Animal stories for the fingers

Perhaps the author Anna Reichert has taken Manfred Spitzer's words to heart: "A good teacher will tell stories ... Stories drive us, not facts." Starting with each key of the root scale, this booklet develops "finger exercises" that stimulate basic pianistic playing movements. Key C, for example, is inspired by Coco, the high-spirited chimpanzee who loves to swing from tree to tree. Coco swings from branch to branch using tied groups of two notes, addressing themes such as weight and relaxation and the slight withdrawal of the hand after the second note.

In an accompanying text, the author explains the technical objectives of each exercise and points out further ideas for playing. In the foreword, she encourages children to be imaginative with the examples and to find their own variations together with the children: explore different sounds by transposing, include black keys, break up the rigid five-finger position as often as possible, move freely across the entire keyboard and vary the distances between the fingers. All of this is intended to enrich the learning process on various levels. For this reason, the basic structure of the individual exercises has been simplified as a guide for parents and teachers.

I like the simplicity and at the same time the versatility of the system, which is able to stimulate the imagination of both learners and teachers.

Anna Reichert: Play with us! Animal story finger exercises for beginners at the piano, VHR 3518, € 11.80, Holzschuh, Manching