To put it simply:

When playing legato, the first note can only be released while pressing the second note;

When playing staccato, Before the second note is pressed, the first note must be released;

As for skipping, you can think of it as a very short staccato.

1. Staccato

That is, the staccato method is played in which each note is interrupted. In pieces of moderate difficulty or above, the staccato method seems to be rarely used. But in fact, the combination of each note and the last note under each connecting line is a non-legato playing method, which is often called "falling and rising", which is the basis of the three playing methods. In the first six months of learning piano, the main task is to master non-legato playing. Non-legato playing is often used in the first note of a sentence, or in various sentences and notes that need to emphasize the tone.

The key-touching method of staccato mainly uses the weight and strength of the arm itself to control the underground keys (the explosive power of the fingers cannot be used). Special attention should be paid to the control of timbre, and the "sound" of the sound should be emphasized at the beginning stage. "Beautiful", have control over the keys, don't drop them, let alone knock or slap the keys.

There are two types of non-legato training that are commonly performed: one is arm staccato training. The other is non-legato training of the fingers. Finger non-legato is usually called half-beat training or granular finger phrase training. Staccato practice can gradually progress from single-note training to double-note training to chord training.

Specific playing method: Relax your wrist and lift it until your fingertips are about to leave the healthy surface, then let them fall freely (such as a free fall). While your fingertips are playing the keys, your wrists should naturally relax at the same time until your wrists are slightly lowered. At the metacarpophalangeal joint, the fingertips, the inside of the wrist, and the forearm are on the same plane. What must be noted is:

When lifting the wrist, the palm should be relaxed and drooping, not tilted or thrown upward, and the fingers should not leave the key surface. When the wrist is lowered, the fingertips first touch the healthy surface, and then the wrist relaxes.

Double-note staccato is performed after single-note staccato. According to the student's mastery of single-note staccato, the staccato exercises can be performed from the double-note thirds on fingers 2 and 4 to double-note fifths on fingers 1 and 5 to train the ability to lower the arm's gravity and support the fingers and the handstand. Then do double-tone exercises with fingers 1 and 3 and fingers 3 and 5. Based on the double-tone training, gradually start practicing staccato chords.

Chord staccato is mainly based on triads and their inversions at the beginning. The hand shape and hand position are the same. The position must be accurate. The hand does not need to be raised too high. Just lift it slightly and then lower the weight. . When playing double notes and chords, the wrist must play the role of connecting the previous and the next, and flexibly and elastically lift the hand to bring it to the next chord position.

2. Skipping

The requirement for skipping is that the sound is short and concentrated. Most of the skipping sounds should be played lightly and jumpingly, and should not be played heavy or stiff. The staccato training in the skipping method and the staccato in the non-legato method are similar in that they both require a break between the notes. The difference is that the skipping sounds have the action of quickly pressing down the key and releasing the key quickly.

The explanation of note skipping in music theory books is: playing one-half the value of the note. But in fact, except for a few composers such as Bach, the general skipping only plays a quarter of the note duration, and the skipping method of each composer's different works is also different.

There are three main types of skipping: finger skipping, wrist skipping, and arm skipping.

For notes that need to be particularly fast (such as sixteenth notes) and extremely light (pianissimo), finger beats are used, mainly through the movement of the metacarpophalangeal joints to drive the fingers to play, extremely weak and light, such as Just a little bit, the wrist beats less up and down, and the fingers are in an active position;

For beats that need to be fast, medium in duration (such as eighth notes), and moderate in volume, use wrist beats, mainly relying on the up and down movement of the wrist (Such as batting a ball, playing is very widely used);

For long-duration (such as quarter-note) beats, the arms are used to beat the beats. The wrists are relatively fixed but not stiff, mainly relying on the up and down movements of the arms. Playing with movement, you can play powerfully and express exciting, intense and shocking works. For example: Czerny 849-24 can learn three different skipping methods.

The most common point of the three types of skipping and the key points of playing are: try to play with your fingers as close to the keys as possible, concentrate your strength, and after your fingers touch the keys, press the keys quickly and forcefully. The reaction force of the keys will make The arms and fingers should be "bounced" quickly instead of "dropped" directly.

