* o nome do livro esta em vermelho porque se tiver versão em inglês tem que colocar o

nome em ingles

Abstract
This article analyses the context of specialized piano music teaching (individual and group), at
beginner, basic and professional levels. Considering the peculiarities of each location, we
acknowledge the need of registering Linda Bustani’s piano teaching methodology (1951-), with
whom we studied directly. This methodology was published by Moema Campos in the book
*Falando de Piano com Linda Bustani e Luiz Eça and consists of the piano fundamentals which
can be compared to the ballerina groundwork at the barre. According to Bustani, the trained
hand prepares the pianist to achieve full technical mastery and thus be qualified for musical
interpretation (Campos, 2017). Linda Bustani's piano teaching methodology, systematized in
this article, has been applied by herself since 1980 in Brazil, with significant success. Since the
2000s, we have been developing our teaching pedagogy as piano teachers and I apply this
methodology with my students of different age groups. We are currently working in Portugal
and are wondering if Linda Bustani's piano methodology has similarities with the approach used
by teachers in Portugal. To this end, we developed a descriptive qualitative study, which used
bibliographical and documentary research as well as a questionnaire survey of piano teachers.
The results point to a similar approach on the part of the teachers, despite not being familiar
with Linda Bustani's methodology.

Keywords: piano methodology, piano didactics, Linda Bustani, teaching and learning piano
technique.

1. introduction

In view of the peculiarities of professional music courses in Portugal, as well as the

particularities of each location, we felt the need to record the applicability of Linda Bustani's
(1951-) piano methodology with our students between the ages of twelve and sixteen, who
attend EPABI, Escola Profissional de Artes da Covilhã. This research was made possible by the
fact that piano students have two lessons a week, which, in practice, makes it possible to plan
lessons that include a good part of the time dedicated to working on mechanism and pianistic
technique. Bustani's methodology (Canaud, 2022) draws on bibliography already known to the
vast majority of professional pianists, namely Cortot (2000) and Beringer (1972), however, it is
in the form of application, in addition to other methodized guidelines and synthesized into five
stages, that the method proves to be efficient. Its description and systematization is the main
objective of this chapter, which falls under the methodology of descriptive case reports. The
method used to collect the data was through bibliographical and documentary research, as well
as contact with the teacher herself. To corroborate or not the importance that piano teachers
attach to the author's methodological issues, a questionnaire survey was carried out among
piano teachers.
Linda Bustani is one of the most renowned pianists and teachers in South America, with whom
we studied directly in the 1990s for seven consecutive years. Her methodology consists of
digitally based work on the piano, which focuses primarily on the independence of the fingers
(muscle dissociation) and the relaxation of the thumb. The work on piano technique can be
compared to that of a dancer at the exercise bar before studying the choreography: the hand
worked on is what the author of the method calls the "ready hand" (Campos, 2017, p. 45).
According to Professor Bustani, the hand without a basic work will bend as it evolves
incorrectly, creating movements that will lead to vices in execution that will be difficult to
remove in the future. In reality, when you do technical work, you do it with a future goal in
mind. They are preparing themselves to achieve full mastery of their hand and to be able to
perform, making the most of what the music has to offer (Campos, 2017, p. 45). The second
phase of the methodology consists of preparing a piece of music, using Tables (the name used
by Linda) and other memorization tools or processes.

2. Linda Bustani – Method Mentor

Linda Bustani, Brazilian, born in 1951, in Rondônia, is one of the most important South
American pianists with an international recognition. She was a disciple of Arnaldo Estrella, in
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from the age of 8 until the age of 18. During this period, she won several
competitions in Brazil such as the international Piano competition in Salvador and Rio de
Janeiro. At the age of 15 she participated in the Vianna da Motta Competition in Lisbon, in
which she was introduced to the Soviet pianist and pedagogue Iakov Zak (1913–1976). At the
age of 18, she was invited to work under his guidance at the Tchaikovsky in Conservatory in
Moscow where she also became a student of Zac’s main assistant, Elisso Virsaladze (1942-).
After her studies in Moscow, Linda Bustani received awards at the Bratislava and Leeds
International competitions, among others (Campos, 2017). Her repertoire for piano and
orchestra is vast, having been performed in public with several orchestras in Brazil and abroad.
The Instituto of Piano Brasileiro -IPB listed 46 different concertos for piano and orchestra,
presented over approximately sixty years of career, a fact that is considered quite unusual,
even for great pianists and virtuosos.
After participating in international competitions such as Vianna da Motta (when she had her
first meeting with Iakov Zak, her future teacher at the Moscow Conservatory) and Leeds
(England), Linda Bustani began her international career performing concerts and recitals in
several countries as soloist, in solo recitals and with orchestras. She was conducted by Mr.
Simon Rattle, Charles Groves, William Tausky, Gunter Herbig, among other great conductors. In
the early 1980s, after an exhaustive tour in Europe and the USA, Bustani decided to suspend
her international performances and returned to Brazil, to dedicate herself to her family and
training young pianists (Lago, 2007). That was when she began to create and use her own
pianistic methodology.

