Playing the Piano for Pleasure : The Classic Guide to Improving Skills Through Practice and Discipline

Includes: The place of music in the life of the amateur -- Climbing higher on the ladder of piano literature. -- The pleasant necessity of practicing [daily] --Suggestions for your reportoire; transforming weakest passages into strongest; memorizing; techniques; sight reading -- A discussion of certain fine compositions -- How to solve problems in polyrythym.;"With the wonderful writing one would expect from a longtime New Yorker reporter, piano aficionado Charles Cooke offers concrete routines for improving your piano performance. A pleasant and constant cheerleader, Cooke asks readers to practice every day, suggesting that they work through just that section time and again until it is perfect. In addition to his own thoughts, Cooke includes material from his interviews with master pianists, artists, and writers. The result is a book that should be cherished for years to come"--Provided by publisher. The classic instructional—and inspirational—guide for amateur pianists, filled with humor, encouragement, and advice from modern masters: “Excellent.” —The New York Times Longtime New Yorker writer and passionate piano player Charles Cooke offers concrete routines for improving your piano performance, whether you’re experienced, starting out, or starting over. A pleasant and constant cheerleader, Cooke asks readers to practice every day, suggesting that they work through just that section time and again until it is perfect. In addition to his own thoughts, Cooke includes material from his interviews with master pianists, artists, and writers. Delving into topics from techniques to performance tips to memorization tricks, Playing the Piano for Pleasure is a book that has been cherished for generations and will be for years to come. “An invaluable book for amateur pianists when it first came out, and still invaluable.” —James Thurber Skyhorse Publishing is proud to revive Playing Piano for Pleasure . With the wonderful writing one would expect from a longtime New Yorker reporter, Piano aficionado Charles Cooke, offers concrete routines for improving your piano performance. A pleasant and constant cheerleader, Cooke asks readers to practice every day, suggesting that they work through just that section time and again until it is perfect. In addition to his own thoughts, Cooke includes material from his interviews with master pianists, artists, and writers. The result is a book that should be cherished for years to come.