Practice is indeed the soul of piano technique and this concise handbook
-- by a noted pianist and teacher -- tells you how to get the most out
of it. It is a working manual, containing technical studies, excerpts
from the works of the great piano masters, and photographs -- all of
which help the students develop a sound technique in a comparatively
short time.
Beginning with such elemental topics as seating position, hand and
finger positions, and scales, the author proceeds to trilling,
exercises, thumb exercises, four-finger exercises, accent, tone
production, chords, fingering, pedaling, phrasing, sight-reading, and
other essentials of keyboard art.
Ms. Philipp has distilled the experience of a lifetime of playing and
teaching (she studied with students of Liszt and Busoni) into a highly
useful guide for all piano students. The text is replete with hints and
suggestions for developing better technique:
Melody -- If you want a melody to sing, keep the accompanying figuration
softer and you will get the desired effect.
Practice -- Practicing pianissimo, as many great pianists have been
known to do, will help further technique and improve velocity.
Pedaling -- If you want an individual tone to be particularly beautiful,
catch it with the pedal just after you have hit it.
These hints, and a host of others, are complemented by 63 musical
excerpts from the masters -- Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, Bartók,
Mendelssohn, Liszt -- and numerous exercises illustrating various
technical, stylistic, and musical approaches. Close-up photographs
indicate proper positioning of hands and fingers to achieve the proper
playing skills and practicing techniques.
Pianists at all levels can benefit from careful study of this unique
book -- beginners will find it particularly helpful in acquiring a
thorough knowledge of the essentials; intermediate and advanced pianists
will appreciate its review of basic principles and the author's
authentic and interesting treatment of problems concerned with the study
of the piano.