3. Linda Bustani’s piano teaching Methodology

The pianistic methodology developed by Linda Bustani can be summarized as a detailed and
systematic work focused on the formation of the pianistic hand, the independence of the
fingers (or muscular dissociation of the 5 fingers). To achieve this, she uses the conscious
articulation of each finger, as can be found in Alfred Cortot's Rational Principles of Piano
Technique (2000), associated with the modulations found in Oscar Beringer's Daily Technical
Exercises (1972).
According to Linda, "the basis of the work lies in the two touches to be trained: "the
articulated touch that prepares for the adherent touch" (IIEIPO, 2021). In addition, Bustani
emphasizes that a perfect passage of the thumbs, quickly, flexibly and close to the keyboard,
becomes one of the main points for a good technical foundation. The pianist also states that
the most important thing to achieve when playing the piano is for pianists to have what she
calls "two right hands", in other words, two hands that are perfectly matched and strong in
their pianistic abilities and skills. Linda has a very consolidated pedagogy and philosophy of how
to approach the piano for the student. Digital work is the main focus and requires a lot of
patience. She herself admits that because she didn't have the technical facilities, she was able
to organize and methodize a path that has been successful for her piano students (Campos,
2017; IIEIPO, 2021).

3.1. Stages of technical work in Linda Bustani’s piano methodology

There are five stages in the methodology. First Stage - Finger independence (awareness of how
to articulate and play adherently. Second Stage - Thumb passage (exercises to prepare for
scales and arpeggios). Third Stage - Tables (used in the process of assimilating technique and
the score. Fourth Stage - Technique for playing polyphonic chimes, thirds and sixths. Fifth Stage
- Technique for playing octaves, leaps and chords.

3.1.1 Stage 1 – Finger independence (digital awareness) and posture

Finger independence is the result of careful articulation work. There are two basic touches
to work on in Linda Bustani's piano methodology: finger articulation and adherent touch. Finger
independence is directly linked to articulation, as shown in figure 1.

The student's posture must be extremely careful: young pianists should keep a relaxed posture,
using chairs with a back support (cushion) to avoid fatigue during study, leaving the stool for
the moment of performance.
The articulation work is started slowly and precisely, with the help of the metronome. As
the speed of the metronome gradually increases, the range of movement decreases, becoming
almost a touch without articulation. This is the preparation for the next goal - the adherent
touch. Here, the touch will be close to the keyboard, without the effort of articulation.
 The metronome should be played at a very slow tempo, keeping one beat for each finger
movement. First, the articulation is made in three movements: 1) lifting the finger; 2) lowering
the key to the bottom; 3) resting the finger without tension on the surface of the key. In the
third movement, when the finger relaxes, it will be pushed towards the surface of the
keyboard, returning to its initial position.

It's important to emphasize: This is not a simple, well-known joint between two fingers - in
which when we lower the one that has been articulated, we raise the other. This is a two-
movements articulation. What differs in the joint proposed by Linda Bustani is the third
movement, which is the return of the finger without tension on the key. That's why it's a three-
movement joint, because as well as being much more precise, it will avoid problems with
unnecessary muscle contraction. Below is a summary of the work to acquire the Articulated
Touch:

Essa table esta ok

3.1.2 Stage 2 – Thumb pass

It is very common to see pianists thinking that the thumb should remain still without moving,
and moreover, not even knowing what to do with it, in the passages of a simple scale or an
arpeggio. Without good thumb practice, scales, arpeggios and simple scales within a classical
piece, become real tortures.
Firstly, the thumb must be trained without touching, only with its lateral movement on the
keyboard, without making sound. This must be done as quickly as possible. This training
without sound will prepare the thumb for the agility that will result in fast scales with equal
sound. The thumb must be moved very quickly and close to the keyboard. A flexible, flat and
quick thumb should be our goal. The thumb will move like a snake. This will be your movement
in flexibility work.
To perform the Cortot exercises in Chapter II, Series A, B and C, a metronome will not be used.
The quality of the touch, the control of the sound and the passage of the thumb made fluently
and equally across the scales with the fifth finger well marked, is what should be observed as a
result. To achieve this, however, it is necessary to complete the 1st Stage of the practice.

3.1.3 3rd Stage– Assimilation Processes – “Table”:

The assimilation process called (by Professor Linda Bustani) Table, is subdivided into three
topics and can be used for any type of difficulty: equality of the four fingers and thumb, passage
of thumbs in scales and arpeggios, in octaves, in jumps and chords, among other complexities in
music.
With eyes opened and then closed, the practice of Tables is introduced, which must first be
done without a metronome.
The tables consist of three topics:

Table 1) Interval folding.

Table 2) Progression exercises.
Table 3) Speed in small groups, without doubling.

Below we will discuss each Table in detail:

1) Interval folding: Made in 3 work stages. This is the process used to assimilate a particular
passage that presents difficulty. Doublings are performed by repeating the notes two by two,
and can be done in 3 Steps, not necessarily all three. Only one of the steps can be used, as the
idea is perfect assimilation. It will depend on the student's ease with that difficult passage.

