Chang or not?

[BoliverAllmon]

what are your thoughts on CC and Bernhard's  way of teaching? agree, disagree, or unsure? elaborate on your thoughts.

[pianalex]

Huge thanks are due to both for offering great ways of structuring practice, indeed in providing a clear definition of the meaning of the term.  For encouraging creative ways of varying practice routines to break out of ineffective techniques.  How to measure progress and to change it if it does not work, dispelling the notion that merely slogging away for hours will of itself guarantee advancement.  They have differing suggestions and have generously made them available to any who want to investigate them and try for themselves.  Map and compass

[g_s_223]

Yep, much kudos to both for sharing. 

There is no "One True Path"® to success on the piano: everyone is different. Read, select, apply, evaluate, repeat...

[bernhard]

Chang is essential reading for anyone starting the piano. It is also essential reading for the pros, but if you have spent the last 20 - 30 years investing on the wrong approach to piano technique and practice, it is unlikely that you are going to agree with Chang, unless you are already doing what he suggests.

His book is truly like a breath of fresh air in a very stale literature.

Another reason for beginners to read it, is that they will be better prepared to challenge (in a nice way, hopefully) their teacher´s instructions, and force the teacher to come up with good reasons for doing what they suggest the student do, apart from “because I am saying so”, or “ this is how we do things in the [put here the school of your choice] school of piano playing.

Chang´s is also one of those rare books that every time you read it, you find something new (even taking into account the fact that he keeps changing it). It is that very rare sort of book that grows with you. Or to put another way, as your understanding of piano playing grows, you find new depths to the book

As for Bernhard´s ideas, although I find them interesting, I also find that many times they do not seem to work. I have now wised up and I believe that the best way to profit from what he says is to look at his approach, rather than specific suggestions of how to do this or that. This of course demands a lot of work, so I would rather not think too much and do Hanon instead.

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[thalbergmad]

I would rather not think too much and do Hanon instead.

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

At last, the man has come to his senses.

[emmdoubleew]

IMO, one shouldn't follow their philosophies word for word. I beleive reading them is extremely helpful and useful, but there needs to be some self discovery in order for maxium efficiency in your practice.

[namui]

I'm not very successful in following Chang's approach. But I'd rather think that it's because I didn't interprete those concepts in his book into a practical procedure. Just adopted his guideline on random issues. I find his book provide me useful information about factors that I can manipulate for practicing, however.

Everything that I did following Bernhard's suggestions (mostly through private emails) worked like magic. His analytical viewpoint is what I found most useful for me. But it may also work because each of Bernhard's suggestions that I got was a detailed prescription containing exact steps to implement the relevant problem solving.

As for Bernhard's approach in learning (from his posts, not from direct email as personal suggestion), I never really implemented them exactly the way he said, but I developed my own plan out of reading his posts. Certain things did not work out exactly as I first assumed, but over all results at the end are always satisfying.