Suite No. 1 is well-grounded in the key of G major, starting with an open tonic chord of G, the D a fifth above and… Continue reading Analyzing Bach’s Prelude from Cello Suite No. 1
Piano Practice Tips
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The Metronome is Your Friend
Back in the days of full-time teaching, my stock phrase “The Metronome Is Your Friend,” delivered brightly and somewhat theatrically, was infallibly met with a… Continue reading The Metronome is Your Friend
Getting off to a Good Start
Flashback to the 1990s: I was hanging around between rounds of a piano competition and overheard a participant asking a judge why she has been… Continue reading Getting off to a Good Start
Learning Chopin: Left Hand Comes First
Back in the 1990’s, I was attending a Master Class of Oxana Yablonskaya – a pianistic powerhouse and Juilliard teacher – and heard her say… Continue reading Learning Chopin: Left Hand Comes First
A Chopin Etude as a Warmup?
Chopin’s Etude Op. 25 No. 1 is great for practicing arm relaxation. However, the entire piece is long and difficult to get through for a… Continue reading A Chopin Etude as a Warmup?
Urtext Editions: A Sound Investment
My very first Russian score of the Well-Tempered Klavier finally disintegrated beyond salvation, the yellowed pages losing corners, crumbling and separating as the binding glue… Continue reading Urtext Editions: A Sound Investment
Making the hardest parts easier: perspective, planning, practice.
When we learn a new piano piece, there is often a particular stretch which gives us the most trouble. It’s usually toward the end, one… Continue reading Making the hardest parts easier: perspective, planning, practice.
Rachmaninov Warm-Up
Today I was practicing one of my favorite pieces by Sergey Rachmaninov – Variations on a Theme by Corelli, Op. 42 – and it occurred… Continue reading Rachmaninov Warm-Up
Score Analysis: Our Key to Understanding
How often do you take the time to look at your sheet music without playing the piece at the same time? To analyze it and… Continue reading Score Analysis: Our Key to Understanding
Bach: The Energy Between the Voices
What is so special about J.S. Bach’s music? For us keyboardists it’s the contrapuntal texture which can be maddeningly difficult yet exhilaratingly uplifting. The synthesis… Continue reading Bach: The Energy Between the Voices
Beethoven Warm-up: Octaves and Broken Chords in Both Hands
Back in my college days I used to start my practice sessions by going over the most difficult parts of the repertoire I was preparing.… Continue reading Beethoven Warm-up: Octaves and Broken Chords in Both Hands
The Tyranny of the 5-finger Position
When I was completing my M.A. in Piano Pedagogy, one of the courses involved a broad survey of existing piano method books. To my dismay,… Continue reading The Tyranny of the 5-finger Position
To Help Your Trill Linger, Skip a Finger!
Trills can be daunting to some of us since it takes years of practice to develop enough finger strength/independence necessary for sustaining a fast trill.… Continue reading To Help Your Trill Linger, Skip a Finger!
Minding your Ps and Qs (Pauses and Quarters)
Here is a tip which will go a long way toward refinement of your playing: let go of single accompaniment notes at the precisely designated… Continue reading Minding your Ps and Qs (Pauses and Quarters)
How To (Really) Read Music
The other day I was playing through Chopin’s Impromtu Op. 29 #1, a piece I memorized and first performed about 20 years ago. The music… Continue reading How To (Really) Read Music
Bach Toccata Exercise
A piano warmup/workout for the 1st and 5th fingers excerpted from Toccata BWV 914 I was playing through Bach’s keyboard Toccata BWV 914 in E… Continue reading Bach Toccata Exercise
The Importance of Rests: Listening to Silence
How often do we pay attention to rests in our music? When beginning to learn about notation and rhythm, we naturally think of the notes… Continue reading The Importance of Rests: Listening to Silence
Fourth Finger Exercise
Here is an excellent exercise from the Russian piano tradition passed down to me from Vladimir Feltsman. It works on our weakest finger, the 4th,… Continue reading Fourth Finger Exercise
How to Avoid A Messy Score
How often does our music look like a mess, with dozens of pencil scribbles which are hard to pay attention to? Instead of marking up a… Continue reading How to Avoid A Messy Score
Using the Pedal For Bach?
Should we ever use the damper pedal in Bach? We all know that using the damper pedal in original Baroque keyboard works is discouraged. The… Continue reading Using the Pedal For Bach?
How to Approach Sight Reading for Yourself or With Your Students
Sight reading is a very important skill which is often neglected during piano lessons and while practicing because of time constraints. It’s way at the… Continue reading How to Approach Sight Reading for Yourself or With Your Students
Listening for the Bass in Chopin
While the melody is the focus in Chopin’s pieces, Vladimir Feltsman often remarked that he isn’t hearing the bass notes when students played for him.… Continue reading Listening for the Bass in Chopin
Warming Up
Here is an exercise Vladimir Feltsman showed us a couple of times at his SUNY New Paltz master classes. It uses all five fingers in… Continue reading Warming Up
Play through faster than at your target tempo
🎹#Piano mantra: know your maximum tempo but perform at a slower, safer one. This was a run-through 2 days before performing – Gigue from Partita… Continue reading Play through faster than at your target tempo
With Chopin, The Left Hand Always Comes First
With Chopin, always learn the left hand first. I heard Nina Svetlanova say that at a master class, and it is absolutely true. To fully… Continue reading With Chopin, The Left Hand Always Comes First