Do You Have Any Technique Resources You Especially Enjoy?

Pallas · 2024-07-05T23:49:24+00:00

I found this old supplement in a beat-up discount box in a musty old music store in Reading, MA. It's called Supplementary Material for Use with John Thompso...

ranjit

Pallas So it seems a varied sample and I'm not sure how to assess why so little focus on, "Oh, she says there's pain, let's dig into technique for answers."

My experience: Most piano players do not have the analytical mind that is necessary to observe and correct technique, or to appreciate music theory. I mostly look for teachers with at least a doctorate degree nowadays, preferably actual concert performers. I've learned the hard way not to settle for less. (Not saying others should do the same.)

Pallas

ranjit I've kind of received the message from the discourse in some groups (not this one) that I should be grateful for any teacher who would put up with me, so I'm very grateful to get any support at all in having any choice in the matter. Thank you for that.

Pallas

Rubens I've watched a lot of Taubman content online so if anyone starts throwing tomatoes, I'll at least get spattered too. 🤣

ranjit

Pallas I've watched a lot of Taubman content online so if anyone starts throwing tomatoes, I'll at least get spattered too.

My experience is that pretty much all schools of piano technique have at least 80% overlap. It really is kind of like different racket holds in a sport like tennis for instance. There are a few different ones which work, but the principles aren't too different, and people who are at the top of their game damn well know exactly what they're doing.

rogerch

I had an amazing piano teacher when I was in my 20s. She would grab my hand and manipulate my arm, wrist, and fingers so that I understood how she wanted me to move. She helped me get rid of tension in my playing by standing next to me and pushing my shoulder sideways while I played. She said that if she couldn't push me I was too tense!

It wasn't long before my wife started commenting on how much more relaxed I was when playing.

If I ever look for another teacher I am going to ask candidates if they are willing to work with me the way my old teacher did.

Remember, when you hire a piano teacher you are the customer and everything about the lesson is about you and what you want! Of course we should be kind and respectful to our teachers and at the same time we should be firm about getting what we want from them.

I got lucky with my teacher when I was young. If I decide to get another teacher I anticipate challenges finding one who is willing to teach me the way I want to learn!

Pretender

I've apparently been extremely lucky in finding my first teacher. According to her website, she took lessons as a child in the Royal Conservatory of Music system and then played in rock bands as a teen. She moved as an adult to study jazz piano then worked to get her Associate with the Royal Conservatory (ARCT). She has been teaching, and learning from, her students for over 43 years now (but I think the website is a couple years out of date too). Sadly, she also now has arthritis. She still plays beautifully but not for too long and not some of the awkward fingerings. From her website:

... Going to yoga classes over the years has influenced how I approach teaching. Teaching how to practice and preventing repetitive strain injuries are an ongoing project of mine ...

I'll try to find sources for some of the copied material she's given me. In the meantime, here a couple of YouTube sources I've found. ThePianoProf and PianoTV
On the PianoTV website she has lots of free material, available if you're "enrolled" which costs nothing.

Pallas

Pretender I love both of those channels!

judanne

Pretender

I've just joined the wait list (PianoTV) for her 3rd level course which looks interesting and the right level for me, but I can't find any reference to the cost, which I will presumably find out later

For the beginner Pianotips is worth a look.

Danieru

judanne In one of her videos I think I heard it is over 200 approximately

thepianoplayer416

lilypad

thepianoplayer416 The Dozen-A-Day Exercises were fun and challenging for me. At some point early on in book 2, they got too difficult for me. I just reordered book 2 again and instead of going through it, I'll use it as Piano Lab suggested and use it to practice techniques as needed.

