This is the book all good students should work with for at least 20 minutes a day, Schmitt – Preparatory Exercises For The Piano. These are the famous single measure five-finger exercises that are a must for the aspiring pianist of any level. Aloys Schmitt, a noted 19th century pianist keeps things simple but extremely effective. In this volume he employs the much-praised Leschetizky method of finger strengthening, which is the technique of keeping certain fingers in the hand holding notes down while the remaining fingers play patterns. The method works! (Leschetizky taught Paderewski and Arthur Schnabel among many other piano legends.) Schmitt employs this technique starting at exercise No. 34. He also urges the student to repeat his exercises in all 12 keys, which is not difficult since all five-finger patterns are played with a stationary hand. This creates an excellent and simple introduction to the art of transposition! An addendum contains all the major, minor and chromatic scales and arpeggios with proper fingering clearly defined, including preparatory exercises for playing them smoothly. You will feel your fingers getting stronger each day!

ISBN _073999549300