Getting the most from this great hobby!
We’re all familiar with the expression ‘muscle memory’ – yet what exactly is muscle memory? We pianists so often rely on this phenomenon that we should probably understand properly what it is don’t you think? The expression muscle memory is generally used in the context of piano playing when it seems that our fingers seem able...
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Volume 3 of my free eBook Series on recording your piano playing is now available. You’ll see a whole series of articles on this website about this – all of which link to YouTube videos. However, I felt that for those who weren’t so used to manipulating unfamiliar software, it would be worth doing something...
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Do you consciously think about how your hands move in and out at the keyboard. That is how they move towards and away from the fallboard when you play piano. Naturally, to an extent, we all use this in and out movement. However, I realised that by focussing on it, I was able to overcome...
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I’m sure that like me, many classically trained pianists also really enjoy other kinds of music. However, we don’t often really learn to play this type of music as we’re very busy keeping up with our classical pieces. However, there are ways of approaching popular music for the classically trained pianist that can make it...
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What do I mean by supplement slow piano practice? One thing I have discovered since coming back to piano is that there are literally hundreds of different ways to practice. Unfortunately, all too often the only advice that gets shared on many social media sites is ‘slow it right down’. I don’t think anybody would...
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I was recently asked how to play piano duets with yourself. Of course, as well as playing piano duets with yourself, you can also create great recordings to share on social media of both parts together! To do this, you’ll need to be familiar with how to record your own piano playing. Much of the...
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To Hanon, or not to Hanon – that is the question! Do Hanon exercises provide the biggest bang for your buck? The traditional approach Some insist that Technical Exercises like Hanon are vital whereas others even go as far as to say they are most likely dangerous. To make things worse, proponents of both sides...
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I participate in a few online groups that bring amateur pianists together on places such as Facebook and Reddit. One question that is constantly raised is around whether or not it’s necessary to memorise your piano pieces. I quite often read the debates with a little smile on my face. You’ll see every opinion from...
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Can you teach yourself piano? Lots of people for a variety of reasons try it. However, is this even possible? Horowitz famously said that the piano is the easiest instrument to play in the beginning and the hardest to master in the end. Equally famously, Richter was self-taught until his twenties – and even afterwards his...
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There is lots of debate as to a classical pianist can learn on a digital piano. Many say you really need an acoustic. However, I think this is the wrong question to ask. Rather, we need to ask ‘what piano will actually work for me’. Anything is better than nothing I’ve noticed that people are...
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