A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of judging the Pianist magazine Composing Competition. I’ve done this really fun ‘job’ for the past five years alongside my superb colleagues and fellow judges, owner of The Piano Shop Kent, Nigel Scaife, Presto Music’s Product Manager, Matthew Ash, and, of course, Pianist magazine editor, Erica Worth….
Tag: Pianist Magazine
Classic Piano Repertoire: Intermediate level
This article is the second part of a three-post series delving into suitable repertoire intended to develop piano playing at whatever your current level: it was published earlier in the week on Pianist Magazine’s website. Whether your practice is structured so that you are able to tackle the following repertoire altogether, or you decide to…
Classic Piano Repertoire: Elementary Level
I usually focus on practice tips for my bi-monthly Pianist Magazine column (this article was published on Pianist’s website last month) but what we play is just as important as how we practice it. As a teacher, I’ve found that the ‘progression’ of piano music for a student is vital. I teach many younger students…
Singing Ourselves in Time
The following article was first published on Pianist Magazine’s website a few months ago as part of my ongoing ‘5 top tips’ series. Singing. It can be a useful tool for pianists, or any instrumentalist, to help shape phrases, particularly when practising slower cantabile-style nocturnes, where it can encourage us to pay closer attention to…
Going backwards to move forwards
My article for last month’s Pianist Magazine explores this important practice idea. As a general rule, I’m a fan of piano exams or any type of ‘test’ which encourages a student’s progress. Most teachers are delighted when their student gets to grips with a piece or an aspect of their piano playing enabling them to…
Recordings as a useful practice tool: 5 Tips
This article was recently published on Pianist Magazine’s website. Many believe that we shouldn’t listen to recordings of our pieces before we learn to play them mainly because we run the risk of ‘copying’ the artists we are hearing. However, recordings can be of real value during the learning process. Here’s how you can use…
Piano Pedagogy Spotlight: An Interview with Chenyin Li – Part 3
This post is Part 3 of my Piano Pedagogy Spotlight interview series with Chinese concert pianist and piano professor Chenyin Li. In this article, we discuss Chenyin’s performing career. Tell us about your current performing activities. Do you play mostly solo recitals or concerti? Do you have a preference? At the moment I perform mostly…
Piano Pedagogy Spotlight: An Interview with Chenyin Li – Part 2
Today’s post continues the Piano Pedagogy Series with Part 2 of four interviews featuring Chinese concert pianist and teacher Chenyin Li. In this post, we discuss Chenyin’s advanced study, research and her repertoire. You won a full scholarship to study with Tamas Vesmas at the University of Auckland. Tell us about your experience studying in…
Piano Pedagogy Spotlight: An Interview with Chenyin Li – Part 1
I’m continuing the popular ‘Piano Pedagogy Series’ on my blog today featuring the first of four substantial interviews with Chinese concert pianist and teacher Chenyin Li. Chenyin enjoys a busy concert career and, since 2011, has contributed to nearly 90 CDs and dozens of video performances as the exclusive pianist for Pianist Magazine. She is a piano…
Start Playing the Piano: Pianist Magazine
Pianist Magazine publishes several ‘extra issues’ per year and the latest one is out today. I’m writing a little about it as I recently proofread most of the articles: I’ve been proofreading for Pianist for the past couple of years. Intended as a beginners’ handbook, this concise 84-page guide offers a bevy of useful articles…
5 Tips To Help Finger Placement
This article was first published on Pianist Magazine’s website. An aspect of piano playing oft-forgotten by students is the importance of ‘placing’ the finger effectively on the key. This might sound unimportant, strange, or just plain daft! After all, we can all ‘play’ a note or depress a key with our fingers therefore it isn’t…
Performing for Fun: 5 Tips
This article was published last month on Pianist Magazine’s website. Why should we perform? Many of us merely want to play the piano in private just for fun and most crucially, to ourselves. So when someone suggests a possible performance, whether in a formal or informal setting, we can feel terrified. What if we make…