Tatiana Stachak
Euterpe: 28 pages
This is the first of two books of studies by this very talented writer, and before the word ‘Etude’ puts you off looking at these 16 pieces in book one, let me state that the composer has gone out of her way to make them enjoyable, musical, and definitely not too complex, yet retaining a means to improve various aspects of the player’s technique. So each of the etudes is quite different in character , and style, and yet help to improve ( with respect to your left hand ) your legato playing , your interval jumps in melodies, your scale runs, your barres, playing in higher positions and finally your independence in the motion of your fingers. With regards to the right hand, the studies will assist you in developing various fingering approaches, e.g. various combinations of arpeggio patterns, simultaneous attack, pizzicato, harmonics, tambora and chordal playing. She has even gone so far as to prepare the player before each piece by including short exercises that relate to each of the pieces before you actually attempt them.Not only that , the actual pieces themselves are not very difficult, but are real music that are nice to listen to, fun to play and are not too obviously technical!
Just to give you a couple of examples, there is a wonderful Irish Etude, full of hammer – ons and pull- offs, and lots of the Irish sound in its harmonies, and also an Etude ‘Tanguero’ with plenty of the Argentinean sound in its harmonies and the often extreme contrasts in dynamics and feel. There is an Etude ‘Ragtime’ that is lots of fun and an Etude ‘Humoresque’ that has come deliberately humorous moments and some very cheeky sounding staccato, that really add to the effect intended. These are just four examples of what is a wonderful collection of sixteen etudes.
This a great book that not only will players get a lot of fun playing , but also teachers will find this book essential for the pupil who doesn’t want the usual technical studies but needs to improve various aspects of his or her technique. This book is definitely for them. Fabulous!
Chris Dumigan