The Story Behind Chopin’s Fantasie-Impromptu
Even though the Fantaisie-Impromptu was composed in 1834, the world had to wait until 1960 to hear the piece as Chopin intended it. This much-loved work was made popular through the version…
Approaching Rhythmic Challenges
Many musicians struggle with rhythm from time to time - we pianists are faced with many situations where one hand is required to play in one subdivision of the beat…
The New ABRSM Syllabus – Grade 6
The next installment in my exploration of the new ABRSM syllabus features the main pieces in the Grade 6 list. In the following video I provide some highlights and tips…
The New ABRSM Syllabus – Grade 5
Continuing my exploration of the new ABRSM syllabus, this week I am having a look at the pieces in the main book for Grade 5 (click here to view my…
The New ABRSM Syllabus – Grade 4
Continuing my exploration of the new ABRSM syllabus, this week I am having a look at the pieces in the main book for Grade 4 (click here to view my previous…
The New ABRSM Syllabus – Grade 3
I’m currently in the process of producing an extensive collection of resources for the syllabus on my Online Academy. These include detailed video walk-throughs providing practice suggestions, tips on style and…
The 2021 & 2022 ABRSM Syllabus
It was a pleasure and a privilege to be part of the initial selection committee for the 2021-2022 piano syllabus (grades 5-8), published last week. Along with two colleagues from…
Voicing in Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata
Beethoven’s Sonata in C# Minor (Sonata quasi una fantasia), Op. 27 No. 2, is surely one of the most famous pieces of music of all time. Completed in 1801, it…
Burgmüller’s La candeur
At first glance La candeur, the first of Burgmüller’s twenty-five studies, opus 100, looks like any other elementary study in C major - with a stream of quavers (8th notes) in one…
New Study Editions for Burgmüller’s Op. 100
As readers of my blog will know, I am not a great believer in too much separation of the study of technique from real music. Therefore, when I recommend studies…