The Pianist's Talent, Thalberge

[phil39]

has anybody read the book, 'The Pianist's Talent', by Harold Taylor, based on the teachings of Thalberge?
i was wondering if anybody found it genuinely helpful to their performance levels and technique.  If the book is to be believed, then Thalberge's principles are the whole secret of top virtuoso playing!  Too good to be true surely?  Personally i feel i've reached a brick wall in my playing, forever stuck on not quite being able to get round a Chopin etude at anything more than half or 3-quarter speed with any degree of fluency.
So i'm thinking of giving it a try. It talks about your whole body posture, the correct relationship of all the parts, muscles being in the correct balance of tension and relaxation the time etc.  Even the way most of us sit down at the piano or place our hands on the keyboard is wrong apparently!
Does this book make sense to anybody??

[pianistimo]

i haven't read it - but the specific things you mention such as posture and relaxation are certainly key elements. also, i learned - flatter hands and more in and out movements.  for instance, if you simply stay above the white keys and reach for the black - it's difficult.  but if you allow your hands to go inwards towards the black keys (playing them more lyrically) - it's a sort of sweeping motion that you are doing at the same time as independent finger movements.  and the fingers all work together, too.  if anything seems 'gruesome' or tiring - it's probably because something can be fixed and made to be more comfortable to the hand.

chopin also wrote a lot about his own techniques and how he worked with students.  also, students and students of students.  the most noteable being cortot's advices (esp. with the etudes) from his teacher who studied with chopin. 

[m]

If the book is to be believed, then Thalberge's principles are the whole secret of top virtuoso playing!  Too good to be true surely? 

I am afraid so. If you hope that you will read the book and discover all the secrets of piano playing, I would advise not to hold you breath. You see, many people know those secrets, but the devil is in details.
Find a good teacher--nothing can replace it... and use the book as a reference in case you want to refresh something.