Motivation

Piano Pains

2022-10-29T15:39:00+01:00

I have been playing the Piano with S & C Music Center in Dubai since June 2019 and have been very consistent and, other than holidays, have not taken any significant breaks. Even when I broke my finger on my left hand, Stefan made me practice using only my other " you can get even better on the right hand", always the positive thinker! However, due to work commitments earlier this year, I had a hiatus from playing the piano for almost four months as I had to leave my piano back in the UK and couldn't play until I got [...]

Piano Pains2022-10-29T15:39:00+01:00

Coping With Stress In Practising/Performing

2022-10-31T12:57:37+00:00

With this article, I would like to share a few things that I found extremely helpful over the years- when it comes to coping with stress. Performing and practising can be highly demanding, and synchronising everyday life with the discipline of piano playing can be a true challenge. It is important to distinguish different types of stress in different fields of music making, so I will focus mainly on the quality of practice time as that is a good base for any further topic. The difficulty in maintaining a quality practice session stems from several aspects… the amount of work that [...]

Coping With Stress In Practising/Performing2022-10-31T12:57:37+00:00

Practising Piano Techniques – Part 2

2022-08-30T20:37:26+01:00

Hello again and welcome to part 2 of practising techniques! If you haven’t already checked out part 1, please do so as I shared some of the practising principles that I find super important. We covered the essence of concepts like searching, listening, identifying the problems and repetition. All of these concepts are somehow a core of practising any instrument. What I would like to further focus on is again both practical advice as well as a general concept. 5. Physical Awareness I find that physical awareness is often overlooked as a concept. Maybe more so with teaching children as they [...]

Practising Piano Techniques – Part 22022-08-30T20:37:26+01:00

Practising Piano Techniques Part 1 

2022-08-30T20:36:33+01:00

Practising is a highly sensitive topic. In my experience as a teacher and a performer - there are thousands of ways to do something on our instrument. Finding those shortcuts that make everything efficient and better,  with true clarity that can later turn into a method - proves to be a challenge. Let’s first examine a little bit what practising is. When we say “I have to practise “ - we already automated the action, I have to be by the piano (or any other instrument) and do some work. I find that some essential understanding of what work needs to [...]

Practising Piano Techniques Part 1 2022-08-30T20:36:33+01:00

Why Scales?

2022-03-30T13:30:40+01:00

Scales can be seen as a tedious task by many people who choose to study the piano but without them your technique and knowledge will never reach its full potential and no one wants to be held back! I get asked frequently by students ‘why do I have to play scales?’ ‘What do they even do that benefit me?’ I usually struggle to find one short answer when this happens because there’s a whole list of reasons I could dive into…. And I do. The main reason for practicing your scales is to build up your finger technique. If you take [...]

Why Scales?2022-03-30T13:30:40+01:00

Joy of improvising and 7 day challenge!

2022-01-19T21:33:36+00:00

Improvising on piano - Part 2 Hello music lovers! In part 1 of this article, I wrote about the importance of composing and improvising on piano. If you haven’t yet - check it out. We discussed the very beginnings of structured improvisation. It is easy and anyone can do it. It might not be the most comfortable at first but it is definitely beneficial, fun and progressively better the more we do it! I suggested that the first steps of structured improvisation could be through imitation of what we hear and variation of some of the components in that material. In [...]

Joy of improvising and 7 day challenge!2022-01-19T21:33:36+00:00

Importance of improvisation & composing in musical development

2022-01-19T21:41:20+00:00

Improvising on piano - Part 1 When we mention improvisation and composing to an averagely educated instrumentalist, both of these concepts sound scary, to say the least. The problem with music education is that it focuses on the bare minimum so to say: it provides music literacy and basic knowledge of playing a specific instrument. It takes a long time to become a healthy-sounding performer- so it is no wonder that this is the case. When we combine other activities in life; obligatory education, homework, commitments of all sorts - practising the piano every day seems plenty as it is. The [...]

Importance of improvisation & composing in musical development2022-01-19T21:41:20+00:00

The bridge between classical and jazz piano

2021-10-18T15:47:12+01:00

I am a classically trained pianist who was invited to perform at the Montreux Jazz Festival and decided to move to jazz soon after this unique experience. I was 23 years old and had finished my piano studies in Paris before travelling to Switzerland to hone my skills. I was preparing for a number of international piano competitions when I realised I had reached a plateau. Finding performing chances was difficult, and I wasn't sure which door to open next. I was still rehearsing various pieces of classical repertoire on a regular basis, but I didn't have anything to look forward [...]

The bridge between classical and jazz piano2021-10-18T15:47:12+01:00

The fear of failure is the primary reason why adults do not begin learning to play the piano.

2021-10-11T14:26:52+01:00

When I meet new people in different contexts, I am frequently asked what I do for a living. People are often amazed and envious when I tell them I am a pianist. “I wish I could play a musical instrument!” I frequently hear. It's amazing to meet so many people who want to play the piano but don't take the necessary steps to make their desire a reality! I am always astounded when individuals tell me how much they want to do something but do nothing to make it happen. I understand that it is not always simple to make our [...]

The fear of failure is the primary reason why adults do not begin learning to play the piano.2021-10-11T14:26:52+01:00

Why I love teaching adult amateur pianists

2021-10-02T09:14:46+01:00

I enjoy teaching adult amateur pianists for a variety of reasons, but the major one is that they have a passion and love for the instrument that I have rarely seen in professional pianists. Professional pianists, of course, adore the piano; otherwise, they would not have chosen to spend their lives playing it, but the level of perfection necessary can sometimes turn the situation around. To defend your title as a concert pianist, you must ensure that each performance is flawless and that each note is played in a precise manner to ensure the overall beauty of your interpretation. Technical and [...]

Why I love teaching adult amateur pianists2021-10-02T09:14:46+01:00

Title

Go to Top