Excerpt from Modern Music and Musicians, Vol. 1 It seems only a few years ago that the popular idea of standards in music education might be summed in the word "method," each so-called "method" supposed to possess some mysterious potency for the achieving of phenomenal progress. Just as in the acquirement of knowledge in other departments of learning it eventually has been realized that "there is no royal road to success," so in decent years it has been established in the realm of music education that no longer in "method" but in "methods" is there found the key to genuine accomplishment. In other words, the successful teacher is the one who draws upon many sources for the particular remedy required in each individual case, and only through a thorough comprehension of basic principles, both within and without the realm of music, can such a teacher hope to choose those tactics best calculated to achieve the desired results in each separate instance. It would be impossible in the space of one volume to sum up all of the various departments and sources of knowledge requisite to the well-equipped musician. However, it has been the endeavor of the editors to make of "The Pianist's Guide" an invaluable aid to this end. Even though it may not carry to completion the different subjects which it essays to treat, it is perhaps possible therein to open up added fields of thought and create interest in new paths of investigation, such as will lead the studious reader to further research in various important directions. Where there exist marked divergencies of opinion between acknowledged experts in the realm of technical procedure, it is evident that a considerable latitude of treatment is permissible, even in the judgment of the rank and file of teachers. Thus a portion of this volume has been devoted to a study of the methods of many of these exponents of special systems, enabling the reader to choose from all according to his own special requirements. The necessity for a broader equipment on the part of the piano teacher reaching far beyond his specialized realm into the realm of the orchestra, the chamber music literature, and to other fields covered by the available bibliography of music literature, cannot be too strongly urged upon every student of the piano, with the assurance that this will not only result in the making of a better pianist and a better musician, but also a stronger force for musical culture in the community within which these talents are given outlet. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.