Editors' Choice
We piano teachers spend so much time working with students on finger technique. What about the feet? Here's a method suitable for intermediate and advanced students! Even elementary students can benefit from the first exercises, and gradually progress through the method over the succeeding years. Informative and insightful, this comprehensive book presents pianists with lessons for developing an artful pedal technique. Features include exercises to develop control of the damper pedal at various depths; and lessons in playing with such techniques as syncopated pedal, simultaneous pedal, flutter pedal, and legatissimo pedal. An entire unit discusses the stylistic principles of applying the pedal to Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionistic, and Contemporary music. Examples are provided from the music of Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Brahms, Debussy, Ravel, Bartok, and others. Examples from the music of North American composers such as Samuel Barber and Aaron Copland are also found in this unique volume. Highly recommended.

Basic Library
A practical series containing five sets of a dozen exercises each. These technical exercises, each named for a different physical exercise, are meant to be done each day before practicing. The trademark stick figures add character to each exercise. The accompanying CDs and General MIDI Disks make practicing fun.

Basic Library
Fingerpower offers short, progressive technic exercises for students of all ages. Equal attention is given to both hands. The series may be used with all piano and keyboard methods. The Primer book, at the elementary level, features exercises employing blocked and broken thirds, easy thumb crossings, legato and staccato, melody and accompaniment, sharps and flats and simple cross hand patterns. The exercises in Level 1, at the late elementary level, feature blocked and broken triads; broken thirds, fourths and fifths; legato and staccato; phrase development; rhythmic variety and 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4 time signatures. Level 2, at the early intermediate level, covers ascending and descending trills, chords, chromatic scales, contrary motion, thumb crossings, hand expansion, 6/8 time, syncopation and wrist rotation. Level 3, at the intermediate level, covers chord inversions, hand stretching, interlocking hands, legato thirds, sixteenth notes and rests, and sustaining each of the five fingers in both hands. Level 4, at the late intermediate level, covers chromatic hand contractions, finger expansion, grace notes, legato triads and thirds, scales in contrary motion, thumb passages, tremolo and two-octave arpeggios. Level 5, at the early advanced level, covers arpeggios in parallel and contrary motion, ascending and descending broken octaves, diatonic and chromatic octaves, finger repetition, legato sixths, and sustained octaves and thirds with tremolo. Finally, Level 6 at the advanced level, offers major and minor scales and arpeggios in all keys, melodic and broken chord patterns, chromatic broken chord inversions, major preludes in all keys and minor preludes in all keys.

Basic Library
The Virtuoso Pianist first appeared in 1873, won a silver medal at the Exposition Universelle in 1878 and since the time of Hanon's death in 1900, it has become one of the standards of piano technique. Part 1 offers early intermediate to intermediate level exercises engraved on two pages, showing a fingering on every note of the first system. This particular edition of Part 1 also includes six variations adaptable to any of the exercises and little known biographical information. Part 2 introduces the core of piano technique. It begins with a continuation of the exercises found in Part 1, gradually introduces exercises designed to prepare the student for playing scales, covers the twelve major scales with their harmonic and melodic minor scales, major and minor arpeggios, chromatic scales and arpeggios of the diminished seventh and dominant seventh. The Complete volume includes Parts 1 through 3. Part 3 contains advanced technical exercises to develop the skills required to play the most difficult piano literature. Octave playing is especially emphasized in Part 3.

Basic Library
Simply place this CD Sheet Music CD-ROM into your Windows or Macintosh computer and instantly, you have a comprehensive collection of exercises and etudes at your fingertips, from easy to virtuosic, by a variety of composers including Hanon, Czerny, Cramer, Gurlitt, Pischna, and more. Great works from publishers such as Breitkopf and Haertel, Peters, G. Schirmer, Ricordi and others are available to browse or print at your leisure. All of the scores are public domain and come with a letter stating that you need no special permission to use them, so you can print as many copies as you'd like. It's a tremendous value.

Aloys Schmitt is best remembered for his Op. 16 exercises. The collection is divided into three sections. The first aids students in developing finger independence through a variety of single and double-note patterns within the range of a fifth. The second section emphasizes passing the thumb under fingers to prepare for scales and arpeggios. The final section provides traditional scales and arpeggios in a notated format with fingering.

Every intermediate through advanced-level student should have a copy of this 96-page volume! It combines the best technical exercises and etudes from a variety of composers including Hanon, Schmitt, Liszt, Cramer, Moszkowski, Pischna, Brahms, Wieck, Philipp, Bertini and Rachmaninoff. Editors Valerie Cisler and Maurice Hinson have arranged the book into eleven parts in progressive order: scales; chords; arpeggios; speed, agility and finger independence; even tone between the hands; double notes; trills; repeated notes; rotation; alternating hands and chromatic patterns. Each part is packed with a wide variety of exercises and etudes. Advancing pianists who work from beginning to end of the volume will surely acquire a solid technical base.

Basic Library
The Hanon exercises have become a staple for developing piano technique. Book 1 is Part 1 and includes exercises 1 - 20: early intermediate to intermediate-level preparatory exercises to acquire speed, precision, agility and strength in the fingers of both hands as well as flexibility of the wrists. A General MIDI disk is available for Book 1, which includes a full piano recording and background accompaniment. Book 2 is Part 2 and consists of exercises 21 - 43 at the intermediate to early advanced level: further exercises for the development of a virtuoso technique. The Complete volume includes Parts 1 through 3. Part 3 consists of exercises 44 - 60: virtuoso exercises for mastering the greatest technical difficulties. The Complete volume is offered spiral bound, useful for keeping this large volume open on the piano rack.

Basic Library
These G. Schirmer editions of The Virtuoso Pianist are recognizable by most piano students as they have been a staple of student technical repertoire for decades. Book 1 is Part 1 and includes exercises 1 - 20: early intermediate to intermediate-level preparatory exercises to acquire speed, precision, agility and strength in the fingers of both hands as well as flexibility of the wrists. Book 2 is Part 2 and consists of exercises 21 - 43 at the intermediate to early advanced level: further exercises for the development of a virtuoso technique. Book 3 is Part 3 and includes exercises 44- 60 at the early advanced to advanced level. The Complete volume includes Parts 1 through 3.