A very happy World Piano Day to all piano lovers around the world. We celebrate today because it’s the eighty-eighth day of the year, corresponding to the piano’s eighty-eight keys. Piano Day provides the perfect opportunity to evaluate why we play the instrument and what makes it the perfect hobby. In my Facebook group, Adult…
Tag: Practising the Piano
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…
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…
Reverse Practice
This article was published in Pianist Magazine’s latest newsletter and is, therefore, in the customary ‘5 Tips’ format which applies to nearly all my articles for Pianist’s website. It highlights a rather unusual practice tool, that of reverse practice. Some may find this unnecessary and irrelevant, but it does help to focus our minds when…
5 Tips for Practising Polyphony
This month’s article for Pianist Magazine’s newsletter focuses on polyphony, also known as counterpoint, or the playing of several different musical lines at the same time. I hope it’s of interest. Contrapuntal or polyphonic music usually consists of several musical lines sounding altogether, or at the same time. This style of music can be complicated…
Rubato
Today’s ‘5 Tips’ post was first published a few weeks ago in Pianist Magazine’s bi-monthly newsletter. It focuses on rubato, which literally means ‘robbed time’. Taking time for musical effect during a piece can be a tricky task for many a student and this article offers some suggestions. I hope it’s of interest. Rubato means…
Preparing A New Piece – 5 Tips Part 3
Today’s post is the third and final installment of a mini-series for Pianist Magazine’s Newsletter: how to approach and learn a new piece. I hope it is of interest. Read Part 1, here, and Part 2, here. In Part 1 and 2 we examined ‘how’ to start learning a new piece. In Part 3, we…
Preparing a new piano piece – Part 2
Today’s article featured in Pianist Magazine’s most recent newsletter. It focuses on basic practice suggestions and ideas for when learning a new piece. This article is part 2 of the process and you can read the Part 1, here. In my last article, Preparing A New Piece – 5 Tips Part 1, I offered several…
5 tips on preparing a new piano piece: Part 1
In the latest Pianist Magazine Newsletter, I focus on preparing a new piano piece. This is a three-part series. Part 1 looks at the periphery and early stages of preparing your piece. When learning a new piece, there are so many considerations. How will you start? Do you like to listen to several performances? Or…
5 Tips For Breath Control
My latest article for Pianist Magazine’s newsletter and online content, focuses on breath control. I hope you find it of interest. Breath control. It might be a topic more closely associated with singing than piano playing, but developing secure breath control can by a most helpful asset, especially for those who regularly perform. Once this…
Melanie Spanswick 