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Joseph Banowetz
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The Pianist's Guide to Pedaling Kindle Edition

by Joseph Banowetz (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.8 out of 5 stars 32 ratings

" . . . a most precious book which every serious pianist and teacher must own." —Journal of the American Liszt Society

Joseph Banowetz and four distinguished contributors provide practical suggestions and musicological insights on the pedaling of keyboard works from the 18th to the 20th century.

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  1. Print length
    320 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Indiana University Press
  4. Publication date
    November 1, 2022
  5. File size
    145.4 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
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  8. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"First published by Indiana University Press in 1985, The Pianist's Guide to Pedaling provides a wonderful resource in which to dip in and out, proffering a useful read for students, amateurs pianists, teachers, and professionals."―Barbarablog

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BDDWJ4T1
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Indiana University Press (November 1, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 1, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 145.4 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 out of 5 stars 32 ratings

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Joseph Banowetz

Joseph Banowetz

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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
32 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book detailed and informative, with one review noting it provides precise guidance on piano playing techniques. Moreover, the pedaling content receives positive feedback, with one customer highlighting its comprehensive coverage of Bach's music. Additionally, customers consider the book worth its price.

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7 customers mention "Information quality"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book detailed and comprehensive, with one customer noting it provides precise instructions and examples, while another mentions it serves as an excellent reference for piano teachers.

"...This book is filled with valuable information and over the course of the last two years, I've found myself returning to it time and time again as a..." Read more

"...and putting its actions into words that are direct and show the reader/player precisely HOW and WHY to make these various moves is what makes this..." Read more

"This is an excellent reference book for both piano teachers and advanced students...." Read more

"...There is also a fascinating (albeit too short) chapter on the "Catalan School" of pedaling, epitomized in the virtuoso playing of Alicia de Larrocha..." Read more

5 customers mention "Pedaling"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's coverage of pedaling techniques, with one customer highlighting its detailed chapters on Bach's music and another noting its comprehensive approach across different musical periods.

"...The book looks at the history of the piano and its pedals, pedaling techniques and the appropriate use of the pedals when playing the works of Bach,..." Read more

"...There are also whole chapters on pedaling the music of Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven (he gets 2 chapters), Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Ravel and..." Read more

"...teacher and advanced student should own this book as it sheds light to the art of pedaling...." Read more

"One of the best book about piano pedals.The autor takes care about all musical periods and are a lot of exemples, include the tonal pedal." Read more

4 customers mention "Value for money"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book to be worth its price.

"...something to learn when I do so - that to me, is the mark of a great book." Read more

"This turned out to be a very pleasant book to read. It almost read itself...." Read more

"...And this is what makes the book so very valuable--for much less than the price of one lesson with a master teacher, the reader gets enough..." Read more

"I've read only one chapter that caught my eye--and it's worth the entire book...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Saya
    5.0 out of 5 stars An indispensable book on pedaling
    Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I bought this book when I needed guidance on the intricacies of pedaling. As any advanced pianist will tell you, pedaling is one of the most important aspects of playing a piece - a good technique will ensure a piece will sing while an untrained one will result in muddy colors.

    The book is divided into two parts: basic techniques, and techniques specific to composers. This book is filled with valuable information and over the course of the last two years, I've found myself returning to it time and time again as a reference. I particularly like that the portion on composers contains reference to specific works to illustrate his points, as well as a historical context of the piece. In short, he lays out well why certain things need to be heard with the pedal and how to achieve them. I was impressed by the sheer amount of detail that went into the analysis.

    In addition to these, I was also introduced to subjects in pedaling I had never heard of - for example the Catalan school of pedaling. I foresee myself returning to this book numerous times and always having something to learn when I do so - that to me, is the mark of a great book.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • forwardintothepast
    5.0 out of 5 stars The best of the lot on this subject...
    Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Lots of books about pedailng out there in Piano-Land, but this one is The One.
    Taking what is an essentially physical act that creates sound, and putting its actions into words that are direct and show the reader/player precisely HOW and WHY to make these various moves is what makes this fine volume the BEST at the task at hand.
    I had recently bought a 6.5 ft yamaha piano, and WOW did I get some wonderful and hithertofore unknown effects and sounds out of it from the application of the principles in this book. Your feet and ears will thank you...
    One person found this helpful
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  • Vicki Miller
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Reference Book
    Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2013
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    This is an excellent reference book for both piano teachers and advanced students. The book looks at the history of the piano and its pedals, pedaling techniques and the appropriate use of the pedals when playing the works of Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Debussy and Ravel.The section on the use of the sostenuto pedal was particularly useful.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • K. Busch
    5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable and useful
    Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This turned out to be a very pleasant book to read. It almost read itself. It's so pleasant you might not notice how much can be learned from it.

