Category: Beginners

Aural Tests: Learn to be a Good Listener

What is exactly is meant when we talk about good musicianship? While your mind may jump to an image of a virtuoso pianist in mid-concert, it is not the playing of the instrument that makes a good musician. Rather, the skills that we come to rely on begin at a very early stage, ideally from…
Sight-Reading: Make every second count

From the moment the examiner places the sight-reading test in front on your music stand, you will have a grand total of 30 seconds to make sense of what is on the page. This may seem like an absurdly short amount of time, particularly for those sitting higher grades where candidates are presented with an…
Improvisation

Though the benefits of improvisation are perhaps not as tangible as those of playing from a score, it is unquestionably one of the best ways to stimulate the musical mind. Many famous composers were gifted improvisers; Mozart, Chopin and in particular Bach to name just a few. A well-rounded musician may improvise in any key and…
Building Piano Technique

What we call technique is the abilities that we have at our disposal to bring our musical ideas to life. It is really a very loose term encompassing the development of hand and bodily movements that will aid the musician. For the pianist, these movements include the strength, flexibility, coordination, independence and control of the…
Pulse

What is it that has us tapping our foot along to a well known tune? How does our foot know when to tap? How do the performers stay in time with each other? What keeps the music pushing on, note by note, no matter who is playing it or what is being played?
Fingering at the Piano

The fingers we choose to play our music with is one of the defining characteristics amongst pianists. Whilst some performers may hate putting their thumb on a black key because of the reduced contact, others may like the enhanced possibilities it opens up for the succeeding notes. Whilst some will spread their hand out to…
Keyboard Geography

The skill of “keyboard geography” is all about navigating the piano with ease and efficiency. It is the natural companion to note reading and has strong ties with fingering, two other major aspects of reading and playing music.
Reading Music: Note Recognition

The first and foremost component of reading music is being able to identify notes on a score. Most piano students will be taught how to identify notes on a score in their first few lessons and will use what they learn for the rest of their performing lives. Below are what I have found to be…
Practising, with Stickers!

Students and parents will often ask me what the right amount of practise is. My answer is always the same: little and often. It is far more beneficial to practise for 15 minutes four days a week than for one hour every week.
Posture at the Piano

Every student should have a basic awareness of what a pianist with good posture should look and play like. Read on to learn how to position your hands, arms, shoulders, legs feet and spine at the piano. The overall posture should tend more towards relaxation than rigidity, so be warned: what follows may not be…