About 7 years ago I randomly met a woman in the waiting room of a medical clinic. We struck up a conversation and I told her I just graduated from undergrad and would be starting a job as an elementary music teacher. She was excited to learn that and revealed she was a piano teacher for many years. She invited me to her house, offered me some delicious peaches lol, and gave me almost all of her method and technique books! I used them sparingly as what I was doing in my classroom didn’t quite fit the books she gave me BUT I recently lost that job and now I am a piano teacher. So, I’m digging through the books she gave me again. One of those books is A Dozen a Day (the orange one)!
Thank you for the suggestions. I already have the 25 studies from Burgmuller and the one from Schumann. I will try Heller (some months ago, I learnt my first Heller piece, which was called "Avalanche", and really liked it).
Thanks - great video. I was hoping for a snippet from each book, but I guess I can go find those. There's also Bartok's Mikrocosmos - progressive studies books 1 through 6. I have book 1 which seems very good for beginners and book 6, which is definitely advanced. What I noticed in my technique is my lack of dexterity in keys like G-flat major. So I practiced the Hanon exercises in the keys of 4 or more flats, or sharps. This is easy to do and makes those excercises a little more interesting. There's an example on my channel. Cheers!
Thank you so much for the great compilation and excellent suggestions! At the end you mentioned etudes by Liszt. Are you reffering to the transcendental etudes or something else? Thank you!
@@alvaromorel651BachScholar's Sight Reading book is what I'd start with, and then most of the pieces from Anna Magdalene makes for good sight reading practice, followed by little preludes and 2 part inventions.
Until you can perform them with: A) The minimum amount of tension B) With no mistakes C) When you can play them expressively and not just learn the notes (dynamic contrast, fine phrasing, a nice balance between the left and right hand etc.) Record yourself, and when you hear you are doing all 3 (and feel you are doing A) then move on.
Of all the purely technical books I actually like Hanon the best - firstly I feel it really get my fingers smooth and responsive quicker than anything I've tried and also they are not pretending to be music they are just purely finger excercises - that's my main beef with Czerny, he's always trying to disguise his excercises and trying to make them sound like music but fails miserably so what one ends up with is some utterly boring music.
We are all different. Some students absolutely love scales & arpeggios, others hate the more than anything. If you enjoy Hanon and have patience, then by all means, go for it. It can be very useful when done properly. I think the big majority of amateur musicians who play for fun or hobby will always prefer playing song like exercises to drills even if they seem slightly boring. Professional musicians have time and patience for intricate finger exercises too
Transpose some of them from the C Major syndrome into other keys. They are much more useful that way. Playing white keys AND black keys at the piano is what it is all about. Sometimes you can get a kick out of creating your own fingering in different patterns. Don't be afraid of using the thumb on black keys: it is not forbidden; there is considerable Chopin where you will have to do that. Do one measure in staccato, the next in dotted rhythem, forte then piano and even pianissimo etc etc. Make Hanon a muscal challenge while using it as a finger muscle challenge.
You have presented many possibilities. Please don't use the term "songs". Please use "pieces" or "selections". I really like Heller and Burgmuller. For Heller, Not "songs" but use CHARACTER PIECES".
About 7 years ago I randomly met a woman in the waiting room of a medical clinic. We struck up a conversation and I told her I just graduated from undergrad and would be starting a job as an elementary music teacher. She was excited to learn that and revealed she was a piano teacher for many years.
She invited me to her house, offered me some delicious peaches lol, and gave me almost all of her method and technique books!
I used them sparingly as what I was doing in my classroom didn’t quite fit the books she gave me BUT I recently lost that job and now I am a piano teacher. So, I’m digging through the books she gave me again.
One of those books is A Dozen a Day (the orange one)!
Awesome collection. Playing and mastering these pieces give us so much joy. By the way, good video quality. Good luck with your channel.
Thank you very much!
Thank you for the suggestions. I already have the 25 studies from Burgmuller and the one from Schumann. I will try Heller (some months ago, I learnt my first Heller piece, which was called "Avalanche", and really liked it).
