More than Just the Notes
Learning a new piece is a challenging and painstaking undertaking. Processing the significant amount of information on the page and then converting this into physical movements and refining these for…
Learning Pieces, Beethoven & Bach
Our last Practice Clinic recording for the year features answers to questions on ornaments, a tricky passage and avoiding over analysis in the early stages of learning works by Bach & Beethoven!
Ravel, Granados, Thumbs & Theory
Our last Practice Clinic before the summer break features answers to questions on a mazurka and nocturne by Chopin, ornaments in a Handel suite and mastering the jumps in Siloti’s beautiful arrangement of Glück’s Melody from Orfeo!
How to Practise when Learning New Pieces
When learning a new piece, not all practice makes perfect. We’ve all had occasion to stumble at the same learned-in mistakes that originated when we first started learning the notes,…
The Practice Tools Lecture Series
I am very pleased to announce a new video lecture series on the practice tools available now on the Online Academy. The Practice Tools What are the practice tools? There…
How to Analyse Music – Part 1
Analysing music helps pianists learn pieces deeply, appreciate them more, and memorize securely, enhancing both practice and performance.
Memory Tips: Analyse
We can trace the tradition of playing solo piano music from memory back to Franz Liszt and Clara Schumann. Before that, it was inappropriate to play without a score in…
The History of Piano Technique: Studies and Exercises
There has been much feedback and lively debate on last week's post about Czerny and his legacy of studies and exercises. It seems some piano teachers firmly believe in assigning…
Taking Ownership
Some years ago, Dame Fanny Waterman gave a masterclass for the BBC (Beethoven Sonata, op. 2 no. 2 , I think it was) and had made some suggestions to the student…