Playing the Piano for Pleasure

by Charles Cooke

Here is a book that will be enjoyed by all pianists not only for the stimulating advice it provides, but also for the style with which it is written.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Self Help, Classical Music

262 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1941

Reviews

[Leftbanker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a charming little book but I don’t think that he adequately addresses the role the piano has in the life of an amateur pianist. Perhaps I need to write that book. In additi0n, he was already an accomplished pianist before he ever reached adulthood so he can’t really feel the trials of learning this thing from scratch in middle age or beyond.

As far as the pedagogy found in this book, I have to say that before YouTube I would have been enthralled. These days you can find tutorial videos for damn near anything that are much easier to understand and follow than words on a page.

I wasn’t really that impressed with his repertoire suggestions as they were either obvious or simply matters of personal taste. As for my own needs, I have to find a mix between music that is within my grasp (or easier) and pieces that inspire me to work harder. Others can make suggestions but only the individual can decide what inspires them to play. My own favorites are constantly evolving as I’m able to play more difficult pieces.

At one time my only goal was to play 9 O’clock Boogie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ljuD...

Then it was Oscar Peterson’s Jazz Exercise #3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZFuJ...

Then I moved on to the Bach Two Part Inventions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dnbU...

Most recently it's Francois Couperin's Les Baricades Mistérieuses
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI5CX...

I liked what he said about playing for other people. I need to do a lot more of that or this little hobby of mine will grow into more of a mental illness, like hearing voices in my head that no one else can hear.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charles Cooke said this book was "frankly intended as inspirational". Well, I belong to one of his target audiences (learnt-as-a-child-and-let-it-drop). I'd read a few pages of an evening and have to leap up and launch another attack on Chopin, Fauré or some other current project.

Since I took up the piano again I've picked up a few hints about the neuroscience behind the practice of physical skills. Charles Cooke relays similar hints from his own experience and that of famous pianists. I haven't found him wrong in any of his actual advice, particularly as he records opinions from great pianists who occasionally disagree (which I feel absolves me, for instance, from developing technique via exercises). I am also avoiding memorising the score. But it is comforting to know that practising the tricky bits a gazillion times is not derided but applauded by the author. He supports my own realisation, as an adult, that practising can be deeply absorbing fun - more fun for me than performing to my piano group.

Of the piano literature he writes - "no matter what the level of his technical ability [the pianist] has within reach a display of treasures that outdazzles the loot in Ali Baba's cave".

[James Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books about the piano and the art of playing the piano. In the early seventies I moved into an apartment of my own, having moved to Chicago after graduating from the University of Wisconsin. I have played the piano most of my life and prior to that move I always had access to a piano whether at home, at college, or at my local public library. One of the first major purchases I made for my apartment was a beautiful spinet, which I still have today. Shortly thereafter I acquired this book and have continued to return to it from time to time over the ensuing decades.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover of my copy says "For over 20 years a classic in its field. First published in 1941, it lives up to it's claim. I found it a delightful and informative read. The main thing I found him stressing is to practice one hour a day, and to develop a memorized repertoire. He suggest some of the "exquisite flowers: of music in groups of 5 of increasing difficulty.

I have used this book as a treasured reference over the years.


Recommended Schedule (P. 40-41)
1. Repertoire 40 or 30 minutes
2. Technique - 10 or 20 minutes
3. Sight Reading 10 minutes


SUGGESTIONS FOR YOUR REPERTOIRE

"Here is a list of twenty-five compositions, all of which are what Bachaus called the “exquisite flowers” of music. They range, technically, from “easy” to “intermediate” and they are tabulated in groups of five. Each group is somewhat more advanced than the preceding one. ... Above all things, I want you to select for study only pieces that you want to play. These, then, I submit as material for the amateur pianist to consider:" (Page 46)

Bach‐Prelude in C, No. 1 in The Well‐Tempered Clavichord
Beethoven‐Minuet in G
Chopin‐Prelude in A, Op. 28, No. 7
Grieg‐Nocturne in C, Op. 54, No. 4
MacDowell‐To a Wild Rose

Bach‐Two-Part Invention No. 1
Chopin‐Mazurka in A minor, Op. 68, No. 2
Chopin‐Prelude in E minor, Op. 28, No. 3
Navarro‐Spanish Dance (often played as an encore by Jose Iturbi) (I was unable to find this one)
Cyril Scott‐Lento

Bach‐Two-Part Invention No. 13
Beethoven‐Album Leaf,“For Elise"
Godowsky‐Alt Wien
Granados‐Playera
Mendelssohn‐Consolation (Song Without W0rds No. 9)

Chopin‐Etude in A flat (posthumous)
Chopin‐Prelude in B minor, Op.28, No.6
Chopin‐Prelude in D flat, Op. 28, N0. 15
Mendelssohn‐Confidence (Song Without Words No. 4)
Schumann‐Wanna?

