Piano technique

How to Play Piano by Ear: Developing Your Listening Skills

2024-09-04T16:58:23+01:00

Learning to play the piano by ear is a valuable skill that can enhance your musical abilities, allowing you to play songs without relying on sheet music.While some musicians are naturally gifted with the ability to pick up tunes by ear, this skill can be developed and honed with practice and dedication.In this article, we'll explore the steps and strategies you can use to start playing the piano by ear, helping you develop a deeper connection with music and increasing your overall musicianship.1. Understanding What It Means to Play by EarPlaying by ear involves listening to a piece of music and [...]

How to Play Piano by Ear: Developing Your Listening Skills2024-09-04T16:58:23+01:00

Back to Basics with Your Piano Playing!

2024-06-24T16:45:05+01:00

As a pianist, whether you're a novice or a seasoned professional, it's essential to revisit the fundamental skills and techniques that underpin your playing. Take a step back and get back to basics with your piano playing—it's the perfect way to revitalise your practice and take your playing to new heights! Why Go Back to Basics? Even experienced pianists can benefit from going back to basics. Revisiting fundamental skills and techniques offers a multitude of advantages, ensuring continuous growth and development as a musician: Refine Your Technique and Eliminate Bad Habits Over time, even seasoned pianists can develop subtle bad [...]

Back to Basics with Your Piano Playing!2024-06-24T16:45:05+01:00

Interview with Xinyue – Oct 2023

2023-10-19T12:32:37+01:00

About Xinyue Xinyue, a renowned classical piano teacher at London Piano Institute, brings over a decade of experience, remarkable skills, and awards to inspire students. Stefan Joubert: When did you start playing the piano and why? Xinyue: I started playing the piano at the age of 4. My parents quickly noticed my fascination with the piano. They saw that I had an ear for music and an unusual sense of rhythm for my age. They decided to nurture my budding talent by enrolling me in piano lessons. Stefan Joubert: What is your worst memory as a piano student? Xinyue: It [...]

Interview with Xinyue – Oct 20232023-10-19T12:32:37+01:00

Interview with Xinyue – Aug 2023

2023-08-08T21:09:36+01:00

About Xinyue Xinyue, a renowned classical piano teacher at London Piano Institute, brings over a decade of experience, remarkable skills, and awards to inspire students. Stefan Joubert: How do you deal with technical difficulties? Xinyue: I employ several strategies to overcome challenges and improve my skills: 1: Isolate the Problem: When facing a technical issue in a specific passage or technique, I isolate that section and practice it separately from the rest of the piece. Focusing on the problem area allows me to address it more effectively. 2: Practice Rhythmic Variations: To enhance my rhythmic control, I experiment with different [...]

Interview with Xinyue – Aug 20232023-08-08T21:09:36+01:00

The Importance Of Understanding And Interpreting Your Piano Music

2023-01-03T21:18:09+00:00

As a musician, learning how to play the piano is a rewarding and fulfilling journey. But, simply being able to play the notes on the page is not enough – it is equally important to understand and interpret the music you are performing. Understanding and interpreting your piano music allows you to bring your own unique flair and personality to a piece, and helps you to connect with the music on a deeper level. So, What Does It Mean To Understand And Interpret Piano Music? To understand a piece of music, you need to have a basic knowledge of its structure [...]

The Importance Of Understanding And Interpreting Your Piano Music2023-01-03T21:18:09+00:00

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

Sound as a central part of music making – Part 2

2021-07-19T14:41:28+01:00

Dear pianists! In the previous article we have covered how to start developing your sense of sound and aware sound production. I also shared some practical tips that personally helped me and some of my colleagues. Please do consider this article inseparable to part one! Just to refresh the previous topic - practical tips included the following: recording yourself, mindfulness, visualisation, among many other advice. In part 2 I would like to focus on the physicality of piano playing - specifically in relation to sound production, more than any other correlation (articulation, stylistic approach, or technical issues... those topics will be [...]

Sound as a central part of music making – Part 22021-07-19T14:41:28+01:00

Playing faster slowly

2021-04-21T20:10:46+01:00

I hate running. Whenever I do it, it never feels natural and when I run, I feel ungraceful and run like a cow- it can move quickly but it just doesn't look coordinated. The only bit I like about running is the bit afterwards when I get to take a bath! But you know, running is something I always wished I was better at. So enter a great book called, "80/20 running". In it, the author explains that the majority of people who run are moving too fast. When we run at too high an intensity, the body does not have [...]

Playing faster slowly2021-04-21T20:10:46+01:00

How to resolve technical issues in playing the piano

2021-03-01T11:04:12+00:00

How to resolve technical issues in playing the piano First of all one has to realise that technical issues always have to do with muscles and movement of fingers, wrists, arms etc. A lot can be done with relaxation and of course the only way to really resolve technical issues is by one thing called practise practise practise. But one needs to understand how and what to practise in your piece to be able to conquer a passage or part of your piece which you are studying. There can be many technical issues in one piece. Here are but a few [...]

How to resolve technical issues in playing the piano2021-03-01T11:04:12+00:00

How to improve your tone production on the piano

2021-03-01T10:47:03+00:00

Let's start with the instrument. The Pianoforte is an instrument that plays both softly and loudly as the name indicates. The Italian term ‘piano’ is translated as ‘soft’ and ‘forte’ as ‘loud’. The piano is also known as a percussion instrument. The sound is produced by a hammer hitting strings when a key is pressed. The instruments leading towards the development of the piano were the clavichord and harpsichord. On the harpsichord, the sound was produced by a string being plucked and one had no control over the tone production or dynamics. When the piano was developed the possibility of creating [...]

How to improve your tone production on the piano2021-03-01T10:47:03+00:00
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