A Practical Theory Lesson
Most of us were probably brought up on the middle C approach to learning the piano, and the first scale we ever learned was C major. We probably got tangled…
Chess or Checkers?
I have written extensively about the subject of slow practice on this blog and elsewhere. Since slow practice is such a cornerstone of our practice routine I don't apologise for making a…
Some Thoughts on Mental Tension
When we think of tension in piano playing, we correctly label this as negative - it is a thing that hampers us and our objective should be to locate its…
“Sorry, I haven’t done as much practice as I would like this week…”
How often we piano teachers hear this comment! "Sorry, I haven't done as much practice as I would like this week." It has to rank with the exclamation "But I…
Playing by Ear
I had an email from a reader asking how he could learn to play by ear, so here are some random thoughts on the subject. When we play by ear…
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…
Getting Students to Use the Practice Tools: Separately
The brain is made up of two hemispheres, right and left. The right hemisphere controls the left side of the body, and vice versa. There is a bridge between the…
Getting Students to Use the Practice Tools (2)
Last week, I discussed how we might encourage our younger students to use the practice tools by incorporating elements of practice into the lesson, so that each week we devote…
Getting Students To Use The Practice Tools
Following the launch of my ebook series last week, I had an email from a reader who tells me she is enjoying reading about the practice tools. She is excited…