Pierre Tran What is your first memory of the piano? My first memory of the piano is from my childhood. Twice a week, my auntie used to teach Chinese songs to small pupils. I liked to join the group after school whenever I could. I still remember when she was at the piano, I was… Continue reading At the Piano With……Pierre Tran
Category: General
Piano students’ visit to Handel House Museum
The double-manual reproduction Ruckers harpsichord at Handel House Museum (photo: Matthew Hollow) My colleague Lorraine Liyanage (of SE22 Piano School) organised a half-term trip for some of our piano students to Handel House Museum at 25 Brook Street, London W1. This was the home of composer George Frederic Handel from 1723 until his death there… Continue reading Piano students’ visit to Handel House Museum
At the Piano With……David Barton
What is your first memory of the piano? I don’t think I’d really come across the piano seriously until I started school. I was very lucky to go to schools where music was a valued and important part, not just of the curriculum, but of the life of the school. At the infant school I… Continue reading At the Piano With……David Barton
‘Sooner or Later?’ BBC Masterclass
Here is an interesting and informative film of a masterclass I recently attended at the BBC. Presented by pianist and broadcaster David Owen Norris, the masterclass explores how to play with greater expression, emotion and 'poetry'.
James Bond Concert Study
A "study" or "étude" is a short, often considerably difficult, and technically advanced piece designed to help perfect a particular musical skill, such as finger dexterity, octaves, scale passages, balance and tone control, and co-ordination. In the 19th century Fryderyk Chopin elevated the etude from dull student study to concert showpiece, and his Études Op.… Continue reading James Bond Concert Study
At the Piano With……Philip Fowke
The first in an occasional series of interviews with piano teachers - and I am delighted to launch this new series with an interview with acclaimed pianist and teacher Philip Fowke. Philip Fowke What is your first memory of the piano? My first memory of the piano was when my parents bought an upright for… Continue reading At the Piano With……Philip Fowke
Guest post: Digital Pianos – Which Should I Buy?
by Serena Grant Digital pianos provide a more recent and economical alternative to acoustic pianos. Digital pianos tend to much smaller and more portable than acoustic pianos, and are able to reproduce the sound and tone of an acoustic piano. Although this fidelity is never 100%, digital piano sound has improved in the past ten years.… Continue reading Guest post: Digital Pianos – Which Should I Buy?
Guest post: Transposition – a dying art?
by Madelaine Jones We all know the feeling – you’re sat on the stool, anxious before a first rehearsal with a singer. Doubtless you’ll have practised the piece, sorted the fingerings, and on meeting the culprit of your hours of toil, you’ll find them to be a perfectly human, ordinary musical being with whom you… Continue reading Guest post: Transposition – a dying art?
Contemporary piano music
To follow up my recent post on Modern Music, here's a great article by fellow blogger and pianist ClassicalMel on contemporary classical composers and their music: Contemporary piano music?
Opus and Köchel, Fitzpatrick and Deutsch
How music is catalogued To help us identify and organise pieces of music by a particular composer, individual compositions or sets are usually given an "Opus" number. The word "opus" is Latin and means "work" or "work of art". The abbreviation is "Op.", or "Opp." in the plural. The practice of assigning an "opus number"… Continue reading Opus and Köchel, Fitzpatrick and Deutsch
A Piano Teacher Writes... 