Technique For The Advancing Pianist

This practical resource provides foundational tools for scale, chord and arpeggio playing; exercises for developing precision, speed, agility and clarity of tone; and exercises and etudes that focus on a variety of technical challenges.

(Amadeus). This holistic approach to the keyboard, based on a sound understanding of the relationship between physical function and musical purpose, is an invaluable resource for pianists and teachers. Professor Fink explains his ideas and demonstrates his innovative developmental exercises that set the pianist free to express the most profound musical ideas. HARDCOVER.

ON PIANO PLAYING begins with a revealing introduction to the fundamental relationships among motions and emotions, the keyboard itself and the human performing mechanism - the physical equipment that is used to make music. Here Sandor explains the role each plays in performance, pointing out typical mistakes and misconceptions that get in the way of virtually every pianist. He then discusses the basic technical patterns: free fall, scales and arpeggios, rotation, staccato, and thrust. Aided by carefully designed exercises, he shows how to execute physical movements to build muscle tone, sharpen coordination, and increase strength and flexibility. The exercises are based on common-sense principles of anatomy and physiology. Sandor next applies these patterns to the classic repertoire, showing how to play the exposition of Beethoven's WALDSTEIN sonata, for example. The emphasis in this section is on simplicity of motion and movement, and on ways to integrate motions to optimal effect - how to identify the technical patterns of a score and put them in the service of musical interpretation. No pianist, Sandor demonstrates, need suffer fatigue or exhaustion from playing a difficult piece. He shows that strength alone is not enough; the ability to use different muscles of the upper arm - is essential if practice is to be something more than a mechanical warming-up exercise. Special attention is given to problems of interpretation and performance as well: pedalling, variants, the development of precise musical diction and a singing piano tone, and much more. And he explores the common psychological challenges of public performance as well. Complete with line drawings, photographs, and many musical examples, ON PIANO PLAYING provides the means for mastering the complexities and intricacies of good musicianship. It offers an accessible, intriguing, and effective program for developing the fundamental skills that are the building blocks of good music-making.

Dr. Maurice Hinson caps off his extensive library of period anthologies with a comprehensive look at Impressionist compositions. This beautifully engraved edition includes works by the top 20 Impressionistic composers, an extensive foreword with historical information on each composer, specific performance notes for each pieces and a look at the compositional techniques used by Impressionists.

"The Complete Pianist: from healthy technique to natural artistry offers a new and unique approach to piano playing, in which Penelope Roskell shares a lifetime's experience of teachning and performing, and of ground-breaking research into healthy piano playing. Her innovative approach to piano technique is based on the use of natural, ergonomic movement which achieves a rich range of sounds, allows greater artistic freedom and helps to prevent injury."--Page 4 de la couverture.

(Piano Instruction). Fundamentals of Piano Technique was developed by Leon Conus (1871-1944) and Olga Conus (1890-1976) during many decades of teaching and performing, and through association with the most prominent Russian musicians of the time including Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, and Medtner. The exercises in this method are concise and efficient, focusing on the elements of good playing: control, touch, nuance, and musicianship. This book can be used by students at all levels of development, and with all shapes and sizes of hands. The preparatory exercises allow students to begin using the book within their first year of lessons. A systematic approach allows the hands to develop gradually, avoiding dangerous tension or muscle damage. Topics include: preparatory exercises; extension exercises; five-finger exercises; flexibility of the thumb; trill exercises; scales & arpeggios; wrist development; double notes; and more.

This volume presents two books in one--THE SHORTEST WAY TO PIANISTIC PERFECTION (1932) and RHYTHMICS, DYNAMICS, PEDAL AND OTHER PROBLEMS OF PIANO PLAYING (1938)--long sought by students and teachers looking for a radical approach toward developing not only finger technique but expression technique. The book includes complete scores of works discussed in the text.

The ultimate objective is to train the student through repeated patterns and precise exercises, to acquire a conscious control in these techniques: the use of the whole arm for lateral freedom and arm weight, the forearm for rotation (Alberti bass and similar patterns) the wrist for flexibility in phrasing and the fingers for dexterity in passage work.