Pianists are expected to perform on stage without music. It's a controversial area worth probing.
Category: classissima
The C Major Scale universe: metric and muscle memory; shaping and tapering
The C Major scale is more than meets the "I," if you're the one practicing it!
A Well-known Haydn Piano Sonata is pinned!
I don't mean to inject pins into this post, but it amply introduces Haydn's vibrant Sonata no. 35 in C Major. Yesterday, as I diligently embarked upon learning this masterpiece, I had to deal with basic housekeeping matters: How to practice the pages-long first movement without breaks in continuity? My short-term solution: http://youtu.be/g7vP3mqg8WM Harpsichordist, *Elaine… Continue reading A Well-known Haydn Piano Sonata is pinned!
Piano Technique: Sports analogies weave in and out of Five-Finger positions (Videos)
Piano warm-ups are filled with vibrant, athletic energy!
Mozart is a Challenge in any shape, size or form
Tips on learning a Mozart gem!
A Love Story Woven on a Chopin Canvas
A few years ago, I received a telling message through my Authors Den website. John Bidwell, a spirited short story writer and poet, shared more than a literary connection with me. He waxed poetic about his late mother and father, Eleanor and David, who were pianists and 1950's classmates at Oberlin. (my alma mater) A… Continue reading A Love Story Woven on a Chopin Canvas
Piano Instruction: Suggested ways to practice Mozart Rondo: Allegretto, K. 545 in C Major
Having been through years of practicing and teaching this Mozart Alegretto, I have a few epiphanies that might benefit others. In the attached video, I assert that the opening Rondo motif with its lively thirds should not spill into an emphasized downbeat but rather a lifted one. This applies to the overlapping Left Hand as… Continue reading Piano Instruction: Suggested ways to practice Mozart Rondo: Allegretto, K. 545 in C Major
Adult Piano Student Themes and Issues
Thoughts about the adults I so dearly teach...
A Skype piano lesson-in-progress bundled with technique and Romantic era phrasing
Despite the imperfection of the media environment, there's intrinsic musical and pedagogical value in web-cam-driven piano lessons.
My Favorite J.S. Bach Little Preludes
I've been practicing a slew of them at the instigation of a go-getter Skype student who sends these in droves. It means I have to set everything aside and dive in, to keep up with the turnover. I had one other adult student who rivaled the importer of Baroque beauties. She loved Chopin so much,… Continue reading My Favorite J.S. Bach Little Preludes
Arioso7's Blog (Shirley Kirsten) 