The Piano Primer transition to early repertoire selection

Creative music mentors know innately that NO Primer Package with its sequence of red, blue, and purple levels, A, B, C etc. will meet the needs of most piano students. That's because each pupil is an individual with unique talents, abilities, strengths and weaknesses which demand a flexible, singularized plan of study. By example, my…

Mac, me and Mozart: a continuing 4-hand journey

I haven't mastered the split screen on iMovie 11, but I decided to aim my camcorder at Mac and Steinway to get the same effect. Basically I recorded Primo first and on playback added Secondo to Mozart's final 4-hand movement, Sonata 1, K.318-Allegro Molto. Needless to say, it's valuable to learn both parts when contemplating…

When two hands play a 4-hand Mozart Sonata

Last night, I challenged myself to have a double duo identity. I separately recorded the bass and treble parts of Mozart's Sonata No. 1, K. 318, scored for 4-hands at one piano. Logistics-wise, I had to decide which part to render first as the playback for the other's insertion. But that wasn't fair to either…

Going Solo with the Schubert Fantasie for 4-hands

I found the perfect solution to practicing the Schubert Fantasie in F minor without my duet partner, since she's absent for 6 days of the week. While we rehearse on Thursdays, the piano bench literally shrinks putting us both at risk for hand collisions and body blows. In truth, the pushes and shoves have more…

Piano Lessons: The Joy and Value of playing duets (Fritz, 8, shines in duo)

Most primer instructional materials and those beyond the elementary level integrate duet playing opportunities which are pivotal to pianistic development. They help reinforce a buoyant pulse, and imbue sensitivity to balance between primo (treble) and secondo parts. Naturally, dynamics, nuance and phrasing influence a finessed reading between partners, so the experience becomes one of artistic…