How to Play the Piano: (Little Ways to Live a Big Life) - Hardcover

Rhodes, James

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1786486423 ISBN 13: 9781786486424

Publisher: Quercus Publishing, 2017

Synopsis

Learn to play one of Bach's most exquisite preludes in just 6 weeks, even if you have never played the piano before.

An accessible and inspiring book by the pianist and international bestselling writer James Rhodes, who promises that it gives anyone with two hands, a piano or an electric keyboard and just 45 minutes a day the tools they need to learn to play Bach's Prelude No. 1 in C Major in 6 weeks, even if they know nothing about music and have never even touched a piano before.

How often do we convince ourselves that it's just too late - too late to learn how to ride a bike, too late to know how to meditate, too late to travel the world... As we get older and time slips through our fingers like water, we become resigned, almost defeatist, about abandoning our dreams.

For James Rhodes, after the inevitable "How many hours a day do you practice?" and "Show me your hands", the most common thing people say to him when they hear he's a pianist is "I used to play the piano as a kid. I really regret giving it up".

Where does this mourned and misplaced creativity go? For Rhodes, it's still there to be tapped into by all of us, at any point. This inspirational book gives us the means to do this, by breaking up Bach's seminal Prelude No. 1 from the Well-Tempered Clavier into manageable segments, teaching us the basics of piano playing - how to read music, the difference between the treble and the bass clef, sharp and flat notes, how to practice etc.. - and encouraging personal interpretation in a way that is guaranteed to soothe the mind, feed the soul and unleash creative powers we didn't know we still had. All of this will culminate in an ability to perform one of Bach's masterpieces.

"If listening to music is soothing for the soul, then playing music is achieving enlightenment. It's going from kicking a ball around with a few pals to playing alongside Ronaldo."

About this title

About the Author

James Rhodes was born in London in 1975. A keen piano player, at eighteen he was offered a scholarship at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, but went to Edinburgh University instead. James stopped playing the piano entirely and dropped out after a year. He ended up working in the City for five years. After a devastating mental breakdown that led him to be institutionalised, he took the piano up again. He is now a professional and applauded concert pianist, writer and TV presenter. His memoir, Instrumental, was published to great critical acclaim and became an international bestseller, as did his short book How To Play the Piano.

From the Back Cover

'Sometimes all it takes is someone showing that you can'

All you need is two hands.
A basic electric keyboard or a Steinway grand piano, it doesn't matter.
Forty-five minutes a day, for six weeks.
And the desire to play Bach.

Log out, shut down and switch off.
Let James Rhodes, renowned concert pianist and bestselling author, be your guide.
Even if you know nothing about music.
Even if you've never touched a piano before.
Just play.

Edition details

• Publisher: Quercus Publishing
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1786486423
• ISBN 13: 9781786486424
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 64