With the relaxation of government restrictions lessons are once again taking place at our home. If you are a past student and wish to ‘get going’ again, or a new student perhaps wanting to try out piano lessons then kindly call 07834 188918.
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Scarlatti Sonata in A major
Another Scarlatti sonata, this one tranquility itself.
Scarlatti – Sonata in F minor
Domenico Scarlatti wrote 555 pianos sonatas. His birth/death dates were the same as Johan Sebastian Bach (1685-1750.) I love Scarlatti, his sonatas are a constant source of discovery. This one in F minor is a personal favourite.
Mozart – Piano Concerto 23 in A major (K. 488) Adagio
This is the beginning of the Adagio where the piano introduces the main theme. Depending on your view, it is beautiful, sad, contemplative, a mixture of all or something else.
One well-known concert pianist said: I will play this theme for the rest of my life and still not discover all of its depths.
The 50% practice routine
A bit of homespun advice about your piano practice:
Each practice session begin with a scale and arpeggio. Choose a different key each time. Remember to play smoothly, in time and with an even tone – these are the 3 things to look for. I appreciate this is not an attractive task (you can make it attractive and look forward to it.) However it builds strong technique. Exercises are not exactly an attractive proposition but if you want to improve then it’s a habit that needs to be cultivated. Someone once told me that to create a habit it takes 21 days, so try it… so for the next 21 days do your exercises before anything else.
When we play the piano to play we often do 2 things: a) play for pleasure, go over our favourite-of-the-moment pieces, and b) practice new ones. I can’t emphasis enough that if you want to advance and play more challenging and beautiful pieces you must spend at least 50% of your practice time working on new pieces. Call it “the 50% rule” if you like and please try it. At each practice start with exercises, then practice the new pieces, then finish off with the things you love.
Online Piano Lessons
The Coronavirus pandemic makes humans think creatively and in this case offer online piano lessons. Having done some testing we’ve found the best solution for sound and video quality is to use Skype.
One-to-one lessons via Skype are available for existing students. Please contact me if you’d like to keep rolling!
Coronavirus update
Regrettably one-to-one lessons have been suspended until government guidelines indicate it is safe to proceed again. My apologies, c’est la vie.
2019 Adults Social Concert
Thanks to Wayne, Simon, Jessica, Charlotte and Rachel for taking part in this year’s social musical evening. Not to forget Sue and Claire who helped with the teas and cakes!
The evening was a lovely chance to play some pieces in front of other students and to make new friends. It’s always daunting to play in front of an audience, particularly other piano players but everyone played beautifully and confidently. Thanks to all, it was great fun!
Charlotte masters Grade 5!
Congratulations to Charlotte Burman who achieved her Grade 5 piano exam this December. An excellent effort, well done Charlotte!
Looking ahead!
When sight reading or maybe just playing a piece that you know from music, always look ahead. You should be looking at least one bar ahead all the time to anticipate what is coming, the fingering that will be needed, and seeing the structure of the music.
It’s a tough disciple to follow at first but looking ahead will pay huge dividends.