|
Main
- books.jibble.org
My Books
- IRC Hacks
Misc. Articles
- Meaning of Jibble
- M4 Su Doku
- Computer Scrapbooking
- Setting up Java
- Bootable Java
- Cookies in Java
- Dynamic Graphs
- Social Shakespeare
External Links
- Paul Mutton
- Jibble Photo Gallery
- Jibble Forums
- Google Landmarks
- Jibble Shop
- Free Books
- Intershot Ltd
|
books.jibble.org
Previous Page
| Next Page
Page 34
"If pupils have naturally a poor sense of rhythm, there is no remedy
equal to practising with a metronome, using this instrument of torture
daily until results are evident, when, of course, there must be a
judicious slowing down in its use. The mechanical sense of rhythm, the
ability to count three or four to a measure, and to group the notes of a
piece correctly, can be taught to any person, if one has the patience;
but for those delicate rhythmic _nuances_ required by a Chopin mazurka
or a Viennese waltz, a specific rhythmic gift must be possessed by the
pupil.
"Leschetizky says little to his pupils on the subject of technic; I
cannot remember his having spoken a dozen words to me on the subject,
during all the time I have known him. His interest, of course, lies
wholly in the matter of interpretation, and technic comes into
consideration only as a means and never as an end.
"Leschetizky likes to have the player talk to him, ask questions, do
anything but sit still and not speak. 'How do I know you comprehend my
meaning,' he asks, 'that you understand what I am talking about, if you
say nothing?' At first a student may be silent from nervousness, but if
he is bright he will soon 'catch on,' and see what is expected of him.
Leschetizky says sometimes: 'When the Lord made the ten commandments He
omitted the eleventh, "Thou shalt not be stupid."' If one is not very
quick, one may have a hard time with this master.
"As a high school in technic I use Joseffy's _School of Advanced Piano
Playing_ with my pupils. This work leads to the highest possible
technical development at the keyboard, and I consider it the last word
in piano technic. The hundreds of exercises have been devised with most
wonderful ingenuity, and the musicianship of the author stands out on
every page. The book is not a dry series of technics but has vital
connection with all the big technical problems found in the literature
of the piano.
"In teaching, I consider a second piano an absolute necessity. There are
so many things in piano playing which cannot be put into words, and the
teacher must constantly illustrate. How can one teach the interpretation
of a Chopin nocturne, for instance, by merely talking about it. I can
say, 'play loud here--soft there'; but how far do such directions go
toward an artistic conception of the piece? One cannot indicate the
swell of a melody, the tonal and rhythmic _nuance_ of a _groupetto_--and
a thousand other things in any other way than by the living example.
Through imitation one learns rapidly and surely, until one reaches the
point where the wings of one's own individuality begin to sprout.
ABOUT MEMORIZING
"On the subject of memorizing who can lay down rules for this
inexplicable mental process, which will hold good for every one? For
myself, I hear the notes mentally, and know their position on the
keyboard. In actual performance much must be left to finger memory, but
one must actually have the notes in his mind as well as in his fingers.
Before a concert I go over all my program mentally, and find this an
excellent method of practise when traveling from one city to another. To
those who study with me I say, you must try various methods of
memorizing; there is no universal way; each must find out by experiment
which is most suited to his individual case.
"With some pianists visual memory of the printed page plays the
principal r�le in memorizing; with others visual memory of the notes on
the keyboard; with still others ear-memory, or memory of the harmonic
progressions. I believe in making the pupil familiar with all these
different ways, so that he may find out which one is most helpful to
him.
"For pupils with weak hands and arms I recommend simple gymnastic
exercises to be done morning and evening. Physical strength is a very
necessary essential for a brilliant technic; the student who would
accomplish big things must possess it in order to succeed.
KEEPING TECHNIC IN REPAIR
"The only way to keep one's technic in repair is to be constantly
working at it. Technic is the mechanical part of music-making; to keep
it in good working order one must be constantly tinkering with it, just
as the engine driver tinkers with his locomotive or the chauffeur with
his automobile. In the course of his technical study every intelligent
pupil will recognize certain exercises which are particularly important
for the mechanical well-being of his playing; from these exercises he
will plan his daily schedule of technical practise.
Previous Page
| Next Page
|
|