PREFACE

Some years ago a New York newspaper questioned well-known pianists and artist-teachers as to their attitude toward the teaching of technique: Did they believe there should be no separate study of technical exercises except for practice of various problems met in the pieces to be performed? Or did they prefer well-planned study of basic exercises - scales, solid and broken chords, arpeggios, trills, double notes, octaves? Nearly all were in favor of the latter. Great teachers of the past not only believed in the benefits to be gained from the practice of exercises; many of them also wrote exercises dealing with difficult problems of tone, touch, dynamics, rhythm, velocity. Think of the hundreds of technical works by Cramer, Czerny, Moscheles, Thalberg, Liszt, Tausig, Leschetizky, Philipp, Joseffy, Busoni, to mention just a few who come to my mind. These writers treated of almost every conceivable problem in the music of their time. Why am I presuming to add more to this great volume of technical literature? Because with new sound in twentieth-century music new problems have arisen. It is to train students’ ears as well as their hands for these new sounds that I have devised this book of exercises. Regardless of the sounds produced, technical development remains the gaining of finger and right- and left-hand independence, facility and dynamic control. The practice suggestions and special exercises I am offering have helped my students accomplish these aims.

But I wish to emphasize that technique should always serve a musical purpose and must be guided by the intellect. I can do no better than to quote my revered master Ferruccio Busoni:

The exercises in this book should be practiced with contrasting dynamics and touches: forte and piano, legato and staccato. Each key should be played with precise attack and release. While the attack should be firm, however, there should be no stiff or cramped motions, and the entire playing apparatus should remain flexible. I have devoted considerable space to symmetrical inversion - an exact mirroring by one hand of the fingering and black- and white-key patterns of the other hand. In my long career of teaching I have found this to be the most effective means for truly equal development of the hands.

Rudolf Ganz

A technique which is perfect in itself and by itself, we find in so many well built automatic pianos. Nevertheless, a great pianist has to be first of all an excellent technician. But technique, which is basically only one part of the art of a pianist, does not reside only in the fingers and wrists, or in strength and endurance. The greatest technique resides in the brain.