As 2022 comes to a close it’s only natural to reflect on the past twelve months. When I started this blog nearly eleven years ago, I never dreamt that it would still be popular today. Over the years, it has been a useful way to observe and log my ever-changing piano practice and teaching ideas as well as offering a platform to others enabling them to share their views and experiences. I feel grateful and humbled by just how many of you enjoy tuning in each week to read my thoughts as well as those of my friends and colleagues, who have all been so kind as to write interesting guest posts and articles.
Perhaps some may have noticed that my focus has always been primarily as an author, writing piano publications, as opposed to a blogger. This year those efforts have been rewarded; last week my latest three-book series, Women Composers – A Graded Anthology For Piano (Schott) won a Presto Music Award for best ‘New Series Of The Year’. It was an exciting moment, not just for me but also for my publisher Schott Music, and I want to thank the whole Schott team for their commitment and belief in my work. But I really want to thank YOU. Many of you have purchased these books (quite a few thousand of you, in fact) and you have been most generous in your comments about them, which I have really appreciated.
Here are the top five ‘most read’ posts on my blog this year, in the following categories:
Most Popular Guest Posts:
- Chord Playing and Improvising 2 by Christopher Norton
- Andreas Eggertsberger speaks out about Focal Dystonia
- Pianists From The Past – Teresa Carreño by Clara Rodriguez
- Harpsichord Basics by Katharine May
- Pianists From The Past – Benno Moiseiwitsch by Daniel Grimwood
Most Popular General Music Posts:
- Why is Grade 5 Theory so important?
- Women Composers – A Graded Anthology For Piano
- Queen Elizabeth II and the Ghosts of Windsor Castle
- The healing powers of music: repairing brain damage
- 70 Years and the Queen’s Pianos
Most Popular Piano Practice Posts:
- A few thoughts on Chopin’s Nocturne No. 20 in C sharp minor Op. Posth.
- 9 Top Tips for practising octaves
- Selecting a piano diploma programme
- Sweet Dreams by P I Tchaikovsky
- Resolving tension in piano playing
Some of these articles have been published recently whilst others are old favourites; A few thoughts on Chopin’s Nocturne No. 20 in C sharp minor Op. Posth. has been in the number one spot for the past five years and is my most viewed of all time!
I hope you enjoy revisiting these blog posts and a sincere ‘thank you’ for reading them and for supporting my work.
Publications
Melanie Spanswick has written and published a wide range of courses, anthologies, examination syllabuses, and text books, including Play it again: PIANO (published by Schott Music). This best-selling graded, progressive piano course contains a large selection of repertoire featuring a huge array of styles and genres, with copious practice tips and suggestions for every piece.
For more information, please visit the publications page, here.
Melanie Spanswick 