Many problems in performances or issues which hold pianists back from mastering a piece stem from the early stages of learning and the process of choosing fingerings. If you haven’t worked out a good fingering or have been inconsistent with your fingerings when practising, you’re embedding problems that are very difficult to correct at a later stage. Choosing an optimal piano fingering is essential for security, technical ease and musical expression. Individual pianists often have different preferences for fingerings, with editions offering various options. Always remember that the fingering i ..read more

An interview with Beate Toyka This week’s blog post features an interview with Beate Toyka. Raised and trained in the heart of the German classical tradition, Beate is an active performer, accompanist, teacher and principle tutor at the Piano Teachers’ Course, UK. She is also the creator of our Step into ‘The 48’ series on the Online Academy which features (24 at the time of publishing this blog post!) video lessons and performances for the preludes & fugues of JS Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background as a pianist and teacher? I grew up in a ..read more

The Tempest Sonata (formally known as Opus 31, No. 2 in D Minor) is one of the most celebrated piano sonatas and is a pivotal work in Beethoven’s transition from classical norms towards a more emotive, personal style. The work was written doing a period of creative fervour in which Beethoven grappled with profound despair at his struggle with deafness. This emotional backdrop infuses the sonata with layers of complexity, enriching its interpretation beyond mere technical prowess. Opening of the 1st mvt of Sonata No. 17 in D Minor Shakespearean inspiration? The nickname is not Beethoven’s thoug ..read more

The 32 mature piano sonatas of Beethoven constitute an unrivalled body of great music for the pianist. The famous 19th-century pianist and conductor Hans von Bülow called them the “New Testament” for pianists, the Old Testament being Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier. However, since Bach was writing for a very different keyboard instrument and Beethoven’s piano was in essence the same as the modern instrument, we can say that the 32 sonatas are indeed the summit of classical piano repertoire, presenting some 12 hours of music at the highest level of inspiration and mastery. For the pianist embarkin ..read more

Our latest Practice Clinic recording features answers to questions on memorisation, how to bring a new piece up to speed, avoiding fatigue, pedalling and more in works by Heller, Burgmüller and Chopin. Practice clinic questions Stephen Heller Etude in E Minor, Op. 47 No. 15 – I’m having problems keeping up with the succession of broken chords featured in this piece. Can you advise me on how to cope and memorise all the harmonic changes this piece has? Developing speed in new pieces – When learning a piece, how do you make the decision to move from slow practice in sections to full speed p ..read more

An interview with Dr. Adina Mornell  This week’s blog post features an interview with Dr. Adina Mornell. Adina attended Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music in Ohio (USA), studied musicology at the Technical University of Berlin (Germany) and got her doctorate in music psychology and instrumental music education through a joint-degree program of the University of Vienna and the University of Music and Performing Arts (Austria). Parallel to her career as a concert artist, she taught piano while running the keyboard department at a music school in Berlin before becoming professor at th ..read more

Debussy revolutionised the landscape of piano composition, taking advantage of the capabilities of the instrument in new, creative ways. Although he didn’t like the impressionist label, he sought to capture moments, images and atmosphere in his music in a manner similar to that of the impressionist painters. Some of the most distinctive features of his compositional style are his use of harmony, pedal effects, dynamic contrasts and unconventional playing techniques to portray vivid imagery. Whole tone and other exotic scales, parallel chords and unresolved dissonances are frequently employed b ..read more

Keyboard harmony has its origins in the Baroque period in what was called a figured or thoroughbass. This was largely a form of accompaniment in which a keyboard player has a written baseline with figures that indicate what chords to play on top of the bass. Bach considered keyboard harmony the foundation of all music and it was considered an essential part of music education. This tradition continued into the 18th century with a practice called partimento, which originated in Naples, Italy. Partimento was developed to train orphan children in music with practical exercises at the keyboard for ..read more

The 28th of March is the 88th day of the year which mean’s …it’s Piano Day! We’re celebrating Piano Day 2024 with fantastic offers on some of our most popular digital resources, from discounts on online courses and video lessons to great savings on workshop bundles, eBooks and study editions. Sale Highlights Foundations in Piano Technique – Penelope Roskell’s online course teaches the foundations for an excellent piano technique in 25 step-by-step lessons. With high-quality videos and numerous musical examples and exercises, the course helps beginner and returning pianists overcome t ..read more

In this week’s blog post, Ken Johansen discusses the importance of learning a new piece musically from the outset rather than focusing purely on learning the notes. *** *** *** I often ask the students in my keyboard skills classes at the Peabody Conservatory what they are working on at the moment. They tell me a Bach Prelude and Fugue, or a Beethoven Sonata, or a Chopin Ballade, and then they frequently add, “but I’m just learning the notes right now,” the implication being that the expression will be added later, presumably by their piano teacher. This statement is so common, especially amon ..read more