Chopin‐Nocturne in E minor, Op. 72, No. 1
Debussy‐La Fille aux cheveux de lin
Liszt‐Consolation No. 3
Palmgren‐May Night
Schumann‐The Prophet Bird

It occurred to me that you might get further ideas for your repertoire from my own “Group 1” of twenty-five pieces, which I continue to work on, on the easier plane of retention. This group contains some of those listed above, and others: (Page 47-48)

1. Albeniz‐Malaguena
2. Bach‐Gavotte and Musette in G minor
3. Bach‐Gigue from the B‐flat Partita
4. Bach‐Two-Part Invention No.8
5. Brahms‐Intermezzo in C, Op. 119, No. 3
6. Brahms‐Rhapsody in G minor
7. Chopin‐Etude in C minor, Op. 25
8. Chopin‐Mazurka in A minor, Op. 68, No. 2
9. Chopin‐Waltz in E minor
10. Debussy‐Clair de lune
11. Debussy‐La Fille aux cheveuz de lin
12. Debussy‐Minstrels
13. Grieg‐Nocturne in C, Op. 54, No. 4
14. Ibert‐The Little White Donkey
15. Liszt‐Consolation No. 3
16. Mendelssohn‐Scherzo in E minor
17. Navarro‐Spanish Dance
18. Palmgren‐May Night
19. Poulenc‐-Perpetual Motion
20. Schumann‐Arabeske
21. Schumann‐Des Abends
22. Schumann‐The Prophet Bird
23. Schumann‐Warum?
24. Cyril Scott‐Lotus Land
25. Cyril Scott‐Valse Caprice

There may be some remaining typos in the above OCR of repertoire suggestions.

[Sheldon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charles Cooke, a reporter for The New Yorker, often interviewed pianists. But, in addition to asking about things his editor wanted written in his column, he also asked these world renowned pianists about their piano playing, their techniques, their practice habits, performance tips, etc. And every bit of advice he received is written down in this book for all readers to become privy to.

In addition, Charles discusses memorization tricks, and other techniques to improve one's playing.

When I saw thew price I was surprised. Not an inexpensive book. But I have found it to be worth every penny!

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you need an encouragement to go ahead and let the pianist in you see the light of day? This book may be it! Although most of the book is targeting intermediate or advanced amateurs, the first part on Goals is a good starter for a beginner. If you are a beginner, read the lovely preface and foreword along with Part 1. Practice an hour a day for a year or so, using his method of healing "fractures" and practicing with full concentration. Then come back and read the rest, skipping the obviously advanced parts. After a few more years, go back and read again, soaking in all his wisdom.

[Sorrento · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this little book very helpful as a person who has recently taken up learning the piano. It has given me lots of practical advice on how to practice and get over those difficult sections, which Cook refers to as “Fractures”. This book is an inspirational text which should provide anyone who is learning to play the piano with much encouragement and wisdom.

[James S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little book about classical piano and a glimpse into a time (1941) when amateur pianists were ubiquitous. The advice it gives - relax while playing, be regular with practice, work on fundamentals, practice slowly, listen to and read about piano music - is good, and Cooke is an enthusiastic promoter of it. His personality comes through, too, as when he discusses Chopin's Moja pieszczotka and notes "Don't let [the title] scare you off. It is translated as My Joys, a song Chopin wrote and Liszt transcribed. It is a beautiful composition. Working on it is one of my greatest pieszczotka."

He’s also a fine writer, as befit someone who worked for The New Yorker in its heyday:

Once the amateur pianist has his hobby well started, a certain delightful moment recurs periodically in his life.

