381:(actually not true, there were plenty more, like Moura Lympani amongst others). Where some argue that her case is not helped by the inadequacies of her prose style (it has been described as convoluted, unclear, repetitious and poorly structured), a comparison with Matthay reveals that her books are far superior in clarity of prose - she was in any case first and foremost a teacher rather than a writer. The fact that she taught privately would have reduced her chances of having 'concert pianist material' students, since they would almost always prefer to study at a conservatoire. Many great pianists and pedagogues had few if any famous pupils, from Chopin to
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important device—used especially in the correct tempo of the piece, no matter how fast—is what she calls "outlining": skipping notes provided that the basic rhythm and body dynamics of motion were maintained. (Her term "basic rhythm" is explored below.) The pianist uses these techniques to establish the musical content as firmly in the mind as possible, replacing note-to-note technical concentration—and the attendant note-to-note musical attention—with accomplishment of the larger musical phrase.
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In her view, fingers are almost useless as agents of either direction or force. Although they might be tutored with much patience to achieve a certain level of dexterity, they possess only limited strength and movement. Indeed, the fourth finger in particular possesses very little of either. Instead,
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In spite of the remarkable results
Whiteside achieved with her own pupils (many of whom were far from promising when beginning lessons with her), a technique based on independence of the fingers continues to be widely taught; although the notion is now widespread that an effective arm technique is
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joint, being simultaneously powerful and subtle, is more than capable of doing all the work of any individual finger, and moreover is capable of maneuvering any finger into the optimum position such that a simple downward arm movement is required to sound a note. Thus "weak" fingers (i.e., the
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One of her pedagogical devices to achieve this was to practice works in different keys, or cross-handed, even simultaneously cross-handed in different keys. Then, upon returning to the correct key, hand positions, and tempo, many of the previous problems in technique had been overcome. Another
435:. Miss Frankye A. Dixon another prominent pupil of Abbey Whiteside, who taught music at Howard University, in Washington, DC. She is the daughter of famed composer and musician the late Will H. Dixon, dubbed "The Original Dancing Conductor" by James Weldon Johnson, circa 1930.
336:"Hanon is used for developing independent fingers with equal hitting power. Obviously this cannot be accomplished. Each finger may gain more power, but there will still be inequality in the fingers. Fingers need to be only expert in transmitting the power of the arm."
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on which she based so much of her teaching had been a stumbling-block until her methods were applied. (It might also have some relevance that Chopin himself is reported to have opposed this idea of equalizing the fingers, which was beginning to catch on in his time.)
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The catalyst for the development of
Whiteside's philosophy was the realisation that, as she wrote, "...the pupils in my studio played or didn't play, and that was that. The talented ones progressed, the others didn't--and I could do nothing about it."
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when the arm can easily furnish all the power that is needed without specialized training? If we could only believe in nature's way instead of in traditional concepts, so much wasted time, boredom, and ultimate frustration could be avoided.
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In the late 1950s, Rosoff set up the Abby
Whiteside Foundation, dedicated to promote her ideas, train teachers and performers and organize recitals by pianists trained in Whiteside's methods.
385:- they were offering training in authentic pianism, which is often somewhat at odds against the superficial acrobatics of the contemporary concert scene.
343:; perhaps the best-known and best-formalized modern school was founded by Dorothy Taubman. (Taubman's method is now being carried forward by the
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to be the exact point at which a finger-based technique broke down—only a technique which used the arm to direct the phrases conceived in the
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present in all but the most unmusical humans. This rhythm informs every action involved in producing a musical phrase, with the
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Favourable testimonials from adult learners who have read her books are widespread. A recurring theme is that the very same
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Abby
Whiteside on Piano Playing: Indispensables of Piano Playing, Mastering the Chopin Etudes and Other Essays.
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pianist, and sought to understand how an untutored technique could be capable of
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Indispensables of Piano
Playing-Mastering the Chopin Etudes and other essays
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More than even the arm, however, Whiteside advocated the concept of a basic
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could even approach them. She was utterly dismissive of the exercises of
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system that a pianist uses for effective playing. She states that the
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Whiteside's sense of muscular use is partly along the lines of the
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560:: "Chopin: pianist and teacher." Cambridge University Press, 1986.
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Joseph
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Critics have pointed out that only one of
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as the principal force for producing a tone at the piano—the
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are the conductors of a musical image conceived first in the
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A Comparison of the
Leschetizky Methods of Piano Techniques
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In "Indispensables of Piano
Playing" Whiteside describes a
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