It appears, therefore, that he could not, if he would, have succeeded on more conventional technical lines.

Gradually he developed great strength and intense activity in the middle joints, which enabled him to play with a very close, often overlapping, touch, and to maintain extremely rapid tempi in legato or staccato with perfect ease and little fatigue.

With this combination of velocity and close touch, it was a slight matter to produce those pianistic effects which were especially dear to him.
"MacDowell's finger development has been thus dwelt upon, because it was, as has been said, the feature of his technic which immediately surprised and captivated his hearers.

Less noticeable was his wrist and octave work.

But his chord playing, though also relatively unattractive, was even in those early days almost as uncommon in its way as was his velocity.