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…
Tag: Piano Tuition
The Metronome: 5 Tips
Greetings from Melbourne, Australia, where I’m on a book tour. I’ve been intending to publish this post for a while; it’s a recent blog post written for Pianist Magazine’s website focusing on the use of the metronome. Over the years, I have found this device to be extremely helpful in my teaching class and I…
Teaching Observations: Piano Courses For Young Pianists
Over the past few years, several of my younger students have expressed a desire to participate in a summer course, and I’ve always been supportive of what I consider an extremely useful extracurricular activity. Those who have attended have invariably improved their playing, sometimes substantially. The opportunity to play regularly with new or different teachers…
Voicing: 5 Tips
This month’s 5 tips article for Pianist Magazine’s website focuses on voicing. This is a vital role in piano playing and will determine a pianist’s artistry and musical phrasing. I hope the following ideas are beneficial. Voicing, or the highlighting of various musical lines or strands of music, plays a crucial role in good piano…
Teaching Observations: A few thoughts about piano competitions
I’m fortunate to enjoy most aspects of my work. I hesitate to say ‘job’ as being a musician is so much more than that. It’s most definitely a vocation. As expected with any type of work, some parts of my ‘job’ are more interesting than others. Adjudicating, or judging piano competitions, is a favourite element…
The Mature Pianist: Interview
I was recently interviewed about the value and benefit of learning the piano later in life. Many students play as children taking up the hobby again years later, whilst others learn from scratch. Is it a good idea? Can you succeed as an adult learner? Is anyone ever too old to play the piano? Here…
Butterflies: Rami Bar-Niv
Pianist, teacher, and composer Rami Bar-Niv continues his journey into piano technique and today’s post is the fifth in the series for this blog. Many thanks to those of you who’ve written to tell us how much you have been enjoying these articles. The fifth pillar of my five main piano-playing-technique pillars is the butterfly…
Three-Part Webinar for Pianist Magazine
I’ve been contributing articles to Pianist Magazine for over 10 years. During that time I’ve written an elementary ‘How-To-Play’ column—over 60 in total—for each issue and have composed an elementary piano piece—just over 15 so far—as part of the piano score section. I’ve also contributed regularly to Pianist’s blog, writing a series of ‘5-tips’ style posts. It’s been…
Rehearsing Piano Duets and Trios: 5 Tips
My most recent bi-monthly article for Pianist Magazine’s newsletter focuses on ensemble playing. It’s an element enjoyed by almost all pianists and if you’ve yet to experience the fun of playing duets with others, you might like to consider teaming up with a fellow pianist to run through some repertoire. Here are a few rehearsal…
Grabbing: Rami Bar-Niv
The first guest post of the year has been written by pianist, teacher, and composer Rami Bar-Niv. This is the fourth article in his piano technique series for this blog. Here, Rami highlights the importance of the ‘grabbing’ movement as part of developing a secure piano technique. The fourth pillar of my five main piano-playing-technique pillars…
Happy New Year 2024: The ‘Ideal’ Piano Teacher
Happy New Year At the beginning of a new year, it’s natural to take stock and consider our direction in life. I took a trip to Amsterdam for several days just before Christmas. I love my short trips. They provide the chance to get to know a place, soak up the atmosphere, the vibe, the…
Seasons Greetings 2023
Wishing you and your loved ones a very happy, peaceful, and splendid Holiday Season The winter holiday season is upon us once again, and I hope it provides us all with the opportunity to relax, rest, and reflect. This is my final post of the year, and I’d like to thank everyone who takes the…