Kissing the Keys
In Piano and Song: How to Teach, How to Learn, and How to Form a Judgment of Musical Performances, the author Friedrich Wieck, going under the name Dominie, emphasizes the importance of touching keys correctly.
An incorrect touch, Dominie tells his student:
makes too much unnecessary movement, and tries to produce the tone in the air, instead of drawing it out with the keys.
He continues:
Above all things, I wish you to observe how I try to bring out from the piano the most beautiful possible tone, with a quiet movement of the fingers and a correct position of the hand; without an uneasy jerking of the arm, and with ease, lightness, and sureness.
Although this book was published 144 years ago and written in a hilariously antiquated style, it is timely advice for me at this early stage of my learning. When I practice, my fingers on the left hand feel unsure. My right hand contorts to play the chords and I rarely get a clean sound. When I see others play the piano, their fingers look relaxed and gently kiss the keys.
I'm working on relaxing though, and “drawing the tone out of the keys”. Whatever that means.
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