{"product_id":"the-contemporary-piano-9781442281899","title":"The Contemporary Piano","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith Contemporary Piano: A Performer and Composer's Guide to Techniques and Resources,  Alan Shockley provides a comprehensive resource for composers writing music that uses extended techniques for the piano, and for pianists interested in playing repertoire that makes use of techniques and\/or implements unfamiliar to them. Shockley explains dozens of ways to prepare a piano without damaging the instrument, how to notate every standard technique and many, many obscure ones, and the specific geographies of every common concert hall piano. This will be the standard reference for pianists touring and playing inside-the-piano repertoire, and for composers at all levels of familiarity with the piano hoping to understand the mechanical miracle that is the modern piano.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShockley, a respected composer and teacher, has written an excellent one-stop shop for all matters dealing with nontraditional uses of the piano. This is a modern-day performance practice manual similar to those written by composers dealing with performance practices of earlier eras. The author gives detailed instructions for composers—and, more important, players—of this music, which was created mostly during the 20th century and employs the piano in unusual ways. Following brief but useful introductory chapters about the construction and history of the piano, Shockley meticulously guides the reader through each topic—pedals, clusters, preparations, bowing, the piano as a percussion instrument, harmonics, muting, and even the toy piano. Highly recommended. * CHOICE *\u003cbr\u003eThis book is a welcome comprehensive guide to nontraditional techniques for the piano, and for pianists who are interested in playing repertoire which requires techniques and\/or implements unfamiliar to both the instrument and to the performer. . . This book is a must-have resource for any performance pianist or orchestra playing contemporary music for the piano. * American Reference Books Annual *\u003cbr\u003eNot since Richard Bunger’s seminal book on prepared piano in 1973 has anyone dared tackle the ever burgeoning topic of extended piano techniques. Alan Schockley’s new book is extensive, well researched and utterly necessary for any pianist preparing to explore the repertoire of our time. -- Vicki Ray, chair of Keyboard Studies, California Institute of the Arts\u003cbr\u003eAlan Shockley’s new book will be indispensable to pianists who perform modern and contemporary music.  We have long needed a guide this thorough, well-organized, and detailed, with plentiful examples from new and historical repertoire. -- Sarah Cahill, pianist, radio host, and faculty, San Francisco Conservatory of Music\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChapter 1: Notation and Some Piano Basics  Chapter 2: The History and Mechanism of the Piano  Chapter 3: On the Keys and on the Pedals Chapter 4: Pizzicato, Strumming, Scraping, Rubbing  Chapter 5: Muting  Chapter 6: Harmonics  Chapter 7: The Piano is a Big Box and the Pianist is a Noise-Making Animal  Chapter 8: Bowing  Chapter 9: Preparations  Chapter 10: The Toy Piano  Appendix A: Repertoire  Appendix B: Materials for Piano Preparation  Appendix C: Grand Piano Interior Architecture and Stringing","brand":"Rowman \u0026 Littlefield","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51040019939671,"sku":"9781442281899","price":52.2,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781442281899.jpg?v=1750945531","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-contemporary-piano-9781442281899","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}