I’m almost half way through my work here in Hong Kong and am having a thoroughly lovely time, enjoying the urban vibe and fast pace of life. I will be giving several book presentations after I finish adjudicating, and some readers have asked where and when these will take place, so here are some details:…
Tag: Piano Tips
Selecting & Practising Piano Exam Repertoire: ABRSM Grade 2
Continuing my series on selecting and practising piano exam repertoire, today we move on to ABRSM Grade 2. I’ve chosen three works (one from each of lists A, B & C) which are hopefully complimentary, offering a balanced exam programme, with five practice tips for every piece. As always, selections come from the standard exam…
The Perils of the Glissando
The Glissando seems like a relatively simple piano ‘manoeuvre’. We know it represents the quickest way ‘to glide from one pitch to another’ (according to Wikipedia) and it’s often presented as suggested in the image above. Essentially the fingers ‘slide’ over the keys in order to produce a very swift and even sound, providing plenty…
It’s All In The Preparation 3: 5 Top Tips
This is the third post in my series intended to help those who would like a few tips on how to prepare and practice piano pieces from the very beginning. It can be beneficial to have a strategy, or ‘tried and tested’ method which can be used on a whole range of pieces and genres. The first two posts…
My First Article for Pianist Magazine
Pianist Magazine is the international piano magazine for people who love to play the piano. Published every other month, it’s brimming with piano tips, advice, lessons, interviews, a plethora of complete piano scores (a forty page pull-out), accompanying CD, online tuition, and everything piano lovers want and need to know. I’m delighted to now be…
More Memorising tips
I had some interesting responses to the post I wrote a few days ago dealing with memorisation (which you can read here). It was suggested that I should also focus on what happens when memory fails, that is, a memory slip! Therefore, here are my thoughts on this incredibly stressful event in any pianist’s life….
Melanie Spanswick 