Abby Whiteside: Mastering the Chopin Etudes

[Chitch]

Unsure of what forum to put this in, I decided to just stick it in the one at the top.

Anyway are there any other books available that may be better or more detailed (for the study of Chopin Etudes) then Abby Whiteside's "Mastering The Chopin Etudes & Other Essays"?

[bernhard]

Yes.

I would not say it is better, but it approaches the subject from a very different angle. Also it covers most of Chopin's works, not only the Etudes:

Eleanor Baillee - Chopin - A graded practical guide. - Kahn & Averill.

I cannot recommend this book strongly enough.

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[bernhard]

Sorry, I just checked her name, it is spelled:

Eleanor BAILIE.

[Chitch]

Yes.

I would not say it is better, but it approaches the subject from a very different angle. Also it covers most of Chopin's works, not only the Etudes:

Eleanor Baillee - Chopin - A graded practical guide. - Kahn & Averill.

I cannot recommend this book strongly enough.

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

You sir, are the highest valued member on this board.

[comme_le_vent]

not me?  

hehe  

[Hmoll]

Whiteside's book is useful, but it only covers a few etudes, so it's not that comprehensive. Also, you have to buy into her overall approach to playing in order to apply her ideas fully. It is certainly worth reading though.

Another useful "book" is the Cortot edition of the etudes because he provides a lot of textual advise and exercises for each one.

[robert_henry]

The Whiteside book is an example of weight-playing taken too far.  She ignores the development of the fingers.  You see, our fingers are assisted by the weight and impetus of our bodies.  But weight does not *replace* the fingers.  

Some context: this book was written at a time when the idea of weight was finally gaining credence.  This book was written to counter the finger-school that was still out there.  It was a final deathblow to the finger-school.  So understandably, she may have been over-zealous in her encouragement of weight.  Also, she probably understood that most teachers were already teaching enough finger-school, so it was not necessary to discuss it.  

At a certain point in my life it was just the thing I needed to read because I was swinging too much in the direction of finger-playing, so the book has its uses.  Just remember while reading it:  the technique she prescribes is not the solution for all of piano playing.  It should compliment what you already know to be true.  

I especially like some of the maxims towards the end of the book.

Robert Henry

[bernhard]

Robert Henry (as always) is right.

A more balanced approach (that actuallyincorporates much of Abby White side preaches) is to be found in

Seymour Fink - Mastering Piano technique (Amadeus Press). It comes with an indispensable accompanying video.

(But it is general piano technique, and not specifically about Chopin)

Another extremely interesting reference is:

Jean Jacques Eigeldinger - Chopin - Pianist and teacher as seen by his pupils - (Cambridge).

Highly recommended both for insights in Chopin's pedagogy and for directions to the interpretation of his music.

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[erik-]

Do you know where Seymour Fink's book AND VIDEO can be ordered in Europe ?
On amazon, they propose the book but not the video. I could find anywhere to order the video from. Amadeus Press website wouldn't sell it to anywhere else than the US and canada.

[bernhard]

It cannot.

Amadeus Press has some superb books. But they are one of the most unfriendly and unhelpful publishers out there.  

When I heard that the video existed I tried ordering it through my local music shop – I am in the UK. Almost three months later, they finally replied that Amadeus had told them they would not allow it. Being a persistent guy, I found out that Amadeus had a branch in Cambridge. So I emailed them. No answer. So I phoned them. At first they told me they would enquire and come back to me. They didn’t. So I phoned again. This time they said it was not possible but would not explain why. I can only surmise it is some sort of greedy, petty thinking, the kind of corporate thinking that created different world zones for DVDs so that a DVD bought in one part of the world cannot be played in another part

Now, as far as I am concerned this is the kind of irritating attitude that  - even for someone like me who is completely against it – justifies piracy.

So here is what I did, and I suggest you do the same: I phoned a friend in the USA and asked him to go into a shop, buy the video and send it to me. Which he did. There.  

You must have a multinational video that accepts NSTC though.

Good luck,
Bernhard.