Saturday, July 18, 2009

Occasionally I get a complaint from a parent--usually a parent who hated practicing, but never mind: "Isn't it time for my child to be studying Hanon?"

Leaving out the part about viewing hatred as a necessary part of growing up, let's just consider Hanon. I wish I had just a nickel for every pianist I hear whose mastery of the five-finger formula has produced a sewing-machine approach to bunches of keys in a row.

The time would be better spent practicing typing.