Ebook: The Piano Practice Physician's Handbook

"The Piano Practice Physician's Handbook takes a fresh look at how piano teachers teach practice skills. These 32 piano student ailments and their cures open up new ways of thinking about piano practice problems. With this straight-forward and practical guide piano teachers can get their students practicing more effectively, making faster progress, and having more fun!"--Page 4 of cover.;Your piano practice clinic -- Part One. Chronic issues aka bad practice habits -- 1. Start again syndrome: obsessive playing from the beginning no matter the circumstances -- 2. Finger fascination: the tendency to stare at one's own fingers while playing -- 3. Leap phobia: the habitual slowing of one's tempo to prepare for a leap -- 4. Octave disorientation: the confounding of notes with the same name in different octaves -- 5. I-played-it-better-at-home-itis: the insistence that in-lesson playing doesn't properly reflect one's practice -- 6. Finger hiccups: the habitual repeating of a note or series of notes several times before proceeding -- 7. Instant memorisation: the almost immediate playing from memory -- Part Two. Fevers & chills aka tempo issues -- 8. Presto infatuation: the aversion to playing slowly -- 9. Vivace influenza: the inability to play at a slow tempo -- 10. Allegro anxiety: the fear of playing faster than moderato -- 11. Tempo shivers: sudden and unplanned tempo changes -- Part Three. Heart palpitations aka beat & rhythm inconsistencies -- 12. Restlessness: the neglecting of rest values when counting -- 13. Beam fever: the quickening of one's pace whenever one sees beamed notes -- 14. Rhythm allergy: the complete lack of a rhythmic sense -- 15. Obstacle sneezes: the propensity to pause before playing a difficult section -- 16. Beat arrhythmia: the lack of a sense of beat or pulse in one's playing -- 17. Line limp: the belief that barlines are signs for one to stop or yield -- Part Four. Vision impairment aka symbol & marking oversights -- 18. Articulation anaemia: the omission of all or more articulation from one's playing -- 19. Dynamic deficiency: the absence of dynamic contrast in one's playing -- 20. Accidental amnesia: the consistent overlooking of sharps and flats -- 21. Wrist lockdown: the lack of wrist lifts at phrase/slur endings -- 22. Fingering forgetfulness: the ignoring of finger numbers -- Part Five. Ear infections aka musical insensitivity -- 23. Note deafness: the inability to hear incorrect notes played by oneself -- 24. Expression omission disorder: the lack of expression in one's playing -- 25. Fortissimo fixation: refusal to play at a volume other than the maxium -- 26. Pianissmo preoccupation: refusal to play at a volume other than the minimum -- Part Six. Aches & pains aka technique & movement problems -- 27. Pedal repulsion: the severe distaste of pedalling -- 28. Wrist drowsiness: the drooping of one's wrists below a sensible height -- 29. Sticky tipitis: the tendency of one's fingers to press too firmly into the key -- 30. Digit flotation: the touching of keys so lightly one's fingers appear to float on the surface -- 31. Fused phlanges: the apparant inability to bend one's finger joints -- 32. Floppy finger predicament: the collapsing of the top finger joint when pressing a key -- Forging your own path and discovering new cures -- Ailment index -- More from Nicola Cantan.