So that night I went home and listened to the Moonlight Sonata. I was amazed at how differently the piece sounded. There was passion and meaning behind the song. Almost immediately, I could sense the melancholy and emotion contained in the piece. I thought it was Beethoven himself playing that piano. But even though it was another musician, Beethoven was speaking to me and I listened. 

After listening to the piece several times, I wandered to my piano. I closed my eyes and focused on the emotions I felt when hearing the piece and I played. I played as though I were Beethoven myself, as though all the sadness in the world was bundled up inside of me and broke free as my hands struck the keys.

When I practiced the piece before, I had something else on my mind. But this time, I played entirely immersed within the emotions of the piece. My teacher was right. There was something missing. The piece actually sounded like a different song. That night, I played the Moonlight Sonata. And, for the first time, I played it beautifully.

Music is a type of language. It communicates, almost universally, the language of our emotions. Every piece of music has some sort of emotion behind it. That is how the composer communicates to his listeners. We can play a piece without making any technical mistakes, but if we play detached from the emotions behind the song; we are making the biggest mistake of all. We are leaving out the most important aspect of the piece. We are unable to communicate what the composer intended.

When learning to play a particular song, let your teacher play it a few times before you begin practicing. Focus on the emotions you feel when you hear it. Are you happy or sad? Disturbed or delighted? Pretend you are the composer and this is what you are expressing to the world. Play with passion. You will not only take more enjoyment in the songs “you have to play,” but undoubtedly, you will be a better pianist playing even more beautiful music.