I had to smile when I read about Rubinstein’s temper being a “powerful motivating factor” for his students. I have had a teacher who came from the Russian conservatory and I think he had somewhat of the same philosophy. Needless to say the yelling and intensive work habits were not so motivating for me. Yet, could our culture and my background be a factor in this, do we always feel an entitlement to be encouraged positively and congratulated for any hard work we may do? If I had grown up in Russia this may have been a more effective teaching technique. However, I disagree with this type of motivation I think a teacher can be just as motivating without the screaming and stamping.

Rachmaninoff says that Rubinstein’s use of the pedal was one of his great secrets. This statement made me wonder if at times we don’t underestimate the pedal. I myself know that I don’t use it enough in the correct manner. Why is more attention not focused on the ‘technique’ of pedal use? Rubinstein said himself “the pedal is the soul of the piano. No pianist should ever forget this” (294).

Rubinstein and both Lhevinnes advocated for mental preparation. “Before your fingers touch the keys you must begin the piece mentally-that is, you must have settled in your mind the tempo, the manner of touch, and above all, the attack of the first notes, before your actual playing begins” (295) Rubinstein states. Lhevinne says, “a beautiful singing tone must first be conceived mentally” (302). I was told this quite a lot and while I think it is sound advice one has to also be carful with it because a student could reason that the singing tone and expression qualities of a piece have more to do with ones mental preparation and feelings of interpretation for the piece rather than having to do with technique and hand positions which is just as important if not more. Therefore, I think both ideas must be equally stressed and not one over the other because they both have equal importance in the overall sound of your piece.