Sergei Rachmaninoff School of Musicianship and Technique: A Guide for Keyboard Performers, Paperback

Based on an article written in 1923 by legendary Russian pianist and composer Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943), this volume presents the series of chords, arpeggios, and scales that Rachmaninoff himself studied as a young man. The Preface contains a short history explaining Rachmaninoff's use of this exercise and demonstrates that similar studies were included in some of the earliest keyboard methods dating to the eighteenth century. More than finger exercises, these patterns encourage harmonic thinking and reflect the modern approach to piano technique with its emphasis on engaged practice. Having its roots in the earliest history of keyboard pedagogy, and practiced and promoted by Sergei Rachmaninoff, Josef Lh vinne, Franz Liszt, and other legendary pianists, the exercises in this volume are a true link to the Golden Age of piano performance. Without question, diligent study will greatly improve every dedicated student's musicianship and technique.

About the Author:

Dr. Andrew Adams is the Assistant Professor of Piano at Western Carolina University in North Carolina, USA. He earned the Bachelor of Music in Piano from the Kansas City Conservatory of Music and the Master of Music in Vocal Coaching and Accompanying from the University of Illinois. In April 2005, he completed his Doctorate in Piano Performance at the University of Colorado. For six summers (1996-2001) he was a vocal coach at the Utah Festival Opera Company in Logan, Utah. Dr. Adams was Vocal Coach and Director of Collaborative Piano at Iowa State University from 2003 to 2006. He serves on the editorial board of and has published six articles in The Journal of Singing, the official publication of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Co-authored with Dr. Bradley Martin, his first book is entitled Hanon Restored: Charles-Louis Hanon's Five-finger Exercises Restored to His Original Design (Stipes Publishing). An active accompanist and chamber musician, he has accompanied recitals throughout the United States and in Russia.