I am currently using The Back To Basic books by Marlene Moore. They range from total beginners to advanced. It is a 10 book series.
Very interesting presentation! Thanks for providing the list of books!!
What an excellent useful short advice session. Thanks.
Your videos and reviews are fantastic. So clear and informative.
You are the best instructor and motivation speaker.
thank you :)
So much helpful information thanks!
Great. I've got several some time back to improve my skills.
Excellent video. Just a word of advice, don't buy the Schirmer edition of Czerny's 599 it has bad fingering suggestions.
Thanks - great video. I was hoping for a snippet from each book, but I guess I can go find those. There's also Bartok's Mikrocosmos - progressive studies books 1 through 6. I have book 1 which seems very good for beginners and book 6, which is definitely advanced. What I noticed in my technique is my lack of dexterity in keys like G-flat major. So I practiced the Hanon exercises in the keys of 4 or more flats, or sharps. This is easy to do and makes those excercises a little more interesting. There's an example on my channel. Cheers!
Yes, Microcosmos is a great one too. It's a bit unusual compared to the other books, less classical, more folk sounding.
Thank you so much for the great compilation and excellent suggestions! At the end you mentioned etudes by Liszt. Are you reffering to the transcendental etudes or something else? Thank you!
Thank-you this was a very helpful video. I wish you were my teacher. Lots of great suggestions for early learners.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you so much!
I bought the entire dozen a day books although my technique is above them but my reading is atrocious so I'm using them as a reading method.
Bach is good for sight reading
@@Luis_Sanflor I am sure it is, but exactly which works/book to start as a sight reading material?
@@alvaromorel651BachScholar's Sight Reading book is what I'd start with, and then most of the pieces from Anna Magdalene makes for good sight reading practice, followed by little preludes and 2 part inventions.
Thank you. I llllove Hanon though
Hope there s some teachings for self taught pianists like me
Muchas gracias por la informacion, me siento feliz de haber tocado la mayoria por ahora
how long do you suggest one uses these books as part of daily practice?
Until you can perform them with:
A) The minimum amount of tension
B) With no mistakes
C) When you can play them expressively and not just learn the notes (dynamic contrast, fine phrasing, a nice balance between the left and right hand etc.)
Record yourself, and when you hear you are doing all 3 (and feel you are doing A) then move on.
Thank you,
Hey, are you from Liverpool? Thank you so much for this
Glasgow
Of all the purely technical books I actually like Hanon the best - firstly I feel it really get my fingers smooth and responsive quicker than anything I've tried and also they are not pretending to be music they are just purely finger excercises - that's my main beef with Czerny, he's always trying to disguise his excercises and trying to make them sound like music but fails miserably so what one ends up with is some utterly boring music.
We are all different. Some students absolutely love scales & arpeggios, others hate the more than anything. If you enjoy Hanon and have patience, then by all means, go for it. It can be very useful when done properly. I think the big majority of amateur musicians who play for fun or hobby will always prefer playing song like exercises to drills even if they seem slightly boring. Professional musicians have time and patience for intricate finger exercises too
Transpose some of them from the C Major syndrome into other keys. They are much more useful that way. Playing white keys AND black keys at the piano is what it is all about. Sometimes you can get a kick out of creating your own fingering in different patterns. Don't be afraid of using the thumb on black keys: it is not forbidden; there is considerable Chopin where you will have to do that. Do one measure in staccato, the next in dotted rhythem, forte then piano and even pianissimo etc etc. Make Hanon a muscal challenge while using it as a finger muscle challenge.
C major syndrome is a great way to put it :D I totally have that, and should try to get rid of it
okay, you don’t like Hanon, -1 from me.
In Italy we have Beyer Book
That's good one too. I think it's the bible in China
You have presented many possibilities. Please don't use the term "songs". Please use "pieces" or "selections". I really like Heller and Burgmuller. For Heller, Not "songs" but use CHARACTER PIECES".
I think most of us know what he means! Yes they are pieces... but it's okay...
Glenn Gould considered every piece of music a song…worked for him 😁