A Bar at a Time
When I was going through the early grades myself as a lad, my teacher would instruct me to learn my new pieces bar by bar, and with each hand separately.…
Presenting the New Trinity Syllabus
A while ago I was asked by Trinity College London to write the teaching notes for the new piano syllabus, Grades 6-8, and I was delighted to receive the publications…
Pedalling the Moonlight Sonata
Graham Fitch discusses pedalling in the opening movement of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata
On Singing
I had always sung in choirs and choruses from my childhood to the end of my student days, and one of the highlights of my week as a postgraduate student…
“I Haven’t Done As Much Practice As I Wanted This Week”
"I haven't done as much practice as I would have liked this week" seems to be a very popular statement at the beginning of a piano lesson. Before one note has…
Chopin’s Nocturne in C-sharp Minor (Op. Post.)
We’re delighted to announce a new Annotated Study Edition and Online Academy walk-through of Chopin’s beautiful Nocturne in C-sharp minor, Op. Posth. Dedicated to his sister, Ludwika “as an exercise…
How to Analyse: Mozart K283
Players who have made some sort of preliminary effort to understand the shape and structure of the music they are about to learn before they rush to the piano tend to…
At the Noodle Bar: Developing Speed in Grieg’s Puck
This is the first in a new series I'm calling "At the Noodle Bar", where I take a question or a problem and noodle with it at the piano. Here…
Solving a Rhythmical Problem
It should be obvious that playing in time and playing rhythmically are two rather different things. It is possible to play in time according to a fixed beat but still be unrhythmical,…
How to Analyse Music – Part 1
Analysing music helps pianists learn pieces deeply, appreciate them more, and memorize securely, enhancing both practice and performance.