First Pianolessons - scenes at a Farm by Walter Carroll 2e hands

First Pianolessons - scenes at a Farm by Walter Carroll 2e hands

Staat: Omslag is flink beschadigd en verkleurd, binnenzijde is goed

20 stukjes voor de beginnende pianist.

PREFACE.
THE ART OF TEACHING, so long regarded as really an art in °dier branches
of learning, is at last being applied to Music. Until recent years it was
gen erally considered that the only important factor in a music teacher's training was his development as a performer. The effect of this upon the musical education of the people is not hard to trace ; for it may readily be seen that, although the study of music has been pursued with an industry and an enthusiasm rarely equalled in other subjects, a large amount of the time and energy expended upon it has been wasted through the teacher's ignorance of the principles of teaching.
Among the features which, in the past, have been associated with the work of the untrained teacher, the following are prominent: I. The typical book of Finger Exercises ; II. The so-called Iustruction Book. To the use of the former, during early lessons, may chiefly be attributed the stuff and awkward technique of the average amateur of to-day, who, in his youth, spent much time in trying to control the muscles of his hands with a mind already concentrated on a printed copy; while the Instruction Book, in its turn, presented the problems of Notation in their most bewildering form—exercises, scales, arpeggios, Italian terms, and even ornaments being included in a scheme ostensibly meant for beginners.
The writer believes that such methods are contrary to the spirit of modern teaching. In technique looseness should come before control, and control before strength. The early practice of finger exercises from a printed copy is detrimental to both qualities, especially the former.
For the proper performance of the pieces in this book special physical preparation is not necessary. A condition of natural looseness is all that is essential. This may be tested at the pianoforte by a few preliminary exercises, dictated or patterned by the teacher, and consisting of single notes or simple chords played by the child, with arm weight alone, anywhere upon the keyboard.
In Notation the pupil should have had about ten short lessons on the elements of Time and Pitch. The points included in this simple course are explained in the author's "Notes on First Piano Lessons" published by Forsyth Brothers,
a brief guide to the teacher on the training of beginners. If the learner already has some slight knowledge of the staff the pieces may be begun at once. The chief features of the series are (a) variation of key without signatures or accidentals; (b) easy two-part chords to encourage loose arm movement and interest in tone-colour ; (c) the use of both clefs throughout ; (d) avoidance of quavers and all shorter notes ; (e) correlation of ideas to one subject; (f) combined influence of music, poetry and imagination upon the subject of the piece; (g) the encouragement of singing by having the music sung by the pupil, to the verse given, in all cases where the range is suitable.
The teacher should induce the pupil to talk about the piece when learnt, and to associate its character with the title and with the verse. Indeed, one of the main objects of the work is to develop self-expression and to cultivate, even thus early, that sense of the beautiful without which there cannot be real interest or progress.
First Piano Lessons- Book I.    WALTER CARROLL.