With Contemporary Piano: A Performer and Composer’s Guide to Techniques and Resources, Alan Shockley provides a comprehensive resource for composers writing music that uses extended techniques for the piano, and for pianists interested in playing repertoire that makes use of techniques and/or implements unfamiliar to them. Shockley explains dozens of ways to prepare a piano without damaging the instrument, how to notate every standard technique and many, many obscure ones, and the specific geographies of every common concert hall piano. This will be the standard reference for pianists touring and playing inside-the-piano repertoire, and for composers at all levels of familiarity with the piano hoping to understand the mechanical miracle that is the modern piano.

"Shockley, a respected composer and teacher, has written an excellent one-stop shop for all matters dealing with nontraditional uses of the piano. This is a modern-day performance practice manual similar to those written by composers dealing with performance practices of earlier eras. The author gives detailed instructions for composers—and, more important, players—of this music, which was created mostly during the 20th century and employs the piano in unusual ways. Following brief but useful introductory chapters about the construction and history of the piano, Shockley meticulously guides the reader through each topic—pedals, clusters, preparations, bowing, the piano as a percussion instrument, harmonics, muting, and even the toy piano. Highly recommended." - CHOICE

"This book is a welcome comprehensive guide to nontraditional techniques for the piano, and for pianists who are interested in playing repertoire which requires techniques and/or implements unfamiliar to both the instrument and to the performer. . . This book is a must-have resource for any performance pianist or orchestra playing contemporary music for the piano." - American Reference Books Annual