Mark Knezevic wrote:

>How exactly does a pianist control tone when he or she plays the piano? I
>have thought for a long time that it had more to do with the piano than the
>player but recent reading has made me think otherwise.  Well of course the
>instrument makes a difference, but the player can control tone?

It depends how hard you hit the keys, how long you press the keys and in
what combinations.  Your touch so to speak.  Pedalling is also involved
amongst other things.  Gieseking was a master at pedalling, which partly
accounts for the beautiful and at times ethereal tone and color in his
Debussy.  Gould hardly ever touched the pedals which accounts for the hard
staccato and the clean brisk sound in his playing.  Gould's accents were
a conscious effort at pressing some keys harder than others in different
places in the score.  A highly individualized style that is not to the
taste of all.

Sam Pawlett