Emotions at the Keyboard

Music has the power to evoke certain emotions and that’s the reason why it’s vital that we use those emotions when playing the piano. This makes it possible to maximise the power of music, enabling us to interpret it in a way that allows our emotions to become apparent during the performance.

The process of learning to play an instrument often places a focus on the mechanics of ensuring we hit the right notes and that our timing is perfect. Once enough practice has taken place, we then focus on interpretation and at this point, we can allow our emotions to work harmoniously with the music.

It’s crucial that we engage when we perform as this enables us to play with feeling, otherwise, performances can become quite robotic and can lack emotion.

In this ‘Conversation with Nurry’, she explores the emotions and moods that she harnesses and then incorporates them into the pieces that she plays.

In the video, we have attempted to keep things varied and so, we have chosen a number of pieces that come from her broad repertoire. Additionally, we have also explored the intricacies of some of her favourite composers, giving her the ability to visualise the images they create in her mind.

We are all familiar with the way in which images create an emotional connection with music to generate tension and alter our mood, and composers have been doing this for over 200 years.

In the video, Nurry demonstrates how a number of well-known composers have harnessed the power of their composition project to evoke a wide range of emotions ranging from happiness and anger to anxiety and calmness.