Project-Planning-Principle brainstorm (phase 0.0)

[stringoverstrung]

Hi all,

unhindered by the absence of knowledge on the subject and motivated by the following observations (brightly pointed out by Bernhard, Chang et al.):

- sadly the drill thing (Hanon et al.) is so widespread and more difficult to get rid off (= only keep the good things) then i could have ever imagined in my wildest dreams.
- practicing the wrong way is almost worse then not practicing at all,
- there is a widespread  general agreement on the correct principles of piano playing,
- Time is THE limiting factor in our life therefore planning/optimal time-management is key,
- Yet the OPTIMAL path to the true art of piano playing has not been brightly marked (although it is there and some know it / can find it),
- the next step in ameliorating knowledge for mankind is not in even more information but in ordering and structuring what is already known (This makes it manageable). (If you're not convinced think about what the google database can do for your personal knowledge. And google is a zillion miles away of what is theoretically possible in data structuring. Also think about what we have learned from Bernhard. This is A LOT! Think about how much we learned and this with very limited means of communication / classification / search function /structure.)


and inspired by the efforts of
- mr. C.C. Chang,
- wikipedia,
- project planners all over the world,
- dedicated piano teachers such as m1469 and my piano teacher,
- pianostreet posters such as Bernhard, Xvimbi et al.


i'm brainstorming about the unifying force in piano methodology. I know there are several schools / approaches to the keyboard + individuality etc. but a few meetings with my teacher have convinced me that it is possible and that the differences are mainly in the language and the transfer of the knowledge: the true art of piano playing is individual yet universal:
in a sense there are a million ways to play the piano correctly (as CC Chang points out) but in another sense the right path to the true art is narrow.

I have a plan in my head that will focus on planning and classifying. Now i know the pitfalls of methodology, classifying, generalizing all too well (from my professional experience). The ABRSM grading system even seems to indicate that classical music is unclassifiable... More on this later.

But first of all i'd like to know from you knowledgeable people:
What comes up in YOUR mind reading the above? 

[tocca]

Good, trustable, information about how to go about practising is worth a lot i think.
I've learned things from this forum, and from books and i could surely learn more from books.
BUT...
In the end, in my opinion, there's no substitute for a good teacher! You can NEVER replace the hands on approach you get from a teacher with words.
A book can never know what you're doing wrong, or what you're hands looks like or how you move your wrists while playing and so on.

More information about what to look for in a teacher, how to find good teacher and how to tell if they're good or not for you would be very valuable i think.

[stringoverstrung]

The intention is certainly not to write the definitive book on piano technique! This must be done by people who know what they are talking about (like Sandor, Bernhard et al.) I'm only looking for means to organize and classify and then to persuade teachers to use good methods.

More information about what to look for in a teacher, how to find good teacher and how to tell if they're good or not for you would be very valuable i think.

Good point!