Mother Russia

Good old Rubinstein. I would have liked to watch him play. His technique seemed unique as he combined arm and finger technique to suit his "paws." He is one of the first to discuss how important the pedal is to playing. His teaching approach was a little intense with all the shouting, but still humorous. My former teacher threatened to hit me with a salmon on occasion, so I can kinda relate... His communication in teaching seemed quite vague, but would be successful for students that responded to the style: imagery, mood projection, willing the sound etc. What I believe was most effective, was the student's conception of the piece, making them prepare the sounds keeping in mind the character of the piece. It's no wonder Safonov suggested the same thing, it truly works.

The conservatory playing seemed so intense, and I can't imagine doing all of that stuff everyday. They never skipped a day of scales and arpeggios. I liked Levhinne's points as well. Relaxation comes from the wrist and arm. We must be certain to articulate in our teaching the only playing with relaxation or playing without tensions isn't possible. We want to eliminate tension where it isn't needed and relax where it is needed. Music is all about tension and release. I wasn't so sure about the different tones produced by the location of the fingertip. I think it's more about the execution of the note that produces the different tone.

His wife strongly suggested getting into the appropriate mood of the piece when practicing. Sometimes I practice something else when I'm not feeling a piece. She also suggested hearing yourself as others hear you. This point is invaluable. How often do we actually listen to ourselves and hear what we are playing? Recording is a huge advantage and often reveals many things. I don't know about recordings causing a student to mimic them. I think it can be very helpful to listen to a recording, or several different recordings and take what you like in each. I really don't listen to pieces I'm playing that much, but I don't see it as a bad thing.

Horowitz's practice of playing a piece through once when first learning but not playing it completely until it was ready sounded completely crazy to me. I think I can take a book out of his page, and in fact I do spend too much time running through pieces. This is where being a good sight reader has its disadvantages. Everything in moderation, I suppose...