Which one is louder? Most pianists get this wrong...

Which of these chords is louder? This one or this one? This one or this one? If you said this one, you're correct. And here's why that matters. See, back when this piano didn't exist yet, and composers like Bach were playing on harpsichords, you couldn't express dynamics like you do on the modern piano. But composers still wanted to express in their music. You make your music dynamic when you can't play dynamics. The way you do on the modern piano, because there are different ways to create contrast on the harpsichord. Well, one thing composers did was thicken the texture of their music. This just means that the more notes you play at once on the keyboard, the more strings vibrate, therefore the louder the chord sounds, even if each note is technically played at the same volume. And this concept didn't stay in the Baroque period because Bach influenced everyone who came after him. Many composers like Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy use texture to shape their music in addition to dynamic markings and other compositional techniques. So when you're interpreting music, don't just look at the dynamics, look at the texture. When voices enter and exit, where the sound is thick or thin, you'll start to see every note written has purpose and intention. Once you can see that, you can express your own musicality much better. Learn more. Like and follow. Play the piano like a pro.