Give and take. Speaking and listening. Nothing replaces the magic of a good conversation between friends. We’re heard and we listen and because of the communication between us, both parties walk away with their worlds a little bigger and a little warmer. Sadly, these kinds of conversations are becoming rare. We’re still talking but we’ve stopped listening. Armed with an insular sense of righteousness we broadcast our I-Me-Mine thoughts to the world, never taking the time to absorb others’ opinions or experiences. Potentially rich exchanges are cheapened and we find ourselves living in a comba ..read more

Concert pianist. Thanks to movies and popular culture, this job title brings to mind conflicting images of a starving artist, mad genius, or supernaturally talented magician who communes with the Muse—almost never the hardworking professional that a pianist must be in order to maintain a successful performing career. Lifting the Lid: interviews with concert pianists seeks to change this. In this brief book, authors Michael Johnson and Frances Wilson give readers a personal, off-stage glimpse of some of the world’s most accomplished concert pianists. This thoughtfully-curated collection of int ..read more

Very few things in life prepare one for the experience of performing the piano in public. Even when our music is learned well, the presence of an audience changes how we hear and experience what we’re playing and can derail our performance. The frustrating thing is that learning how to play for an audience is a skill that’s learned through the doing of it. The good thing is that there are steps we can take to make the transition to public playing easier. The 4 articles I’ve featured in this post offer real-life advice on how to prepare to play publicly. They cover topics such as choosing musi ..read more

Many jazz pianists have sought to blend classical music with jazz. Several have succeeded. Pianist Michael Arbenz is one of the rare few who possess such command of both styles that the resulting creations become musical hybrids that are organically natural and stunning. Classicism: A Point of View celebrates what’s best in both classical and jazz styles of music. Throughout this recording Arbenz fearlessly treats these classical pieces as harmonic material and expands them in directions completely unexpected but deeply satisfying. Nothing is forced. He makes no gratuitous choices and he neve ..read more

Breathe in…breathe out…joys, sorrows, beauty, and ugliness. Breathe in…breathe out…space, quiet, stability, and hope. In breath lies life and meaning. In breath lies the center of ourselves. Chester Biscardi’s Finding Beauty in Small Places is an invitation to return to the expansiveness of our own breaths. This aural meditation silences the endless outside voices clamoring for attention and ushers us into the sanctuary of ourselves. The notes never dictate meaning; they simply hold space for us to find our way back home to who we truly are. Chester Biscardi writes this about the piece: The ..read more

Joy. Bubbling, uninhibited joy. When was the last time a recording filled you with the unencumbered pleasure of being alive? With so many tragedies and pressing issues miring us in the mud of stress, grief, and outrage, it’s easy to forget that humans are also born for happiness and delight. Lighter Notes is a reminder to come home to joy. It’s an invitation to recover our sense of humor, to smile, and perhaps, to dance a little. Through this recording, German born jazz pianist and composer Luca Sestak reminds us to lighten up. In his words, this music “is a reminder to not take oneself too s ..read more

How do you know when you’re ready to stop taking piano lessons? This question is one that every pianist has to ask as piano instruction is one of the few educational paths that has no clearly defined end point. Most adult learners take lessons with the idea that they’re going to study with a teacher until they learn how to play the piano. Self-direction is, after all, the ultimate goal of any musical artist—to be capable of taking the guidance we’ve gleaned from our instructors and trust our own understanding and taste—but the routine of lessons can make it difficult to remember that becoming ..read more

Don’t expect something from someone that they’re not capable of giving you. Most of us know the wisdom of this old adage, as well as the challenge of living it in our relationships. And most of us, if we’re honest, can point to painful memories of times our expectations of another has been damaging to the other person as well as to our relationship with them. Yet as dangerous as it is to hold unrealistic expectations for other people, it’s nothing compared to the damage we do when we turn unrealistic expectations on ourselves. In our quest to fulfill our dreams (and sometimes others’ dreams ..read more

Creativity without form is chaos. Whether it be a painter’s canvas or a musical structure, limits and form provide the framework which allows the mind to understand and appreciate a piece of art. This truth, sadly, is one that too many composers ignore at their peril. The result? A collection of sounds that often leave listeners bewildered, irritated, and (sometimes) convinced they never want to listen to contemporary classical music again. When I discovered the piano music of composer Ronald Hannah, one of the first things I appreciated about his music was his masterful understanding and use ..read more

Almost all piano training centers around achieving goals. We prepare to play for a teacher each week. When we’re accomplished enough, we learn to practice for performance goals such as recitals and exams. These frequently lead to competitions, university auditions, and solo recitals. If a musician goes professional, practicing is then structured around the next gig or concert. A goal is always present. It gives the pianist a sense of direction while practicing and a feeling of accomplishment once the goal is met. These goals provide motivation to go to the piano every day, and most profession ..read more