I bought the Faber-Hanon book as part of the recommended Piano Adventures Level 5 set of books. I dipped into it to check out a tutorial from the Pianist Academy channel. When I finish PA Level 4, I'll start working in it regularly.

judanne

thepianoplayer416

Thx for this video. I bought Dozen a Day (Blue book) years ago when I was struggling with Alfred Adult 1. It has lurked in my box ever since. When I found Pianotips I pulled it out to follow his course.
I also discovered Olympus piano tuition for this book (and others in the series). I had 6 years of lessons and if wrist circles were ever taught to me, I have forgotten. The second video by Olympus describes very well how to play them and PTips mentions them in the first. This is enough to encourage me to continue. I also use them to practice my pentascales.
Piano tips shows the score above the keyboard so you don't have to buy the book

Danieru

Hi, I have also explored several options and for me, a late beginner fosused on classical and on a tight budget, the best one is "Practising th Piano Online Academy":

https://practisingthepiano.com/

I liked it because it is affordable and the Graham Fitch way of teaching. I did not like that has not structured plan, but you can search by grade. I am almost decided to signing up of one year which includes some excellents ebooks on technique and practice, and other benefits like annotated scores.

Of course, the problem with this video based courses is that you do not get feedback from a teacher. I think you have feedback with PianoTV and Piano Career Academy. But I think PianoTV is not 100 percent focus on classical, and Piano Career Academy is too expensive for me (I subscribed for one month and loved it)

For feedback service I found the guy from Pianodao which costs I think 16 pounds per piece. Any other feedback service you can recommend?

iternabe

I made this playlist of Pianist Magazine Lessons by Graham Fitch.

Does any one subscribe to Pianist Magazine? Is it good?

JB_PT

iternabe Does any one subscribe to Pianist Magazine? Is it good?

I have for a few years - I get the digital version. I have mixed feelings about it. It's not a bad price and I have continued my subscription because of the included pieces - usually there's something new to me that I'm interested in. It's also nice to be introduced to current pianists that I may not hear about any other way. I can't say I find myself hugely interested in many of the articles though. Sometimes I feel like I skim most of the magazine just to get to the music at the back. I think part of the issue is that I just don't really enjoy the digital magazine experience (this is my first one). I read it on my large iPad but still get annoyed at how I have to move around to read a full page, and sometimes it gets glitchy when I try to watch the embedded YT videos.

candela

iternabe Where I'm located we can read the Pianist Magazine digitally for free in Pressreader available to all card holders of our local library. It's not bad, but neither is it something I find myself drawn back to, so I've only read a few issues.

JB_PT I think part of the issue is that I just don't really enjoy the digital magazine experience

Ditto on this!

Danieru

Awesome list. Thanks for sharing. That's one of the reasons I am reluctant to subscribe to anything: there is so much good quality content for free!

judanne

Danieru

Thank you Danieru

WieWaldi

About Hanon vs Czerny, there is another nice comparison video. Not that I would ever do one of both (Too booooring 😴, I need action. Dopamines), but if I did, I would go to Czeny. Don't know if the Faber-Hanon provides some advantages over the old standard Hanon.

Danieru

I was wrong about PianoTV not completely focused on classical. At least level 3 is on classical and with optional pieces for flexibility.

Looks interesting especially for the possibility of getting feedback. You can submit a video per week but she cannot guarantee you can get feedback every week from her, depending on the number of students. She reviews up to 15 videos per week in a zoom session.

The other thing is that the price is not shown in the website at the moment, but I remember hearing it is somewhat over 200 dollars.

twocats

I haven't looked at these books myself, but I was reading about una corda technique and a post by this author (Melanie Spanswick) popped up. Apparently she has a well-reviewed series geared toward adults returning to the piano with lots of technique tips and online videos for each piece.

https://melaniespanswick.com/2017/05/25/play-it-again-piano-book-1/

thepianoplayer416

At least Czerny Etudes (exercises) can be performed in a recital. Hanon is simply too mechanical to be played anywhere except at home for practice. The same can be said for the Suzuki "Twinkle Variations' originally written by Shinichi Suzuki for violin. Whichever instrument you play these on is going to sound borderline between exercises & repertoire pieces but Suzuki wanted beginner students to perform Twinkle V as the first piece in their first recital. It's like a piano teacher telling a student he/she must perform a Hanon piece in the first recital sort of thing. Of course no teacher would ask a student to do Hanon as a recital piece.
Hanon was a teacher than a composer. His exercises were intended for practice than performed on stage. Not against playing Hanon except wouldn't do all the exercises at once. You come to a piece that require a specific technique you'd practice the Hanon piece for improving that technique.

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