Category Archives: blogging

Spot Practicing at the Piano: It’s Quality, not Quantity

Posted on August 22, 2014 by

Some call it “spot cleaning,” I prefer spot “refining” to describe THOUGHTFUL, isolated step-wise measure practicing. Needless to say, a troublesome measure is surrounded by others that lead in and exit out of the problematic center, so it’s not enough … Continue reading →

Posted in blogging, piano blogging, quality piano practicing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Piano Technique: Focusing on Rotation in arpeggios, and building up a scale (Videos)

Posted on May 27, 2012 by

These are two supplementary videos that I created for adult students between lessons. As previously mentioned, they clarify and reinforce the content of our class, and map out ways to practice. I. ROTATION at the turnaround of a B minor … Continue reading →

Posted in adult piano students, arioso7, blog, blogger, blogging, blogging about piano, blogs about piano, Circle of Fifths, classissima, classissima.com, El Cerrito, El Cerrito California, El Cerrito piano lessons, El Cerrito piano studio, finger staccato, fingering and phrasing at the piano, fingering and piano technique, Journey of a Piano Teacher from New York to California, keyboard technique, MTAC, Oberlin, Oberlin Conservatory, pianist, piano, piano blog, piano blogging, piano blogs, piano instruction, piano instructor, piano lesson, piano lessons, piano practicing motivators, piano scales and arpeggios, piano study, piano teacher, piano technique, piano technique and the singing tone, piano warm-ups, Piano World, piano world-wide, pianoaddict.com, playing legato at the piano, playing piano with expression, playing staccato at the piano, playing the piano, playing the piano with long nails, POWHOW, POWHOW instruction, POWHOW piano instruction, POWHOW.com, practicing scales and arpeggios, rotation in piano playing, rotation in piano practicing, whole body listening, whole body music listening, word press, word press.com, wordpress, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Growing piano technique in baby steps: Rina, 5, advances to hands together five-finger positions (adding in 10ths)

Posted on May 10, 2012 by

Rina may not know the words “pentascales” and “tenths,” but she has the intelligence to notice when her fingers move up and down together, playing the same notes an “octave” apart. With a sound knowledge of the music alphabet in … Continue reading →

Posted in "Tales of a Musical Journey" by Irina Gorin, acoustic piano, arioso 7, blog, blogger, blogging, blogging about piano, blogs about piano, children's music, El Cerrito, El Cerrito California, El Cerrito piano instruction, El Cerrito piano studio, emotion in music, fingering and phrasing at the piano, fingering and piano technique, five finger positions at the piano, five finger warm-ups, Irina Gorin, Journal of a Piano Teacher from New York to California, Just Being at the Piano by Mildred Portney-Chase, legato playing at the piano, mental imagery, mindful piano practicing, mindful practicing, molto cantabile, MTAC, MTAC.org, New York City, New York City High School of Performing Arts, Oberlin, Oberlin Conservatory, pentascales, phrasing at the piano, pianist, piano, piano addict, piano blog, piano blogging, piano blogs, piano instruction, piano instructor, piano lesson, piano lessons, piano playing, piano playing and relaxation, piano practicing, piano studio in El Cerrito, piano study, piano teacher, piano teachers, piano teaching, piano world-wide, pianoaddict.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, playing five-finger positions, playing legato at the piano, playing piano, playing staccato, playing staccato at the piano, playing the piano, POWHOW, POWHOW instruction, POWHOW piano instruction, POWHOW.com, practicing a piece in 7 different emotions, practicing arpeggios, practicing piano, practicing piano with relaxation, publishers marketplace, publishersmarketplace, Rina, Rina 4 takes piano lessons, Rina takes piano lessons, rotation in piano playing, scales, shirley kirsten piano teacher in El Cerrito, Shirley Kirsten teaches classes at POWHOW, shirley s kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, Skype a piano lesson to Australia, Skype piano lessons, slow mindful practicing, slow piano practicing, teaching piano to young children, teaching Rina piano, teachinig piano to young children, technique, word press, word press.com, wordpress, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Quality spot-practicing by an adult student: Beethoven’s “Fur Elise” (Video)

Posted on April 14, 2012 by

Marie, a motivated adult student, revisited piano studies after a decades-long hiatus. When she resumed lessons about 6 years ago, she made “Fur Elise” her goal-setting piece. Following long-term scale and arpeggio exposure accompanied by a detailed focus on minuets, … Continue reading →

Posted in "Fur Elise" by Beethoven, acoustic piano, adult piano students, authors den, authorsden, Beethoven, Beethoven Fur Elise, blog, blogger, blogging, blogging about piano, blogs about piano, Chopin Waltz no. 19 in A Minor op. posthumous, Classical era, Classical era piano music, classical music, classical period piano music, Classical period sonata, classissima, classissima.com, classisssima.com, Journal of a Piano Teacher from New York to California, Ludwig Van Beethoven, pianist, piano, piano lessons, piano student, piano studio, piano study, piano teacher, piano teachers, piano teaching, piano teaching repertoire, piano technique, Piano World, piano world-wide, pianoaddict.com, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, playing piano, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, teaching piano, whole body listening, whole body music listening, word press, word press.com, wordpress, wordpress.com, you tube video, yout tube | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Part TWO: Guess what happened on the way to my El Cerrito Piano Studio? (Video)

