The correct hand shape for playing the piano and five finger exercises

Choosing the right edition

When it comes to learning a piece of classical music its amazing how much difference it can make if you have a good edition of the work. So many editors add their own dynamic markings, fingering suggestions and performance hints which can often be useful but can also be a distraction and take away from what the composer originally intended. I would suggest always trying to purchase an "urtext" edition to start with. "Urtext" editions contain only the composers original dynamics and performance markings. The editor may have added some fingering suggestions, although personally I prefer an edition with no fingering so I have plenty of space to mark in my own fingering. Also, choose an edition that has a clear print and is easy to read.

Having said this, its always a good idea to compare with other editions. If you purchase Schirmer's editions of Bach's keyboard works you will find a lot of dynamic and expression markings which were never included on Bach's original manuscript. However, some of these might give you some useful suggestions in adding some colour to your performance.