The present COVID pandemic has had far reaching impacts on the world of piano. With face to face events becoming increasingly difficult and precarious, we have seen a move to online. For many, online is seen as a ‘necessary evil’ or ‘second best option’. I have often therefore wondered are online piano performance workshops a good idea? Well, I was recently lucky enough to attend an online piano performance workshop and found it a surprisingly rewarding experience. A link to the next one on 12th December is at the end of this article.
A respected host
The Workshop was hosted by Graham Fitch. Graham is the author of the incredible eBook series, Practising the Piano. I bought (and reviewed) this eBook series some time ago. I have always wanted the opportunity to work with Graham on my own piano challenges. However, pre-COVID, this would have been an incredibly difficult logistical issue. Graham is based in London and I’m very rarely there and a quick trip is pretty much out of the question.
However, with the situation created by the pandemic, I guess that Graham has had the time to investigate this type of online approach. Of course, he is no stranger to online in general. You can see this through his Online Academy of which I am a member. You’ll of course find many of his videos on YouTube (including on the Pianist Magazine channel).
Therefore, for me at least, this opportunity to get some one on one tuition from Graham by far outweighed any reservations I might have had about an online format.
The Online Piano Performance Workshop format
Before the event logistics
Logistics wise, it could not have been simpler. You simply purchase a ticket online (through practisingthepiano.com). There was an email confirmation of the purchase together with detailed instructions on how the technology would work and what was required. It is worth taking the time to read this in detail as there are a few settings that you need to update prior to the event. There was also a feedback form to let Graham know which piece you were intending to present and also detail up front any specific things on which you might be looking for guidance.
The Online Piano Performance Workshop itself
The format of the workshop similar to that of a traditional of a masterclass. That is to say, there were several performers (all six available places were taken) as well as other, non-playing, observers.
Each player had an individual 20 minute slot where they would first discuss with Graham anything that they were specifically looking for help with. Next, came the performance of the work. Finally, came the feedback discussion.
After the event
After the event (the following day) there was a further email, together with a recording of the event itself sent to all participants.
Simple to use technology
The online piano performance workshop was run using Zoom. I’m sure most people have heard of this platform. Whether you have used it or not, it seems to have entered into everyday vocabulary. As with many things, Zoom comes with an app that can be used on phones, tablets and laptop/desktop computers (as well as a web browser version). The app itself is totally free – as is creating an account.
Simply put, you join a video conference (the link details are provided in the sign up confirmation email). This enables you to see (and be seen by) and hear (and be heard by) the other participants and, of course, the host. Zoom pretty much takes care of everything for you – even if you are unfamiliar with this type of format.
Little glitches to watch out for
Overall, there were very few technology glitches and all were rapidly remedied.
Audio settings
Perhaps the most common issue was people forgetting to update the audio settings. A video conferencing system such as Zoom is of course optimised to cope with people speaking. It will try to minimise background noise, boost quieter sounds and lower louder sounds. This of course means that when we start playing the piano, it can be almost unrecognisable as the software tries to ‘flatten’ it out.
The fix is of course ultra simple. There is a setting to change to tell the software to ‘use the original sound’ rather than trying to ‘optimise it’. We were all advised to do this, but of course people new to this type of platform might not always realise the significance of it. The setting can be changed on the fly in a matter of moments. So, if someone forgets, there is no harm done.
One piece of advice I would give is to get yourself a decent microphone though. Those on our laptops and phones aren’t really up to the challenge of recording a piano. I use the Shure MV88 which is plug and play directly into my iPhone and works seamlessly with Zoom or any other app running on the phone.
Video
I was in fact the only person who had trouble with the video. Despite having downloaded zoom on my partner’s phone and done a test meeting (to ensure the piano could be seen and heard properly), first my video image was on its side and afterwards was upside down.
Again, quickly and easily fixed by simply rotating my phone.
Surprisingly stable connection
Considering that we had people connecting from many places. There were participants from as far away as Malaysia and the United Kingdom. Surprisingly, connectivity really wasn’t a problem. I’m sure you’ve all seen fairly horrific connection examples on the TV News as people connect from home to contribute to a programme. However, for this event, I really didn’t notice any issues. Of course, the quality of the video isn’t really HD, but compared to the conferencing suites my own employer uses, Zoom performed well.
The overall Online Piano Performance Workshop experience
Friendly participants
When we think of a master class in the traditional sense, I guess we all think of incredibly gifted young pianists rattling through extremely technical music. However, here, the participants were largely like myself. A group of people of varying ability ranges covering a range of music from Mozart to Rachmaninov. This, to me at least, makes the whole experience much more welcoming as nobody seemed intent on ‘showing off’ (which is not to say that there weren’t some exceptional performances as there were!).
My performance
I regret to say that my performance wasn’t great (in fact, quite dire really). I decided to present the Bach/Siloti Prelude in B Minor. This is a piece I have been practising for some time and have used it to help me develop better finger independence in the place of a dry exercise. In common with many amateur pianists, I rarely perform for an audience. As a result, nerves kicked in and it took me 3 attempts to get past the first 3 chords! Try as I might, my memory was temporarily completely blank. Luckily, despite a couple of minor memory slips further in the piece, I did manage to get through it end to end.
The feedback
Despite having been far from playing at my best, Graham was able to give me lots of detailed advice. He covered shaping, tempo, voicing, rotation and interpretation. All of this would have been equally spot on if I had played at my best. Therefore, it’s not necessarily about having the most polished performance to be able to benefit.
Graham’s style for giving feedback was very gracious. It was not about what you might be doing ‘wrong’, rather he would start with exploring why you might be making certain choices – and then suggesting alternatives. In fact, this was fully in line with his welcoming speech where he outlined that he did not believe in trying to tell people ‘how’ they should play something.
As an example, Graham questioned my choice of tempo. Rather than telling me I was playing too fast, he first asked if there was any specific reason I had opted for the somewhat hurried pace I had used. I did, in the moment, believe that it was perhaps nerves causing me to rush, but in fact, when I compared the playback with a previous recording I had made for myself, I used a comparable tempo.
I have put together a tutorial on the Prelude largely based on Graham’s advice during the workshop that you can watch here:
In summary, I would highly recommend being brave enough to take up any such opportunity. There is definitely great value to be had from them. The next workshops are scheduled for 12th December. You can get your own ticket on Graham’s Website.
