Writing for the piano: chorale, registers and pedal

Music can be correct on paper and still sound bad on the piano — or be unplayable. Writing idiomatically means writing with the instrument in mind: its registers, the size of the hands, its resonance, its pedal. The great composer-pianists (Chopin, Schumann, Debussy) wrote "under the fingers". This lesson gathers the reflexes that make a score sound and play well.

1. Chorale texture: four voices

The chorale is the school of harmony: four voices (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) moving together, each one a genuine melodic line. At the piano, the right hand takes soprano and alto, the left hand tenor and bass. The principle: each voice moves as little as possible, common notes stay put.

M:4/4
L:1/4
Q:1/4=66
K:C
%%staves {RH LH}
V:RH clef=treble
V:LH clef=bass
[V:RH] "C"[ce]2 "F"[cf]2 | "G"[Bd]2 "Am"[Ac]2 | "F"[Ac]2 "G"[GB]2 | "C"[Gc]4 |]
[V:LH] [C,G,]2 [F,,A,]2 | [G,,G,]2 [A,,E,]2 | [F,,F,]2 [G,,D,]2 | [C,E,]4 |]

Follow each voice on its own: the bass (C – F – G – A – F – G – C) is a real melody; alto and tenor move in small steps. Notice also the deceptive cadence (G → A minor) in the middle. Writing in chorale style, even for a few bars, is the best training in voice leading.

2. The melody in the left hand

To vary a theme or create an intimate moment, give the melody to the left hand, in the cello register (C3–A3), and give the right hand light offbeat chords. Schumann and Grieg love this device: the melody takes on a warm, deep colour.

M:4/4
L:1/8
Q:1/4=72
K:C
%%staves {RH LH}
V:RH clef=treble
V:LH clef=bass
[V:RH] z2 [EGc]2 z2 [EGc]2 | z2 [FAc]2 z2 [EGc]2 | z2 [FAd]2 z2 [FGB]2 | z2 [EGc]2 [EGc]4 |]
[V:LH] C,4 E,2 G,2 | A,4 G,4 | F,4 D,2 B,,2 | C,8 |]

3. The registers of the piano

The physical rule: in the bass, intervals must be wide, because the overtones of low notes blend together. A third below C3 sounds like mush. Compare these two bars:

M:4/4
L:1/4
Q:1/4=60
K:C
%%staves {RH LH}
V:RH clef=treble
V:LH clef=bass
[V:RH] "C (muddy)"[EGc]4 | "C (clear)"[EGc]4 |]
[V:LH] [C,,E,,G,,]4 | [C,,G,,E,]4 |]

Bar 1: a close chord in the bass, cloudy. Bar 2: the same harmony in open position (fifth at the bottom, third higher up), clear and resonant. This mirrors the natural harmonic series: wide intervals at the bottom, close ones at the top.

4. The human hand

• Maximum stretch: an octave for everyone (a ninth or tenth only for large hands). Beyond that, arpeggiate the chord or split it between the hands.
• Chords: 3 or 4 notes per hand are enough. A 5-note chord in one hand is rarely needed.
• Crossings and overlaps: possible, but mark them and keep them rare.
• Held notes + movement in the same hand: make sure a finger is still free.

5. The pedal: the piano's breath

The sustain pedal lets every string vibrate: it binds and warms, but it also blends. Writing rules:

• Change the pedal at every chord change ("legato" or syncopated pedalling: lift just after the new bass note, then press again at once).
• In scale passages or passing notes, use short pedal or none — otherwise the non-chord tones hang in the air.
• The lower the register, the more careful the pedalling must be.
• In the editor, simply write "Ped." at the start of a passage and specify "change every bar".

Your workshop

1. In the piano roll, write an 8-bar four-voice chorale (two voices per hand) on the chart I – IV | V – vi | IV – V | I, then a variant of your choice. Check that each voice moves in small steps.
2. Take a melody you've composed and move it to the left hand (C3–A3), with offbeat chords in the right hand.
3. Review your score: no close thirds below C3, no stretch wider than an octave in one hand.
4. In the ABC editor, note your pedalling intentions as text ("Ped. every bar").
5. Self-check: play (or have someone play) each hand separately, slowly: does everything fall under the fingers without strain?