Today’s ‘Tricky Corner’ examines those pesky fourth and fifth fingers in chords. A student recently studied the ‘Praeludium’ from Ludas Tonalis by Hindemith. This delightfully contemplative piece presents a few technical challenges, not least the opening introduction, which must sound improvisatory, and the subsequent Moderato passage (from bar 4), with its copious demisemiquaver figurations. None…
Category: Melanie Spanswick
RSL Classical Piano Exams
It’s generally acknowledged that the UK music exam landscape is dominated by three major examination boards; ABRSM (The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music), Trinity College London, and the London College of Music Exams. These organisations have been around for many years and have garnered quite a following. Therefore a new exam board…
A Master Class with Freddy Kempf
It’s time for a masterclass and today’s offering was recorded at the Royal College of Music in London during October 2020. Taking place in the RCM’s Performance Hall, the class was given by renowned British-born pianist Freddy Kempf, who worked with two young RCM students, Nataly Ganina and Kirill Zheleznov. They played Chopin’s Scherzo No….
Repertoire Selection: 5 Tips
My most recent newsletter article for Pianist Magazine focuses on repertoire selection, which is an important topic for many a piano student, and it’s especially pertinent at the beginning of a new year. Piano students occasionally struggle to find appropriate repertoire. And by ‘appropriate’ I mean piano works, which whilst challenging and fun to learn,…
Is the future online?
A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY I hope you had an enjoyable Christmas and you were able to see loved ones during this lockdown period. There’s no doubt that 2020 will go down in history as one of the most catastrophic episodes of our lifetime – possibly of the century. We…
Happy Holidays
At the end of this unprecedented year, I would like to wish you and your family a happy, restful and peaceful holiday period. Thank you for reading and commenting on my blog posts. Your continued support is always much appreciated. I also want to thank all my guest writers who have taken the time to…
Pianists From The Past: Sergei Rachmaninov written by Robin Zebaida
My Pianists From The Past series continues featuring the great Russian pianist and composer Sergei Rachmaninov. Today’s article has been penned by British concert pianist, teacher and broadcaster Robin Zebaida. Aspects of Rachmaninov the pianist Although I first became familiar with Rachmaninov’s recordings in my mid-teens while studying his Preludes, I can precisely date to…
Tricky Corners: The Opening Phrase
I’ve been working with a student on Franz Joseph Haydn’s beautiful Sonata in E flat major Hob 52. Haydn’s final piano sonata was written in 1794, and it’s full of joie de vivre, a characteristic synonymous with Haydn’s music. Set in my favourite key, this work exudes warmth, colour, and a quite different harmonic and…
Ornaments: 5 Practice Tips
My most recent article for Pianist Magazine’s newsletter features ornaments. An aspect of piano playing which can be extremely tricky to implement is the inclusion of ornaments. An ornament is an embellishment or a ‘decorative’ added note pattern, in other words, notes which are not intrinsic to the overall structure of a piece. They appear…
TIPA Live Show
Last week I wrote about the Tokyo International Piano Association (you can read this blog post, here), and this week I would like to continue with a little information about the new TIPA Live Show which will be taking place each month, hosted by TIPA’s artistic director, Aisa Ijiri. Japanese pianist Aisa will interview a…
Tokyo International Piano Association (TIPA)
I’m extremely honoured to be on the faculty of this inspiring and versatile association, and, in today’s blog post, I would like to share a little more information about its achievements, aims and aspirations. The Tokyo International Piano Association (TIPA) was founded in 2016 by Japanese concert pianist and Artistic Director Aisa Ijiri. Aisa’s dream…
Developing the Fourth and Fifth Finger
My most recent piano technique feature article for Piano Professional, which is the European Piano Teachers Association’s primary UK publication, focuses on a host of different ways to help students become aware, and start using (albeit carefully), their fourth and fifth fingers. I hope it’s of interest. In my last article, I discussed the importance…