Getting the most from this great hobby!
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...
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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...
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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...
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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. ...
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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...
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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...
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We’re all familiar with hearing how certain pianists have a fantastic ‘tone’ at the piano. We’ve all probably read numerous articles telling us how we need to concentrate on ‘tone production’ at the piano. However, how often is it even clear how we should do that? What is more important, training the fingers or training...
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I have come to the conclusion that The Art of Piano Playing by Heinrich Neuhaus is essential reading for pianists. At the time of writing, most of the world is in lockdown so what better time to further our piano studies. It was first published in the UK in 1973 and has been reprinted many...
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Neuhaus, in his book ‘The Art of Piano Playing’ tells us we need to ‘let the water boil’. He suggests that the most effective way to master something or to fix a problem is to simply work at it without stopping until it is as we want. He makes a comparison to boiling water. Paraphrasing...
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There are lots of discussions about people being naturally talented or having an ‘ear’ for music. So, is there some innate ability that you need to have in order to be able to learn? Do we need to ask the question ‘Am I talented enough to learn piano?’ Certainly, in every area of life, there...
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