There is a little gem of a book that some of you may not have heard of. The book is called, “The Art of Piano Fingering” and is written by Rami Bar-Niv, an internationally acclaimed concert pianist.

I really should call this book a BIG gem, because inside is packed with over 200 pages of fascinating history, guidelines, practical information as well as many helpful tips and tricks regarding fingering. It is noted that while you will find these helpful things in the book, the choice of fingering will be one’s own.

Rami mentions in the introduction that the principle of efficient fingering at the piano should be:

1) Serving the music (desired sound, speed, phrasing…)

2) Healthy and comfortable (unnecessary tension which can cause injuries…)

After reading a short history of piano fingering (which is very fascinating), you will be brought to the basics of fingerings. These are the traditional things we teach our students when they take lessons. While it may not be very helpful for the teacher, it would be helpful for a student to read through.

After a quick review of the basics, the real fun begins and is chock full of helpful examples, graphics and pictures.

Below I wanted to include screen shots of the Table of Contents so you can see how much is included in this book…(just click on the thumb nail to view the pages bigger)

When reading the helpful instruction on fingering and technique, Rami’s style of writing is as if he is right next to you in your home giving you a private lesson. He will show many examples of music with fingering ideas explaining and giving examples of what he prefers in addition to some other options (all of which may work fine). Ultimately, this leaves you to decide what would work best for you.

“In my book (pun intended) one needs to learn, practice and master all three fingering possibilities mentioned above because in different situations any of these could prove to be the best choice.”

In “The Art of Piano Fingering”, the keyword is “art”. Rami has done a terrific job encompassing technique, fingering, patterns, movement and phrasing into one book. I personally have learned a lot. While some of it was review, many were ideas I hadn’t learned or even thought of before. “The Art of Fingering” is a true gem and must have for all!  Both teachers and students alike!

You may be interested to know that Rami offers a piano camp for adults a couple times a year. You can find out more information on his camp here. In addition, you can find Rami Bar-Niv on his YouTube channel here.

Rami has graciously offered a giveaway to ALL my readers of 1 of his new arrangements of Traditional Hebrew Songs, and 2 pieces from his recent Jazzkid book. You can download these here. Thank you Rami!

Find the Art of Piano Fingering on Amazon. You can also check out more of Rami Bar-Niv’s compositions by visiting SheetMusicPlus.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: The amazon affiliate link included help me share reviews such as this one and keep this blog going. It does not affect your purchase price or the creators royalties in any way.  Thank you for your support and happy teaching!

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