Performing in a Safe Circle
Many pianists relish performing and do it all the time, others end up performing as a part of their activities. It may have been a passion for music and a…
Look, No Feet!
People think in terms of pianists' fingers - not their feet - but a direct line of communication from our ear to our right foot is an absolute necessity and…
Slaying the Dragon
Piano playing can never be an exact science. We will not always be able to say with absolute precision or certainty how we arrived at a particular result in our…
Chopin’s First Ballade – a Practice Suggestion
Chopin's evergreen First Ballade has never been more popular, thanks in part to Alan Rusbridger's book about his personal quest with the piece, Play It Again. It is a piece that…
The Piano Teachers’ Course EPTA UK
The life of a pianist can be very lonely indeed. For polished performances hours and hours need to be spent at the instrument. Teaching (and for the majority of pianists,…
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…
Q&A: Exam Preparation
A reader sent in the following question, to which I hope I have given an adequate response. Please feel free to leave comments and let's start a discussion on the…
A Short Essay on the Life of a Pianist
After a recent post, I received a request in the form of a comment from a reader, suggesting I might expand on my last paragraph. The last paragraph was as…
Practising on Tour
I have been away for the past three weeks on a concert and teaching tour of Singapore and Australia, the focus of my work there was three performances of Bach's…