How to Begin a New Piece
In this latest episode of The Practice Sleuths, Graham Fitch and Adina Mornell tackle a question that every pianist faces: how do you start learning a new piece?
Using two contrasting works – Mendelssohn’s Song Without Words and Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm – as examples, they discuss first impressions, choosing editions, listening critically, early practice strategies and adopting the right mindset.
This episode is packed with tips on how to make the learning process more structured and engaging, showing that starting a new work is as much about discovery and creativity as it is about notes and technique!
Works featured
- Mendelssohn: Song Without Words (Op. 19b No. 1) – Click here for open domain score or click here for our From the Ground Up edition
- Gershwin: I Got Rhythm – Click here for open domain score
Further resources & links
- Practice Clinics – Click here to view an index of our regular Practice Clinics in which Graham Fitch answers practising-related questions submitted by Online Academy subscribers.
- The Secrets of Experts – Click here to find out more about Adina Mornell’s course on creating your own recipe for enjoyable, successful performances.
Future Episodes
A full archive of Practice Sleuth episodes will be available here as further episodes are added and in the meantime, be sure to sign-up to our mailing list to be notified of new episodes!
End the Year on a High Note!
Our last online event of the year is a performance workshop with Graham Fitch. Taking place on Saturday 6th December @ 15:00 GMT, this event gives pianists of varying levels an opportunity to play or present a recording of a piece they’re working on. Graham will then provide either general feedback or assistance on specific areas raised by the performer.
Unlike a traditional masterclass, this performance workshop is tailored to the needs of each participant, emphasising supportive feedback, problem-solving and practical advice. They’re all about learning, experimenting and growing as a pianist rather than presenting polished, full performances!
If you’d like to join the audience, enjoy performances of a variety of pieces and get inspiration and ideas from Graham’s insights, you can sign-up for an observer ticket here. You’ll also get a recording after the event if you can’t join us live!