ork at those. I start with
ridiculously simple forms--just the thumb under the hand and the hand
over the thumb--a few movements each way, but these put the hand in trim
for scales and arpeggios. I practise the latter about half an hour a
day. I have to overhaul my technic once or twice a week to see that
everything is in order. Scales and arpeggios come in for their share of
criticism. I practise them in various touches, but oftener in _legato_,
as that is more difficult and also more beautiful than the others. I
practise technic, when possible, an hour a day, including Bach."

Sigismond Stojowski considers that scales and arpeggios must form a
part of the daily routine.

Thuel Burnham says: "Of my practise hours at least one is given to
technic, scales, arpeggios, octaves, chords, and Bach! I believe in
taking one selection of Bach and perfecting it--transposing it in all
keys and polishing it to the highest point possible. So with etudes, it
is better to perfect a few than to play _at_ so many."

THE PIANIST A MECHANIC

Edwin Hughes, the American pianist and teacher in Munich, remarks:
"Technic is the mechanical part of music making; to keep it in running
order one must be constantly tinkering with it, just as the engine
driver with his locomotive or the chauffeur with his automobile. Every
intelligent player recognizes certain exercises as especially beneficial
to the mechanical well-being of his playing; from these he will plan his
daily schedule of technical practise."

Teresa Carreno asserts she had in the beginning many technical exercises
which her teacher wrote out for her, from difficult passages taken from
the great composers. There were hundreds of them, so many that it took
just three days to go the rounds. She considers them invaluable, and
constantly uses them in her own practise and in her teaching. Each
exercise must be played in all keys and with every possible variety of
touch and tone.

Paderewski gives much time daily to pure technic practise. He has been
known to play scales and arpeggios in a single key for three quarters of
an hour at a stretch. These were played with every variety of touch,
velocity, dynamic shading and so on.

It is seen from the instances quoted that many great pianists believe in
daily technic practise, or the study of pure technic apart from pieces.
Many more testify that scales, chords, arpeggios and octaves constitute
their daily bread. Some have spoken to me es