• Store
  • Sign-up
  • Sign-in
Menu
Practising the Piano
  • Home
  • Resources
    • Multimedia eBook Series
    • Online Academy
    • Video Lessons
    • Annotated Study Editions
    • Repertoire Resources
    • Piano Technique Resources
    • Amateur Piano Groups & Clubs
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • Online Events
    • London Piano Courses
    • Practice Clinics
    • Online Performance Workshops
  • Blog
      • Practising
      • Learning Pieces
      • Technique
      • Performing
      • Teaching
      • Archive
  • About Us
    • Help & Support
    • Contact us
HomeLearning PiecesBach, Schubert, Pedalling & Playing Softly

Bach, Schubert, Pedalling & Playing Softly

By Informance, 2023-09-21 Posted in: Learning Pieces, Practising

Our latest Practice Clinic recording features answers to questions on playing softly in the left hand, practising a Bach Invention, pedalling in a piece by Maikapar and tackling some of the challenges in the 1st movement of Schubert’s monumental last sonata.

Schubert Sonata in B-flat Major D960

Practice clinic questions

How to play the left hand softly – Can you give some tips for achieving balance between the hands, particularly when the left hand has the accompaniment and needs to be softer than the right?

Bach Invention No. 1 in C Major, BWV772 – What is the relationship between the left hand and right hand and how does one practise to make each motif clear? Should I play both hands and try to hear the hand that has the motif at any time?

Samuil Maikapar At the Smithy, Op. 8 No. 5 – Could you please advise me on the pedalling for the piece? The IMSLP and ABRSM editions have different pedal markings!

Schubert Sonata No. 21 in B-flat major, D960 (1st mvt) – How should I go about playing the melody legato in the first theme? Should I do as much with my fingers as possible, sometimes doing 4-5 or 5-4 changes on the higher note? Or can I let go and allow the pedal to take care of that? Some passages, if performed as written can be challenging, especially in the right hand 4th beats in quavers despite the tempo being relatively slow. Also, I’d be very grateful if you can offer some advice on how to perform the left hand pianissimo trill! 

Upcoming Events

Notice
There are no upcoming events.

Next practice clinic & new format

Going forward, our practice clinics are no longer taking place on Facebook live but are rather pre-recorded and published alongside our regular blog posts. Our next clinic will be published on the 19th of October. Please sign-up to our mailing list here for updates on future practice clinic dates and to receive links to the recordings when they become available.

Watch previous clinics

Recordings of past practice clinics are posted up on our blog, Facebook page and YouTube channel once recorded and you can also view our full archive of previous events via these platforms.

How they work?

Further information on how our practice clinics work is available here or please click here to find out more about the Online Academy.

Online Academy subscribers can submit questions for practice clinics up to two weeks before each session. This can be done using the link provided on the Online Academy dashboard under “subscription benefits” (click here to sign-in and visit your dashboard).

Further information on how our practice clinics work is available here or please click here to find out more about the Online Academy.

Tags: bachinventionlegatomaikaparpedallingpractice clinicSchubert

Related Posts

Mendelssohn’s Children’s Pieces, op. 72

Mendelssohn’s Children’s Pieces, op. 72

By Graham Fitch, 2019-03-21
Posted in: Learning Pieces

This week I am featuring a video tutorial on Mendelssohn’s beautiful miniature, the second from the set of Kinderstücke, op. 72, currently on Trinity College London's Grade 7 syllabus.  Mendelssohn wrote his set of six Children’s Pieces for his young relatives during his summer holiday to England in 1842. No.…

Read More

Tags: advancedcantabilegrade 7Mendelssohnpedallingpiano examinationsTrinity College London
One Comment
Mendelssohn’s Children’s Pieces, op. 72
Schubert, Liszt and Structuring a Practice Session

Schubert, Liszt and Structuring a Practice Session

By Informance, 2021-12-16
Posted in: Practising

In this month’s practice clinic, Graham Fitch answered questions on works by Schubert, Liszt, Couperin and Chopin. Topics discussed included time management, building speed and evenness.

Read More

Tags: ChopincouperinLisztSchubertschubert impromptu
Schubert, Liszt and Structuring a Practice Session
Choreographing Bach’s D Minor Invention

Choreographing Bach’s D Minor Invention

By Graham Fitch, 2020-04-30
Posted in: Learning Pieces, Technique

I’m going to look at Bach’s Two-Part Invention in D minor, aiming to help you solve a couple of the issues that seem to bother some players in this piece.  The Subject The first thing is to find a good fingering for the main subject based on its tempo and…

Read More

Tags: Dorothy Taubmanfinger schoolforearm rotationinventionjs bachtechnique
Choreographing Bach’s D Minor Invention
Clair de Lune, MacDowell & a Chopin Etude

Clair de Lune, MacDowell & a Chopin Etude

By Informance, 2023-05-25
Posted in: Learning Pieces, Practising

In this month’s practice clinic, Graham Fitch answers questions on pedalling, arpeggios, use of forearm rotation and more in Debussy’s Clair de Lune, MacDowell’s To a Wild Rose and works by Chopin and Handel.

Read More

Tags: arpeggiosChopinChopin Etudesclair deluneDebussyEdward MacDowellforearm rotationHandelpedallingpractice clinic
Clair de Lune, MacDowell & a Chopin Etude
Key Skills for Excellent Sight Reading

Key Skills for Excellent Sight Reading

By Informance, 2024-01-18
Posted in: Practising

In this article, Lona Kozik shares a few key skills she discovered which helped her go from being hopeless at sight reading to earning a living as an accompanist and working in theatre!

Read More

Tags: sight reading
Key Skills for Excellent Sight Reading
More on Rhythm

More on Rhythm

By Graham Fitch, 2013-03-22
Posted in: Practising

I have been working on a new chapter on the uses and abuses of the metronome for Volume 3 of my ebook series, due to be published after Easter. For those who may love practising with a metronome, it feels important to offer some alternatives so you're not left high…

Read More

Tags: anacrusiscountingcrusismetacrusismetronomeMetronome Bounce by KatokichiSoftrhythmscat singingvocalising
More on Rhythm

Previous Post

Tips for Better Piano Technique

Next Post

Toccata from Bach’s Partita No. 6 in E Minor

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

*

Sign-up To Our Mailing List!

Sign-up to our email newsletter for free resources, news updates and special offers!

TOPICS

  • Practising
  • Learning Pieces
  • Technique
  • Performing
  • Teaching

LINKS

  • Online Academy
  • Informance
  • Help & Support
  • Contact Us

© 2025 Practising the Piano All Rights Reserved

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Privacy Policy
  • T&Cs
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website.OkMore Information