"I often think that teachers make a great mistake by giving too complicated exercises. A complicated exercise leads away from clear thinking and concentration. The simple exercise will never seem dull or dry if the pupil's ambition is right. After all, it is not so much what is done as how it is done. Give less thought to the material and more to the correction of the means with which one plays. There should be unceasing variety in studies. A change at every practice period is advisable, as it gives the pupil new material for thought. There are hundreds of different exercises in the different books, and the student has no reason for suffering for want of variety."
Questions in Style, Interpretation, Expression
and Technic of Pianoforte Playing
SERIES II
wilhelm bachaus
| 1. | Does the technical material of to-day differ greatly from that of forty or fifty years ago? |
| 2. | State something of the efficacy of scales. |
| 3. | State three sources of technical material sure to interest the student. |
| 4. | Do celebrated virtuosos use scales regularly? |
| 5. | State what else besides technical skill is required in these days to gain recognition as a virtuoso pianist. |
| 6. | Why does Rachmaninoff excel as a composer for pianoforte? |
| 7. | State what may be considered the most difficult of piano compositions. |
| 8. | Wherein does the appeal of Debussy lie? |
| 9. | Give some simple exercises suitable for daily practice. |
| 10. | Why are too complicated exercises undesirable? |
