On Piano Playing By Gyorgy Sandor ~upd~ [2025]

However, On Piano Playing is not without its critics. Some readers may find Sándor’s writing style to be occasionally dogmatic, presented with the certainty of a physicist rather than the subjectivity of an artist. His dismissal of certain historical techniques can seem harsh to those trained in the "finger school." Yet, even those who disagree with his specific hand positions must acknowledge the validity of his physiological foundations. His warnings against "curling" the fingers too tightly or locking the wrist have saved countless pianists from the repetitive strain injuries that plagued earlier generations.

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A unique feature is Sándor’s firsthand insight into playing Bartók’s percussive, asymmetrical music. He demonstrates how Bartók’s folk-derived rhythms and dissonant clusters demand non-traditional motions (e.g., flat-fingered attacks, arm clusters). The book includes exercises derived from Bartók’s Mikrokosmos and Sándor’s own etudes. However, On Piano Playing is not without its critics

Published in 1981, On Piano Playing: Motion, Sound, and Expression is a seminal pedagogical work by Hungarian-American pianist György Sándor (1912–2005), a direct student of Béla Bartók. Unlike many technique books rooted in 19th-century finger-centric methods, Sándor’s approach is biomechanical and holistic. He argues that effortless, expressive playing arises from understanding the body’s natural leverage and weight, not from forced finger independence or static hand positions. His warnings against "curling" the fingers too tightly

On Piano Playing by György Sándor is widely considered one of the most influential pedagogical texts in the world of classical music. Unlike traditional method books that focus strictly on finger exercises, Sándor’s work explores the sophisticated relationship between human physiology and the physics of the piano.