Silent Movie
Republish of a post on the importance of imagination in preparing for performance.
On Demonstration
There are those teachers who demonstrate for their students all the time in piano lessons, and those others who don't go near the instrument. I have studied with both types.…
A Technical Problem?
My new teaching term began this week with a new student, a young lady preparing for an advanced ABRSM exam. She told me she was having technical problems with some of…
Securing a Fast Passage
The other day I was practising Chopin's 3rd Scherzo, a piece I have played regularly over the years. Because I haven't touched it in a while, I found it needed…
Great Pianists Interviewed
One of my favourite books of interviews is Great Pianists Speak with Adele Marcus. It is full of insight into the pianist's art, and Ms. Marcus' questions are always very astute.…
Making Friends with Fiddly Fiorature
Over the past couple of weeks I have had a few requests for advice on how to handle the flurries of little notes we find in the music of Chopin.…
Improve Your Sight Reading – Away From the Piano!
According to his memoirs, Artur Rubinstein learned César Franck’s Symphonic Variations on a train on his way to the concert. As there was obviously no piano on the train, he made…
Keep Calm and Carry On Practising
When I was on the selection committee for the 11th Unisa International Piano Competition, we listened to two solid days of audio recordings, one after the other. Our selection of…