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Australian piano exams compared: which syllabus is the best?

by Tim Topham

First published in 2011. Which exam board has the most relevant aural and tech work requirements? Which has the most music to choose from? Which system allows students to practise their sight-reading in the exam before being tested? Which has the shortest enrolment lead-times? Which exam board is the cheapest? In this Australian Piano Exams post, ... Australian piano exams compared: which syllabus is the best?

09/04/2011 Read more

How to get addicted to practising piano

by Tim Topham

If you want to be really, really good at something, you have to be addicted to it. You need to be in a state where you are thinking about it all the time, even when you’re not doing it. You talk about it, you have friends that do it, you dream about it. Imagine having ... How to get addicted to practising piano

08/27/2011 Read more

Is weight training safe for pianists?

by Tim Topham

I’ve been wondering recently whether the weight training and gym work I do each week is actually good or bad for my piano playing. I go to the gym three times a week where I generally do a 20-30 min cardio warmup followed by around 75 minutes of weight training. As those of you who ... Is weight training safe for pianists?

08/16/2011 Read more

Are scales irrelevant?

by Tim Topham

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of attending the VMTA’s “Clifford Lecture” given by Professor Gary McPherson from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, a brilliant speaker who never fails to engage, enthrall and challenge his listeners. The 2-hour presentation was based on some of his research into musical talent in adolescents, which he has been ... Are scales irrelevant?

08/13/2011 Read more

The hardest thing about practice is…not playing on!

by Tim Topham

One of the hardest things about effective, deliberate practice is knowing when to stop! Have you ever experienced this situation: You decide to work on a small phrase of your music, perhaps just a bar or hand position change to a tricky chord, only to find a few seconds later, you’ve already gone on and ... The hardest thing about practice is…not playing on!

08/06/2011 Read more

How does your hand work?

by Tim Topham

The more I learn about piano performance, the more I’m becoming fascinated with how on earth my brain and fingers do what I need them to do, and often at lightning fast speed. It’s really quite remarkable to think that even the typing I’m doing now is caused by my brain causing a muscle to ... How does your hand work?

08/05/2011 Read more
 

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Focused Piano Practice: How to improve the value of your practising

by Tim Topham

What is focused piano practice? If you’re not exhausted after practising, you could probably focus harder and achieve more in less time. What do you think? How long do your students practise for? Sure, there are times when just playing through pieces is all you might have the time or energy to do, but if ... Focused Piano Practice: How to improve the value of your practising

07/31/2011 Read more

How to Correct Piano Students – Correctly

by Frances Wilson

An advanced amateur pianist, Frances Wilson runs a popular private piano teaching practice based in her home in SW London, UK. She writes a regular blog on pianism, teaching and music (www.crosseyedpianist.wordpress.com), and is a reviewer for Bachtrack, an international concert listings site (www.bachtrack.com). Frances is currently studying with Penelope Roskell, acclaimed British concert pianist ... How to Correct Piano Students – Correctly

07/28/2011 Read more

Nikolai Kapustin – the crossover jazz music keeps coming!

by Tim Topham

Since being introduced to the music of Friedrich Gulda at the APPC conference in July by Jovanni de Pedro, I stumbled upon another fantastic and, it seems, undervalued crossover jazz/classical composer: Nikolai Kapustin. Kapustin has been active as a composer since the late 1950s though he has only become known in the West during the ... Nikolai Kapustin – the crossover jazz music keeps coming!

07/27/2011 Read more

How to practice away from the piano

by Tim Topham

In an attempt to keep my teaching current and to learn from what the masters did in the past and consider how this affects modern playing and teaching, I am forever reading articles and books by noted pianists and teachers. If there is one thing that they all have in common, right back to the ... How to practice away from the piano

07/26/2011 Read more

Tortoise and Hare Chunking

by Tim Topham

The way in which many of us learnt piano and subsequently now teach our students is based very firmly on the idea that the best way to learn things is to start playing very slowly (and often hands separately) and then, over time, slowly build up the pace until it’s at performance tempo. But is ... Tortoise and Hare Chunking

07/25/2011 Read more

Holiday Piano Technical Work Ideas

by Tim Topham

If you’ve got holidays coming up or have some students that could do with some fresh technical work, check out these ideas. I personally like to give my students different things to do in order to break up their usual menu of scales and arpeggios and the holidays seem like a perfect chance! Of course, mixing ... Holiday Piano Technical Work Ideas

06/26/2011 Read more