Career | A Workable Practical Guide to Piano Playing

Dedication to Overcoming Trouble and Difficulty in a Pianist’s Career

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The Magic Touch…

It gives me great pleasure that Wallace Tate has produced this record of my teaching, a task that has never been attempted before. I heartily endorse The Magic Touch, and hope that pianists will find it both an inspiration and a practical help on their musical journey.

Emeritus Professor Lionel Bowman

Stellenbosch University.

May, 2000

The above are the words of Lionel Bowman, a man whom I hold a great respect for, not least due to his dedication to resolving a deeply troubling issue that he experienced in his late thirties and early forties.

Many pianists have experienced similar problems, over their playing careers, to varying degrees, and I should note, this can apply equally to laymen pianists as well. It is not only an issue for the professional player.

In Lionel's case, he found the pain so debilitating, and the discomfort so great, that he temporarily gave up the piano. However, unlike many who may have given up for good, he took the time and opportunity to study the anatomy of the hand and arm, as well as the fingers, and experimented with various techniques, till he established the 'Bowman Method' that he had been using and teaching ever since.

Whilst it was initially intended only as a way for him to play gain, he found that the sound of the result of his playing was better, and he was able to play pain free as well. Once he then taught the method to his students, their playing had improved as well, and many were able to avoid the problems he had experienced himself.

This was a great inspiration to himself, as well as his students. The work, written by Mr Wallace Tate, a retired Director General of the West Australian Music Board, as a result of countless visits by Professor Bowman to Western Australia, was created as a means to convey the Bowman method to as many pianists and teachers as possible.

The presentation is presented as a manual, substantially illustrated, as well as accompanied by a DVD or online video series. The material is very well presented and aimed at all levels for all piano players. Naturally, the absolute beginner may find it difficult, but there is where the assistance of a good teacher will pay handsome dividends.

To learn more, see the Manual below.

Can I Overcome Hardship in my Life and Career?

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I think this is an important questioon to ask ourselves, time and time again, when difficulty strikes, as inevitably, we can all suffer from set backs from time to time.

As you are no doubt only too well aware, the difference between the winners and the losers, to use a term, is the mindset we apply, as well as our creativity…

What do I mean here?

Well, whilst I am going to refer to Lionel Bowman as my subject in this example, there are countless people who have mixed sheer determination, creativity, and opportunity to turn an otherwise seemingly bleak situation into a benefit, not only for themselves, but for others as well.

I was greatly privellaged to be given the honour and opportunity to transcribe the manual on The Magic Touch, or Therapeutic Techniques for Pianists to an electronic format

In so doing, I was able to learn about the human spirit in overcoming adversity, and that lesson alone, if for nothing else, was worth its weight in gold.

However, being a piano player, either for pleasure or professional gain, the impact of this manual compounds itself greatly, and provides a light to all pianists experiencing pain and difficulty in playing various complex works. This can greatly enhance the difficulty that many people with small hands may also be experiencing.

Mr Wallace Tate has successfully taken a complex subject matter, and explained it in a readable, and relatively easy way to understand. This skill, in itself is a rare gem, and I can thoroughly recommend the manual to all serious piano players.

Having learned the piano myself, I could certainly have benefited from this information many years ago. The bonus fact, however, is that it is not too late to implement the techniques created by Professor Bowman. The book, apart from a learning tool of great value, is testimony to man's ability to overcome all difficulties, no matter how seemingly hard, at the time. It also has benefited countless students to massively enhance their playing technique, and resulting sound at the keyboard.