Chapter 14 (& 13)

The devotion to facility in technical exercises of the Russian pianists that was portrayed in this chapter is impressive. It obviously had its benefits, but such expectations must be overwhelming or deterring to many people. I think that what can be drawn from this reading is the benefit of exercises aside from those built into the repertoire, but perhaps not quite to this extent.

There were a few quotes that I thought helped to qualify the role of a method in teaching. From Schnabel: "There is only one good technique...and that is to attain a maximum of achievement with a minimum of effort." (p. 288) Thus, advocating only high-finger technique or arm weight will not suffice; the technical approach will depend on a given situation. Later in the chapter, there is a quote by Lhevinne at the end of a description of different touches and the tones they create: "No one can tell the player exactly how to do this; he must find it out for himself..." (p. 305) No matter how detailed a verbal or written description is, students will not fully understand until they have felt it and heard the result. There can be guides and principles to direct students, but there is a certain amount to be discovered by the student.

Again, we read about teachers who do not demonstrate so that their students cannot imitate. I am not entirely convinced on this point yet. Maybe it works well for very advanced students, but I also think that having an aural goal can help practicing. If someone does not yet have the ability or the experience to hear it on their own, they will need a source to provide it for them.

In Chapter 13, the emphasis on concentrated practice and studying away from the piano was good, even though they aren't new ideas. Obviously, there is more to playing the piano than the physical aspect, and giving ourselves time to organize ideas and achieve a good mental state could increase effectiveness of practice and performance.

I would like to know what Leschetizky's method is of teaching how to learn a piece. He says that this is the same for all students. But, if each person's physical approach is different, couldn't the mental approach be different was well? I imagine there are some basic approaches to learning that are common, but there must be some differences in the details.