Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Teachers Forum Czerny - which edition?

As far as Czerny exercises go, does the edition matter - Alfred or Schirmer? I've never used Czerny before but my new teacher would like me to start - she's not picky regarding the edition so I thought I'd ask for opinions here. I'm an Intermediate-Early Advanced player.

Thank you!

Hummm, I use Peters. Go figure. I think they're all the same notes and fingerings.

Go for Alfred. It's more expensive, but it's much easier on your eyes.

For what it's worth, I use Shirmer.

I looked at several Peters editions online but they're really expensive. Thanks for the suggestion though.



Easier on the eyes in what way? The paper (bright white vs off-white), or are more measures squished into less space, or is it the actual quality of the printed notes themselves?

Editorially speaking, is there really much difference?

Thanks!

My point was that with etudes like Czerny, they're all the same notes & fingerings. Go with the edition which is easiest on your eyes/pocketbook.

Thank you, John.

Better spacing and pagination.

Most of the Schirmer editions are reprints from old, old 19th-century editions. Cramped, faded, and--in some cases--poorly edited. I almost wanted to return some of the recent purchases I made of Schirmer products.

Not a teacher, but I have a few Schirmer books of Czerny (op. 599, 849 and 821) and the spacing and pagination are fine, unlike some other Schirmer editions I have.

I've become very skeptical about Czerny. I've used him in the past (with no technical improvement for the effort), but now I don't play any of him, or any other technical studies for that matter, except for one Chopin etude.

Czerny wrote thousands of technical studies, all of them different (just the dilution effect alone here would seem to call them into question as for worth), and they sold well, given his carefully promoted image--he had been taught by Beethoven and then had taught Liszt briefly--and made him a rich man. But they apparently were cranked out by the wagon load for profit above all else, and so their technical merit seems questionable. In any case, they are written too much like regular piano pieces, and so the argument could be made that why bother with them, and so just play regular pieces for your general technical development.

Gyro, you contradict yourself.

The question I would ask is: If so many teachers and students effectively use Czerny for solving technical problems, why did I see no technical improvement when I used it? What should I be doing differently?

Robert Schumann really thought lowly of Czerny's compositions.

I'm really starting to think that the ONLY reason some teachers make their students play Czerny is because their own teachers made them play Czerny, and this cycle traces all the way back to Czerny's own students.

One of these days I should compile Czerny's "Greatest Hits" and just teach those pieces, instead of making students suffer through volume after volume of mostly sub-standard compositions.

I bought the Alfred edition recently- it has nice bright white pages and the notes stand out well. Before that I borrowed my teacher's edition (Schirmer).

As for "greatest hits" what about Op740, No. 4?
Recently had to choose a Czerny etude for an exam and listened to all 50 in op740 on youtube, picked No.4 (Light Motion in quiet Staccato). It reminded me of the music at the beginning of the BBC 1996 version of Pride and Prejudice when Darcy and Bingley are galloping across the fields. Plus it had a bit of a nice tune to it.
Couldn't get through a few bars at first without cramping but after 6 months you can get through the whole thing several times in a row. Then you notice you can play similar passages in other works more easily (eg arpeggios etc)
It's definitely worth it.

I learned it to improve 'facility' (I hate that word). I would also like to know what exactly it means.

Understand that Czerny is for improving your technique in playing classical literature, not romantic, not contemporary, not Baroque. His etudes are like doing wind sprints are to the runner and athlete. They help the student pick up speed (velocity). Facility = adeptness.

Latin: Facillis=easy

Facile: with ease, without undue effort.

It seems weird to "hate" a word though I'm not sure how I feel about the word ambivalent.

KZ

If you did compile a one-volume book for beginners to advanced, what would your table of contents look like? I'd be interested in knowing which Opuses and Nos. you'd consider the most useful.

I personally don't mind Hanon, and other exercises, so I'm not opposed to playing Czerny, especially if they are musical; however, I don't want to purchase all the volumes. Per my teacher, I'm starting with Op. 599, skipping the super easy ones in the beginning. I'll have to look into Op. 740 for dexterity, which Currarongnat mentioned.


That would be perfectly fine with me. Classical literature is my favorite, and I do need to pick up speed. I just ordered a couple of Alfred edition Czerny books but am using some free downloads until they arrive.

Thank you all for your input!

I think when an examiner talks about 'facility' ( in a negative way) it means they found it difficult to listen to your playing.
Always working on making it sound effortless though.

Perhaps my edition is different than yours, but I find no "super easy" ones at the beginning. My best students struggle to play scales well at mm=120, let alone Czerny's recommended mm=216.

Correct me, if I'm mistaken, but I believe Schumann wrote/spoke of Czerny's compositions such as symphonies, concertos, sonatas and string quartets, etc., etc., rather than the etudes for which he is better known.