Indispensables of Piano Teaching #2 – Music Dictionary
Hands down I believe this is the most useful at-the-piano dictionary a student or teacher can own. It came highly recommended to me by a music professor during my first year of college. She mentioned then that it would be the one book that we would probably reach for most during our music study, and she was right!
The author, Christine Ammer, has compiled the most complete musical term dictionary I’ve ever seen. It contains over 3,000 English translations of foreign terms from a variety of languages including French, Italian, German, Spanish, and even Portuguese!
Whenever I come across a word or even a phrase in a musical score that I’m unsure as to its meaning, I open this book. This handy paperback has never left my bench side for years. I made it a required text for all my college piano students in the past and now I require it of all my middle-school and high-school piano students. And better yet, several students have come back to thank me!
Now all I say to my intermediate to advanced students: “Be sure to look up all the terms in your new music and write their meanings in the score.” No more excuses about not being able to locate a term!
PUBLISHER: ECS Publishing. Catalog No. 4469. ISBN: 0-911318-15-1 Size: 8.8 x 5.5 inches approx.
BEST PRICE: $9.68 at Amazon.com. List price: $10.75 You can order this through your favorite sheet music dealer since ECS Publishing is a music publisher.
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I know you’ll wonder where you’ve been all along without this book! Enjoy!
