On Wrist Control
I often think it must be very confusing for the pianist seeking guidance on piano technique from the internet, only to find conflicting information from various authorities. Nothing is more…
Chopin’s Fioritura
When I was a boy, I was given a volume of the Chopin Nocturnes long before I was able to play them. I vividly remember staring at a page containing…
Improve Your Thumb Technique
Wouldn't it be great if Nature had designed our hands with the fingers in reverse order? If the "strong" thumb were on the outside of the hand and the "weak" pinky on…
Scared Stiff
In piano playing, there is something comforting about hard facts - given that so much of what we do is subjective and not always so easy to pin down. Players in…
How to Begin a New Piece: Part 6
Here is the final part of this series on beginning a new piece. Like last week's offering, it's mostly going to be a list of resources from this blog and…
Fancy Footwork – Pedalling Resources
I have just written a series of three articles on pedalling for Pianist Magazine, the first of these (Issue 83) hit the newsstands this week and should be available internationally.…
Managing Arpeggios
Scales and arpeggios are an important part of the developing pianist's technical regime, especially for those who go through graded examinations. Having looked at scale playing in recent posts, I…
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…
A Beautiful Process for Scales
I was back at Steinway Hall in London recently, recording a new series of video demonstrations for Pianist Magazine. The first is on scales and arpeggios, and now that it…
Double Trouble
This week, the latest issue of Pianist Magazine arrived through the post with my article Confidence with Double Notes inside. Those of you who have seen the magazine will have…