Posted on April 11, 2012 by

I’m no country bumpkin, but as I departed Bart’s El Cerrito Del Norte station, I felt like one. Last week I ran into a turkey, most likely separated from the pack. And as it daintily climbed up the steps of … Continue reading →

Posted in blog, blogger, blogging, blogging about piano, blogs about piano, El Cerrito piano studio, Journal of a Piano Teacher from New York to California, piano, piano technician, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, taking a walk in El Cerrito, wild turkeys in El Cerrito California, word press, word press.com, wordpress, wordpress.com, you tube video, yout tube | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Part Six Piano Instruction, Beethoven’s “Tempest” Sonata No. 17, Op. 31 No. 2 and all FIVE teaching segments preceding

Posted on April 6, 2012 by

In order from Part One to Six: I. II. III. IV. V. VI. LINKS: Part ONE: Beethoven Tempest Sonata in D minor https://arioso7.wordpress.com/2012/04/01/practicing-tips-for-beethovens-tempest-sonata-op-31-no-2-part-one-video/ Part TWO Instruction https://arioso7.wordpress.com/2012/04/01/piano-instuction-part-two-beethovens-tempest-sonata-hand-cross-over-with-tremolo-in-the-middle-voice/ Part THREE Instruction https://arioso7.wordpress.com/2012/04/03/piano-instruction-part-three-beethoven-tempest-sonata-in-d-minor-op-31-no-2/ Part FOUR Instruction https://arioso7.wordpress.com/2012/04/04/piano-instruction-part-four-beethovens-tempest-sonata-in-d-minor-op-31-no-2-measures-55-93/ Part FIVE Instruction https://arioso7.wordpress.com/2012/04/05/piano-instruction-part-five-beethovens-tempest-sonata-op-31-no-2-measures-93-to-158-development-recitative-submerged-pedal/ PART … Continue reading →

Posted in Bay area piano instruction, Beethoven, Beethoven "Tempest" in Dminor Op. 31 no.2, Beethoven "Tempest" sonata op. 31 no. 2, Beethoven Tempest Sonata first movement, blogger, blogging, blogging about piano, Classical era, Classical era piano music, classical period piano music, Classical period sonata, classissima, classissima.com, classisssima.com, El Cerrito, El Cerrito California, El Cerrito piano instruction, Journal of a Piano Teacher from New York to California, Ludwig Van Beethoven, phrasing at the piano, piano, piano addict, piano blog, piano blogging, piano instructor, piano lesson, piano lessons, piano pedagogy, piano playing, piano playing and breathing, piano playing and phrasing, piano practicing, piano practicing motivators, piano studio in El Cerrito, piano study, piano teacher, piano teachers, piano teaching, piano teaching repertoire, piano technique, piano technique and the singing tone, piano tutorial, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, playing piano, playing piano with crossed hands, playing piano with expression, playing the piano, practicing difficult piano passages, practicing piano, practicing piano passages with rhythms, practicing piano with relaxation, practicing the left hand at the piano, publishers marketplace, publishersmarketplace, publishersmarketplace.com, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, shirley kirsten piano teacher in El Cerrito, shirley s kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, shirley smith kirsten blog, skyped piano lessons, Skyping piano lessons, slow mindful practicing, slow piano practicing, Steinway M, Steinway M grand, talkclassical.com, teaching piano, teaching piano to adult students, teaching piano to adults, teaching piano to children, whole body listening, whole body music listening, word press, word press.com, wordpress, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video, yout tube | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Piano Instruction: Part FIVE, Beethoven’s “Tempest” Sonata, Op. 31 no. 2 Measures 93 to 158 (Development, Recitative, submerged pedal)

Posted on April 5, 2012 by

This is a hauntingly beautiful section of the first movement. After the composer has devoted so many preceding measures to the key of A minor, he decides to travel at quick intervals through a series of different keys. Such fast-paced … Continue reading →

Posted in Beethoven, Beethoven "Tempest" in Dminor Op. 31 no.2, Beethoven Tempest Sonata first movement, blog, blogger, blogging, blogging about piano, Classical era, Classical era piano music, classical music, Classical period sonata, El Cerrito, El Cerrito California, El Cerrito piano instruction, MTAC, musical inspiration, musical phrasing, musical phrasing and breathing, Oberlin, Oberlin Conservatory, pianist, pianists, piano, piano addict, piano blog, piano blogging, piano blogs, piano instruction, piano lesson, piano pedagogy, piano playing, piano studio, piano studio in El Cerrito, piano technique, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, playing piano, playing the piano, playing the piano with a singing tone, practicing piano, Shirley Kirsten blog, shirley kirsten piano teacher in El Cerrito, shirley s kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, shirley smith kirsten blog, slow mindful practicing, supple wrist in piano playing, talkclassical.com, teaching piano, teaching piano to adults, video instruction, word press, word press.com, wordpress, wordpress.com, you tube video, yout tube | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments