By Chuan C. Chang
Information on Teacher Discounts, How to Use this Book, Notes for Translators.
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I need volunteers to translate this book into any language. See "Notes for Translators" below. Please email me at cc88m@aol.com to discuss this matter.
Teacher Discounts: I give 55%
discounts to teachers who order in packs of 8 books for $90 per pack,
which includes shipping by Priority Mail (USPS, where available),
handling, and taxes for both US and abroad. These books can be resold
for up to $25 each, or $200/pack (teacher's option). Write check to
Chuan C. Chang and send to:
C. C. Chang
16212 Turnbury Oak
Dr
Odessa, FL 33556, USA
For credit card orders go to
Paypal (click on "Buy Now" below) and log in or, if you
don't have a Paypal account, click "continue". Simply close
the Paypal window if you want to cancel the ordering process at any
time). For orders from outside the US, this is usually the fastest
and cheapest way (applies to single books also) because I will pay
shipping and ship by Global Priority Air Mail:
Teachers can use this book as a textbook for teaching practice methods. It can save a lot of time, allowing you to concentrate on teaching musicianship instead of struggling with technique. Good teaching methods will attract more students than you can teach, and help popularize the piano. The Preface is an excellent overview of the whole book and the Testimonials section can give you some idea of students' and teachers' opinions on this book; the References section contains informative reviews of many popular books on Piano.
Students: It is a good idea to bring this book to your teacher's attention. However, don't say things like "why don't you teach TO and why do I need Hanon?" to the teacher; that is disrespectful, inappropriate, and counterproductive - you are not the teacher. Show this book to the teacher and simply ask for an opinion. If you don't have a teacher (not a good idea if you are serious about piano), pick any piece of music you want to learn (that is within your technical skill level) and start practicing it using the methods described here; the methods are arranged roughly in the order in which you will need them as you start learning a new piece. Read the entire book quickly the first time, starting with the Preface which gives a quick overview. Skip any section that you think is not relevant or is too detailed; do not try to understand every concept or to remember anything -- read it like a science fiction novel, mainly for fun -- you just want to get acquainted with the book and get some idea of where certain topics are discussed. Finally, read as much of the Testimonial section as you find interesting. Then re-start from where you think the book gives material that you need; most people will need to read all of Chapter One, sections I and II. Then you can skip around to specific topics that apply to the composition you are learning. If you don't have a clear idea of what compositions to learn, this book some suggestions, from beginner material (Chapter One, III.18) to advanced (throughout book, see Table of Contents).
Notes for Translators:
Translators should provide a web page for their translation (I can help you with this if necessary). The memory requirement of a translation is modest, requiring less than 1 MB. Translators are responsible for their own web sites and should try to keep up with the updates. There is plenty of software for comparing updated versions with older versions, so this should not be a problem, but you will need to keep a copy of the older version in your computer, because the older version will disappear from my web site when it is updated.
Translators should preferably be pianists or piano teachers and know something about the piano itself (tuning, regulation, rebuilding). If the translator is deficient in a particular subject, we can find helpers just for that subject, so a lack of total expertise by any one translator is not a problem.
I am writing this book on a voluntary basis and cannot afford to pay translators until some benefactor shows up. I will of course be happy to help with anything I can do to expedite the translation, and will provide a link to the translation on my web page.
We are clearly pioneering a unique type of internet book which is the wave of the future, and is really exciting. This book should evolve into the most complete textbook on learning piano that is free, always up-to-date, in which errors are eliminated as soon as detected, and which will be available in all major languages. There is no reason why schools and students have to pay for fundamental textbooks from Arithmetic to Zoology. In the future, they will all be downloadable free. The world economy will be helped enormously by making all educational material free and accessible to everyone. It is simply mind boggling to contemplate the future of education on the internet. Because all you need is a few of the best experts in the world to write the textbook, and other volunteers to translate them, funding requirements are negligible compared to the economic benefits.
END of info section.