It is the moment when, having memorized a piece and placed it on his "To be retained" list, he turns to the treasure house of piano literature to select the next piece that he will make his own. He has behind him, at this enviable moment, work well done. He has before him, within reach, no matter what the level of his technical ability, a display of priceless treasures that outdazzles the loot in Ali Baba's cave. He runs his eye over the exhibits which glint like diamonds set in platinum. Excited by the opportunity, he considers long. He will not take this one just now, nor this one. He will take that one. Yes, that is the one he will now add to his precious collection. He will not obtain it by money or by theft. He will buy it with work. And, curiously, after he has made it intimately and permanently his own, it will still be there for other treasure seekers like himself to take. It will always be there. And so will all the other treasures prodigally heaped around it.

He’s also a damn serious "amateur"; his final chapter is a look at Scriabinic polyrhythm, and his chapter on piano basics has enough material to keep someone busy for a decade.

Highly recommended.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have read this several times over the years.

The copy I have was published in 1960, the year I began my wonderful piano adventure.

It's filled with great suggestions, comments about and advice from the many famous pianists he met, chatty reports of his own pianistic development.

I wish I'd always followed his one-hour-a-day plan--how much more accomplished I'd be by now!

No doubt I will read this a few more times before I shuffle off this mortal coil.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish more books were written like this! I have played piano for years and was skeptical about what I could learn by reading a book about playing the piano. But Charles Cooke truly wrote in an entertaining and captivating manner. He describes techniques I had never even heard of, and he makes it sound fun. If I did not already play piano, this would certainly pique my interest.

[Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terribly dated title, outrageously narrow topic, one of the best things to happen to me - this is a New Yorker reporter explaining (in minute detail) how to take up classical piano again after you’ve quit (no matter how long ago)...in a way that’s somehow also funny, charming, and inspiring.

[Rosanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the title says, "piano, playing, and pleasure" all mixed together with thoughtful suggestions for examining and achieving one's musical goals. Delightful tone and focus from the 1940's. Quite advanced in parts, yet still accessible for the less experienced and less gifted.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are already playing the piano, this book will inspire you to attempt more challenging pieces. It provides some great practice tips. If you are not playing or just started, it is still worth a read, but parts of the book will be too complex for you until you play a bit longer.

[Jesse Kearney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Great for understanding the theory and practicalities of practicing.

[lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This man truly loved the piano! Very inspiring!

[The Literary Chick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for inspiration, a feeling of comradery, with excellent practice tips and memorization techniques.

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting and I enjoyed reading it, but it didn't make a very big impression on me. It's a fun and easy read for amateur pianists or for people who are trying to set up a practice regime.

[GC · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Every musical composition we collect becomes our friend - while we are thinking about learning it, while we are learning it, and transcendently after it is learned. It differs from every other composition as humans differ from each other. Like our human friends, it is a warmth in our heart. As with our human friends, we love it more in proportion to the intimacy with which we know it. As with our human friends, the closer we draw to it the more we find it of value and to value.'


Charles Cooke was a 36-year-old writer at the New Yorker in the 1940s when he published this charming work. Cooke had a hobby, and that hobby was piano. For an hour a day - sectioned up into repertoire, technique and sight reading - he is insistent that we can retrace a similar path of his playing Chopin's B Minor Scherzo in five years. He also sketches a multiheaded urgency of why we should.

Arguably, Cooke is at the top tier of amateurs. He sees piano literature as a great ladder, with masterpieces lying on every rung. As a hobby pianist, we are collectors of these pieces. And to collect, we must possess them by memorisation. Cooke does a good job of outlining how to memorise. He introduces the idea of fractures, which are those difficult sections which hamper playthroughs. He explains that we should take those sections as exercises, and practice at a slow tempo until we dominate them. Those weaker passages shall become our strongest.

To uphold a wobbly memory, we should search for memory aids in pieces. For pieces that are memorised, we should play them once or twice during practice, slowly and at tempo. Similarly, when he is memorising a piece, he ensures that the majority of it is at a slow tempo - 2:1:2 is the ratio he gives, 2 slowly, 1 at tempo and 2 slowly. For my own piano playing, it has shown the importance of slow playing even when a piece is mastered. In the end, for a memorised piece, he writes 'you will remember a piece because you know it.'

Cooke would not be out of place in a modern New Yorker article. This book sparkles with a hobbyist who knows what he is talking about, and whose love of the piano enhances one's own. It is packed with insights, has the verve of a talented writer and gives perspectives that I haven't come across in other books. Highly recommended.

