Alfor's Rarities

[4candles]

I'm off to the Post--Isokani's new Eiges CD has just arrived.

To use a very British phrase, 'it's stonkingly good'!

[alfor]

I'm off to the Post--Isokani's new Eiges CD has just arrived.

To use a very British phrase, 'it's stonkingly good'!

If you want the recipient to spot your praise,
you should post your compliments in a different thread!

[fleubis]

Haven't listened to it all yet.

[alfor]

This posting may be transferred to a more appropriate place.

To Wizzard Teacher Ferruccio:

alfor PIANO EXERCISES (containing a couple of exercises of my own invention,
plus useful material by Czerny, Pauer, Liszt, Neal, a.o.)

Practising the (mostly) heavy volumes of exercises by Cortot, Jonas, Joseffy, Dohnanyi,
Liszt, Thoman, etc. - and the incredibly boring Hanon, you may waste a lot of time!

So I tried to invent and collect some really effective exercises and studies.

WARNING: These exercises may significantly improve your piano technique!

These exercises should be practiced at a slow to medium speed.
A fast speed is useful with Nos 1), 2) (continuous triplets or four-note groups),
9), 13), 14), 15), 17), 18), 26), 28) and 29).

P.S. Czerny's op. 299 No. 20, practised with variants and in two or three different keys,
is one of the most effective piano exercises, imho. (Alternately the Bach Prelude or
Clementi-Tausig No. 18).

alfor Piano Exercises 12,2015.pdf

15) Safonov Neue Formeln.pdf

16) Pauer Daumenuebungen.pdf

17) Liszt, Skalen, alternierend.pdf

26) Czerny op.299 Nr.20.pdf

Czerny Akkorduebungen.pdf

Emonts polyphone Uebungen.pdf

Etudes L. (selection).pdf

Etudes Neal op.75 (selection).pdf

[Ferruccio]

This posting may be transferred to a more appropriate place.

To Wizzard Teacher Ferruccio:

alfor PIANO EXERCISES (containing a couple of exercises of my own invention,
plus useful material by Czerny, Pauer, Liszt, Neal, a.o.)

Practising the (mostly) heavy volumes of exercises by Cortot, Jonas, Joseffy, Dohnanyi,
Liszt, Thoman, etc. - and the incredibly boring Hanon, you may waste a lot of time!

So I tried to invent and collect some really effective exercises and studies.

WARNING: These exercises may significantly improve your piano technique!

These exercises should be practiced at a slow to medium speed.
A fast speed is useful with Nos 1), 2) (continuous triplets or four-note groups),
9), 13), 14), 15), 17), 18), 26), 28) and 29).

P.S. Czerny's op. 299 No. 20, practised with variants and in two or three different keys,
is one of the most effective piano exercises, imho. (Alternately the Bach Prelude or
Clementi-Tausig No. 18).

alfor Piano Exercises 12,2015.pdf

15) Safonov Neue Formeln.pdf

16) Pauer Daumenuebungen.pdf

17) Liszt, Skalen, alternierend.pdf

26) Czerny op.299 Nr.20.pdf

Czerny Akkorduebungen.pdf

Emonts polyphone Uebungen.pdf

Etudes L. (selection).pdf

Etudes Neal op.75 (selection).pdf

Dear Alfor,

do I understand your recent post correctly as dedicated to me?

If so, thank you very much!

But I have to say, as every grown up pianist and piano teacher, I'm used to create exercises on my own if needed. I cannot remember when I last played written-down exercises by other people hoping, that they would make any effect on my imperfect technique.
My saying always is: If you know how to practise rightly, you do not need Hanon et al. If you don't know how to practise effectively, you shouldn't use Hanon et al, because then they are waste of time or even danger for your playing.

Nevertheless - thanks for these items!

[fleubis]

Dear Alfred, thank you for the most interesting collection of etudes. Many of these I've never seen before and I like that your choices treat each hand pretty much equally in terms of technical demands. I now have an "Alfor Recommended Etudes" file. I am delighted as some of the technical challenges presented.

