About Prelude #2: Published in 1927, the work was first performed by George Gershwin in a concert at the Hotel Roosevelt in New York City. A challenge to play, it doesn’t fit easily under the fingers because of large note spans, and it requires a tasteful amount of tempo rubato of a bluesy, moody character.… Continue reading Piano Instruction: Gershwin Prelude no. 2 in C# minor (Videos)
Category: video piano instruction
The value of sending video supplements to students between piano lessons
Since I'm in the swing of You Tubing, it's not a stretch to whip up post-lesson videos to send to students for mid-week reinforcement. In this instance, one of my new SKYPE pupils will benefit from a video that carefully explores the singing tone, as well as arm, wrist, hand choreography, since these are fundamental… Continue reading The value of sending video supplements to students between piano lessons
Piano Technique: A Bouncy Scale workout with forward arm rolls and supple wrist motions–Enjoy the romp! (Videos)
Scales can be a great workout routine if you let your arms loose, dip your pliant wrists and go with the flow. And it's a great cardio. (No treadmill or weights required) Just apply principles of balance and buoyancy. Here are snatches from an adult student's lesson (Legato and staccato playing with slow motion replays)… Continue reading Piano Technique: A Bouncy Scale workout with forward arm rolls and supple wrist motions–Enjoy the romp! (Videos)
Piano Instruction: Pastorale in D Major, K. 415 by Domenico Scarlatti, a stepwise approach
The Pastorale in D, included in Margery Halford's Scarlatti, An Introduction to his Keyboard Works, poses significant musical challenges. In the technical realm, the composer has a tricky landscape of two-note legato figures as offbeats in the treble, and these are set against bass, dotted quarter rhythms. (This counterpoint is later inverted in the middle… Continue reading Piano Instruction: Pastorale in D Major, K. 415 by Domenico Scarlatti, a stepwise approach
Piano Instruction: Mozart Minuet in F Major, K. 2 (a rolling forward wrist motion aids phrase-shaping) Video
Mozart composed this Minuet when he was 6. Its beautifully crafted melody woos the listener from the very first measure with a curvaceous broken chord springing into graceful quarter notes. A forward wrist motion helps with shaping lines, softening the impact of weaker second and third beats. (The repeated C and Bb in consecutive sequence… Continue reading Piano Instruction: Mozart Minuet in F Major, K. 2 (a rolling forward wrist motion aids phrase-shaping) Video
Piano Instruction, Part FOUR, Beethoven’s “Tempest” Sonata in D minor, Op. 31, No. 2 (measures 55-93)
This tutorial references measure 55 to 93. The composer settles into A minor through these measures and reinforces the A minor tonic to Neapolitan progression. (A minor to Bb Major chord) He elaborates, varies, and introduces a beautiful contrapuntal interplay of voices between treble and bass in measures 69-87. (All in A minor) With a… Continue reading Piano Instruction, Part FOUR, Beethoven’s “Tempest” Sonata in D minor, Op. 31, No. 2 (measures 55-93)
Practicing tips for Beethoven’s “Tempest” Sonata, Op. 31 No. 2, Part ONE: (Video)
Because I found myself rambling on and on about the first page, I decided to compartmentalize the instruction to make it easier to absorb. And since I played the "Tempest" years ago, the surest route to my restoring the piece to a respectable performance level, was to practice it from the ground up in slow… Continue reading Practicing tips for Beethoven’s “Tempest” Sonata, Op. 31 No. 2, Part ONE: (Video)
A video supplement to a Skyped piano lesson (Instruction for Minuet in G minor from Anna Magdalena Bach’s Notebook)
Following today's Skyped lesson to Pennsylvania, I created a video to reinforce instruction pertaining to the "Minuet in G minor" from the Anna Magdalena Bach Collection. This composition is attributed to Christian Petzold. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htm1ez09Qf8 My adult student wanted to study this piece which has challenging Baroque-style phrasing and articulation. During our class time today we… Continue reading A video supplement to a Skyped piano lesson (Instruction for Minuet in G minor from Anna Magdalena Bach’s Notebook)