Many thanks to those who entered the Christmas competition. Two lucky winners who correctly identified each extract will each receive a signed hardback copy of Neil Rutman’s Stories, Images, and Magic from the Piano Literature. Congratulations! The answers were as follows:
- Mozart – Gigue in G, K574
- Debussy – La plus que lente
- Schubert – Sonata in C minor, D958 (2nd movement)
- Schumann – ABEGG Variations (theme)
- Byrd – Pavane for the Earl of Salisbury
- Liszt – Sonetto 123 del Petrarca
- Beethoven – Rondo alla ingharese quasi un capriccio, Op. 129 (‘Rage over a Lost Penny’)
I’ll resume my regular posts from next week but in the interim, here’s a listing of some of the most popular blog posts and Online Academy content from 2017:
1. “But it Takes Me Ages to Learn a New Piece!”
2. Enjoying Ultra-Slow Practice
3. On Practice versus Playing Through
4. Exercises for Trills
5. Developing Sight Reading Skills
And now onto the top five Online Academy series & articles:
1. Burgmüller: 25 Easy and Progressive Etudes, op. 100
2. Scales & Arpeggios – Basic Introduction – The Basics of Playing Scales
3. Solfeggietto in C Minor
4. ABRSM Grade 1 Scales & Broken Chords
5. Anyone Can Improvise!
Plans for 2018
There are several projects on the go at the moment. Those who have enjoyed my series on Burgmüller’s 25 Easy and Progressive Etudes, op. 100 will be glad to know I’ll be continuing with this until we have all 25. Each study is presented with teaching notes and a video walkthrough. I will also be adding more scale and arpeggio groups to the intermediate scale manual, and embarking on some new things.
Current projects under development include:
- A brand new series on technique, organised into elementary, intermediate and advanced (more on this very soon)
- A comprehensive study edition for Debussy’s prelude, La fille aux cheveux de lin – with practice worksheets and video demonstrations
- Further worksheets on new scales and arpeggios for my Intermediate Scales and Arpeggios manual
- More chapters in Penelope Roskell’s series, The Art of Piano Fingering
- Two more articles in Lucinda Mackworth-Young’s series, Anyone Can Improvise!
- More on sight reading from the Read Ahead team
- Additional articles from Ken Johansen in his series From the Ground Up – this helps you learn individual pieces using outlines and reduced scores so you can practise more effectively, memorise more consciously, and interpret music more creatively.
- A new series on dealing with performance anxiety
- A new series on performance practice and style according to period
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The Practising the Piano Online Academy
If you enjoyed this blog post then you may be interested in The Practising the Piano Online Academy. Building on my blog posts and eBook series, it takes my work to the next level with a comprehensive library of lessons, masterclasses and resources combined with insights from other leading experts. Aimed at piano teachers and pianists, it will transform the way you approach playing or teaching the piano!
A number of articles are available free of charge in addition to the following subscription options:
- Monthly subscription – Subscribe for £13.99 a month to get full, unlimited access to all Online Academy articles and updates (click here to sign-up for this option)
- Annual subscription – Save on the monthly subscription with an annual subscription for £119.99 per year and get free eBooks and editions worth over £70! (click here to sign-up for this option)
Click here to find out more about the Online Academy or click here to visit the site, view free content and to subscribe.
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