Getting the most from this great hobby!
An old boss of mine had a favourite expression (which he attributed to Einstein). It was ‘the definition of insanity is constantly repeating the same action and expecting a different result’. It was an expression that always made me smile. I still remember the first time it suddenly occurred to me that by this definition...
"Insane Pianist?"Continue reading
I read a comment in an online piano forum some time ago that ‘if you practice with tension, you’ll play with tension’. Whether this was a quote from somewhere or a personal observation, I can’t be sure. However, this really resonated with me as, like many, I’m prone to tension in my playing. Does this...
"How to practice piano without tension?"Continue reading
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. 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 be used ‘in extremis’ (when all else fails). He likens it in fact...
"Emergency Exit for Piansts"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
We are often told that we shouldn’t learn piano music that is too difficult for us aren’t we? However, as adult learners it is advice that we frequently ignore. Personally, I’ve come to the conclusion that, within reason, we should largely please ourselves what we learn. I know that many will start shaking their heads...
"Don’t try to learn piano music that is too difficult"Continue reading
Did the title Lies to Pianists grab your attention? Is it click bait as they say? Well, Lies to Children is an expression I came across in the Terry Pratchett Book ‘The Science of Discworld’. For those of you unfamiliar with it, the basic premise is this: Any explanation of an observed phenomenon which, while...
"Lies to Pianists"Continue reading