Basic Principles in Pianoforte Playing: Piano Book

This book cuts through the noise. Lhevinne gives you the mechanical and musical fundamentals that underpin all good playing, without unnecessary jargon or digression. Teachers return to it repeatedly because his observations about tension, hand position, and tone production hold up across centuries of piano design and repertoire.

Reading Lhevinne feels like having a world-class musician in the room, patiently explaining how the body should work at the keyboard. The writing is direct and sometimes terse, but every page carries the weight of experience and refined thinking about how to play with both freedom and precision.

This book serves intermediate and advanced piano students who want to understand the why behind technique, as well as teachers building their own pedagogical library. It's valuable for anyone teaching across multiple levels who wants consistent, evidence-based language for addressing technical problems.

• Return to the chapter on arm weight whenever a student struggles with evenness or fatigue. Lhevinne's approach to relaxation is different from modern terminology but profoundly useful for diagnosing what's actually happening in the hand and forearm.
• Use the pedaling section as reference when explaining why certain passages need dampening and others need resonance. He treats the pedal as an extension of technique, not decoration.
• Reference the finger independence exercises if a student's weak fingers (especially 4 and 5) are limiting their repertoire choices. The progressions build genuine strength and control.

This is a reference text, not a curriculum. Keep it on your studio shelf or music room desk to consult when a specific technical issue arises. It pairs well with any method book and supplements lessons where deeper understanding of the mechanics behind the exercises matters.

• Arm weight distribution and transfer
• Finger independence and strength without tension
• Pedal technique and timing
• Hand position and posture awareness
• Efficient practice strategies for technical passages
• Understanding the relationship between relaxation and control