Piano Technique Books

[sampiano93]

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some expertise. 

I completed my Grade 8 nearly 10 years ago now, and whilst I did Music at undergraduate level, I opted to focus on secondary teaching opposed to performance. For some years now I’ve just sort of floated at a happy/comfortable level of piano-playing. I’m fairly competent at sight-reading and have some advanced pieces in my repertoire (a couple of Chopin Nocturnes, Mozart Sonata movements, etc).

I really want to push myself and start challenging myself again as I feel I’ve become somewhat “rusty”, particularly in relation to my technique.

I have to be honest, I’ve tried some popular methods (Hanon, An Hour a Day) but find them under-stimulating and I grow bored of them rather quickly. I’d much prefer books with a mix of technical exercises and interesting/fun repertoire.

Does anyone have any recommendations, please? Nothing too advanced as I’m looking at starting quite basic and building my technique/confidence over time.

Many thanks!

[kosulin]

Faber has an interesting Piano Trainer Series:
The Foundation Pianist - 2 books (grades 2+
The Intermediate Pianist - 3 books (grades 3+)
The Advanced Pianist - 2 books (grades 6-8) - these might fit your current level and  requrements. Or, may be, start with Intermediate.
Add ABRSM/RCM repertoire/etude books, and you should be all set.
Most exercises in The Complete Pianist by Penelope Roskell are from real pieces, if you are looking for less boring technique reference book.

[transitional]

Well, isn't that what etudes are for?

Try Liszt's Douze Etudes (S. 136, Op. 1). They are interesting musically and technically and aren't too technically difficult. Well known but not too overplayed.

[bryfarr]

For getting the rust off, I would recommend Czerny The School of Velocity op 299.  Pick ones that seem interesting to you - - there are plenty of examples on YT.  They progress from intermediate to advanced.  These are short pieces with specific technical challenges, and sufficient musical substance to make them playable over and over, unlike exercise books like Hanon or Dohnanyi.  The real challenges emerge as you increase your tempo.  Also make sure to follow the dynamic markings so you are not skipping on that challenge.  As a first piece, I will recommend #12 which focuses on arpeggios.  Most of them are written in simple keys, but an ambitious student can transpose them up or down a half step.  For example, you can transpose the ones in G to G-flat and still read the same literal notes, just transpose the accidentals.

[klavieronin]

This one is quite good. It contains various technical exercises and demonstrates how the techniques learned in them apply to various pieces in the repertoire. Full scores are provided for all the repertoire pieces.
https://print.halleonard.com.au/products/e52282/tone-touch-and-technique-adv-pianist

[lelle]

My experience is that it is hard to learn technique just from reading books. It's so easy to place your own interpretation on the words used by the author, without knowing if you an the author are thinking the same way. My recommendation would be seeking out a teacher known for teaching technique effectively to students. I cannot imagine many books that beat practical, hands on instruction by a good teacher.