Piano practice tips

How to Play Polyrhythms at the Piano: From 3 Against 2 to Chopin’s Most Complex Rhythmic Writing

2026-10-14T11:07:18+01:00

Polyrhythms are among the most distinctive features of Romantic piano music. They occur when two different rhythmic groupings are played simultaneously, such as three notes against two, four against three, five against four, or seven against four. On paper, these combinations can look mathematical and intimidating. At the piano, however, the ultimate goal is almost the opposite: a successful polyrhythm should sound natural, flexible and expressive rather than calculated. Frédéric Chopin provides some of the finest examples of this kind of writing. In works such as the Barcarolle in F-sharp major, Op. 60, the nocturnes and the fantasies, rhythmic complexity is [...]

How to Play Polyrhythms at the Piano: From 3 Against 2 to Chopin’s Most Complex Rhythmic Writing2026-10-14T11:07:18+01:00

What to Do When You Hit a Learning Plateau on the Piano

2026-10-04T08:56:00+01:00

Learning the piano as an adult feels incredibly rewarding when you have the progress to show for it. But what about when you are not making progress at all? If you have been practising consistently, playing harder pieces that once seemed impossible, yet suddenly your playing has stopped improving, it might be a learning plateau. But just because your progress is not obvious does not mean you have reached your limit. Progress is not linear, and you may be improving in ways that are not immediately visible. So, what is the difference? Slow progress means your results [...]

What to Do When You Hit a Learning Plateau on the Piano2026-10-04T08:56:00+01:00

7 Qualities That Make a Pianist Sound Professional

2026-08-17T10:05:21+01:00

Have you ever listened to a piano performance so captivating that you could only dream of reaching that level? What is it that makes one pianist sound undeniably more professional than another? To state the obvious, the more skilled you become at the piano, the better you are likely to sound. However, even as your technical ability improves, your performances may still sound fundamentally the same, only with more complex notes and melodies. Developing technical skills alone is not enough. There are several crucial qualities that contribute to a polished, expressive and convincing performance. Professional playing is about far more than [...]

7 Qualities That Make a Pianist Sound Professional2026-08-17T10:05:21+01:00

How to Build Confidence When Performing in Front of Others

2026-08-03T13:20:28+01:00

Recently many students have reflected, “I can play those pieces perfectly at home, but it's awful when I play in front of you.” As a piano teacher, I hear this almost every week. Students often leave the lesson feeling frustrated, believing that they have suddenly becoame a worse pianist simply because someone was listening. In reality, this experience is not a sign that you cannot play the piece. Instead, it is a completely natural part of learning to perform. The first step towards building confidence is to change how we interpret these moments. Rather than seeing them as failures, we should [...]

How to Build Confidence When Performing in Front of Others2026-08-03T13:20:28+01:00
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