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…
Transposing the Difficult Spot
Vocal accompanists and repetiteurs need to develop the skills to transpose virtually at sight in order to accommodate the different voice types and the vocal ranges of the singers they…
Tools for Memorisation
Here is the second part of my article MIND OVER MEMORY, published last year in Pianist Magazine. Remember, everyone who has ever played the piano in public has had that horrible…
The Study Editions of Alfred Cortot
I first heard Alfred Cortot when I was a boy. The magic of his recording of Chopin's Étude op. 25 no. 1 made an indelible impression on me - it made…
Overpracticers Hanonymous
It is not so much what we practise, but how; it is the quality rather than the quantity that matters. We need a specific aim when practising an exercise, a piece, a phrase…
Top Ten Tips for Trouble Spots
It is possible to hack away at a trouble spot for several minutes, constantly repeating it and beating it into submission, and then be able to manage it, more or…