Music by the Masters [Paperback] Review

I used this book about 20 years ago as a student.Now, I use this book with my students. It is a great book full of short classical studies by prolific composers of the Baroque-Romantic Eras.This book contains a wide variety of music selections that teach various and sundry musical techniques and articulations.Great for the young pianist who is trying to bridge the gap into the Classical literature.

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Product Description:
This consistent top-seller includes 65 works by these famous composers: C. P. E. Bach, J. S. Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Grieg, Handel, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Schubert , Schumann and Tchaikovsky. Excellent, motivating literature for the intermediate pianist.

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The School of Velocity, Opus 299: Complete (Alfred Masterwork Edition) [Paperback] Review

If this is too intimidating for you, I would start with Czerny -- Practical Method, Op. 599 (Complete) (Alfred Masterwork Edition), which is thinner and simpler than this.

If THAT'S too difficult for you, I would fall back to Preliminary School of Dexterity, Op. 636, which is about as low as you can go and still be playing authentic Czerny that hasn't been watered down.(I don't know why Amazon doesn't have a picture of it:it's certainly not rare or out of print.)

Only after finishing that should you go for the mother lode, the School of Velocity.

All of these Alfred editions are the best:carefully edited and handsomely presented.Palmer didn't simply run those old galleys again:everything's been recomposited and -- importantly for me -- the notes have been made larger where possible.At any rate, it's certainly more readable than that old yellow version everyone seems to own.

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Product Description:
This popular volume offers practical training in well-articulated pianistic passage work, particularly in playing the virtuoso music of the romantic period. In addition to this, each study is a complete music composition, demanding attention to dynamics and phrasing. Students who master Opus 299 have indeed progressed a long way in the "school of velocity." Available in a 112-page complete volume or in two separate books.

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FastTrack Keyboard Songbook 1 - Level 1 (Fasttrack Series) [Paperback] Review

This book is great.Just remember to shift your hands as indicated by the finger numbers and be sure to master those notes as they teach you before moving on too fast.But you'll be surprised how fast you learn.But everything in this book is on playing notes and scales on Treble Clef.There is no bass clef in this book or the second (Keyboard Chords & Scales)... I just bought it 3 weeks ago and am loving it.The book does teach you music notes.It just gets confusing when it renumbers the notes (not explaining that your hand is moving over a key for a while and then back again.They make it sound like you just reach your finger while keeping your hand in place.This is not true after the first page of learning A and B notes in Middle C.)But I am wonderfully surprised at how fast you pick up and start playing.I never read music before and now I am.That in itself is amazing.

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Product Description:
A supplement to the FastTrack instruction books, this great songbook/CD pack features 8 great songs in rock score format: Brown Eyed Girl * Great Balls of Fire * I Want to Hold Your Hand * Oh, Pretty Woman * Wild Thing * Wonderful Tonight * You Really Got Me * Your Song.

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Complete Bach Transcriptions for Solo Piano [Paperback] Review

Great music - and a good value.A must for any Bach lovers out there.

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Done with great taste, in a perfectly simple and straightforward manner, Liszt's piano transcriptions of Bach's organ music became the classic models for all future works in this genre.Includes 6Organ Preludes and Fugues (BWV 543-548) and the world-famous Fantasia and Fugue in G minor (BWV 542). New Dover compilation.


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Burgmuller, Czerny & Hanon: 32 Piano Studies for Technique and Musicality [Paperback] Review

The pieces in this book are organized according to technical purpose and level of difficulty, which make it easier for teacher to assign students.The pieces chosen are very effective in addressing particular technique and musicality.I use this book after my students complete Faber level 2B or after they learn scales, chords, and arpeggios. I don't usually use method books after students reach intermediate level, so this book makes a perfect switch.

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Product Description:
An outstanding compilation of piano etudes and exercises from the ever-popular Burgmuller's 25 Progressive Pieces, Opus 100, Czerny's Practical Method for Beginners on the Piano, Opus 599, and Hanon's The Virtuoso Pianist. Etudes are organized into four units according to difficulty and emphasize different aspects of technique and musicianship. Hanon exercises are included within each unit to reinforce the need for finger strength, independence and agility. Information about each composer's life, music and books is also provided.

