Re: Flat Chords: Yes or No?

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

I wonder how you make the chord progression more clear if you are playing the chords unbroken, because that makes it harder to hear the inner notes. I agree, Carl, that after the melody line, one must also hear the bass, but what often gets neglected are those inner notes, and developing them brings the richest tone. But you can still voice it so top and bottom are most audible. I practice such chord passages in several ways to bring out the inner voicings that are so important. Isolating each finger, singing each line as you go through the passage are just two ways. I am currently working on Recessional by Salzedo, which is about six pages of chords of massive proportions and there are many inner voicings that must be detailed. Any pianist worth his salt learns how to bring out the inner voices as a basic tool of interpretation. One thing harpists must do is not only hang around other harpists, but hear what pianists do, and other musicians, especially singers.