I keep reading in various threads about books on piano technique, which I mean to take a note of, and sometimes I do, but often I forget until the thread is long gone and I can't find it again! Hows about, any time anyone recommends a book that's relevant to a specific question on piano technique, they also post the name of it here, so we have them all in one place?

Can I start the list with Busy Bee's suggestions from the Spaghetti Fingers thread - 'The Musician's Body', by Rosset I Llobet and George Odam, and 'Doctor Downing's Piano Technique Doctor', by Nadia Lasserson.

Good idea.

Here is the link to the books thread started in the Adult Learners forum, including some books on piano technique.

http://forums.abrsm.org/index.php?showtopic=22617

Thanks Dulciana - definitely a good idea. 'My Favourites' is choc full of stuff from the forums with a list a mile long. Keeping it altogether to print off on one page and then into a paper file would be much better - and I'm more likely to return to things.

I've got a lot of catching up to do looking at imlovinit's link

Edit P.S. I should just make clear that 'The Musician's Body' book is aimed at all instrumentalists, including singers. It is not piano specific but there are lots of general tips how to practise safely etc.

http://www.serve.com/marbeth/fugues.html

(Hope I'm not just turning this into my own personal reference library... ...but I thought this was an excellent article - about playing fugues - thanks to imlovinit.)

Yes - the Fugue link has already found its way on to My Favourites page !!

How about "A Performer's Guide To Music of the Baroque Period" by Anthony Burton. There are a couple of others in this series for the Romantic and Classical Period too.

(courtesy of upbeat, copied and pasted from another thread by estherclaire.)

I always find that my teacher does amply well... If you have a question, would you not be best off asking them first?

That's like saying that there will come a point at which a teacher knows it all, has heard and read all the opinion on the subject, and has nothing left to learn. My only answer (as a teacher) is that I hope I never feel that I've reached that stage!

My favorite books on Piano Technique and really nothing else than Piano Technique:

- The Visible and Invisible in Pianoforte Technique, Tobias Matthay
- On Piano Playing, Gyorgy Sandor
- Mastering Piano Technique, Seymour Fink

A DVD is also available for the Seymour Fink book to illustrate the exercises.

And one I am reading now, but so sure about yet:

The Craft of Piano Playing, Alan Fraser


As far as simply turning to a teacher for any and all questions goes (versus doing your own independent study), I have found that teachers are generally very positive about "extracurricular" study. You will tend to come with better informed questions to your lessons. Especially having read Sandor (which many pianists study at Conservatory) gave us an additional shorthand to discuss and notate on the score the desired keyboard choreography.