I’m sure many pianists are familiar with this scenario – you have a new piece and are eager to start learning it. A few play throughs lead directly into attempts to learn the notes starting at the beginning of the piece and working your way through. It feels like you are making consistent progress from the outset as you can play some of the piece, albeit stopping to correct yourself in trickier spots. However, when it comes to playing the piece through at a lesson, you find it falls apart in numerous places and is far shakier than it was when you were practising at home (more on this here!). I ..read more

It’s Black Friday weekend and we have an array of exciting specials lined-up. From offers on bundles of popular video lessons to multimedia eBooks and enhanced scores, don’t miss our specials for great savings on resources for your piano playing or teaching! We’re kicking-off with a selection of offers on new bundles and collections, including a compilation of resources on technique and highlights from our online workshops programme. Additional specials will be added over the course of the weekend and you can sign-up to our mailing list here for notifications and updates on any new o ..read more

Works from the Romantic period are some of the most beloved in the repertoire and are often the inspiration for an aspiring pianist to take up the instrument. To play this music well, the pianist needs a solid technique that embraces a wide dynamic and colour palette, an understanding of advanced pedalling and – not least – a fertile imagination. In our blog post this week, I provide an overview of the main characteristics and considerations for playing Romantic music on the piano. I’ll also be giving a set of presentations and hosting a performance workshop dedicated to music from this period ..read more

Our latest Practice Clinic recording features answers to questions on left hand leaps, rolling chords, harmonic analysis and building speed in works by Schubert, Heller, Brahms and Debussy. Practice clinic questions Schubert / Liszt Ständchen, D889 – I’m currently working on this piece and I stumble on the LH leaps. I’d also appreciate advice on where and how to pedal. Stephen Heller Etude in F Major (‘Spinning Song’), Op. 45 No. 19 – I’m happy with my playing of this piece at a slow tempo and am able to balance the voices reasonably well, but struggle to achieve anything approaching the recom ..read more

We’re pleased to be launching Penelope Roskell’s new online course Foundations in Piano Technique for adult beginners, adult returners and teachers this week. Penelope is Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London, and the author of the award-winning book The Complete Pianist.  This new course guides elementary pianists step-by-step through all the main elements of piano technique in 25 lessons. It will help beginner and returning pianists overcome technical challenges and build strong foundation for quick and confident progress.  In this blog post ..read more

In our guest post this week, Fred Karpoff performs and explores an interesting repertoire find, Oskar Merikanto’s Merellä, which is featured in a detailed video lesson now available on the Online Academy. *** I was delighted to come across Finnish composer Oskar Merikanto’s virtuosic yet highly pianistic transcription of his beautiful song, Merellä. The piece retains the high Scandinavian drama of the song’s lyrics and in just four minutes takes the performer and listeners on an epic journey filled with vivid imagery of the sea.  Right from the outset, Merikanto depicts the seascape ..read more

Having great octave technique is an essential hallmark of virtuosity – how fast, how loud and for how long can you play that octave passage while wowing your audience and getting them to their feet as they applaud, rapturously? So what’s the secret of octave technique, and how do we develop it?  Voicing and fingering Composers write in octaves when they want to reinforce either a melodic line or a bass line, or both. The musical texture becomes richer, fuller or brighter as a result. Therefore we need to start by thinking of octaves as two voices (or a line that is doubled) and consider t ..read more

Our latest Practice Clinic recording features answers to questions on tackling double notes, pedalling, building muscle memory and tempo in works by Schumann, Mozart and Brahms. Practice clinic questions Schumann Von fremden Ländern und Menschen from Kinderszenen, Op. 15 No. 3 – How should one pedal Bar 8 – should I pedal only once, at the beginning when playing B, and carry on OR pedal twice (i.e when G is played with the left hand) as part of the accompaniment? Also how should one combine the ritardando with the fermata in Bars 13 – 14? Mozart Nine Variations on a Minuet by Duport, K573 Vari ..read more

October is a special month for us as it’s the Online Academy’s birthday! This year, the Online Academy will be turning seven. From humble beginnings as a collection of articles and videos on practising, it has since grown to boast over 1,000 resources on a broad range of topics such as improvisation, sight reading, learning pieces, technique, healthy piano playing and teaching. An extensive, expanding library We’ve been consistently creating and adding new content to the Online Academy’s library throughout its existence. In addition to our collection of resources on practising and learning pie ..read more

The Toccata from Bach’s Partita No. 6 in E minor, BWV 830, is a popular choice for piano diplomas. I decided to make a study edition for the fugue and a series of walkthroughs for the whole movement to assist players in their learning of this magnificent music. Even if you’re not playing this piece, many of the concepts I discuss in these new resources can be applied to other works from this period. The videos also provide a detailed walk-through of a piece that is a perfect example of Bach’s genius in contrapuntal writing, with the subject appearing in different keys and with differ ..read more