Charles CookeReseñas

Warm, friendly, practical, detailed advice from a fellow piano enthusiast on how to learn to play.

This book will help you love practice, which is play.

Very specific advice on how to "set fractures": how to make the weakest spots in your pieces into the very strongest, by slow and careful repetition of the passage you are having difficulty with.

The cover of my copy says "For over 20 years a classic in its field. First published in 1941, it lives up to it's claim. I found it a delightful and informative read. The main thing I found him stressing is to practice one hour a day, and to develop a memorized repertoire. He suggest some of the "exquisite flowers: of music in groups of 5 of increasing difficulty.

I have used this book as a treasured reference over the years.


Recommended Schedule (P. 40-41)
1. Repertoire 40 or 30 minutes
2. Technique - 10 or 20 minutes
3. Sight Reading 10 minutes


SUGGESTIONS FOR YOUR REPERTOIRE

"Here is a list of twenty-five compositions, all of which are what Bachaus called the “exquisite flowers” of music. They range, technically, from “easy” to “intermediate” and they are tabulated in groups of five. Each group is somewhat more advanced than the preceding one. ... Above all things, I want you to select for study only pieces that you want to play. These, then, I submit as material for the amateur pianist to consider:" (Page 46)

Bach‐Prelude in C, No. 1 in The Well‐Tempered Clavichord
Beethoven‐Minuet in G
Chopin‐Prelude in A, Op. 28, No. 7
Grieg‐Nocturne in C, Op. 54, No. 4
MacDowell‐To a Wild Rose

Bach‐Two-Part Invention No. 1
Chopin‐Mazurka in A minor, Op. 68, No. 2
Chopin‐Prelude in E minor, Op. 28, No. 3
Navarro‐Spanish Dance (often played as an encore by Jose Iturbi) (I was unable to find this one)
Cyril Scott‐Lento

Bach‐Two-Part Invention No. 13
Beethoven‐Album Leaf,“For Elise"
Godowsky‐Alt Wien
Granados‐Playera
Mendelssohn‐Consolation (Song Without W0rds No. 9)

Chopin‐Etude in A flat (posthumous)
Chopin‐Prelude in B minor, Op.28, No.6
Chopin‐Prelude in D flat, Op. 28, N0. 15
Mendelssohn‐Confidence (Song Without Words No. 4)
Schumann‐Wanna?

Chopin‐Nocturne in E minor, Op. 72, No. 1
Debussy‐La Fille aux cheveux de lin
Liszt‐Consolation No. 3
Palmgren‐May Night
Schumann‐The Prophet Bird

It occurred to me that you might get further ideas for your repertoire from my own “Group 1” of twenty-five pieces, which I continue to work on, on the easier plane of retention. This group contains some of those listed above, and others: (Page 47-48)

1. Albeniz‐Malaguena
2. Bach‐Gavotte and Musette in G minor
3. Bach‐Gigue from the B‐flat Partita
4. Bach‐Two-Part Invention No.8
5. Brahms‐Intermezzo in C, Op. 119, No. 3
6. Brahms‐Rhapsody in G minor
7. Chopin‐Etude in C minor, Op. 25
8. Chopin‐Mazurka in A minor, Op. 68, No. 2
9. Chopin‐Waltz in E minor
10. Debussy‐Clair de lune
11. Debussy‐La Fille aux cheveuz de lin
12. Debussy‐Minstrels
13. Grieg‐Nocturne in C, Op. 54, No. 4
14. Ibert‐The Little White Donkey
15. Liszt‐Consolation No. 3
16. Mendelssohn‐Scherzo in E minor
17. Navarro‐Spanish Dance
18. Palmgren‐May Night
19. Poulenc‐-Perpetual Motion
20. Schumann‐Arabeske
21. Schumann‐Des Abends
22. Schumann‐The Prophet Bird
23. Schumann‐Warum?
24. Cyril Scott‐Lotus Land
25. Cyril Scott‐Valse Caprice

There may be some remaining typos in the above OCR of repertoire suggestions.

This book takes you back to the basics. It doesn't mess around with fluff or things that won't help, but gets you to focus on what matters: practice and disciple. As a classically self taught pianist, I always need encouragement and someone to direct me in the right way. While I won't use all of the techniques that this book taught, this provided an excellent outline for how practice should be outlined and approached. Great book!

I have been trying to apply the advice of this book since I was about 12. It's an endless climb.

Aimed at the amateur who wants to play the piano seriously, but for pleasure, the book has a cheerful "you can do this if you follow my advice" attitude without being patronizing. It provides some simple guidance on how to structure your learning, as well as some specific advice on certain pieces. Perhaps one of the best parts of the book is that Mr. Cooke's enthusiasm sparks a (hopefully long-term) similar enthusiasm in the reader.

I liked the fact that the book made specific suggestions on pieces for a variety of player levels. It was gratifying that a couple of the pieces I'm currently wading my way through appear in there, giving me some idea of relative difficulty levels. I should note that Mr. Cooke uses terms like "beginner" and "easy" but one should not interpret this to mean he is talking about an actual beginner. He appears to be using the term to mean "beginning intermediate player."

I think this is a book that I will end up re-reading several times, especially the latter half. Part of this is because it contains a lot of material about pieces I am not able to attempt right now. It is also because the advice is cumulative: learn this and then try this.

It was a delightful book that I'm sure I'll pick up again.

An intriguing little book, inspirational for the adult amateur pianist. But it also somewhat dated. The edition I have was published in 1941 and revised in 1960. It lacks a conclusion, something that would not be omitted if the book were written today. Still, if you can find a copy, it is a worthwhile read.

This is one of my favorite books about the piano and the art of playing the piano. In the early seventies I moved into an apartment of my own, having moved to Chicago after graduating from the University of Wisconsin. I have played the piano most of my life and prior to that move I always had access to a piano whether at home, at college, or at my local public library. One of the first major purchases I made for my apartment was a beautiful spinet, which I still have today. Shortly thereafter I acquired this book and have continued to return to it from time to time over the ensuing decades.