Play piano in the manner of the Greats, part 1: self-expression

Dear Pianist,

To play in the style of a great pianist, you need to learn to express yourself freely at the piano.
As Nyiregyhazy said: " I'm not trying to impress anyone, I just want to express myself".

On youtube you can hear Albeniz in 1903 improvising at the keyboard, just as Mozart, Chopin, Liszt and others have done before him. Some say the dryness that some find in modern pianism stems from the rupture of this tradition of performer/composer during the 20th century.

Two paths forward:

Path 1. Learn to express yourself more freely when playing compositions by other composers. Here are a few hints.

A) Separate your playing from your practising. Your playing will be freely experimental, with no one to rap you on the knuckles. You can be indulgent and even overindulgent. Whatever you are feeling, express it in the music.

B) Choose expressive miniatures - early Chopin, early Debussy, early Scriabin, early Rachmaninoff...

C) play with flat finger tips, with the expressive pads of the fingers. Cortot would say: draw your arms toward the body, as if you are embracing someone you love.

D) many people find it easiest to play first thing in the morning, or late at night, try it with the lights dimmed, take your glasses off, or keep your eyes half shut... any emotion in your heart wants to travel to the piano strings via your finger tips without any censorship or commentary from the brain.

E) If others can overhear you, you might feel self conscious. To get round this, either play when the building is empty, or buy an electronic keyboard and headphones, so that noone can hear you.

To take things to the next level:

2. Learn to compose and/or improvise. You might consider a few lessons on keyboard harmony/harmony to get you started if you haven't developed this skill until now. As a spin-off, this will make it much easier for you to memorise and penetrate music in general.

You could read the Artist's Way by Julia Cameron for general inspiration on following a creative path.

Good luck and enjoy!