any idea about; piano technique; book by karl leimer

[drhosseinzadeh]

 
  any idea about piano technique book by karl leimer
 Hi everybody
I am self taught in piano and practicing for several months.I recently got the piano technique  ; piano technique; book by karl leimer   .do you have any idea about it.
thanks
 
 

[ramseytheii]

  any idea about piano technique book by karl leimer
 Hi everybody
I am self taught in piano and practicing for several months.I recently got the piano technique  ; piano technique; book by karl leimer   .do you have any idea about it.
thanks
 
 

I think that book is for advanced students, and to get what he says about learning away from the score, you have to understand a lot about musical theory.  If you are studying music theory along with practicing, then it might be a good read for you.

As far as piano technique I have to review it, but I don't think it has useful information for those coming in without a lot of prerequisite knowledge.  If it is not useful for you now, hold on to it, and it may be in the future!

Walter Ramsey

[trazom]

I agree with Walter Ramsey.

I just recently discovered this book in a used bookstore and it is absolutely great!  I have since been able to learn scores away from the piano and it is amazing but there are a few things I discovered about it:

1) It takes a lot of dicipline.  You have to remain focused and make sure you stay on task.  I find it is similar to practicing in that you can really only accomplish something for 15 minutes or so before your mind wants a break.

2) You have to be very observant and experimental... Leimer does a great job getting you started but there are a lot of cracks left for you to fill in.  You will have to discover and teach yourself this process; like technique it is somewhat unique and different for each person.

3) It is mentally taxing.  I think of it like mental exercise.  It is also rewarding each time you learn a piece.

I think this might be the fastest way to learn a piece.  When I sit down at an actual piano to learn a piece, I am far more likely to waste my time.  After reading Leimer, I now go learn a piece outside in a park or something, and then practice it at the piano after I have the score memorized.  You have to make sure to practice it several times a day for a while or it will slip from your mind (though easier to relearn the second time).

I like to learn one piece, then while I'm practicing it learn another, and keep the cycle going.

But like Walter Ramsey said, you will need a lot of knowledge to make use of Leimer.  Your theory and experience must be quite advanced or it will be like trying to memorize Shakespeare without knowing English.

[atticus]

I like this book too.  There are a lot of "little tidbits" of information that I found usefull. 

I have been practicing learning scores away from the piano.  I agree with Trazom's comments - it is very tough mentally (especially in the begining where I would only learn a measure or two at a time).  It is a little bit easier after you have some practice.  To make it less taxing, I learn each hand separately during mental practice.

[rachfan]

When I'm ready to tackle a new piece, I always first study it away from the piano, as suggested by the Leimer/Geiseking approach, although I don't go quite so deeply into music theory.  I do comb the score with a fine-tooth comb in other ways, however.  First, I make a determination on the general form and structure of the work to get a macro view.  Then I consider the key signature and tempo for awhile.  (Anyone here who has made studied judgments on the meaning and application of "andantino", for example, which has given pause to musicians for decades, will know why this is important.)  Next I try to get a sense of the character of the piece by paying close attention to dynamic and expressive markings, special directions, and tempo and key changes as well as accents.  Then I carefully inspect figuration relative to types of touch employed, articulation, phrasing, voicing of chords, voice leading, foreground versus background, presence of inner lines, important harmonic notes for coloration, notes to be deemphasized, really difficult ledger lines to read, short cadenzas, unusual rhythms to be analyzed, tentative fingerings, and the most likely helpful practice methods.  I even start to form preliminary ideas for pedaling. 

For a lyrical piece (having accompanied singers in the past), I think about how the melodic line might be sung, and in so doing, get an initial sense for playing the long line.  I'm also on alert for the melody shifting to the left hand.  If I'm using an urtext edition and see something unexpected, I'll consult the editorial committe's commentary to see if there is any mention of it.  I'll also pull out repertoire guides and other books to read more about the music and the composer's intent.  As I'm doing all this, I mark the score as much as I need to.  There are undoubtedly other things I look for than mentioned above, but you get the idea.

By the time I actually sit down at the piano to read through the piece for the first time, I already know a lot about it!  That means that practicing can be more accurate and efficient from the get-go.  And, I can proceed to specific problem solving more quickly too.  Because my practice time is limited and precious, this approach is extremely useful to me. 

Unfortunately, it's impossible to know everything about a piece by studying the score alone.  It will invariably reveal some of its deepest, innermost secrets only in the playing.  As I gain new insights and work on them at the keyboard, I again later take the score away from the piano to consider those further, and to make additional notations on the score as to my objectives.

Studying the score beforehand really works well for me.  I have not sat down at the piano to "muddle through" the first reading of a new repertoire piece for a very long time.  It's simply not effective.  Rather, studying the score away from the piano accelerates learning and knowing.