Elementary principles to study piano
Perhaps this might occasionally be successful with a natural-born genius, but it would be an exceptionally gifted being who would govery far without any method or school, as we call it, to start with. You can also find this kind of genius on some videos of the youtube music section dedicated to pianists.
For the human mind needs, at the outset, the guidance and direction in all the arts of certain elementary rules, born of the amassed experience of the best teachers and thinkers; and the complete assimilation of these rules are the best aids and helps to the attainment of a more perfect self-expression, when the time comes for the individuality of a great talent to assert itself.
But what is a good method ? Why, a common-sense one, surely ! And is such a method far to seek ? No, undoubtedly not ! It must be merely a system which does not exaggerate, and that leaves every part of the hand and arm in a natural easy position.
The hand will then look comfortable upon the keyboard, and endless time will be saved in arriving at an easy supple velocity of the fingers. For the terrific labour which is involved by the neglect of these simple principles, in mastering swiftness and lightness of articulation, only those can testify to who have had the bitter experience of bad teaching to start with. I am, therefore, going to give here a few of what I consider the essential points to aim at, when commencing to learn the piano.
