Ask yourself: If I had to sing this to a child to put them to sleep, how would it sound?
To be a Cantabile Performer, you must imagine the breath. Before you begin a Chopin Nocturne or a slow movement of a Mozart sonata, physically lift your wrists and inhale. Shape the phrase as if a soprano were singing it. Where would she gasp? Where would she sigh? Insert those micro-pauses. They aren't mistakes; they are emotion . Most amateurs play cantabile with finger pressure. They push down harder to make a melody "sing." This results in a harsh, percussive tone. cantabile performer 4
The secret is . Let the weight of your relaxed arm drop into the key bed. Feel the resistance of the key. For a true cantabile line, you don't press the key; you lean into it. The sound should bloom—getting louder after the hammer strikes, not at the moment of impact. 3. The "Super Glue" Legato We all know legato means "connected." But in Cantabile playing, it means overlapping . Ask yourself: If I had to sing this
