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Title: Mastering Piano Technique: A Guide for Students, Teachers, and Performers by Seymour Fink, Donald G. Bell ISBN: 0-931340-46-2 Publisher: Amadeus Pr Pub. Date: June, 1992 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.33 (6 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: an extremely helpful and original work
Comment: As a pianist I've read MANY books regarding piano technique. Seymour Fink's Mastering Piano Technique is a well thought out and extremely helpful addition to the literature. It is similar in content to the classic technique book by Abbey Whiteside. Based on total understanding of the pianist's physiology, both authors are in favor of utilizing shoulder, arm, torso, legs, etc. in conjunction with fingers to produce sounds. Various parts of the body work as levers - each logically taking more or less responsibility based on the demands of the music. This reduces the chances of developing tension. Fink's ideas make for better music making by having the pianists movement absolutely linked to phrasing and articulation. As with the Whiteside book, it is not always easy reading....but it is worth the effort in the end.
As I mentioned, Fink has categorized different movements which correspond with certain sounds and articulation. Ultimately these movements make playing imminently easier. Fink creates keyboard choreography which the pianist can keep coming back to as the demands of the music dictate. Fink's ideas such as "fingersnaps", "pronation" etc. satisfied a variety of musical and technical requirements.
In my experience no one book on technique can totally satisfy all of the technical demands of piano playing. That would be the same as claiming there is only one right interpretation for each piece of music. Fink's myriad ideas and solutions pertaining to piano technique make this book absolutely worth having: everyone can absolutely take something useful away from this book.
Rating: 5
Summary: Healthy approach to piano technique
Comment: As a trained dancer, pianist, and teacher I have thoroughly appreciated Professor Fink's complete physical approach to piano technique. I have found it congruent with physical movement principles and especially applaud his emphasis on movement originating from the torso and the use of large muscle groups in sound production. As a teacher I have found it an exceedingly helpful guide for developing within students a thoughtful awareness of how their body "dances" at the piano in the creation of a musically beautiful and expressive performance. This book and video promote a healthy, whole body approach that is essential to long-term physical fitness at the piano. It is thoroughly worth the time and effort to study and master the principles laid out in Mastering Piano Technique.
Rating: 3
Summary: response to dishuey
Comment: reading dishuey's review suggested a couple of important cautions to me- you cannot literally follow the motions Mr. Fink describes in the book and play comfortably- for demonstration purposes, he shows an extreme version of the actual motion. You will notice in the video that when he is moving quickly, the "pronating/suppinating motions" among others are almost invisible. This is a dipping into book, and quite dreary to just plow through. Also, I emphasize to my students that technique ideas are just part of a pianist's "bag of tricks." We pull something out of the bag that might help us solve a problem, but nothing in the bag is an end in itself. Awkwardness or gracelessness of motion indicates a problem in my experience, and certainly an exacting adherence to anybody's system is going to do harm because of the uniqueness of each pianist.
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Title: On Piano Playing: Motion, Sound, and Expression by Gyorgy Sandor ISBN: 0028722809 Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing Pub. Date: 01 September, 1995 List Price(USD): $54.95 |
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Title: Piano Technique by Walter Gieseking, Karl Leimer ISBN: 0486228673 Publisher: Dover Pubns Pub. Date: June, 1972 List Price(USD): $6.95 |
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Title: Super Sight-Reading Secrets: An Innovative, Step-By-Step Program for Musical Keyboard Players of All Levels by Howard B. Richman ISBN: 0961596309 Publisher: Sound Feelings Pub Pub. Date: June, 1986 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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Title: 20 Lessons in Keyboard Choreography by Seymour Bernstein ISBN: 0793503728 Publisher: Hal Leonard Pub. Date: June, 1991 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Piano Playing by Josef Hofmann ISBN: 0486233626 Publisher: Dover Pubns Pub. Date: June, 1976 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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