This publication is divided into three main sections:
The first section starts by looking at the history of piano technique from its early beginnings to the rise of the super virtuoso. Many of the traditional studies and exercises pianists have been practising for generations originally came about as a result of a fallacy in the 19th century. Pianists battling with the increasing technical demands of music written for the instrument believed that all you had to do was make the fingers stronger rather than exploring new ways of playing.
It then goes on to look at posture and healthy ways of moving at the piano, providing suggestions and resources to help you remain physically free, eliminate tension, and prevent and overcome injury.
The next section deals with the various components of piano technique one by one. It examines the role of the hand and the fingers, the importance of finger independence, the wrist, arm and forearm. It will then show how to coordinate all of this to make your playing easier, more efficient and skilful.
It contains a comprehensive set of exercises and examples from the repertoire which will show you how to:
- Develop a good hand position and use the fingers to produce a variety of touches
- Develop finger independence to improve your speed and coordination
- Use your wrist effectively to attain greater freedom at the piano and produce a beautiful singing tone
- Produce a huge sound and manage virtuoso octaves with ease and power
- Use forearm rotation to develop an efficient and healthy technique for trills, scales and big leaps
The last section is a manual of technical exercises based on the material from the previous section, covering exercise regimens, warm-ups, finger exercises, chord playing, octaves, double notes and repeated notes and trills. With plenty of video demonstrations and precise instructions with exercises written out in manuscript you will know exactly which exercises to practise and how they should be done for maximum effect.