There are different ways to play notes based on the length of the note, the speed required to be fast or slow, and the rendering of the musical emotion. Jump notes that can be played with the strength of arms, wrists, and fingers. Using different playing methods will produce different timbres, which can express different emotions.

3. Legato

Leggato is the connection between sounds. After the first note is played and the second note is pressed down to make a sound, the key can be released. That is, every time you play, after the previous note is sounded, you have to wait for the next note to be lowered and sounded before you can leave the key. The notes are connected in a line, which is called legato. Legato is the core of playing, and legato is used in most piano music.

The legato playing method occupies more than 90 notes in various works. The content and emotional range it expresses are very wide, covering a variety of lyrical, quiet, vivid, strong, and shocking emotions. And its The touch keys are also very rich.

The action of legato depends on the length of the phrase. The first note of each phrase requires the weight of the arm to naturally fall on the tips of the fingers being played. When playing each note, the weight of the arm should be transferred from one finger to another without breaking it (breaking it means staccato) until the weight moves to the last note of the phrase. After the sound is made, the arm Only then can the "lifting up" action be achieved. This action can also be called the breathing action between musical phrases.

For two-note legato, the first note is played in the same way as non-legato. Before playing, your arms should be raised naturally, with your elbows, wrists, and fingertips facing the keyboard. Then the weight of your arms should naturally drop, and the force should sink to the tips of the fingers you are playing (your wrists must be relaxed). To play the second note, move the first note Transfer the weight of the sound, and after the keys make a sound, use your arms to drive your elbows and gently lift your fingers.

The legato playing of a group of three notes is the same as that of two notes, except that after the first note is pressed, the weight is transferred to the second note, and the second note is transferred to the third Only after the sound is heard can the "lift up" action be performed.

Extended information:

Basic piano fingering:

1. Fingering method

Five fingers on the fifth interval, keep Basic hand playing. This fingering method is to align one finger with one key, and five fingers are arranged on the five keys in sequence, with no keys in between. This is the most basic finger movement method and the most important finger movement method.

2. Finger-threading method

Put your thumb through the second, third, and fourth fingers to move the position and play. If the melody goes up continuously, you need to use the finger-threading method to move the position to the right to make the melody play coherent and smooth. When playing ascending scales, use the fingering method. After moving the position, immediately switch to the straight fingering method or the extended fingering method to play. The through fingering method and the over fingering method are two fingering methods that complement each other and are often used in combination when playing.

3. Cross-fingering method

It is also called cross-fingering method. It is played by moving the second, third, and fourth fingers over the thumb. When the melody continues to descend, use the cross fingering method to move the position to the left to make the melody play coherent and smooth. When playing descending scales, use the cross fingering method.

4. Expanded fingering method

Five fingers are played with extended hands on intervals greater than fifth. The gap between the thumb and index finger is a favorable condition for extending the hand. The melody of the sixth interval is played with the sixth degree hand shape. The distance between the first and fifth fingers is six degrees. There is a key between the first and second fingers, and the other fingers are arranged in sequence. The melody of the octave interval is played with the octave hand shape. The distance between the first finger and the fifth finger is an octave. The distance between the first and second fingers is generally a fourth interval. The third and fourth fingers are played between the second and fifth fingers according to the needs of the melody. activities between the fifth degrees. Various long arpeggio exercises use this finger expansion method.

5. Contracted fingering method

Use five fingers to play with a contracted hand on an interval less than a fifth. Melodies that are ascending or descending in a circuitous way can be played using this finger contraction method. Various short arpeggio exercises use this finger contraction method.

6. Finger-changing with the same tone

Use different fingers to play a key one after another. The fingering method of homophonic fingering is often used in combination with the fingering method or the fingering expansion method. In order to play the consecutive unison notes evenly and clearly, you can use two fingers to play alternately, or you can use three or four fingers to play regularly from right to left. While the melody is progressing, you can move the position by changing fingers with the same tone. After moving the position, you should immediately prepare for the next hand shape. 68 of Czerny's 599 are etudes specially written for the fingering of homophones.

Reference materials:

staccato_Baidu Encyclopedia?

legato_Baidu Encyclopedia?

jumping_Baidu Encyclopedia?