Chapter 17

I found Matthay's level of detail to be somewhat overwhelming at first, but also helpful. There are so many factors involved in playing the piano and his breakdown of these factors is a good starting point for developing awareness of them. Although it is sometimes difficult to explain and understand by written or verbal explanations on performing music, attempting to do so at least encourages further thought on the subject.

Matthay's belief that good position is a result of proper muscular actions rather than the opposite, where position allows for good techniuqe was interesing and does make sense. Good position must be maintained throughout playing and there will be variations in the position depending upon a given passage. However, it would be difficult to encourage good technique in a student without first giving them some basic guidelines on what to strive for in regard to position. In reference to technique, he also made the point that it is a means to achieve a musical goal--anthoer good point that coincides with his belief in a method of teaching rather than a method of playing. The approach will vary according to the music and the performer.

He was also very concerned with timing and placement--each note should be played at the correct moment with the exact quality desired with the ultimate purpose of creating a unified whole. I like his use of the word "shape" when discussing this. The word is used frequently and can be somewhat vague, but I do think that a performer or listener gets a sense of shape through good performances; it becomes more than a series of sounds.