Etudes with Technique, Book 4: Piano Book

This book cuts through the false choice between technique and musicality. Rather than drilling technique in isolation, Marlais embeds each skill within actual repertoire from recognizable composers, so students understand why they're building these tools. The thematic index and composer bios transform what could be dry finger work into genuine musical discovery.

A masterclass disguised as etude work. You move between Baroque clarity, Romantic lyricism, and contemporary sparkle, each piece designed to isolate one technique while sounding genuinely musical. There's real satisfaction in discovering that a tricky passage actually sits under your hands once you understand what it's meant to do.

Intermediate pianists ready to expand their technical vocabulary across multiple styles and periods. This works especially well for students preparing for festivals or exams where command of scales, broken chords, and articulation matters.

• Study the hand and arm suggestions provided with each etude before you play. These aren't arbitrary notes; they address the specific physical problem each piece is designed to solve.
• Listen to the composers suggested in the listening prompts. Hearing how Baroque composers shaped slurs differently than Romantic ones gives context to the technique you're developing.
• Work through five-finger patterns and extensions methodically, but don't linger on any single page. The book's progression is deliberate; moving forward builds on what came before.

Assign etudes systematically throughout the year as technical building blocks for the repertoire your student is learning concurrently. When a student struggles with Alberti bass patterns in a Beethoven sonata, you have a focused study waiting. The book also works as a comprehensive technique curriculum on its own, moving sequentially through the core skills intermediate pianists need.

• Five-finger patterns and hand extensions across the keyboard
• Scale preparation and facility with octave scales
• Legato slurring and phrasing across hand positions
• Broken chord patterns and Alberti bass figures
• Double note technique and control
• Repeated note articulation and clarity
• Musical interpretation across Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Contemporary styles