Keys to Artistic Performance, Book 1: Piano Book

This book tackles something many students skip over: the intentional choices that separate polished performances from merely correct ones. By isolating five concrete techniques used by professional pianists, Clarfield gives students a practical framework for building artistry rather than treating musicality as something you either have or don't. The repertoire spans beloved 19th-century miniatures, so students are learning these concepts on music they'll actually want to perform.

Intimate, reflective, and occasionally playful. The repertoire ranges from Bartók's children's pieces with their folk-song sensibilities to Tchaikovsky's gentle meditations and Schubert's dances, each offering different opportunities to explore character and mood. You'll find yourself discovering how a single piece can sound vastly different depending on how you use the pedal, shape the phrases, or move your body.

Early intermediate to intermediate pianists who want to move beyond note-perfect playing and develop genuine interpretive skills. This works equally well for students in private studios who are ready to think about artistry and for young pianists preparing for competitions or recitals where musicianship matters as much as technical accuracy.

• Work through the pedagogical text first before diving into the pieces. Understanding the concepts of color, voicing, and pedal technique transforms how you approach the music itself.
• Record yourself performing the same piece twice: once applying the suggested techniques and once without. The contrast makes the abstract concepts concrete.
• Pay special attention to the choreography guidance. How you sit, move, and position your hands affects not just sound quality but your own confidence and presence at the keyboard.
• Experiment with rubato gradually. Start with small, intentional shifts in rhythm rather than large gestures, then build as your ear develops.

Frame a student recital around the artistic skills presented in this book, programming 3-4 pieces from the collection and noting in the program notes the specific techniques they've mastered. Alternatively, integrate individual pieces throughout a season of lessons, pairing each with focused work on one of the five keys to artistry so students gradually build a complete toolkit.

• Pedal techniques including color pedaling and sustain pedal layering
• Voice leading and balance within harmonic textures
• Rubato and rhythmic flexibility appropriate to period and character
• Musical characterization through interpretive choices
• Awareness of posture, hand position, and physical choreography at the keyboard
• Score analysis focused on expressive intent rather than mechanics alone