[alfor]

Dear Ferruccio,

yes, it was dedicated to you!

I partly agree with your opinion regarding piano exercises.
Most often the question is simply: How does the average pupil learn the „essentials“
like scales, arpeggios, octaves, etc.?

I quite agree with: „...If you don't know how to practise effectively...“
that is why the average pupil needs personal advice!!
(And that is why most of the so-called self-taught pianists were not at all self-taught
but as children had solid lessons from experienced teachers.)

Once you have this pianistic „toolbox“, it is a good thing to invent your own exercises,
resp. form your exercises from the respective piece you are studying.

All best and a happy successful New Year!

alfor

P.S. Regardless the aforementioned questions - if you want to test a pianist who
claims to have a fairly good technique, let him sight-read Clementi-Tausig No. 18.
You can be sure that all but the very talented will fail!!

P.P.S. In this respect the following may be of interest:
I do not know if we would in any way like the playing of a pianist like Hans von Bülow -
but you can take it for sure that he could play perfectly an average of 150 Etudes
(Alkan, Chopin, Liszt, Cramer, Clementi, Moscheles, etc.)!!

[alfor]

Dear Alfred, thank you for the most interesting collection of etudes. Many of these I've never seen before and I like that your choices treat each hand pretty much equally in terms of technical demands. I now have an "Alfor Recommended Etudes" file. I am delighted as some of the technical challenges presented.

You are welcome, dear fleubis!

Have a wonderful Happy New Year!

[Ferruccio]

Dear Ferruccio,

yes, it was dedicated to you!

I partly agree with your opinion regarding piano exercises.
Most often the question is simply: How does the average pupil learn the „essentials“
like scales, arpeggios, octaves, etc.?

I quite agree with: „...If you don't know how to practise effectively...“
that is why the average pupil needs personal advice!!
(And that is why most of the so-called self-taught pianists were not at all self-taught
but as children had solid lessons from experienced teachers.)

Once you have this pianistic „toolbox“, it is a good thing to invent your own exercises,
resp. form your exercises from the respective piece you are studying.

All best and a happy successful New Year!

alfor

P.S. Regardless the aforementioned questions - if you want to test a pianist who
claims to have a fairly good technique, let him sight-read Clementi-Tausig No. 18.
You can be sure that all but the very talented will fail!!

P.P.S. In this respect the following may be of interest:
I do not know if we would in any way like the playing of a pianist like Hans von Bülow -
but you can take it for sure that he could play perfectly an average of 150 Etudes
(Alkan, Chopin, Liszt, Cramer, Clementi, Moscheles, etc.)!!

Dear Alfor,

thanks for your kind reply.

I have to say, that I disagree with your first P.S., as sight-reading gives no information about if one's technique is good or not. According to my experiences with myself, I must say: From the point I stopped caring about well sight-reading, my technique began to develop deeper and more secure, because I then finally started to care about technique itself with more time, focus, concentration. I stopped bothering about little mistakes. Only that one who lets happen mistakes for being able to learn from them, does good practise work. But this means, your concentration stops being focused on avoiding mistakes.
And not to forget: Also sight-reading can and must be trained for getting better. If you don't train it, it won't be good, be your technique good as world record.

And I partly disagree with your P.P.S., too, as according to my experience all extreme advantages seem to have their antipole. If Bülow indeed was able to play those 150 studies perfectly, but assumedly not really beautiful, then this shortage is one of the reasons for his other power. Sound, fantasy, artistic approach, etc are very much a matter of technique. If his practice lacked these qualities, his technique was not good in our sense of today. I think, any piano teacher will agree to me here, if he/she ever has tried to extensify a student's extremely one-sided technical abilities (playing right, fast, clear and loud over a long time) with issues of sound or style or something other. I myself have been such a case. It demands an enormous amount of work and discipline from teacher and student!

But perhaps you meant, what I said here yourself.

All best and guten Rutsch!

[Ferruccio]

By the way: This Clementi-Tausig study is quite nice! But I definitely would stumble!