[Ginger Laurits · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had this book for many years and cannot say enough about it. Well-written with a sense of humor, it is a book for the lay person who, like myself learned to play as a child and into adulthood, yet rarely has memorized pieces in my hands to play on the spot if asked. This is a travesty for someone who played all of my life (66 years)! The book provides many tips on practice habits and a guide to choosing pieces, memorizing them, and keeping them in one's hands through a pattern of rotations.

Cooke recommends one hour/day for practice (no matter what!), allocating time for sight-reading, technique, and repertoire. During that time, think of nothing else! Get out your noise-cancelling headphones and go to work. He offers tips for learning and memorization, such as "fractures", which are several difficult measures- around which one places quotation marks- that one masters in isolation of the piece. I was given this book by my piano teacher who is now 87 and still plays beautifully.
When I've faltered in my practice, my teacher always asks where my current "12 pieces" are. What 12 pieces? Read the book and you'll find out!

[Artur · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great guide for amateur piano players who have invested a few years as a child or earlier as an adult and then dropped piano for a while. It might be also useful for beginning adult piano players but judging by the pieces described in the book as "easy" it would be good for you to be a few years along the road before the advise and pointers in the book really start to work in the full force. Another drawback of the book is that it has been written in 1940-s and hasn't been updated since, so a lot of suggested reading and exercises might have been surpassed by better materials in the years that have passed since the book was first published. Still, the "fracture method" to learning new repertoire, suggestions around the way to memorize and retain music in your head and advise on polyrhythm, scales, arpeggios and general way to practice and build up knowledge and capabilites are as sound as they can be.

Worth a read if you are an amateur piano player, but might be better to re-read a few years down the line if you feel that material is going way over your head.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gem! The author was a staff writer for The New Yorker who published this book at 36 years old (the same age at which I happy discovered it). In the course of his life, Cooke developed impressive skill by maintaining a 1-hour daily practice routine. This book is his ode to piano study for his fellow amateurs, accumulating the practical lessons he learned from not only his personal interest, but from interviewing many of the greatest pianists in the world in his job as a magazine writer.

Topics covered include the merits of being an amateur, a short list of compositions to work toward playing, efficient practice (mastering problematic sections), memorization, and learning complex rhythms.

Wonderful, essential reading.

[mrs.hotzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes you back to the basics. It doesn't mess around with fluff or things that won't help, but gets you to focus on what matters: practice and disciple. As a classically self taught pianist, I always need encouragement and someone to direct me in the right way. While I won't use all of the techniques that this book taught, this provided an excellent outline for how practice should be outlined and approached. Great book!

[Maxim Kolmakov · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too advance for the beginners. I would recommend the book after you've been playing piano for 4-5 years. Besides, it's better to buy hardbook instead of e-book since it contains notes from the different piano pieces (they are pretty advanced as I said). On my side, I've expected more general information about the practice, technique and mindset.

[Caroline Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a terrific book. Helps put it all into perspective, especially if, like me, you are coming to (or returning to) the piano late in life. Filled with tips and tricks from experts - performers and conductors - he interviewed in New York.

I found it so interesting, I read it all in one sitting.

[Porsche · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated reading about playing piano, but without necessarily drudging through music theory – an entirely other topic to digest.

The most useful portion of the book, for me (an absolute beginner): the suggestion of *one hour of piano work divided between *repertoire (30-40 min), technique (10-20 min), and sight reading (10 min. Always).

[Keith Wheeles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practice! Every day, min 1 hour. Each new piece in progress - 6 times a day in full, plus 25 repetitions of 'fractures' (problematic passages). 10 min min of sight reading. 10 min min technique. Refresher work on repertoire.

[Erin Casteel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish I had read this years ago, because then I might have picked the piano back up before letting 20 years elapse. I found this book charming and inspiring, and it gave me the confidence to really put together a study plan for myself as an adult.

[Lillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is quite advanced to me, although the methods author mentioned are very useful even for an absolute beginner. Fractures fixing, retention and memorise, sight reading ... are all solid and practical advice. I’ll try to revisit the book often along with my skills improved

[Kevin A Gratton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned some interesting, and useful tips for practicing. However, this book is not for beginners to the piano. And the examples given are targeted to playing classical pieces. I ended up skimming through some sections. All in all though it was helpful to me.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a hidden gem. It is only interesting if you play piano but if you do, there are so many good tips and suggestions. I really enjoyed this book and will keep it for a reference guide on may issues.