st of
something which we already possess. When we come to think of it, every
one is born with a kind of finger dexterity. Any one can move the
fingers up and down with great rapidity; no study of the pianoforte
keyboard is necessary to do this. The savage in the African wilds is
gifted with that kind of dexterity, although he may never have seen a
pianoforte. Then why spend hours in practicing at the keyboard with the
view of doing something we can already do? It may come as a surprise to
many when I make the statement that they already possess a kind of
dexterity and velocity which they may not suspect. One does not have to
work for years to make the fingers go up and down quickly. It is also a
fact that a few lessons under a really good teacher and a few tickets
for high-class piano recitals will often give the feeling and "knack" of
producing a good touch, for which many strive in vain for years at the
keyboard.

No, the technic which takes time is the technic of the brain, which
directs the fingers to the right place at the right time. This may be
made the greatest source of musical economy. If you want to save time in
your music study see that you comprehend your musical problems
thoroughly. You must see it right in your mind, you must hear it right,
you must feel it right. Before you place your fingers on the keyboard
you should have formed your ideal mental conception of the proper
rhythm, the proper tonal quality, the aesthetic values and the harmonic
content. These things can only be perfectly comprehended after study.
They do not come from strumming at the keyboard. This, after all, is the
greatest possible means for saving time in music study.

A great deal might be said upon the subject of the teacher's part in
saving time. The good teacher is a keen critic. His experience and his
innate ability enable him to diagnose faults just as a trained medical
specialist can determine the cause of a disease with accuracy and
rapidity. Much depends upon the diagnosis. It is no saving to go to a
doctor who diagnoses your case as one of rheumatism and treats you for
rheumatic pains, whereas you are really suffering from neurasthenia. In
a similar manner, an unskilled and incompetent teacher may waste much
treasured time in treating you for technical and musical deficiencies
entirely different from those which you really suffer. Great care should
be taken in selecting a teacher for with the wrong teacher not only time
i