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Technical Exercises for the Piano (Alfred Masterwork Edition) [Paperback] Review

in my opinion it helps emensly!

some of the pieces i was working on caused pain in my hands and back. i talked with a friend and they said that i dont enough strength in my fingers to play my pieces well in tempo and correctly. they suggested holding down four notes and playing the remaining finger. when i got home that night i looked in my library passed Brhms and Crammer and Czerny and yes even Hanon and found Liszt! i looked at the first exersise and i played through it a few times (id changed the fingers being played but stayed in the same key). it took about an hour. one thing the first exercise told me was what fingers i needed to work on! i talked with my teacher and she told me i can go on and work from Liszt but: DO IT SLOWLY and CONSENTRATE on a VERY LOOSE WRIST and finger development.

the strong accents can be a little tricky but after youve done it for a week or so it can be quite fun! it helps with accenting beats other than beat one! after finger controll has been established then you can play the full range of dymanics. in the first few numbers, fingers four and five are going to be the biggest challenge but if done properly it will soon pay off! after playing just the first five numbers in the book, i felt light in the fingers and not tensed. and thats one thing we cant have when playing pieces!

i used to start my pracitce by doing scales and Hanon; well now i do Liszt (for finger independence and strength/loose wrist)[the slowest tempo in my warmup session], Hanon (finger speed and dexterity)[medium tempo in my warmup session], then scales (for greater speed and finger accents)[fstest tempo in my warmup session]. all this takes about 45 minutes to an hour and im set to work on what ever i need to for the next several hours!

if you want to be fluent in all kinds of area of pianism (especialy Liszt!), this book is for you BUT it can not be set on a booksehlf! if you dont have a piano do some of the exercises on a hard surfice! 400something pages is alot and some of it will seem impossable but technique will not come over night....just as the world was not created in a day!

Pre-Requiments for the user of the book would be:
1. Patiance with yourself! if something doesnt come out perfect the first time, come back to it later! you brain is working but sometimes we shove information into it instead of programming the information! our brains need time to internalize what new task we give it. the brain is far more supirrior than any computer we humans can make!
2. Time...plenty of it! it takes time to learn any new skill! pianists are by no means exemped from this law!
3. an open mind!...if your mind is not on what your doing, it is then pointless continuing the task! just stop right there! your mind needs to be working just as much (if not MORE) as your fingers are working.

best of luck!

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Product Description:
This 223-page edition is comprised of 86 different technical exercises composed by Liszt during 1868 to 1880. Liszt intended these highly challenging exercises to build greater performance skills in virtuoso pianists. The complete series consists of twelve volumes, each one dealing with a different pianistic problem. This edition has been compiled from the original set to present the exercises in a reasonable length without harming the essence and effectiveness of the original work.

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Isidor Phillip - Exercises for Independence of Fingers - Book 1: Piano Technique (Piano Method) [Paperback] Review

Place your hand, completely relaxed, palm down flat on your desk. Now gently curl your middle finger back under your hand so that your hand will be slightly raised yet supported by your tucked under middle finger. Your thumb, index finger, ring finger and pinky should be extended outward and spread evenly. Raise up only your thumb. NO PROBLEM. Next your pinky..., now your index finger. Finally your ring finger. BIG PROBLEM. As a piano player your ring finger is by far your weak link in developing technical dexterity. This book with it's exercises changes that! A must for anyone wishing to become a serious player. And don't forget book two of this series! Practice on!

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Isidor Phillip - Exercises for Independence of Fingers - Book 1

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Virtuoso Pianist in 60 Exercises: Complete (Schirmer's Library of Musical Classics) [Paperback] Review

As a child, I hated technical exercise books like this. I remember the old teacher with the ruler, the Bartok book, the red pen, the check marks the circles, and ahhhhhhhhhh... I shudder... But now, years later, I've not only become a professional Jazz musician, but I teach too, and you know something, even though my particular method of teaching involves very little reading (mainly because I teach Jazz improv) this is the one book that not only do I reccomend to my students, but also that I've started picking up again, because actually the exercises are relevent to players of all levels.The reason is because regardless of what type of music you play, the finger pattern exercises in this book are universal and relevent. On the surface they look very simple, almost childish compared to some of the more nightmarish books (Czerny, anyone?) but the truth is, once you've mastered them, melodies will fall under your fingers and hopefully you'll feel as home on your piano as you do on your computer keyboard ...

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Since the first release of this classic Schirmer edition over 100 years ago, almost anyone who has taken piano lessons for more than two years has played from The Virtuoso Pianist. Millions of copies have been sold of these progressive exercises which guide a player's technique, building finger independence and strength. This was the first American edition released of this music, and remains a classic at a remarkably affordable price.

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