Isidor Phillip - Exercises for Independence of Fingers - Book 1: Piano Technique Review

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(More customer reviews)Place your hand, completely relaxed, palm down flat on your desk. Now gently curl your middle finger back under your hand so that your hand will be slightly raised yet supported by your tucked under middle finger. Your thumb, index finger, ring finger and pinky should be extended outward and spread evenly. Raise up only your thumb. NO PROBLEM. Next your pinky..., now your index finger. Finally your ring finger. BIG PROBLEM. As a piano player your ring finger is by far your weak link in developing technical dexterity. This book with it's exercises changes that! A must for anyone wishing to become a serious player. And don't forget book two of this series! Practice on!

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Piano Playing: With Piano Questions Answered (Classic Reprint) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book, originally published as two separate volumes in 1906 and 1907, is a collection of articles Hofmann wrote as a regular feature of the LADIES HOME JOURNAL. Although Josef Hofmann was himself a phenominal talent, he offers thoughtful answers to the simplest of piano questions, and guides the reader with a practical, common sense approach. Most of the advise in this little book is timeless, and the pictures of Hofmann himself demonstrating correct and incorrect positions of the hand and body make this a pedagogical gem that his admirers will cherish.

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THE PIANO AND ITS PLAYERHE first requisite for one who wishesto become a musicianly and artisticpianist is a precise knowledge of the possibilities and limitations of the piano as an instrument. Having properly recognised them both, having thus staked off a stretch of ground for his activity, he must explore it to discover all the resources for tonal expression that are hidden within its pale. With these resources, however, he must be contented. He must, above all, never strive to rival the orchestra. For there is no necessity to attempt anything so foolish and so futile, since the gamut of expressions inherent to the piano is quite extensive enough to vouchsafe artistic results of the very highest order, provided, of course, that this gamut is used in an artistic manner.3Table of Contents CONTENTS; PAGE; A Foreword VU; The Piano and Its Plates 3; General Rules 19; Correct Touch and Technic 34; The Use of the Pedal 41; Playing "In Style" 49; How Rubinstein Taught Me to Play 57; Indispensables in Pianistic Success 70About the Publisher Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, History, Folklore and Mythology.Forgotten Books' Classic Reprint Series utilizes the latest technology to regenerate facsimiles of historically important writings. Careful attention has been made to accurately preserve the original format of each page whilst digitally enhancing the difficult to read text. Read books online for free at http://www.forgottenbooks.org

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Classical Ballet Technique Review

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(More customer reviews)I am a beginning adult Ballet student who has been studying Ballet for only a month, but I already found this book very useful. It's got a sequence of pictures of real ballet dancers (not drawings) illustrating each step very clearly and precisely. The other good thing is it's got these pictures that show the "wrong" technique too for comparison. This is exactly what we students need. I took some ballroom dancing and there are a couple of standard technique books written on the subject, but they are all verbal discriptions so it is very hard to visualize the pictures. I wish there were a book just like this one for all the other dances. Anyway, this book is a MUST have for all serious, semi-serious ballet or dance students.

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Piano Mastery: Talks with Master Pianists and Teachers Review

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(More customer reviews)The writing comes off a little cocky but other than that- it was VERY helpful. Thanks! (this book was free when I got it)

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The following were obtained at the suggestion of the Editor of Musical America and have all with one or two exceptions appeared in that paper. They were secured with the hope and intention of benefiting the American teacher and student.

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Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet (Dover Books on Dance) Review

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(More customer reviews)First published in 1950, this ballet reference guide has stood the test of time. Who's it for? Ballet students and teachers, choreographers, or any ballet enthusiast. Here's what the book covers:
-descriptions and definitions of over 1100 ballet steps (in alphabetical order)
-how to say the darn words (worth the price of the book alone!)
-illustrations showing you body positions for the more common ballet steps and movements
-cross-references to other names for similar steps/positions that vary from the Russian, French and Italian schools
A must have book that can easily be toted around, I doubt most readers will regret buying it. Other ballet resources I recommend include The 5-Minute Plantar Fasciitis Solution for practitioners who have trouble with their feet.

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From adagio to voyage, over 800 steps, movements, poses, and concepts are fully defined. A pronunciation guide and cross-references to alternate names for similar steps and positions that vary from the Russian to the French or Italian schools are also invaluable aids.

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Great Pianists on Piano Playing: Godowsky, Hofmann, Lhevinne, Paderewski and 24 Other Legendary Performers (Great Pianists: In Their Own Words) Review

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(More customer reviews)If you play the piano with a passion, read this book. It gives many insights into how pianists from the golden age of pianism gave life to music on the keyboard. Hofman, Rubinstein, Paderewski,Sauer, Busoni, Bauer, Godowsky are just some of the greats. You can gauge for yourself how piano playing is expressed in terms of an art and a science. Not just body but mind too. Advice like not over-reliance on the metronome. Use your musical ear. You would have to read the book a couple of times before you find some common threads. They sure are golden threads to spin your music. Enjoy.

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Great pianists discuss topics ranging from piano technique and musical development to becoming a virtuoso. Included are Busoni's "Important Details in Piano Study," Rachmaninoff's "Essentials of Artistic Playing," Paderewski's "Breadth in Musical Art," and much more. Includes 2 introductory essays, artist biographies, artists' study questions, more.

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