An adult student excels: Chopin Waltz in C# minor, Op. 64, No. 2

I'm beaming from ear to ear, as I showcase Julie's progress by way of a recent lesson collaboration. I say collaboration, because students and teachers learn together and gain insights as they take a common musical journey. Julie happens to be indirectly related to me. That is, her mother studied with concert pianist, Ena Bronstein…

Hand-switching and Chopin (making a piano duet out of a solo)

I did a double take watching footage of yesterday's lesson in the El Cerrito Hills. Seeing two arms, one half-sleeved, and the other firmly wrapped in olive green, made me wonder if an alien from Mars had landed squarely at the piano. Upon closer inspection, the camera had played tricks on me, creating an optical…

El Cerrito “Sushi” cat is a match for Aiden (Videos)

Aiden took the prize for his mini-choreography of Chopin's C# minor Waltz, http://youtu.be/v38sPHrPSP0 but "Sushi" outdistanced him with an impressive break dance routine on the kitchen floor. http://youtu.be/Z76zHeM2Qwk "Sushi," the house cat in El Cerrito, is always on the move--resistant to stay on the grand piano, or to teeter by the bathroom sink. Aiden, however,…

Aiden Cat crashes the piano bench and messes up a video in progress (Chopin’s C# minor Waltz, Op. 64)

It's one thing to invite Aiden onto the piano bench for a front row seat, but it's quite another when he appears out of nowhere, lands beside me, and ruins a recording in progress. Last night Aiden did just that. After he broke into the Chopin C# minor Waltz, he knew he was the lion…

Rolling arm movements and videotaped slow motion replay of Chopin’s Waltz in C# minor, piu mosso section

I demonstrate a swing or roll of the arms to realize the circular flow of the piu mosso section of Chopin's Waltz in C# minor, Op. 64, no 2. At the end, I add slow motion frames. Needless to say a state of relaxation is desirable to achieve Oneness with the piano. Mindful practicing and…