Best technique book to boost technique?

[libraboy]

Hi all,

I've been wondering what's the best technique book there is to help strengthen and maintain pianists' technique. I've been using the Liszt technical exercises and skimmed over Philipp, Pischna, Dohnanyi, but they all seem rather similar in approach. Rafael Joseffy's seems too ornate and comprehensive for me. What do professional pianists mostly use?

Also, I've heard that professional pianists like Volodos only practice for two hours a day, is that true? I also practice for two hours a day but couldn't really get the grasp on it....


thanks in advance.

[ara9100]

I would rank Brams's and liszt's technique book as the best.

[lostinidlewonder]

You can try Burlow/Cramer

[claude_debussy]

Scales, arpeggios, octaves. 

Playing these well is a big, big challenge.   

Both hands, major, minor, and melodic minor four or five octaves, at different intervals.   Every day, every day, every day.  Arpeggios - triads, seventh chords, dim, 7th chords. 

If you can really do these well, you're already a fine pianist, or close to it.

Beyond this if you want exercises, Plaidy is interesting.  C. Chang has useful insights and suggestions that Plaidy appears to have published many years earlier. 

But practice scales, arpeggios, every day.  If you have time - and want to test romantic repertoire - practice double octaves.  A lot of piano music doesn't demand good octave playing however - not until you get to Brahms, Liszt and Tchaikovsky. 

Good luck! 

CD

[libraboy]

I actually play octave scales and octave arpeggios everyday. I don't play the one-note scales and arpeggios though....

[claude_debussy]

Why not?

[jgallag]

By "boosting" technique I'm assuming you mean learning something you don't already know how to do. Otherwise, that's not boosting, really.

As far as I'm concerned, you should check out:
Mastering Piano Technique by Seymour Fink
Indispensables of Piano Playing by Abby Whiteside
Mastering the Chopin Etudes and other Essays by Abby Whiteside
On Piano Playing by Gyorgy Sandor

I've also heard about Craft of Piano Playing by Alan Fraser but I haven't been able to secure a copy yet, plus I'm not done with the Whiteside and Fink. I disagree with some of Chang's writings, but agree with others. In particular I'm not fond of his HS requirements for speed, they're unnecessary and in some cases impossible.

As for technical exercises (which are completely different from technique books), I don't see why you would be asking for them. I'm assuming you weren't told to use them, if you're asking us, so then follows the question of whether or not you have a teacher. I use them because my teacher tells me to, and she directs me to which exercises she wants me to do and how she wants me to do them. Technical exercises give you patterns to practice, they do not tell you how to practice them, and are therefore useless without a teacher. Please do not call attention to Hanon's Preface. That man was delusional, it's my only explanation for it.

[stringoverstrung]

hi,

I surely recommend alan fraser's book especially after the sandor book while it goes into more detail technically. be sure to try it out.
it helped me a lot.

[jepoy]

I second claude_debussy: scales, arpeggios, and octaves.

Ideally, it would take you around an hour to do all of these in many kinds of combinations. In my case, I do this first thing in the morning but since I can only spend 30 mins for warm up due to work, I vary them everyday (rhythm, speed, touch, etc.). Something like this:

Mon: Very slow playing (for tone devt), hands separate and then hands together, portamento, 2 octaves
Tue: Hands together at an octave, 4 octaves, asc, desc, contrary, legato
Wed: Hands together at a third, 4 octaves, asc, desc, contrary, staccato
Thur: Hands together at a tenth, 4 octaves, asc, desc, contrary, leggierro. broken octaves
etc...

I only do chromatic, major, harmonic minor, triads, dom 7ths, dim 7th. For octaves, I try to incorporate the octave passages of Saint-Saens #2, 1st movement since I've been meaning to learn it anyway.

And yes, this daily routine has improved my technic and stamina a lot. If one can play this well for at least an hour a day, one will have the stamina and endurance for certain large works like Beethoven sonatas or even some concertos. At least that's the logic my pianist coach goes by and indeed, I'm feeling the benefits.

Good luck!

[mcdiddy1]

The best book is in the music you practice!  Playing scales and arppegios are required for being able to read piano literature but as far as pianistic concepts such as wrist rotations, syncopated pedaling, arm weight, strong finger joints, voice projection are best learned with help from a teacher than reading a book. However I think it would be useful if the book has exercises and pictures to explaing the concepts but the point executing these techniques are to create musical effects

[invictious]

Learn to play Chopet 10/4 within one minute.

