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Reviews "Miss Onishi's book is extremely helpful. It is unusual in that it addresses very important and sometimes complex issues, but in a way that is a model of simplicty, clarity, and sensitivity. It should be a part of every piano teacher's and every piano student's library."
John Perry "Having known of Aiko Onishi's outstanding reputation as a pianist and teacher for many years, I was especially pleased to learn that she had summed up her wide-ranging experience in her book Pianism. I cannot overemphasize how important the information she imparts is to pianists, teachers, and students. What other source describes the different physical gestures required to produce so many different kinds of sound?--not just singing tones, but also, for example, harmonious tones, colorless tones, rich chordal tones, and bell-like tones. Ms. Onishi also describes, in laymen's terms, the mechanism of the piano and exactly how to activiate it to produce these different qualities of sound. "In the most explicit and helpful way, Ms. Onishi discusses many aspects of technique and how to practice (providing specific exercises). With imaginative metaphors and similes, she suggests how to analyze a score for expressive musical communication: for example, how to regroup the notes of a melody, how to voice and color the sounds, how to use imagery--and much more. "Ms. Onishi supplies us with practical suggestions for learning repertoire, memorizing, preparing for performance, and helping a young student from the very first lesson. Just her observations about pedalling make this book indispensable. She mentions no fewer than fourteen aspects of pedal use. "In my view, Aiko Onishi's Pianism is a landmark in the literature about playing the piano. It is an invaluable resource for teachers and for students from the earliest years of study on through the artist level."
Nelita True "As a former student of both Cecile Genhart and Frank Mannheimer, I find Onishi's Pianism to be an invaluable aid and inspiring reminder of the great concepts of piano pedagogy for it takes the reader far beyond the expedient boundaries of simply building a technique and acquiring an acceptable interpretation. Onishi, a great artist and teacher, has provided us, in her own words, insightful and practical guidance to so many of the problems we encounter as teachers and performers. "For any aspiring serious piano student, Pianism should be required reading. I am encouraging all of my students to buy their own copy of this superb pianistic manual. My gratitude and congratulations go to Aiko Onishi for this rich contribution."
Anne Koscielny Aiko Onishi's Pianism is an extremely useful handbook for serious teachers and students of the art of piano playing. It offers concise, clear information about many aspects of the pianist's art: tone production, pedaling, touch, and solving technical and interpretative challenges. Ms. Onishi approaches her subjects with intelligence and consummate musicality. The result is a book that should be an invaluable asset to every pianist's library.
Stewart Gordon In just over 100 pages, Onishi has summarized the essentials and, even more important, the subtleties of piano playing. Three of her principle teachers were students of Tobias Matthay, and thus by extension, she is passing along time-honored tonal traditions. The illustrations, particularly those that demonstrate the difference between a piano and forte singing sound, are wonderful. If ever the concept of sound could be put into word pictures and graphics, this book comes through. There are many specific examples from the standard repertory that clarify and illuminate a pianistic dilemma or observation. In addition to a clear-cut contents listing, there is an extremely valuable index for a quick pinpointing of almost any question a teacher or student might have. Look up glissando, regrouping of repeated notes, even playing pp chords and jump right to the reference provided. Not a day passes that I don't consult a page or more of Aiko Onishi's Pianism for advice and inspiration. I LOVE this book!
Suzanne W. Guy |
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