Rating: 
Summary: Finger Strength Exercises Are Not A Breakthrough
Review: The author subscribes to the finger strength school of piano playing technique and gives about 90 pages of photos and exercises for strengthening fingers. Any pianist who has found that finger strength is not the basis for piano technique might be dismayed with the author's approach. However the book also includes a couple brief, well organized chapters not related to finger exercises: one on Memorization, another on specific ways to optimize your practice time. Even though I do not agree with the author's premise that every clean downstroke of a finger is preceded by a preparatory upstroke (in fact that statement seems absurd if you watch a lot of pianists play the piano), his book has forced me to think very clearly about how I want to teach piano technique to beginners.
Rating:
Summary: Finger Strength Exercises Are Not A Breakthrough
Review: The author subscribes to the finger strength school of piano playing technique and gives about 90 pages of photos and exercises for strengthening fingers. Any pianist who has found that finger strength is not the basis for piano technique might be dismayed with the author's approach. However the book also includes a couple brief, well organized chapters not related to finger exercises: one on Memorization, another on specific ways to optimize your practice time. Even though I do not agree with the author's premise that every clean downstroke of a finger is preceded by a preparatory upstroke (in fact that statement seems absurd if you watch a lot of pianists play the piano), his book has forced me to think very clearly about how I want to teach piano technique to beginners.
Rating: 
Summary: This book organized my understanding of piano mechanics
Review: This book confirms everything I learned about piano playing from my Kyriena Siloti, whose father Alexander studied with Liszt. It also confirms my own intuitive understanding of the efficient mechanics of playing the instrument as they relate to the laws of physics and basic principles of nature's functioning. A tremendously valuable aid to one's development as a pianist!
Rating: 
Summary: An excellent and coherent explanation of technique
Review: This book is amazing. Finally a clear, coherent, and understandable explanation of piano technique. Mr. Prokop takes a logical look at piano technique by examining the basic mechnanics of the piano within the context of human biomechanics. He postulates a set of theorems which he then proves or disproves. As a computer scientist, the logic of his approach appeals to me. It's great to finally understand what needs to happen to be able to play well.In addition, Mr. Prokop helps the musician develop a personalized approach to piano practice and technique improvement. In particular, a practice technique that he describes as "doubling" has really helped me work through difficult passages. I am a journeyman musician and play only for my own enjoyment. Mr. Prokop's book has helped me optimize my practice-time to let me get the most out of my music. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent and coherent explanation of technique
Review: This book is amazing. Finally a clear, coherent, and understandable explanation of piano technique. Mr. Prokop takes a logical look at piano technique by examining the basic mechnanics of the piano within the context of human biomechanics. He postulates a set of theorems which he then proves or disproves. As a computer scientist, the logic of his approach appeals to me. It's great to finally understand what needs to happen to be able to play well. In addition, Mr. Prokop helps the musician develop a personalized approach to piano practice and technique improvement. In particular, a practice technique that he describes as "doubling" has really helped me work through difficult passages. I am a journeyman musician and play only for my own enjoyment. Mr. Prokop's book has helped me optimize my practice-time to let me get the most out of my music. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
Rating: 
Summary: Worthwhile - but not as revolutionary as the title suggests
Review: This book revolves about the theory that finger control and independence is achieved by strengthening the muscle groups that LIFT the fingers. I think this idea is fundamentally correct. It also contains other useful observations, generally derived from a physiological investigation of the hand and arm, how the various muscles perform various movements, etc. Many of these are also valuable. To me the best part of this book are the diagrams of muscles, bones, and pictures of the resulting types of movements. I think sooner or later every pianist needs to look into these things. Also good are the ideas on how to improve practicing efficiency. Not all of them are applicable to all people, but certainly most will find at least some of them useful. On the negative side, I find that the semi-mathematical approach taken (proving and disproving theorems) does not add much to the book. I suppose at best it gives some structure, but it also confuses the reader (at one point he manages to disprove both SITTING LOW and SITTING HIGH at the piano, so that leaves the student with ... exactly WHAT option???). The idea in this book is not new. In fact, all of HANON, Cortot, Donanhyi, and others, advocate the same method of practice - if you read the instructions under the exercises. Donanhyi (the Hungarian virtuoso) produced a ton of nasty exercises to strengthen exactly the extensor muscle group. What IS new is the physiological reason for practicing in this manner, and this is something worthwhile knowing. Overall I think the book may be useful for beginning to intermediate (adult) students that have very specific finger strength problems, or more advanced students that want to know more about the anatomy of the hand and arm. I do, however, think that the price of this book is outrageous. It should be no more than 15 dollars. Also I think the title is misleading. Although it is potentially useful it does not contain a miracle cure for technical difficulties.
Rating:
Summary: Not POWER-ful enough....
Review: This is actually quite a flawed technique book, especially about the up-strokes and down-strokes thingie. For more information about this, pls. read "Modern Masters at the Keyboard" by Harriette Brower. "I avoid excessive high-finger action. Some teachers make so much of the up-motion, I make more of the down.......And no doubt the effort to lift the fingers high is the cause of much of the strain that prevents a pure legato" Another GREAT book which counters these theories is "On Piano Playing" by Gyorgy Sandor, a pupil of Bela Bartok. He demonstrates that building muscle strength has nothing to do with playing the piano, and all techniques are a matter of co-ordination. I guess this is true, because if you look at the masters who played when they were REALLY old (most memorable being Moritz Rosenthal who took 7 minutes to walk to the piano stool and sit down, and took just 53 seconds to play the Chopin Minute waltz). Don't tell me he still has firm and strong muscles in his fingers. I guess the convention of "finger strength" has been around too long and it's time we scrap it.....
Rating:
Summary: Not POWER-ful enough....
Review: This is actually quite a flawed technique book, especially about the up-strokes and down-strokes thingie. For more information about this, pls. read "Modern Masters at the Keyboard" by Harriette Brower. "I avoid excessive high-finger action. Some teachers make so much of the up-motion, I make more of the down.......And no doubt the effort to lift the fingers high is the cause of much of the strain that prevents a pure legato" Another GREAT book which counters these theories is "On Piano Playing" by Gyorgy Sandor, a pupil of Bela Bartok. He demonstrates that building muscle strength has nothing to do with playing the piano, and all techniques are a matter of co-ordination. I guess this is true, because if you look at the masters who played when they were REALLY old (most memorable being Moritz Rosenthal who took 7 minutes to walk to the piano stool and sit down, and took just 53 seconds to play the Chopin Minute waltz). Don't tell me he still has firm and strong muscles in his fingers. I guess the convention of "finger strength" has been around too long and it's time we scrap it.....
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