    As one who avoids the pedal with both Bach and Mozart, I was happy not to get nagged about that. (Pedal on Busoni-Bach transcriptions, though? Definitely!) The historical perspectives on the pedal were enlightening, for example, it is at least suggestive to know that our modern syncopated style of pedaling came after, say, Schumann. Beethoven's famous "long pedals" (Moonlight first movement, recitatives in the Tempest, finale of the Waldstein) will remain mysteries after you read this book but you'll come away with new ideas about how to approach them. You also get a number of ideas about how to use the sostenuto pedal. The chapter on how Walter Gieseking played Debussy was at first interesting, but, like a number of places in this book, it turned into an over-long catalog of indications for near every work.

    I suppose that could be a helpful reference.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Alan E. Barber
    4.0 out of 5 stars A much needed treatise
    Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    As another reviewer noted, the great pianist and composer Sergei Rachmaninoff stated that "the pedal is the soul of the piano." Any piano teacher can tell you the teaching the art of pedaling is one of the most challenging (and at times) difficult part of pedagogy.
    This book constitutes a fine treatise on this essential part of the pianist's technical equipment. And it's not just the damper (or right) pedal that gets discussed. Included are whole chapters on both the left pedal (or una corda pedal--a misnomer on modern grands, since the keyboard shifts enough to strike not one, but two strings), and on the middle pedal or sostenuto pedal, the presence of which remains a mystery to most folks. (Actually, European grand pianos for the most part lack a sostenuto pedal, and since the vast majority of the repertoire is by European composers, its use in performance is problematical).
    There are also whole chapters on pedaling the music of Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven (he gets 2 chapters), Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Ravel and Debussy. There is also a fascinating (albeit too short) chapter on the "Catalan School" of pedaling, epitomized in the virtuoso playing of Alicia de Larrocha, and needed to properly perform the work of Enrique Granados. This last subject was something completely unknown to me prior to acquiring this book, and I found the discussion very interesting, since it required me to re-think completely my use of the damper pedal, and to listen much more carefully to my own playing. The Catalan approach to pedaling is both more and less intuitive than any other method of approaching this thorny subject (if that doesn't make sense, read the chapter and you'll see what I mean).
    Sadly, there is nothing here on pedaling the music of Rachmaninoff. That omission is regrettable, since Rachmaninoff himself was so clear on the need for pedaling mastery, and because his authentic pedaling indications in his own compositions are notoriously absent. (Almost all pedaling indications in Rachmaninoff's published compositions are the work of editors.) For that reason, this book gets only four stars in this review. We still await an adequate discussion in print on pedaling Rachmaninoff's very difficult compositions.
    Two other caveats are necessary: First, this is not a book for beginners or intermediate level pianists. One needs to be far advanced in his or her abilities before reaping the rewards this book offers. Second, the reader should have access to a fine grand piano; smaller acoustic pianos (either consoles or spinets) and electronic keyboards do not have either the features or the mechanical response that allow the reader to employ what he or she learns.
    One is also advised to have at hand the scores to the various compositions discussed, since the examples are numerous and very detailed. This book doesn't deal in platitudes or sweeping generalizations, but rather in the nitty-gritty of music: detailed measure-by-measure descriptions and suggestions. And this is what makes the book so very valuable--for much less than the price of one lesson with a master teacher, the reader gets enough suggestions, information and ideas to last a lifetime.
    In summary, if you've got access to a grand piano and the technique to make use of the authors' suggestions and insights, or if you're a teacher of advanced level students, this is a book that you'll be glad to own. I'm glad I bought it; my own playing has improved tremendously, and my understanding of this important but under-discussed aspect of piano virtuosity has been greatly enlarged.
    31 people found this helpful
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  • Carosa
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Pedaling Guide
    Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    "The Pianist's Guide to Pedaling" by Joseph Banowetz is a comprehensive guide to the often overlooked important aspect of piano playing, the pedal. Every performer, piano teacher and advanced student should own this book as it sheds light to the art of pedaling. As pedaling enriches the music, so does this book the pianist.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Wilson Dittrich Filho
    5.0 out of 5 stars great work to exemp. pedals
    Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2012
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    One of the best book about piano pedals.The autor takes care about all musical periods and are a lot of exemples, include the tonal pedal.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Pradip Bepari
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in India on November 4, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This is a must have for anyone why wants to know about pedaling.
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  • .
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great!
    Reviewed in Canada on March 6, 2025
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    Great!
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  • plumdelice
    3.0 out of 5 stars For advanced pianists
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 16, 2013
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    It's given me some interesting ideas, but is probably a bit over my head at the moment. I'll grow into it!
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