I'm open to a panoply of ideas about teaching piano, and I've often integrated a variety of mentoring approaches based on feedback from colleagues. The latest discussion that caught my attention, centered on "counting beats" in the early learning stages of a new composition. For some the notion of oral "counting" at all in the… Continue reading Piano Study: Does counting out beats have to be robotic? (Videos)
Tag: Mozart
Practicing a Mozart Andante movement, using a “singing pulse”
Murray Perahia clarified the "singing pulse" when he discussed a form of rubato, or flexible time that he believed could apply to Classical era repertoire. In an interview conducted by Sir Dennis Forman in the 1980s, the pianist, known as a formidable musical poet of his generation, discussed the Mozart Concerto No. 21 in C,… Continue reading Practicing a Mozart Andante movement, using a “singing pulse”
Piano Instruction, Mozart Sonata in Bb, K. 281 (first movement)
I explore the Exposition, movement 1, Allegro, and ways to practice within a slow tempo frame: http://youtu.be/JVCnRx5aDz4 Play Through: http://youtu.be/Rgx-AG34iW0 LINK: The Most Reviled Scale https://arioso7.wordpress.com/2011/02/25/the-most-reviled-scale-for-piano-players/
Haide Lin, the Cultural Revolution, and Violin-making (but don’t forget the piano!)
Don't worry. This blog hasn't been transformed into a Violin Journey. It's only a side-trip to a universe that I knew before immersing myself in the piano. In fact, this signature piece, re-recorded for the nth time last night, is a reminder that my heart sings without a bow and four strings. http://youtu.be/MWk0qSO_Lvg Having pardoned… Continue reading Haide Lin, the Cultural Revolution, and Violin-making (but don’t forget the piano!)
Piano Practicing: Breathing into phrases and blocking out passages (Mozart Sonata, example)
I've picked the first two pages of Mozart's Sonata in Bb Major, K. 281, last movement, Rondeau, Allegro to explore breathing and blocking techniques in the learning process. (These principles can be applied to practicing music from a variety of eras) Starting a composition is often taken for granted. Sometimes students will land on a… Continue reading Piano Practicing: Breathing into phrases and blocking out passages (Mozart Sonata, example)
Mozart at dusk and daybreak (evading the wrath of neighbors)
I hadn't realized I violated curfew as I recorded the first half of Mozart's G Major Sonata, K. 283 (Presto) on Mac21 last night starting at dusk. Here in my Berkeley apartment complex, washing machines, dryers, and all music must cease at 10 p.m. meaning my video/audio track had ostensibly gone down the drain in… Continue reading Mozart at dusk and daybreak (evading the wrath of neighbors)
Piano Instruction: Mozart Minuet in F, K. 2
Play Through http://youtu.be/9s0QiDNd24o Such delightful music sprang from an inspired little Mozart who at age 6, composed this Minuet in F. His father, Leopold, "notated his son's pieces in a notebook recording the exact date of almost every composition." (K. 2 was born in 1762) A musical gem that's intrinsically vocal, requires the player to… Continue reading Piano Instruction: Mozart Minuet in F, K. 2
Mozart Rondo Alla Turca, K. 331 updated, with instruction
Ear Training and Transposing are intrinsic to piano lessons (examples from an Adult lesson in progress)
It's not easy to plan a one hour piano lesson to include ear training, solfege and transposing. (They belong together, bundled with Theory, and enrich the learning environment) At the Oberlin Conservatory, Theory, Keyboard Harmony, and Eurhythmics were taught separately. Our piano teachers (applied study) adhered to their rigid routine, rarely fitting solfege, sight-reading, improvising,… Continue reading Ear Training and Transposing are intrinsic to piano lessons (examples from an Adult lesson in progress)
Piano playing at its most inspirational level
Divine music-making from a seasoned pianist in a memorable retrospective
Arioso7's Blog (Shirley Kirsten) 