Rating: 
Summary: Rethinking Practicing
Review: Madeline Bruser's book offers the pianist a chance to rethink the business of practicing. Instead of seeing time spent working at the keyboard as onerous and exhausting, you can change your approach to one of exploration and pleasurable work. This doesn't mean that you smile all the time or that everything suddenly becomes easy. Bruser's emphasis on "mindfulness" means the focus shifts to the process rather than the manic acquisition of more works, more speed, more technical fireworks. These will come as a by-product to paying attention to the actual playing at hand. Shifting that focus is not as easy as it sounds (or reads). Try sitting silently at the keyboard for two minutes before you start playing. It can seem like an eternity to those of us who are used to rushing up and getting going (and then getting mindful after we drive the piece into the wall). The book is really keyboard-focused in spite of its claim to help all musicians. And it's not sparkling reading; it's rather slow and serious and the photos are dull. The business about a foreward by Menuhin is silly since the comments are vague, leading one to wonder whether he even read the book. So don't consider that a reason for purchase. The publisher should drop the foreward for subsequent editions. There is a fair amount about the mechanics of playing and proper alignment. While less than riveting, that can be a useful review for those who take their technique for granted. It certainly was for me, as was the discussion of various types of bodywork that can help musicians. Bruser's book provides an initial way to rethink the approach to the piano for the serious musician. It will help some more than others. When you think about it, the ratio of time spent practicing to time performing is about 100 to 1. Anything that enriches those hours is worth a read.
Rating: 
Summary: Should be required reading for anyone learning music!
Review: Madeline's indepth observations of the human experience in learning the art of music are unparalleled. She keenly and with pinpointed accuracy shares with the reader what he will face in the process of learning music. And, more importantly, she presents insight on possible ways to deal with and overcome those trying times. As an adult student with only one year of piano behind me, I wish I had read this book earlier. I definitely would have learned to be more patient with myself or at least would have been more understanding of what was happening to me in the process of learning. In any case, I have a brand new and refreshing approach to my continued learning process now. Thank you very, very much.
Rating:
Summary: the Heart of the matter
Review: The srength of this book lies in its ability to inspire and offer some very practical approaches to becoming more self-aware both in practicing and performing.
I liked the chapter on stretching and also the question and answer sections.I enjoyed alot of the stories that the author shared-one in particular on page 61 ..."Once, when the conductor Arturo Toscanini and the cellist Gregor Piatigorsky were about to go onstage to perform, one of them said to the other,"How are you feeling?" "Terrible," he answered, "because I'm no good." "I'm no good either,"the first said,"but we're no worse than the rest of them. Let's go." The weakest parts of the book for me as a professional musician and pianist(BM and MM in Piano)were those parts dealing with specific piano repertoire, musical analysis and technique.The writing pertaining to technique and analysis is very dry, unclear, and misleading in parts.Most of that could have been left out with no harm done to the book.
There is nothing like a good teacher to make things clear, direct, and straightforward.
That aside there is much in the book that can point the way to more freedom and inspiration in practicing and playing.
Rating: 
Summary: Informative read...interesting and inspiring.
Review: This book had some wonderful explanations and ideas about approaching your instrument in not only the practice setting, but the learning setting, teaching setting and performance setting. I think that any musician who reads this book has to primarily appreciate the fact that the author has taken the time and effort to diligently explore and expand on all of the different problems associated with practicing. Don't expect to read the book and automatically become more productive. One should take what they need and desire from the reading and put it into action in his/her daily practice and performance.
Rating:
Summary: The Art of Zen Piano
Review: This book has been so instructional for me that I reread it a couple of times every year. Aside from the helpful sections on the proper body mechanics important to all musicians, the real gist of the book is how to use relaxation and self-gentleness to get what you feel in your heart to be manifested in your music performance. I see that this work is now in a substantially cheaper paperback version (d'oh!), but I'd probably still opt for hardcover.
Rating:
Summary: Very useful for pianists
Review: This book is definately worth while for most musicians, particularly pianists. Some of the suggestions are common sense, but it certainly helps to read these things every so often. I strongly believe that Ms. Bruser's method works. In fact, it is not so much a method, as some advice on how to practice in a different, more enjoyable, and more effective manner. I do believe - also from experience - that a lot of hours spent practicing are wasted if not accompanied by the right mental (and physical) approach.
Rating:
Summary: Promising title turns out to hide shallow content
Review: This book promised to be a very thoughtfully written book with lots of insights. But unfortunately it is a rather shallow book that remains very much on the surface in following a current trend of increased mindfulness in artistic activities. I also find it somewhat annyoing, when a book cover boasts a foreword by Yehudi Menuhi, and the foreword turns out to be half a page of platitudes.
Rating: 
Summary: Didn't serve my needs
Review: This book relieved me of so much anxiety and negativity! Though I spent years studying the piano, I always viewed practicing as a chore and would drive myself into a nervous, sleepless, frenzy of practicing before every recital. My final recital was twelve years ago -- I had worked myself into a horrible state, had come to despise the piece I was preparing (Beethovan's Six Variations), gave a lousy performance, quit my lessons and got rid of my piano. When a friend asked me to store his piano in our home I started playing again and was amazed to find that I still felt anxious although I was not preparing for any performance. My son's violin teacher loaned me this book and I must say if I'd read it twelve years ago I never would have given up the piano. Using this book I analyzed my physical approach to playing for the first time and realized my posture was horrible and I was actually clenching my teeth when I played! Now I am enjoying myself so much more and I feel so comfortable that I have started playing as an accompanist. There's much that's useful in this book though you may (like me) skip a lot of the technical information or parts that seem geared more toward professional musicians. I especially recommend this book for anyone with performance anxiety.
Rating:
Summary: The Zen of Practicing!
Review: This book relieved me of so much anxiety and negativity! Though I spent years studying the piano, I always viewed practicing as a chore and would drive myself into a nervous, sleepless, frenzy of practicing before every recital. My final recital was twelve years ago -- I had worked myself into a horrible state, had come to despise the piece I was preparing (Beethovan's Six Variations), gave a lousy performance, quit my lessons and got rid of my piano. When a friend asked me to store his piano in our home I started playing again and was amazed to find that I still felt anxious although I was not preparing for any performance. My son's violin teacher loaned me this book and I must say if I'd read it twelve years ago I never would have given up the piano. Using this book I analyzed my physical approach to playing for the first time and realized my posture was horrible and I was actually clenching my teeth when I played! Now I am enjoying myself so much more and I feel so comfortable that I have started playing as an accompanist. There's much that's useful in this book though you may (like me) skip a lot of the technical information or parts that seem geared more toward professional musicians. I especially recommend this book for anyone with performance anxiety.
Rating:
Summary: Great book for musicians!
Review: This was the first time I'd been introduced to the idea of practicing as a liberating, creative process instead of painful drudgery. The relaxation and stretching techniques, coupled with the discussions on various practicing issues, really changed my view of playing music.
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