Category Archives: Schumann

Intermediate Level Piano Repertoire: Album for the Young by Robert Schumann

Posted on August 12, 2013 by

I took a musical journey down memory lane yesterday, rekindling scenes of childhood as I read through a set of “old” Romantic era compositions. These weren’t Robert Schumann’s illustrious KINDERSZENEN, but colorful character pieces wrapped into the composer’s Album for … Continue reading →

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Piano Instruction, Don’t wake the “Sleeping Child,” Schumann Kinderszenen, Op. 15 No. 12

Posted on July 4, 2013 by

Often contemplative, lyrical pieces like lullabies, are bigger challenges to play than lightning bolt fast and furious etudes, final sonata movements etc. “Sleeping Child” is its own poster child for fostering relaxed breaths, flowing musical poetry, and bigger energies beyond … Continue reading →

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Piano Technique: Exploring contrasting emotions when practicing a piece (as Daniil Trifonov, pianist, recommended in his videotaped interview)

Posted on February 21, 2012 by

I put into “practice” one of Trifonov’s recommendations, as I mentored a second year piano student this evening. We started the lesson by playing “happy” and then “angry” consecutive staccato thirds. (“Hopping” from Dozen a Day) Eventually after completing our … Continue reading →

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Piano Practicing: Re-doing and Refining

Posted on May 29, 2011 by

Studying piano, playing through the great piano literature, requires revisiting, re-doing and refining our work. This undertaking should not carry a value judgment that what preceded was poor or inadequate. Those adjectives do not belong to the process of learning. … Continue reading →

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Performance Anxiety and the Pianist

Posted on February 6, 2011 by

For too long performance anxiety was a taboo subject, always swept under the rug. I remember grappling with paralyzing jitters during my years at the New York City High School of Performing Arts. My piano teacher at the time, a … Continue reading →

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Patricia Frederick’s text is provided in full where it had some missing parts in the Fritz Blog.

Posted on December 27, 2010 by

Due to margin mechanics problems, part of Patricia Frederick’s text was missing in today’s blog on the Fritz piano, so here are the entire paragraphs which have relevance to the discussion. Patricia Frederick http://www.frederickcollection.org/ “What I particularly like about Viennese actions such as … Continue reading →

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A Player Piano Without a Name

Posted on December 15, 2010 by

“Alice,” the owner of an unidentified player, is seen above. On a sultry Friday morning before a long Memorial Day weekend, I stumbled upon a Fresno Bee ad for a brand-less “piano,” sandwiched among “moving sale” items. The seller’s address … Continue reading →

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