In this article, I’d like to introduce you to my project “Blindpiano”, an educational website designed to help blind students learn to play the piano. The idea came about following a conversation with a blind student who had purchased some of my courses. Talking to him helped me understand how best to structure my teaching…Continue readingPiano lessons for the blind: the BlindPiano project
Tag: classical music
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Alfred Brendel, A Pianist’s A–Z
A Pianist’s A–Z is a book published in 2013 by the great Czech pianist Alfred Brendel. It is a collection of thoughts and reflections on music and the piano, organized in alphabetical order. For each letter, Brendel focuses on just a few terms, offering personal and often surprising observations. Below is a brief account of…Continue readingAlfred Brendel, A Pianist’s A–Z
[Monday Notes No. 183] Fryderyk Chopin’s Prelude Op. 28 No. 4 in E minor is one of the most played pieces by the Polish composer, not least because it is one of the few that does not require an advanced piano technique. Chopin did not write music specifically for didactics, this not too difficult piece…Continue readingF.Chopin Prelude op.28 no.4, how to create tension with melody and harmony
Robert Schumann’s Opus 68, also known as the ‘Album for the Young’ is a collection of easy pieces for piano study. The German musician composed these pieces in 1848 for his daughters. For those who have been studying piano for at least a couple of years, playing some of these pieces can be very inspiring.…Continue readingSchumann op. 68 Album for the Young, complete review and study guide
Of all European classical composers, the one who enjoys the greatest popularity among jazz musicians is certainly Johann Sebastian Bach. Let us try to answer this question: why do jazz musicians like Bach so much?Continue readingWhy do jazz musicians like Bach so much?
On Piano Playing is a book by Hungarian pianist Gyorgy Sandor, published in 1981. Born in Budapest on Sept. 21, 1912, the pianist was a pupil of Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály and went on to become a concert pianist of international standing. Let us try to analyze his book and draw some useful lessons…Continue readingOn Piano Playing, Gyorgy Sandor and piano technique
[Monday Notes n.169] Chopin’s Waltz in A minor, Opus B.150, is one of the easiest pieces to play in the great composer’s repertoire. It is very simple and clear even in its harmony, so it lends itself to being used as an example to understand four fundamental concepts of music: the cadence, the modulation, the…Continue readingChopin waltz in A minor, four simple harmony lessons
[Monday Notes no.167] A Whiter Shade of Pale is a classic Procol Harum song, the song that launched the band in 1967. While American rock is mainly inspired by the blues, British rock has always maintained a close relationship with classical music. No wonder, then, that A Whiter Shade of Pale is largely derived from…Continue readingA Whiter Shade of Pale, all in one scale, like Bach
Beyer’s Opus 101, the Bastien Method for piano study, the Musigatto and Bela Bartok’s Mikrokosmos are very popular methods for learning to play the piano. I analyzed their merits and demerits, here is what I found out by comparing the piano methods, Beyer vs Bastien vs Musigatto vs Mikrokosmos.Continue readingBeyer vs. Bastien vs. Musigatto vs. Mikrokosmos, piano methods compared
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Comparing classical and jazz piano
The history of the piano begins long before the history of jazz. However, the jazz piano represented a real revolution, greatly expanding the limits of the instrument and bringing new impetus and new styles. Therefore, I have tried to discuss the relationship between classical piano and jazz piano. At the end of the article, I…Continue readingComparing classical and jazz piano