Confused by all the theories? Read this book and learn how to REALLY play the piano like a master!
It’s everyone’s dream! To sit down and play the piano like a master. . .
But the sad truth is that most of us who begin piano lessons quit after only a few months or years, unable to play the piano at all. Others of us struggle on, but without satisfaction or without the feeling of having real talent.
It never occurs to us that the problem is not with us but with INCORRECT TEACHING!
Incredible as it might seem, this is actually the case. Most great pianists play beautifully not because of traditional training but in spite of it! This is because the TRUE PHYSICAL COORDINATION behind all great playing, as simple and natural as it is, is simply not taught!
Even more incredible is the reason why the coordination is not taught. It is not taught because what that coordination is HAS NEVER BEEN DETERMINED, even though most first-rate pianists use it intuitively! Considering that piano playing is probably the most studied physical activity in history, this situation defies all belief!
Traditional piano pedagogy is so inadequate that it actually IMPEDES development rather than fosters it! Some aspects of traditional piano technique can even cause injury. Just ask any of the legions of pianists with tendonitis or carpel-tunnel syndrome!
But now, after more than a century of confusion, here is a book that for the first time in print gives you the CORRECT PHYSICAL COORDINATION for playing the piano masterfully—and without injury!
The book also contains priceless wisdom on the subtleties of music making—phrasing, articulation, and interpretation (plus wonderful tips on practicing)—from the renowned piano pedagogue, Aube Tzerko, head of the UCLA piano department for thirty years, and a student of ARTUR SCHNABEL in Berlin in the 1930s!
SECRETS OF PIANO MASTERY: A BREAKTHROUGH GUIDE TO PIANO TECHNIQUE. Revised Edition (COPYRIGHT 2011), 144 pages. By Richard M. Brodie. With Quotations of Aube Tzerko.
To order, see below. . .
DISCOVER in this book. . .
- The true role of arm weight in key depression (it’s not what you think!)
- How the piano key is depressed (Hint: it is not simply “pressed down”!)
- How to negotiate the keyboard and eliminate wrong notes
- How to release the transcendental power of the pedal
- How to generate rhythmic flow
- How to play without injury
- The proper way to practice slowly
- And much, much more!
LEON FLEISHER ON SECRETS OF PIANO MASTERY. On December 21, 2008 the world-renowned pianist, conductor, and piano pedagogue, Leon Fleisher, sent the author a letter from which the following comments are excerpts:
“Dear Mr Brodie,
I should like to congratulate you on a most perceptive, aware and inspired book, SECRETS OF PIANO MASTERY. Your research, your curiosity and your perseverance have resulted in what I feel is a most extraordinary and valuable book. . .
I should like very much to order [X] copies of your book for my students as they could not help but benefit from your words.
All best wishes,
Leon Fleisher”
- Piano Lessons with a Master
- Discover the secrets of piano mastery and of Artur Schnabel’s technique through piano lessons with Schnabel’s student, Aube Tzerko, and researcher, Richard Brodie.
- Books on Piano Technique: A Library of Classics
- The amazing history of piano technique: speculation, information, misinformation—but finally, resolution! A selection of the finest works!
- Aube Tzerko: piano teacher extraordinaire
- Aube Tzerko: Master piano teacher and student of Artur Schnabel
- Artur Schnabel:”The World’s Greatest Pianist”
- Artur Schnabel: A Biography and Assessment
- Artur Schnabel Quotations
- Artur Schnabel quotations on the subject of piano playing
- “Piano Pedagogy and the Emporer’s New Clothes” (An article by R. Brodie)
- Piano pedagogy: a chaos of contradictory theories
- Excerpt on Creating Rhythm at the Piano from SECRETS OF PIANO MASTERY
- Excerpt from Chapter 3E, on Creating Rhythm at the Piano: The Impulse and the Interval” from Richard Brodie’s book, SECRETS OF PIANO MASTERY
- “Leon Fleisher, Schubert—and Simplicity” (An article by Richard Brodie)
- Recital of Leon Fleisher’s playing of Schubert violin sonatas with Jaime Laredo reveals important truths about performance
- Piano Instruction for Children in the Spirit of Play
- Piano instruction for children is best done in the spirit of play; the joy of making music and priceless lessons in self-discipline are a happy result of this approach.
- Dave Brubeck: To Pedal or Not to Pedal
- Listening to Dave Brubeck play first with accompaniment and then solo reveals rationale for pedaling.
- Buying a Piano
- Basic rules and common sense in buying a piano
- Karl-Ulrich Schnabel: A Master Class
- A master class with Karl-Ulrich Schnabel yielded some priceless tips.