Piano-Tutorial.com

As hurrying and also dragging the tempo are both errors connected somewhat with
faulty rhythm, I will speak of this next as a highly unsatisfactory failing. Rhythm is
no doubt to a great extent instinctive, and is bound up a good deal with individual
temperaments. But it must be carefully developed by teaching and analysis, for too
much emphasis can never be bestowed upon giving every note in music its proper
value, apart from any other rhythmical consideration. For rhythm in piano-playing
is so essential a factor in obtaining a good tone-production, that it is imperative to
cultivate it with great attention to correctness of outline. 

Lack of rhythm, or faulty rhythm, will take all
character from a musical performance, and
will leave an impression of insipidity and
monotony where there is no rhythm, and
of irritation where the rhythm is inexact, as the case may be. 

Close on the heels of bad rhythm comes the weakness of always using the same
kind of tone while performing. Plenty of variation of tone-colour is absolutely
necessary for inspired and interesting playing on the piano, as, indeed, on all
instruments. 

On the piano this is more difficult to arrive at than on the stringed or even the wind
instruments, and needs much study of the technique of touch. For frequently we
cannot understand, after coming out from a concert, why what we appreciated
as a really fine performance of a musical work had not arrested our attention 

more, or aroused keener pleasure. A certain sense of monotony or dullness had
crept over us while listening. 

Such a feeling, or rather want of feeling, is almost always the result of the
performer's failure to grasp the possibilities of his instrument in relation to
tone-colour. Everything he plays is in a similar hue of tone, therefore a
sameness and lack of life and contrast pervades the whole. It is a strange
anomaly that the more beautiful is the touch of the pianist by natural instinct,
the 1 more he is apt to fall into the fault of using it indiscriminately in the
same strength, because he takes so much personal pride and pleasure in it.
It is like the case of singers who are gifted with wonderful top notes, and,
therefore, are always inclined to warble them forth in full but monotonous
volumes of sound.