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(More customer reviews)I am a professional musician, a retired piano teacher of 25 years. In October of 2004, I produced my first cd of pre-Baroque pieces into an album called, "Carry the Light." Recently, I found out about "The Perfect Wrong Note" by William Westney from a friend. The book is stunning, progressive and suffice it to say, it will rub some traditionalist the wrong way. Westney totally challenges traditional teaching methods and rightly so. There is a revealing "Question and Answer" section in the book on pp. 95-97 which provides an astute summary of Westney's teaching philosophy. I found the following Q and A challenging to some very traditionalist teachings on using the metronome; "Is it a good idea to use a metronome?" Westney's replies, "Only for short periods, as a check of tempo consistency. If we use it too much we become passive slaves to it, and our inner rhythm stays dormant." Westney emphasizes that playing the piano is a "whole body, whole brain" experience. In terms of Westney's approach being a "feel good" philosophy, nothing could be further from the truth. When asked (p. 97), "Can your approach be simply stated as, "Just don't fret about wrong notes, after all nobody's perfect.?" Westney's response is clearly direct; "No. This isn't a feel good philosophy: it's a pragmatic problem-solving plan along the road to artistry. Control, accuracy, and refinement are still the goals." Westney takes a groundbreaking approach to teaching piano without killing the hope and aspirations of the student. That is to be herald and this work will be deeply respected by teachers willing to take on new and exciting challenges that take heed to an important ethos Westney holds for anyone practicing the piano. "As you practice sense that you are taking care of yourself at every moment. Expect musical performing to be fun and feel good. Question any part of it that doesn't feel that way. Think of yourself as a healty athlete. Relax frequently and take stock." (p.227) I can't think of any performing philosophy that is more hope filled than that.
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