Getting the most from this great hobby!
This might look like a somewhat odd title for an article. Don’t worry, I’m not going to try to introduce you to a ‘walking dead’ equivalent of piano playing. I’ve adapted a borrowed expression ‘Zombie Learners’ to Zombie Pianists to describe an interesting phenomenon. Over the past weeks, I have come across a number of...
"Zombie Pianists"Continue reading
When we discuss sight reading, we are generally taught a very narrow way of thinking about it. Sight reading is taking a piece we have never seen or played before and attempting to produce a (hopefully musical) performance of it on the spot. For many of us, it is a skill that will be judged. ...
"Sight Reading on piano – an additional view"Continue reading
I have come to the conclusion that if you put 2 pianists in the same room, you’ll get 3 opinions! Even on topics as ‘fundamental’ as what is piano technique and how to develop it. We often see things declared as ‘facts’ (such as ‘all great pianists do scales’ or ‘technique must be built using...
"Piano facts or mere opinions?"Continue reading
Heinrich Neuhaus, in his book The Art of Piano Playing, makes a curious statement. This book has informed my approach on how to practise piano effectively significantly. He states that a certain type of piano practice should be viewed as an Emergency Exit for pianists. By this, he explains that it is something that should...
"Emergency Exit for Pianists"Continue reading
My last update on my YouTube journey thus far was back in May 2019. We’re into into January 2021 after a very odd year in 2020. I thought it good to do a YouTube Progress Update as at December 2020. Important Numbers A YouTube channel gets paid a small amount of money whenever an ad...
As I explained in my guide to Recording Piano at Home, I start with a very simple set up. However, it is possible go go further once we gain experience. Recording my playing and creating videos that I can post on social media gives me great pleasure. It’s not that I think my playing is...
"Ideal equipment for recording your piano?"Continue reading
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...
"Are Online Piano Performance Workshops a good idea?"Continue reading
The pandemic has had an immense impact on all ‘live’ events pretty much across the entire world. Some venues have of course changed their operating model somewhat (Wigmore Hall in London is a very good example). However, it does seem that many are awaiting a ‘return to normal’ – rather than re-imagining what ‘live’ could...
"The future of live classical music?"Continue reading
We are often told that listening to recordings is good for piano students. Yet, recently, on one of my favourite Piano Facebook Groups, there was an interesting post. It came from one of the Admins (Rami Bar-Niv). He posted that in his view, one of the most over-used and least useful pieces of advice proffered...
"Is listening to recordings good for piano students?"Continue reading
OK, so it’s a bit click bait I admit. In fact, I’m not saying that we should not memorize piano music. Rather I’m saying that there is no absolute need to have to memorize everything. Often, people are almost bullied into thinking that they will perform less well with the score in front of them. ...
"Why we should NOT memorize piano music"Continue reading