PIANO TECHNIQUE REVIEWS

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Richard Prokop and Piano Power



Piano Power promises a refreshingly different approach that marries the athletic and artisitic in music...

Many of the assertions at Richard Prokop's website, www.pianopower.com seem to contradict the accepted dogma about piano technique. He advises us to build the strength of the finger extensors for a capable technique - an approach distinctly different from the relaxation advised by so many others. Prokop quotes physiologists who know that muscular control is not based on relaxation so much as on the coordinated work of opposing muscle groups. His approach is based on sound physiology as well as his own 25 years of personal experience.

Review quotes

"A most intriguing and interesting book. I urge all pianists to read it." -- Anthony Newman, Harpsichordist, Organist, Pianist

"It would be hard for me to imagine any pianist, or health care professional involved in the care and treatment of piano-related hand problems, not being interested in this book. It is my professional opinion, as a physician specializing in hand and wrist problems, that the information presented in PIANO POWER is invaluable to pianists of all levels." -- Paul D. Fragner, M.D., Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon, Hand and Wrist Specialist,Westchester Bone & Joint Associates, White Plains, New York

"PIANO POWER presents a sensible approach in addressing the potential maladies of the pianist -- a welcome addition to the library of any pianist." -- Lillie Rosenthal, D.O., Physician, Miller Health Care Institute for Performing Artists, St.Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, New York City

"Thank you for the pre-publication copy of your book. The subject is so important and has been kicked under the table for many years. Gary Graffman, President of the Curtis Institute, is one of my oldest and dearest friends; I watched the collapse of his fourth and fifth finger and his subsequent retreat to repertoire for the left hand. I have a personal theory that too much practice is as destructive as too little practice. I'm sure that either Leon Fleisher or Gary Graffman could fill you in on many more aspects of this strange malady that attacks pianists. It extends from Clara Schumann to Art Tatum, the latter playing those incredible arpeggios with really the thumb, second and third fingers of his right hand. Mr.Rachmaninov used to tell me that he constantly changed fingerings, especially for recitals because of the fatigue in his fingers. I certainly congratulate on your book, it should be shouted from the housetops." -- SKITCH HENDERSON, Music Director and Founder of The New York Pops, Pre-publication review, February 1999.

Buy the book at http://pianopower.com/

Price/Value Quotient

Book $34.95               

good value for money