There is a story I read (can’t remember which book) where some famous pianist/composer sent Beethoven a letter asking him about dynamic markings for a piano piece. He received no answer so he wrote again and again a 3rd time. Finally Ludwig answered him scathingly with words to the effect of “Do you think I’m…Continue reading Beethoven on dynamic markings
Swing Analyzed
From: New Scientist vol 168 issue 2270 – 23 December 2000, page 48 “It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing. But what is swing? Whenthe musical West Side Story opened in London in 1958 the producers had a real problem. They didn’t know who should occupy the drum stool. Leonard Bernstein’s score was…Continue reading Swing Analyzed
Performance Anxiety
Different people respond differently to stress as we all know. Some thrive while others worry, deflate… One thing we all have in common however, is the we all need to breath to stay alive. As simple as it may sound, ‘don’t forget to breath’! You have probably heard it from lots of people. Here are…Continue reading Performance Anxiety
Sight Reading
Don’t look at your hands: keep your eyes on the music. If you have to look, glance with your eyes, but don’t move your head. Learn to look one beat ahead: quickly memorize each beat before you play it so that you can already be looking ahead while you are playing. As you get better,…Continue reading Sight Reading
Melody Phrasing For Piano
One of the goals during piano lessons is to discover and illuminate the hidden threads of musical structure in pieces. Adjustments are a matter of discovering the emotional content of each phrase, carefully shaping the dynamic while following the logical progression of a line—becoming aware of where it started and where it ended. Thus what…Continue reading Melody Phrasing For Piano