THE NECESSITY OF QUANTITATIVE APPROACHES IN PIANO EDUCATION

Abstract

This study aims to reveal the necessity of new approaches to make virtuosity more achievable in piano education. Although the piano is very large, very expensive and very difficult to carry compared to most instruments, it is one of the most widely used and most demanded instruments in the world. Contrary to this demand, this instrument, which initially belonged to the upper class but later became popular for all humanity, has evolved throughout history becoming more and more difficult to play. Despite this difficulty, there are pianists called virtuosos, and the secret behind their artifice has not been revealed within the traditional piano education. Today, with the help of technological opportunities, the skills of virtuoso pianists can be examined with quantitative methods, and the findings that emerge under the light of these examinations can provide reliable suggestions to the piano education like never before. Although there are some limitations of these quantitative approaches, which can also be called piano science, and there is a resistance to scientific method?s existence in traditional education; the piano virtuosity will become an achievable goal by many more pianists with a more efficient piano education system that will improve with the help of today's technology and scientific method.