In this lesson, American pianist Garrick Ohlsson guides you through Chopin’s Scherzo, Op. 39, No. 3 in C-sharp Minor.

When you practice the introduction, Ohlsson encourages you to explore playing with different degrees of rubato, since pianists have interpreted this section in numerous different ways, and Chopin does not specify tempo markings.

When you practice the octaves in this piece, Ohlsson suggests using the lateral movement of your thumb to help you to reach wide intervals without needlessly shifting your entire hand position. To find even more comfort, you will learn to cultivate a “relaxation response,” immediately releasing tension in your hand after striking the keyboard.

You will also learn strategies for practicing Chopin’s challenging left-hand jumps. To avoid locking your hands at either end of a jump, Ohlsson teaches you to imagine each jump as a single, fluid gesture in which your arm is constantly oscillating.

In this lesson, American pianist Garrick Ohlsson discusses touch, which he describes as an “ecology” of interactions among different variables of sound and intent, or, in more technical terms, the regulation of pressure applied to the keys.

The art of touch, Ohlsson explains, is grounded in the act of fooling the ear. He describes the piano as “a box of decrescendos.” Its sound, after all, immediately decays. Whenever you execute crescendos or a cantabile style of playing at the piano, you are in fact creating an illusion, because it is ultimately impossible to control a note’s dynamic level once a key is depressed.

Ohlsson also introduces you to his notion of the “relaxation response.” You will discover the importance of immediately releasing physical tension after striking a note. Ohlsson invites you to think of your hand as a muscle; a beating heart that must expand after contraction. This advice is particularly helpful to bear in mind when pursuing a legato style; a connected sound, you learn, does not require you to hold onto notes unnecessarily.