[beethoven_fan]

Maybe a dumb suggestion, but have you thought about playing some Bach ? His WTC can really give you some good technique.

[imbetter]

Dohnyanni (sp>) finger exercises. That's what I do it's great practice. 

[dan101]

I like Brahms exercises. of course, a ton of practice is an absolute must.

[gorucan]

The best exercise is playing as much works as you can with relaxed hands, and technique will appear itself!

[rachfan]

Forget exercise books--all of them.  Concentrate on all scales (four octaves in parallel) and arpeggios, major and minor, and be able to play them well through the Circle of 5ths either downward starting on C, Am, F, Dm, etc.  or upward beginning on Em, G, Bm, D etc.  Also be able to play any scale at random.  Learn the chromatic scale as well.  Find one, just one (not a book full of them) effective independence of the fingers exercise where each one of the fingers holds the anchor position in turn while the others play around it, and use that as needed.  This is all the technical regimen you'll ever need.  

Learn and improve your technique in the real world of music during your practicing of actual repertoire pieces.  Let the master composers teach you.  Every time you solve a particular technical problem in a piece, such as smoothing out a short cadenza, managing melody and accompaniment within the same hand, perfecting execution of a polyrhythm, voicing melodic chords, playing important inner lines, or whatever, you have effectively advanced your technique WHILE learning and expanding repertoire.  It's a far more efficient and productive use of your time.

[gorucan]

Forget exercise books--all of them.  Concentrate on all scales (four octaves in parallel) and arpeggios, major and minor, and be able to play them well through the Circle of 5ths either downward starting on C, Am, F, Dm, etc.  or upward beginning on Em, G, Bm, D etc.  Also be able to play any scale at random.  Learn the chromatic scale as well.  Find one, just one (not a book full of them) effective independence of the fingers exercise where each one of the fingers holds the anchor position in turn while the others play around it, and use that as needed.  This is all the technical regimen you'll ever need. 

Learn and improve your technique in the real world of music during your practicing of actual repertoire pieces.  Let the master composers teach you.  Every time you solve a particular technical problem in a piece, such as smoothing out a short cadenza, managing melody and accompaniment within the same hand, perfecting execution of a polyrhythm, voicing melodic chords, playing important inner lines, or whatever, you have effectively advanced your technique WHILE learning and expanding repertoire.  It's a far more efficient and productive use of your time.

You are 120% right.

[miriamko]

I have always used Pischna (and little Pischna for younger students). Exercises are great finger strengthening aids while doing wonders for coordination.

[gyzzzmo]

Best technique of boosting your technique is by discovering your biggest technical flaws and find etudes for those flaws, or make up your own etudes that deal with them.

[etude12]

Okay, two hours is not enough; as one is learning one must play for much more time, and after technique is perfected, you can relax your hours more. I am a student, and the first to admit that I have things to learn; last year, I averaged at least three hours a day, only 30% of which was technical. This year, I decided to actually get some work done, and average six hours a day, 60% (at least) of which is technical work, and my improvement has been immeasurable. You must be methodical; anyone can play around with difficult etudes, but the ideal goal is a sensible progression through technique to achieve the best results possible. First, make sure your scales (hands together, in thirds, in sixths, staccato, crescendo, octaves... everything!) and arpeggios (octaves, inversions, staccato, vivid dynamic changes per octave etc) are perfect, which means PERFECT; getting the notes is a given, but one must work not to drop the hand, try to make fingers and thumb all depress key at same speed and pressure, a good exercise for which is to accent every alternate note in a scale, then re-address same in reverse. Get used to sensation of finger springing up from key (useful to imagine the movement of a ball for lightness of fingers). Do Hanon and select Czerny and Kramer studies. Move on to Liszt and Chopin virtuosic etudes like op.10 no.1,2,4 etc; unfortunately, many of these neglect the right hand, so what I do is play the melody with my left hand to develop strength, and the Brahms studies are great (chaconne for l.h partucularly, from 5 studies). Develop rhythmic capabilities with Scriabin etudes. One more thing: never forget Bach! Bach is the foundation of all things!

[imbetter]

Also as mentioned previously a steady diet (prescription) of Bach does WONDERS for technique. I speak from experience.

[tuufy]

People should ALL go more Brahms for accuracy  and yet leggiero and legato play