6. On the Importance of Teaching Approaches
Notes are not words; they do not possess literal meanings.
Therefore, to play two notes in a way that produces a sound effect imbued with logical connection, one must start from the performer’s hands.
Before playing, the performer must clearly decide in their mind how to match the timbre and dynamics of the two notes—that is, how to transition smoothly from “you” to “good” as if moving from one character to another.
This process requires the performer to control both the force at their fingertips and the speed at which the keys are pressed.
Only when both are mastered can the musical phrase be expressed clearly.
To help Xiao Bei grasp this concept more concretely, Li An provided an example at the piano.
“When we first start learning the piano, most people do something like this.”
As he spoke, he brushed the back of his hand across the keys from the bass to the treble, producing a rapid, even ascending sequence.
“Have you ever played ‘brushing the piano’?”
Xiao Bei shook her head.
Li An smiled, “...That’s fine, try it now.”
“Keep your shoulders and arms relaxed throughout, let the back of your hand glide smoothly sideways at an even speed, without pausing at any point.”
After Xiao Bei tried once, the sound she produced was identical to her teacher’s; her face lit up with excitement.
Li An asked, “Does it feel like a complete sentence?”
Xiao Bei replied, “Yes!”
Li An explained, “When we do the brushing motion, the weight applied by our arms and the speed of pressing the keys are both smooth and even, and the center of the hand shifts uniformly as well.”
His speech slowed.
This is crucial. If Xiao Bei can digest this part, he can move forward, and what comes next is the most essential content.
Suddenly, a line of blue text floated before Li An’s eyes: [Teaching Point +1 from Xiao Bei]
Xiao Bei asked, “Teacher, can I imagine the two notes connected by a slur as the keys in between being brushed?”
Bingo!
Li An snapped his fingers crisply, “Exactly.”
It was unexpectedly easy. Li An took advantage of the moment and continued his explanation.
“So, when we play two notes connected by a slur, the lift and drop movement should also involve the wrist and arm moving sideways while relaxed.”
“The center of gravity needs to shift sideways; this greatly compensates for the uneven force when pressing the keys, helping to achieve a more even transition between the two notes.”
“When you can play from one note to the next evenly, your musical phrase is clear.”
He paused.
“Xiao Bei, do you understand?”
Yu Xiao Bei nodded vigorously, “I understand.”
Excellent.
“Now, let’s return to how we use the lift-and-drop technique in actual performance.”
“Let’s use the group of notes from sharp Do to Si as an example.”
Li An let his right arm drop, and his middle finger landed on sharp Do, producing a full, resonant ‘dong——’ from the piano.
“Right arm drops, middle finger stands firm.”
“The force comes from the natural fall of the arm; don’t deliberately press down, and the middle finger must provide steady support.”
“Then, the wrist and arm move the center of gravity sideways, from sharp Do to Si.”
“This must be natural, don’t force the press—just as when walking, we don’t stomp when shifting weight from the left to the right foot.”
“We simply extend the right foot, and the center of gravity naturally shifts onto it.”
Li An’s thumb moved to Si, producing a shorter, crisp ‘dong—’.
The two notes flowed as smoothly as breathing. Li An lifted his hand, the tail of Si rounded and finished.
“The essence of the lift is to place the hand’s center of gravity forward, moving with the fingertips, raising the wrist, and letting the fingertips leave the key last.”
“The fingertips leave the key last.”
“The fingertips leave the key last.”
“The fingertips leave the key last.”
“Xiao Bei, memorize this sentence; otherwise, lift-and-drop will only become external showmanship and won’t help your playing fluency.”
[Teaching Point +2 from Xiao Bei]
Li An paused, “Keep it up, Xiao Bei.”
He felt it was enough for now, though the topic of lift-and-drop was far from exhausted.
He didn’t expect Xiao Bei to fully grasp the technique after just one lesson—even if she understood it, mastery wouldn’t come immediately.
He knew he would have to repeat today’s lesson countless times in the future, such is the work of a piano teacher.
After all, learning the piano is a long journey; theory must be combined with practice and understanding built step by step, skill accumulated bit by bit.
No one can cross this chasm in a single leap.
Xiao Bei’s path was only just beginning.
Before he knew it, most of the lesson had passed. Xiao Bei practiced her newly understood lift-and-drop at the piano.
Li An wasn’t in a hurry to open the system; he simply sipped his tea, watching from the side.
Every so often, another teaching point appeared.
As class neared its end, he estimated he’d gained six or seven teaching points this lesson.
Comparing with Wang Xiaohu, Li An felt Xiao Bei was truly his lucky star.
He couldn’t quite understand why, though Xiaohu’s grasp yesterday was no worse than Xiao Bei’s, he hadn’t received any teaching points at all.
He decided to wait and see how things went with Liu Fengrui’s lesson.
“Xiao Bei, when do you finish your exams?”
“Teacher, we finish on Thursday afternoon.”
“Good luck, hope you do well. Five minutes left in class—practice a bit more; I suppose you won’t have time to touch the piano again before the exam.”
Li An stood up and left.
“Same routine—knock when class is over.”
Outside the classroom, Li An explained to Xiao Bei’s mother what the lesson had covered.
When he mentioned, “Today I taught Xiao Bei more about wrist lift-and-drop,” a trace of dissatisfaction flickered across her face.
Xiao Bei’s mother was attentive to every aspect of her daughter’s studies—whether academic or extracurricular, she tracked the progress of each subject in real time.
Li An always explained in detail what was taught, how much was mastered, how to practice at home, and what would come next, which was why she’d been satisfied with Li An as Xiao Bei’s teacher from the start.
Yet lately, Xiao Bei’s piano lessons had been stuck on this lift-and-drop technique, something previous teachers had never mentioned, but with Li An it had become a major issue.
She’d researched it online.
Opinions about lift-and-drop varied: some called it the most crucial piano technique, some dismissed it as mere posturing, some said without mastering it, one could never learn piano, and some claimed it was important but not essential, citing world-class pianists who didn’t use it.
Her plan was for Xiao Bei to pass Grade Three by summer, which was why she hadn’t given her leave before the finals.
She didn’t want to delay the piano lessons and slow down exam progress.
But with only a month left before the exam, Xiao Bei hadn’t started learning the Grade Three pieces, which made her anxious—and a little dissatisfied.
Still, she refrained from asking, because Li An addressed the question she cared about most in the end.
“For now, let’s let Xiao Bei finish this piece. Next lesson, we’ll start learning the repertoire.”