The Way of Piano – Page 3

Creativity is a Dialogue

Fermata • The Pianodao Blog
Short Reflections by Andrew Eales

Developing creativity is one of the high goals of learning an instrument. And yet over the decades I’ve taught, those advancing a more creative approach have been variously seen as either maverick outliers or magical superstars, but rarely as the piano teacher norm.

I have also met some who emit an impression that improvising pianists are somehow superior to those who “merely” regurgitate the music of others. Some even cast the concert pianist who can rattle off Rachmaninoff as a rather pitiable savant, akin to an imagined orator who can deliver a Shakespeare soliloquy, but who can’t hold a real conversation.

I think they are quite profoundly wrong. Having frequently improvised in front of an audience, I feel considerably less comfortable rising to the challenge of performing Chopin to the classical cognoscenti. I suspect many would. We all have different strengths, and need not compete.

And I would say that the creative arts of interpretation and improvisation are equal in value, complimentary in nature, and both have an important role to play in piano education.

The Year of the Horse

Fermata • The Pianodao Blog
Short Reflections by Andrew Eales

Since ancient times, the Chinese have followed the lunar calendar, New Year coinciding with the first hint of Spring’s arrival in the northern hemisphere.

New Year’s Eve 2026 falls on Monday 16th February, heralding the start of Spring Festival, which culminates two weeks later with the Festival of Lanterns on Tuesday 3rd March.

The years are traditionally named after the twelve symbolic animals of the Chinese zodiac. These are multiplied by the ‘Five Elements’ of traditional Daoist cosmology to create a 60 year cycle. Following on from the Year of the Wood Snake, we now enter the Year of the Fire Horse.

Regardless of how we view ancient beliefs and customs, it does us no harm to reflect on our lives and progress using the cycle of the seasons and calendar of old traditions as a simple tool.

David Jones • A Piano Journey

The Pianodao Guest Book
Interviews • Opinions • Guest Posts

DAVID JONES has enjoyed an enviable career as a pianist, educator, and music examiner. Currently Head of Piano at the prestigious Cheltenham Ladies’ College, he is also the founder and driving force behind The Thinking Pianist residential courses for adult pianists.

In this wide-ranging interview, I talk to David about the highs and lows of his career, the personal struggles and positive vision which inspire his work…

10 Piano Resolutions for 2026

Supporting Piano Education
Article written by Andrew Eales

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
As one year turns to the next, it is customary to reflect on the changes we want to make for the better as we move forward.

As we do so, let’s first pause to take stock of the last twelve months, considering both our triumphs and disappointments. An honest evaluation of where we are in our journey enables us to make positive, realistic, actionable resolutions for the coming year. With that in mind, I invite you to consider the following:

What moments at the piano did you find encouraging this year?
Can you name three pieces that you especially enjoyed playing?
Can you think of three pieces of Active Repertoire which you can play at a standard you are happy with, right now?
What challenges have you overcome over these last twelve months, and what strengths were revealed?
What habits and routines supported your practice, and which proved less helpful, or even draining?
Which aspects of your piano playing life do you want to carry forward into 2026, and which would you prefer to let go of?
How would you describe your piano playing at the end of 2025?
What is the single thing about your piano playing that you would most like to improve in 2026?

As usual at the start of each year, I would like to offer a few general ideas for New Year piano resolutions that some might want to adopt. Having reflected on the questions above, try to personalise or consider your own goals…

2025 • The Pianodao Top Ten

Supporting Piano Education
Article written by Andrew Eales

In the past year, I published 80 new articles and reviews on Pianodao, and as the year ends, here’s my annual list of the ten that resonated most with readers.

Beyond the site itself, 2025 has brought many professional highlights, including the publication of the Willis Student Recital Collection in the Spring, and more recently collaborating with Jack Pepper in compiling and writing our anthology of Music We Might Have Played.

I have enjoyed working with my regular students, giving consultations, leading courses, working with teachers, and speaking at events. I completed my two-year term as President of the Art of Piano Education Awards in the Spring, and ended the year on a high with the positive success of this year’s Milton Keynes Piano Celebration.

As for Pianodao, in this tenth anniversary year I have devoted much time to reorganising the site’s content to make it even more accessible. You can now discover the full archive of free articles by browsing popular piano playing and teaching topics:

I am in the process of similarly updating the Pianodao Music Library to enable users to find music reviews by style, period, genre, and composer, in addition to difficulty level.

If you found Pianodao’s articles, reviews, and advice useful this year, please consider making a one-time donation to support the site’s continuing maintenance and growth.

Winter Repertoire Project

Active Repertoire Project
Written by Andrew Eales

As winter sets in, enveloping everything in its frosty embrace, we can find it challenging to stay motivated and inspired. The shorter days, longer nights, and biting cold can make it tempting to hibernate until spring!

The human response, across cultures and continents, has long been to make space and create opportunities for communities to come together: shared festivals and feast days that brighten our darkest months.

Musicians have always had a significant part to play in vibrant community life, and for piano players this is a time of the year in which our Active Repertoire may thus feature prominently in our music-making…

Ivana Gavrić • A Piano Journey

The Pianodao Guest Book
Interviews • Opinions • Guest Posts

IVANA GAVRIĆ has attracted international acclaim for her interpretations of a broad range of repertoire and storytelling programming, her playing described as ‘electrifying’ (BBC Music Magazine) and ‘impressive, insightful…ravishing’ (Washington Post).

And on the eve of the release of her sixth album, Throwback to Dance, it has been a pleasure to catch up with her for a chat about her piano journey so far (we first met when we both taught at The Thinking Pianist course last year)…

Celebrating Ten Years

Supporting Piano Education
Article written by Andrew Eales

The Pianodao website launched on 1st August 2015 with a flurry of articles that I had been preparing behind the scenes in the previous weeks.

Ten years on, and Pianodao has an established and growing readership from around the world, and hosts more than 700 free articles and reviews, presenting advice on piano playing, teaching, wellbeing, and a library of music reviews for players at all levels.

I am hugely grateful for the encouragement of friends and colleagues, the support of readers, the donations which have helped to fund this growth, and the positive reception the site has received from across the piano community.