Your notes can be perfectly connected and the line can still sit there, every note weighing the same. See how overlapping on the cushion of the finger builds true legato, and what voicing, balance and direction add on top to make it singable.
In this lesson, Israeli pianist Arie Vardi teaches you the difference between legato and cantabile playing. To play legato, you must connect your notes by pedaling with your fingers, i.e., releasing a note only after its sound has briefly overlapped with the next note. You must also touch the keys with the pads or “cushions” of your fingers, and your attack, you learn, must be slow. Vardi encourages you to enhance the expressivity of your legato playing with cantabile (“singable”) phrasing. To achieve a cantabile style, Vardi explains, you must never play two notes at the same volume; rather, you must use dynamics to give your playing a constant sense of direction. Finally, you learn to imitate singers’ phrasing by taking time during large melodic leaps.
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