Need opinion of exercise books

[gerry]

I'm looking for some good warm-up exercises and some that would serve to advance technique. I'm already familiar with Chopin and other concert etudes> I would appreciate some opinions/reviews on the following if you are familiar with them:

Alfred Cortot: "Rational Principles of Piano Technique"
Brahms: 51 Exercises
Bartok: Mikrokosmos (Vol 1,2,3,4,5)
Dohnanyi: Essential Finger Exercies
Any other recommendations you might have.

I've used some of the Dohnanyi and find that I need to ration them as they feel like they could be dangerous if overdone - they really tax the muscles of the hand and wrist. Also, of all the Czerny books, which is the most advanced and useful for advanced warm-up?

[pianistimo]

this sounds funny - but i use mozart sonatas.  they are easy on you - and yet there are technical difficulties.  this way - you won't get carpel tunnels when you work your repertoire as well.  save yourself!

unless you want to tackle the brahms paganini variations for fun - but i'd save that to the end of practice session. 

warming up, to me, is just enough to get your fingers and dexterity going.  not to make you sore.  but, once i am warmed up and have practiced repertoire (of which there is never enough time) - then you can warm -down (being already warmed-up) and move from very difficult, to moderate, to easy and then quit.  just a little bit from each one.  say the first of the brahms paganini variations.  i think it has thirds in it. 

joseffy has some interesting exercises, too.

and , then there's beethoven's 32 variations on a waltz by diabelli.  i like the sound of those and would enjoy practicing them over and over.  the brahms handel variations are cool, too.

[invictious]

Depends on how you were raised as a pianist actually, ie Czerny Mozart Hanon Bach?

I personally like Bartok's Mikrokosmos. They are very very 20th century, and really makes your warmup worthwhile. They aren't just technical exercises, the have musicality in them, although the rest of the books you mentioned also have musicality in them, I just find Bartok more interesting and fun to play.

[gerry]

Regarding the 5 volumes of Mikrokosmos, is it necessary/beneficial for an advanced student to work through all 5 or would it be better to start with later volumes? In other words, how are they structured?

[beethovenlover]

I personally use and love Czerny. I was started on Hanon . Hanon is the devil.

[invictious]

Regarding the 5 volumes of Mikrokosmos, is it necessary/beneficial for an advanced student to work through all 5 or would it be better to start with later volumes? In other words, how are they structured?

Later books are harder, and early books are easier.
That is speaking in general.

Wait till you get to the end of Book 6, the 6 Dances in Bulgarian Rhythms, they are..wow.

[mknueven]

dozen a day is good

[jinfiesto]

Are you joking when you say dozen a day? hahaha... Plaidy is good. The fingerings for double thirds and sixths are incredible.

[russda_man]

I'm looking for some good warm-up exercises and some that would serve to advance technique. I'm already familiar with Chopin and other concert etudes> I would appreciate some opinions/reviews on the following if you are familiar with them:

Alfred Cortot: "Rational Principles of Piano Technique"
Brahms: 51 Exercises
Bartok: Mikrokosmos (Vol 1,2,3,4,5)
Dohnanyi: Essential Finger Exercies
Any other recommendations you might have.

I've used some of the Dohnanyi and find that I need to ration them as they feel like they could be dangerous if overdone - they really tax the muscles of the hand and wrist. Also, of all the Czerny books, which is the most advanced and useful for advanced warm-up?

Czerny: School of the virtuoso. Learn them all. Also, the Art of finger dexterity. Czerny din't spend 13 hours a day at the piano for nothing! Learn all the Chopin etudes. Liszt Pagininni etudes are brilliant too. Brahms exercises are good, but I feel that they are only good for Brahms. Donyani is good too, but this is not the same virtuosic stuff as Czerny. This is more for finger strength and independance.

[slobone]

Regarding the 5 volumes of Mikrokosmos, is it necessary/beneficial for an advanced student to work through all 5 or would it be better to start with later volumes? In other words, how are they structured?

There are 6 volumes altogether. They start very easy, and progress in a leisurely way. I would say even vol. 6 isn't on the same level as the Chopin Etudes, although Boosey & Hawkes label them "sehr schwer".

I sight read vol. 1 in about 1/2 an hour, at tempo. Vol 2 isn't much harder. If you're advanced, skip to vol. 6. But they're better as pieces than they are as exercises in my humble opinion.

[syncope]

Clementie has great etudes - strange they´re not more popular than they are, they´re just like Czerny, it's fun to play. It´s called Gradus ad parnassum (or somewhat). I love playing those for warm-up. It´s easy enough to sightread them, but hard enough that you´ll play ´m three times to get it right!

[chopinfan_22]

I have always wondered about which studies to use. Honestly, I wouldn't do any of the ones you've mentioned. I don't know enough of Mikrokosmos to give an opinion, but I would suggest Burgmuller's Op. 100. They are all pieces, they have some technical difficulty, but nothing too difficult.