Dear Mr. Chappell:

One of your piano axioms is to "touch the keys before you play them". I find this technique to be a helpful for any type of piece or passage. I must confess that I grapple with this idea as it pertains to leaps. What do you suggest?

— Vaulter

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Dear Vaulter:

Actually, the axiom is "to the greatest degree possible, touch the keys before you play them". When playing leaps, sometimes it is not possible to do this to a great degree.

There are a few things you can do to facilitate leaps. One is to practice with closed eyes. This will help you to develop a sense of distance between different keyboard locations, which helps when playing leaps.

Also, if playing more than one note when arriving at the destination of the leap, such as playing an octave or chord, it helps to focus attention on one finger only (either the thumb or fifth finger when playing an octave; one of the outer or inner notes of the chord when playing a chord). Run experiments with different focal points to find out which works to the greatest advantage. Very often, assigning the best focal point can dissolve technical problems automatically.

It also helps to look before you leap—a quick glance at the target note for the finger that is the focus of attention ensures greater accuracy. This can work even if you then must look elsewhere before playing the leap.

I use a leap exercise which goes like this: play octaves, one hand at a time (either hand). First play one note, then the note that is a step higher, return to first note, then a step higher than previous high note, return to first note, then a step higher than previous high note, etc. For example, if using the chromatic scale, you’d play (in octaves) C, C#, C, D, C, Eb, C, E, etc., until the high note is the next octave higher C than the return note (or you can go up to even two octaves higher). Also, do this descending with C, B, C, Bb, C, A, etc. This can be done with major or minor scales as well if preferred. The tempo should be very slow, but the notes should be staccato and the movement through the air (lateral, close to the keyboard, and not up-down) should be as fast as possible. However, upon arrival, hover for a couple seconds over the keys motionlessly instead of playing the note, during which time you should look at the NEXT note you will play, not the one you are touching; then play the note you are touching very staccato and zoom to position over the next note and hover; etc.

— J.C.