A Helping Hand
When I was in my teens I had the good fortune to participate in Christopher Elton's masterclasses at Downe House summer school. One of the things he got me to…
The Three S’s (Part Three)
And so to the last installment of "The Three S's" - "Sections". I realise I am in danger of repeating myself here - much of what is contained in this…
The Three S’s (Part Two)
The next installment of “The Three S’s”, this week SLOWLY. I confess to having appeared in print many times on this subject. You can read the full text on my…
The Three S’s (Part One)
I couldn’t get far into this blog without talking about one of my mantras, “The Three S’s”. That (for me) stands for “SLOWLY, SEPARATELY, SECTIONS”, despite the array of alternative…
Painting the Forth Bridge: Learning the Goldberg Variations
My first experience with this incredible work of art was hearing Andras Schiff play it at Dartington, as the preface to his inspiring week of teaching in the summer of…
Keeping Repertoire Alive
It seems such a shame to spend all those hours learning a piece only to forget it after the exam or the recital. A piece, once learned, is an asset…
Some Thoughts On Legato
We have all played the game of Stone, Paper, Scissors. On a count of three, each player forms the hand into one of three gestures which they throw at each…
On Dotted Rhythms
Several of you have contacted me about doing a post on the subject of practising in dotted rhythms, that process where we deliberately and willfully go against the composer's express…
More On Stopping
In my quest to establish in the practice session as many of the reflexes we're going to use in actual performance as possible, I have come to see that stopping…
To Stop Or Not To Stop?
I recall an infuriating time with a house guest who found herself confined to the kitchen while I was practising in the living room. Every time she heard the playing…