This book is considered the pianist's “bible”.
IMPORTANT! In spite of its undeniable qualities, this book contains two very important factual errors that, in my opinion, originate with the traditions of piano pedagogy from the 19th century. They concern questions about inertia in the hands and the work of the feet, themes that I develop in this site. Of course, Neuhaus knew exactly what to do in order to play, but the way he describes certain important techniques can be confusing for the inexperienced pianist. Thus, I recommend that one should not take literally certain sections of this work.
IMPORTANT! In spite of its undeniable qualities, this book contains two very important factual errors that, in my opinion, originate with the traditions of piano pedagogy from the 19th century. They concern questions about inertia in the hands and the work of the feet, themes that I develop in this site. Of course, Neuhaus knew exactly what to do in order to play, but the way he describes certain important techniques can be confusing for the inexperienced pianist. Thus, I recommend that one should not take literally certain sections of this work.
Czesław Sielużycki (1921-2005)
● “The Pianist’s Hand - Physiological Basics of Technique”, Polish Music Edition, Cracow, 1982. In Polish only.
● “The Pianist’s Hand - Physiological Basics of Technique”, Polish Music Edition, Cracow, 1982. In Polish only.
- See these two videos:
- 10 Exercises for hands without piano
- Exercises without piano - continued
The author, both a doctor and a pianist, student of Witold Małcużyński, Raul Koczalski and Józef Turczyński, presents the problems of pianistic technique in a very detailed manner, seen through the eyes of a scientist. He uses many drawings originating from anatomy or physics, and quotes many specialized publications of authors such as H. Neuhaus, E.J.Bach*, J. Gát, J. Hofmann.
*Erwin Johann Bach: German pianist and pedagogue, Ferruccio Busoni student
*Erwin Johann Bach: German pianist and pedagogue, Ferruccio Busoni student
Tobias Matthay (1858-1945)
● “The Act of Touch”, Bosworth & Co. Ltd., London 1903
● “The Visible and Invisible in Piano Technique”, Oxford University Press, New York 1932
Links to these books (English, PDF format) are available on Wikipedia in Bibliography Section.
György Sándor (1912-2005)
● “On Piano Playing: Motion, Sound, Expression”, Schirmer, Boston 1995
Jean-Jacques Eigeldinger (1940-)
● “Chopin: Pianist and Teacher as Seen by His Pupils”, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1986