The steps: 1st Step: We play every two intervals, for example, on a scale, do-re do-re do-re do-
re; mi-fa mi-fa mi-fa mi-fa; and so on. In the case of arpeggios or other distinct intervals, the
same procedure is followed, always keeping the thumb close to the keyboard, fast in the
passage and under the hand while not playing; 2nd Step: We double each interval, stopping at
the first note of each pair; 3rd Step: We double each interval, stopping on the second note of
the pair. These steps are performed without using a metronome. The idea is to perform the
folds at a fast speed. When we stop on one note and run to the next, we begin gradual speed
practice.

2) Progression Exercises: The Progression must be done intelligently. We assume that the
problem was recognized, either by the student himself, or by the teacher, during the class. The
first thing, or the premise, is to find the cell that offers difficulty. Generally, the difficulty is in
the sound equality in the passages from thumb to the fourth and third fingers, or in large jumps
between two notes or chords. Let's take as an example the case of scales and arpeggios, the
difficulty of which focuses on the passage of the thumb: The progression practice is carried out
first with 3 notes: the one that precedes the thumb and the next one that follows it
(progression cell).

This back-and-forth movement is repeated until it becomes fluent. It is very important to keep
your thumb flexible and close, moving as quickly as possible. Then, from this cell (of three
notes), the progression begins by adding one note above, another below and so on, little by
little, until we reach an octave of the scale or arpeggio. If the thumb is agile (in movement),
when it comes to the key to be played, the hand will automatically follow it, naturally seeking
the position of the scale and arpeggio. The speed will come from working from this table.
Important observation: this work must be done not only in scales and arpeggios, but in all parts
of the pianistic repertoire that contain difficulties, namely, in variations of scales and arpeggios
(be they: simple, in thirds, sixths, etc.)
3) Speed in small groups, without doubling: It is also a process that leads to the acquisition of
speed. In this third stage, the pianist will play the intervals as quickly as possible, but without
doubling the notes. It starts with groups: 1) groups of two notes, stopping at the first and then
stopping at the second note. You must choose to do this practice using phrases or musical
periods from the studied text. 2) groups of four notes, stopping on the first note, then stopping
on the second note; on the third note of the group; finally, on the fourth note of the group. It is
important to pay attention to sound equality. This work must be done with a maximum of
sixteen measures. It shouldn't go beyond that, as studying in parts is always more efficient. It is
essential to carry out this study with your eyes open and then with your eyes closed. It is always
good to work with separate hands and also with hands together.

3.1.4 4th Stage - Technique for performing Polyphonic Touch:

All this practice to prepare a musical piece, described above in three stages, provides great
security at the time of performance. It can be said that it is quite efficient for any pianist who
has the patience and discipline to perform it.
We failed to talk a little about the practice explained above, in polyphonic works, which
invariably may require the timbral of one voice or another in a single hand, as well as the
division of voices between the two hands during the course of the musical text. It is good to
remember that the work on finger independence (and flexibility and thumb passage) should
already be well advanced. In these cases, in order to play double notes well (thirds, fourths,
fifths and sixths), in order to highlight the voices, we must first learn how to do the fingering
well. The second step is to study breaking down the voices, keeping the learned fingering. The
aforementioned table then applies. The study will therefore be: 1) apply the table to each
voice; 2) apply the table by playing the voices; 3) use the metronome at the most comfortable
speed possible, paying attention to the proportional division of values accurately.
The metronome will increase little by little, calmly, without pain or anguish, with a controlled,
clean and consistent sound. Pay attention to the polyphonic touch, in which the highlighted
note (evidenced in the composer's writing), must be timbrated (highlighted) many times,
through the use of another type of contrasting touch (portato, staccato or even legato with
piano dynamics), to highlight the counterpoint. All this in the same hand. Therefore, especially
in this type of difficulty, namely, polyphonic playing, the preparation and use of the Table must
be carried out many times with separate hands, until fluency is achieved.

3.1.5 5th Stage -Technique for performing octaves and chords:

For this study, some principles apply:
1st -Don't demand too much from your fingers, that is, if you feel tired, don't continue. Relax.
2nd -The wrist must be free, that is, it must never be trapped.
3rd –The fingers must remain in a light state.
4th -Pay attention to the thumb, which must always be loose, without tightening.
5th -Always sing (timbrated) the top note of the octave (unless the composer wants to sing on
the bottom note (thumb of the right hand and fifth finger of the left).
6th-The melodic line must be very well taken care of. We must draw the sound through the top
note to perform the phrasing.
The study is done with separate hands, dividing the octave (first the upper note is made and
then the lower one), feeling the fingers sink perfectly, maintaining the open position of the
hand, with the thumb and wrist loose. To do the octaves legato, you must practice the passage.
It can be used in the octaves of the right hand, for example, the 3rd and 4th fingers, in addition
to the fifth finger. The thumb can make the snake movement, previously performed in Cortot's
book (in chapter 2), on the thumb passage. For a perfect legato in octaves, in joint intervals or
in close intervals, finger changes with the key at the bottom will be used. For this study of
octaves, it is important to first perform the hand extension exercises found in Chapter IV of
Cortot's Book (2000).