Speed and loudness
Above and beyond all this is the study of style, learning about the composer and the period he/she lived in with comparative studies of poetry, literature, painting, architecture and dance. I feel that more time spent on these activities, with their greater proportion of mental work, instead of note bashing with the primary aim of speed and loudness, is much healthier for the player and, paradoxically, results in a better sheet music for piano technique because it involves more listening and muscular/aural feedback, which in turn tends to result in a more finely balanced physical state. Every pianist will make this chord sound different , even on the same instrument. The opening chord of Beethovens Concerto No 4 has many pianists in a sweat, faced with eight notes which must be perfectly balanced, and no opportunity to test the key resistance first.
