Practising the Piano Part 4

When I began writing my eBook Series Practising the Piano, I wanted to address the lack of information out there on the processes of practising. I was fortunate enough to have had teachers who understood this vital aspect of the pianist’s training and they taught me how to practise in no uncertain terms. Not everyone has this information, so I decided to pass it on.

It is in the spirit of being fully prepared for performance by a combination of talent and commitment honed by intelligent practice that I approach the subject of performance in Part 4 (the final part) of Practising the Piano. 

Do you avoid performing because you find it too stressful? It may surprise you to know that many of the world’s greatest pianists have often suffered from acute anxiety and nerves but have found ways to overcome them. Practising the Piano Part 4 provides a combination of rock-solid practising techniques, proven methods for memorising and psychological strategies used by elite sportsmen and women to enable you to realise your full potential on the day.

What’s in it?

I have divided Part 4 of Practising the Piano into 3 volumes:

Volume 1 focusses on developing performance skills and on how to be as well prepared as possible so that you are able to deliver when you walk onto the stage or into your examination room. In this volume I explain five different ways to practise and how to set goals and deadlines in the run-up to a performance alongside providing further resources for generating more performance opportunities, and suggestions for managing a programme. Click here for a free preview (opens in a new window).

Volume 2 covers the complex subject of performance psychology and performance anxiety. This subject is still taboo, but some important pianists have come out and spoken about their own battles with nerves and how they have coped with them. Alongside results from my survey, Performance Anxiety among Pianists, I explore how mental skills training, visualisation, CBT, meditation and other techniques can assist in calming the critical inner voice thus enabling us to unleash our true creative selves when we perform. Click here for a free preview (opens in a new window).

Volume 3 is all about memorisation. There is nothing more terrifying than a memory slip on the stage and I firmly believe that the memorisation process should begin as soon as we start learning the notes. In this volume I investigate the different types of memory (muscular, aural, analytic, etc.) and offer 11 different tools for developing and strengthening the memory. The more of these tools you use during your practice, the more effectively you are insured against memory problems during performance. Click here for a free preview (opens in a new window).

Remember – if you are enjoying your performance, so will your audience. It really is that simple! I sincerely hope that Practising the Piano Part 4 will help you get to the place where you can fully enjoy delivering a confident performance that you can be proud of.

How to Get Your Copy

You can purchase Practising the Piano Part 4  (priced at £9.99) directly from my website. It is also available on Amazon Kindle and for pre-order on the Apple iBookstore (click here for the full series catalogue which contains links to the individual volumes on all platforms ).

The full series (Parts 1 to 4) can now be purchased for £35.99 (a discount of 20% off the individual part prices). If you already own one or more parts of Practising the Piano you can also take advantage of further discount bundles to complete your collection. These can be viewed on the series catalogue page here.