Winner of Education Publication of the Year at the Presto Music Awards 2023
Penelope Roskell, author of the award-winning book The Complete Pianist, is recognized as one of the world’s leading exponents of a natural and healthy piano technique. Her series Essential Piano Technique draws on the principles of The Complete Pianist to develop a strong foundation of healthy technique, helping young pianists to progress rapidly and confidently through the early stages of piano playing.
- Can be used by beginner pianists alongside existing tutor books to enhance the teaching of good technique
- Includes detailed notes for teachers, giving learning objectives and teaching tips
- Links to free videos show technique in practice
- Fun activities, illustrations and imaginative original music throughout
- Teacher accompaniment duets provide a rich musical experience
Penelope Roskell is a Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London. She is a world-leader in the field of healthy piano playing, and Piano Adviser to the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine. Her award-winning book, The Complete Pianist, is the leading book on healthy piano technique. As a soloist she has performed in major concert halls in more than thirty countries.
Primer A: from the first lesson to legato and staccato
Primer B: from dynamics to scales and broken chords
Level 1: from hands-together to Grade 1
"Ms Roskell’s book demonstrates that she has a profound understanding of the obstacles - technical, musical, physiological or psychological - encountered by pianists of any age, and an ability to express that understanding in logical terms. I wish I had had access to her book when I was younger."
Peter Donohoe CBE, writing about Penelope Roskell's The Complete Pianist
"In terms of its quantity and quality, its detail and depth, I know of no comparable resource."
Andrew Eales, pianodao.com, writing about Penelope Roskell's The Complete Pianist
“Any child that heeds Roskell’s advice will develop a solid technical foundation. In sum, this is a fantastic set of beginner technique books”
Michael McMillan, Pianist Magazine, September 2023