Piano playing essentials
I’m a firm believer in using the technology (such as iPads) available to us all now to enhance our enjoyment of our great piano playing hobby.
It’s possible to use an iPad or other tablet to replace many of the things any pianist needs – things like Sheet Music, a Metronome, a Timer, Practice Diary and so forth. These are all the practical things that make organising our practice time easier and more fruitful.
Other fun ways
However, we can use technology in the shape of an iPad to help us continue to enjoy piano when we’re not actually practicing.
Magazines
Magazines for example have always been a fantastic extra resource for any hobby or interest. Piano is no exception. There are a number of superb magazines available such as Pianist Magazine or International Piano Magazine to name just two. Of course, when I was young you’d generally need to specifically order any type of specialist magazine from your local newsagent.
Today, things are oh so much simpler. Many magazines offer Digital Editions that you can either buy copy by copy or to which you can subscribe. I’ve been subscribed to the Digital Edition of Pianist Magazine for a couple of years now.
In addition to the words and pictures of the paper edition, the digital version means that:
- You can carry your whole magazine collection with you wherever you go
- The Audio and Video that support the magazine are there to tap and play. No need to put a CD into a player or go onto your computer to look for the videos (the paper edition comes with a CD)
- Each new edition is delivered direct to your iPad without you needing to go out and buy it – no more waiting for it to arrive.
You can visit https://www.pianistmagazine.com to learn more about how to subscribe.
Social media and networking
Another fun feature of technology is that it can put you in touch with people sharing the same passions through a variety of Social Media sites. Again, iPad to the rescue for ease of browsing and interacting.
As an example, there are numerous piano related groups on Facebook. I’m an active member of a couple of them. One is a super friendly group called Piano Playing Improvement. There are members from all over the world, of all ages, all walks of life and experience levels. What unites us is that we’re all passionate about the piano. Being able to exchange ideas, opinions, challenges and discoveries is great fun. Catching up with my new piano playing friends is now part of my regular morning coffee routine.
Of course, the iPad is great for eBooks – and I highly recommend Graham Fitch’s series on practising piano.
Technical and interpretive advice
Back in the day, the only advice on playing piano that was available came from my teachers. I didn’t really know any good pianists, and I’m sure many people will have been in similar situations. This is now a thing of the past.
A first great source of input is of course YouTube. Here, largely thanks to the generosity of people like Paul Barton, Josh Wright, Kent Hewitt and many others, you have access to a very wide range of teaching resources. Simply searching for whatever problem you’re trying to fix will almost certainly return a good choice of sources of advice. Of course, sometimes there can be too much advice – often contradictory – and this can get a little confusing. However, I’ve found that I mainly watch videos from the same sources (after I’ve probably checked out pretty much all of them at one time or another).
Otherwise, try the series of videos ‘5 Minutes’ by Daniel Barenboim. In these he gives advice on accessible repertoire such as Clair de Lune. This is something we’d never have been able to see not that many years ago – great advice delivered right to your home by a great master pianist.
Finally, you will find a wealth of filmed Master Classes. These provide very interesting perspectives that years ago would have been limited to the attendees only. You’ll find examples by Rubinstein, Schiff, Barenboim … the list goes on.
If you’re just interested in the pianists themselves, you’ll be well served. There are interviews with and concerts by piano masters both past and present. Many many years ago these would have been rarely available to the general public – and certainly not ‘on demand’.
Do you need to add one to your Christmas list?
Nobody is sponsoring me to convince you to invest in a tablet computer. I’ve personally found that I use my iPad more for enjoying my piano playing hobby than pretty much anything else – from using it for my Sheet Music, planning and monitoring my practice – even recording my practice too. If you already have one, then hopefully you’ll start to think about how you can use it more to support your piano playing. If not, perhaps try to sneak one onto your Christmas List !
