I’ve written about hand flexibility before here on my blog. It’s an important topic for piano students and teachers. So, I thought I’d publish a more in-depth post on this subject. The following article was first published in the most recent edition of Piano Professional, which is the UK piano teachers magazine published by EPTA…
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A few thoughts on publishing houses: a tour of Oxford University Press
I was recently invited to tour Oxford University Press, the renowned publishing house affiliated to Oxford University. The premises of this outstanding company, situated in Oxford on Walton and Great Clarendon Street, is majestic, grand and almost 200 years old: OUP has used three major sites in Oxford city over the course of its history….
Focal Dystonia: Andreas Eggertsberger
I first met Austrian pianist Andreas Eggertsberger in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) last November, when we were both presenting at the UCSI University Piano Pedagogy Conference. I was fortunate to catch Andreas’ fascinating presentation which focused on this little known condition. Injuries are frequently considered a taboo subject for pianists, and tend to be surreptitiously swept…
Play it again: PIANO Book 1
About the Series My four-book piano course, Play it again: PIANO has been written with the ‘returner’ in mind. Book 1 takes pianists back to Grade 1 level of the British music examination board standard. The entire course consists of 97 piano pieces from the Prep Book through to Book 3. Most pieces are drawn…
Top Tips for Practising Octaves
I wrote the following article for the EPTA (European Piano Teachers Association) magazine, Piano Professional, and I hope it may shed some light on this important technical topic. There’s a downloadable PDF with nine suggested practice tips and you can also click the link at the bottom of the article to view the original feature….
Resolving Tension in Piano Playing: Article for EPTA’s Piano Professional
Most of us know that too much tension can ruin piano playing. Reducing this tension usually requires time and lots of work. There are many ways to address the uncomfortable, tight feeling. This feeling often accompanies a fixed and tense disposition at the piano. The following article was originally written for the Piano Professional Magazine, an…
Some thoughts on chordal playing in the Scottish Legend Op. 54 No. 1 by Amy Beach
I love highlighting female composers. Trinity College Exam Board’s Grade 8 syllabus has revealed a gem of a piece by the American pianist and composer Amy Beach. Beach (1867-1944) was the first successful American female composer of large-scale art music. Most of her compositions and performances appeared under the name of Mrs. H.H.A. Beach. A…
Rhythmic Precision in the First Movement of Beethoven’s Sonata in C Minor Op. 10 No. 1
Beethoven’s thirty-two piano sonatas are a musical autobiography, charting the composer’s development from a young man up to his death in 1827. The early sonatas are more typical of the traditional classical style. They are akin to those written by Mozart and Haydn. The last six sonatas are possibly the greatest in this genre ever written for…
A few thoughts on Chopin’s Nocturne No. 20 in C Sharp Minor Op. Posth.
Frédéric Chopin’s nocturnes offer a rich array of depth and emotion for both the pianist and listener. Written between 1827 and 1846, they consist of 21 short pieces. It’s generally acknowledged that the genre was developed by the Irish composer John Field. Chopin expanded on this original conception. He produced what are often considered to…
Celebrating the Left Hand
Many students have ongoing problems regarding their left hand. These difficulties may include inability to read the bass clef properly, weaker fingers, or just lack of co-ordination and movement. A languid left hand can be caused by so many culprits, so in this post I thought it a good idea to examine the reasons why…
Why is Grade 5 Theory important?
In this post I examine the importance of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music’s Grade 5 theory exam. The Grade 5 theory exam is significant to pupils because once a Grade 5 instrumental practical exam has been achieved it’s not possible to take a further graded instrumental exam until you have passed…
The healing powers of music: repairing brain damage
Music is often used for healing purposes; from relaxation to recovering from cancer. According to science, music can have a powerful effect on repairing brain damage. Patients with left-sided brain damage who can no longer speak can find they are able to sing words, often without any difficulty or training. Melodic intonation therapy, or singing…