Getting the most from this great hobby!
Do you ever feel that, despite practising each day and working hard to improve, if asked to ‘play something’ we’re often at a loss? Sure, we have learned lots of things, but how many of them remain at a ‘performance standard’? In reality, for me at least, very few. So, how do we maintain old...
"How to maintain old repertoire"Continue reading
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...
"What exactly is Muscle Memory?"Continue reading
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...
"Fix technical problems with the in and out movement!"Continue reading
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...
"Popular music for the classically trained pianist"Continue reading
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...
"Supplement slow piano practice"Continue reading
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...
"Are Hanon exercises good bang for your buck?"Continue reading
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...
"Must you memorise your piano pieces"Continue reading
Working out which fingers to use on piano is a very necessary skill for pianists at all levels. Many of us rely predominantly on fingerings given in the music we buy. However, these don’t necessarily always work well – especially if you have smaller hands. Therefore, we need to understand the Art of Piano Fingering. I’m...
"The Art of Piano Fingering by Rami Bar Niv – Review"Continue reading
As we discussed in this post, being able to quickly recognise chords will dramatically improve your sight reading and make memorising much simpler – and that’s just for starters. It also improves your general appreciation of theory and harmony … almost by osmosis … and even helps enormously if you want to play by ear. However,...
"Mastering chords for classical pianists"Continue reading
Do you ever wonder if your Piano Practice is as effective as it might be? If you’d have asked me last week whether I practiced effectively, I’d probably have quite proudly answered ‘oh yes’. And I’d have really believed it. Why my practice should be good First, I have a very well defined planned...
"Piano practice game changer – record what you’re doing"Continue reading
