Fundamentals of Piano Practice, 2nd Edition by Chuan C. Chang November 21, 2004 ii Copyright 1994–2004; No part of this document shall be downloaded or copied without including the name of the author: Chuan C. Chang, and this copyright statement. Request To those who have found this material useful, please make an effort to let at least two people know about my web site (http://members.aol.com/chang8828/contents.htm), so that we can start a chain reaction of ever more people that will be informed of this site. I am looking for volunteers to translate this book into any language. See “Notes for Translators” in the web page site. Please email me at [email protected] to discuss this matter. This book is now available in German, Polish, Italian and French. I am very grateful to our German translator, Edgar Lins, for his many suggestions that have significantly improved the quality of this book. If you feel that you have benefited from this book and wish to express your appreciation, please send a contri- bution to: C. C. Chang, 35 Orchard Ln, Colts Neck, NJ 07722, USA, to defray my expenses for writing this book and maintaining these web pages. Those who download the non- English versions should send their donations to the translator. If you send $15 or more, I will send you my 1st edition book (available in English only) until I run out of them (include your shipping address and email address). I will pay shipping and handling (1st class in US, airmail for overseas). About this version This version has been typesetted, indexed and converted to PDF by Frédéric Loyer. Some other variants are available depending of the paper size or the font size; You may find them at the following address: http://www.sinerj.org/~loyer/PianoBook. Feel free to send typographic error reports or suggestions specific to this version at the following address : frederic.loyer@club- internet.fr. The original book, in HTML, can be found at http://members.aol.com/chang8828/contents.htm. Printing One way to print this book, is to save it in a file and send the file electronically to http://docstore. kinkos.com and follow directions (e.g., request double side, regular white paper, collate, coil binding, clear front and black vinyl back covers, locate nearest Kinko’s Store, etc.); cost is about $30/copy (8 cents/page) if you pick it up at Kinko’s, less if you order more copies. For learning Piano For learning piano, use this book as a supplementary textbook if you have a teacher. If you don’t have a teacher, pick any piece of music you want to learn (that is within your technical skill level) and start practicing it using the methods described here; the methods are arranged roughly in the order in which you will need them as you start learning a new piece. In either case (with or without a teacher), read the entire book quickly the first time, starting with the Preface which gives you a quick overview. Skip any section that you think is not relevant or is too detailed; do not try to understand every concept or to remember anything – read it like a science fiction novel, mainly for fun – you just want to get acquainted with the book and get some idea of where certain topics are discussed. Finally, read as much of the Testimonial section as you find interesting. Then re-start from where you think the book gives material that you need; most people will need to read all of 1.1 and 1.2. Then you can skip around to specific topics that apply to the composition you are learning. If you don’t have a clear idea of what compositions to learn, this book cites many examples, from beginner material (1.3.18) to intermediate; therefore, in your first reading, look for where these examples/suggestions are iii This book is dedicated to my wife Merry, whose love, support, and boundless energy is what enabled me to devote so much time to this project. iv Testimonials These testimonials illustrate the hopes, trials, tribulations, and triumphs, of pianists and piano teachers. The tes- Updated: June 28, 2004 timonials are not just a collection of flattering endorsements but are open, frank discussions of what it means to learn piano. I am heartened by the number of teachers who provided testimonials and by their indication that they are having more success with their students by using these types of methods. It seems inescapable that teachers who conduct research and improve their teaching methods are more successful. Numerous pianists mentioned that they were taught all wrong by previous teachers. Many, who liked their teachers, noted that these teachers used methods similar to those in this book. There is almost uniform agreement on what is right and what is wrong; therefore, when you follow the scientific approach, you don’t get into the situation in which people cannot agree on what is right. I was impressed by how quickly some people picked up these methods. The excerpts have been edited minimally, but irrelevant details have been excised so as not to waste the readers’ time. Entries in [...] are my comments. I take this opportunity to thank everyone who wrote; they have helped me to improve the book. I can’t get over the fact that readers of my book keep writing the book for me (i.e., I could insert their remarks in my book, and they would fit perfectly!). In the following, I have not selected just the flattering remarks; I chose material that seemed significant (educational), whether positive or critical. 1. [From a Christian Minister] This book is the Piano Bible. I have made such tremendous progress since purchasing it [1st edition book]. I continue to recommend it to others. 2. [In Jan., 2003, I received this email] (with permission) My name is Marc, and I am 17 years old. I just started playing the piano about a month ago and have been reading your book, The Fundamentals of Piano Practice... I do not have an instructor yet, but am in the process of looking for one ... [followed by a series of precocious questions for a young person with so little piano experience. I answered his questions as well as I could; then] 3. [in May, 2004, I received this astounding email] I don’t quite expect you to remember me, but I sent you an email a little more than a year ago... I would like to let you know how piano has been coming along for me using your method. I began playing the piano about Christmas of 2002, using your method from the beginning. Mid-March of 2003, I entered my high school’s concerto competition for fun and experience — not in the hopes of winning their $500 scholarship. I unexpectedly won first place, competing against more seasoned pianists of up to 10 yrs. It did shock the judges when I told them I had been playing for 3 months. A few days ago, I won this year’s competition, as well. In other words, progress has come very quickly. Such progress is one of the greatest motivators (aside from the general love of music), so I can now see myself playing — and improving in — the piano for the rest of my life. And, though I must give my teachers credit as well, your method is my foundation upon which they build, and I believe it is the main reason for my progress. However, I still consider myself a beginner ... My website (http://www.mtm-piano.tk) as all of the recordings which I have made to date (18)... recently, I have been re-recording Chopin’s “Raindrop” prelude, Scarlatti’s K.466, and Bach’s Invention in F major... My next recording will be Bach’s Sinfonia in E minor, and I plan to have that done by the end of next week. Your book is far more than any lover of music and the piano could expect, and I cannot thank you enough v vi for the help you have given to me and so many other aspiring pianists ... [Go to the website and listen to those amazing recordings!! You can even find him at the http://music.download.com web site (search Marc McCarthy). 4. [From a respected, experienced piano teacher.] I just skimmed your new section [on parallel set exercises] and thought I’d share my initial reaction. As the Queen Regent of Exercise-Haters, I’ve lobbied loud and strong for the criminalization of Hanon et al, and was at first aghast to think you may have joined the downtrodden masses of the pseudo-voodoo-esque practi- tioners, hopelessly, helplessly, repeating, repeating, ... Anyway, to get to the point, I do see a point of merit in your approach, IF IF IF the student follows your COMPLETE directions and uses the described key combi- nations as a diagnostic tool — NOT to repeat each and every combination as a daily routine. As a diagnostic tool and subsequent remedy, you’ve succeeded marvelously! There was something familiar about your exer- cises, so I dug around at the studio today and found the Technische Studien by Louis Plaidy, Edition Peters, first printing ca 1850. Although Plaidy’s philosophy concerning the use of his exercises is much different from yours, the actual notes printed on the page follow nearly to the letter (tee, hee, I should say to the note) what you have described in your exercise chapter.