Pianodao

Musical Understanding

Supporting Your Piano Pathway
Written by Andrew Eales

To become a three-dimensional pianist we need to focus on developing our musical mind: that is, our understanding, literacy, historical awareness, and theoretical analysis of the music we play.

These qualities are nurtured through the use of notation, by academic learning, research, and reflection. They are often assessed through discussion, writing, music theory, and in a practical context through sight-reading. These all help us become better musicians, and gain more satisfaction at the piano.

Pianodao includes a number of articles reflecting on these crucial areas of our musical development, and reviews of several educational resources which will help in our quest to develop better musical understanding…

Effective Practice

Pianodao Articles • Full Archive

Supporting Your Piano Pathway
Written by Andrew Eales

The majority of our piano journey is spent privately in the practise room, so it is important to find musical fulfilment here.

Andrew’s book How to Practise Music offers a radical, holistic and healthy approach to practising any instrument. Pianodao supports this landmark publication with several in-depth articles and reflective blog posts concerning this crucial and endlessly interesting topic…

Developing Motivation

Pianodao Articles • Full Archive

Supporting Your Piano Pathway
Written by Andrew Eales

The question of motivation is one of the most important for all piano players and teachers, and turns out not to be a straightforward one.

• Why do we love the piano?
• How do we fan that flame and keep it alight?
• What motivates us to practise, play, and perform?
• How do we help to motivate others?

Psychologists and educators talk about different types of motivation, which can help us understand the various factors that drive us, and which will enthuse others.

Here on Pianodao, there are many articles to unpack this vital subject in plain English, including in-depth advice, motivational encouragement, and reflections on how to discover more joy at the piano.

Practice Reflection

Pianodao Articles • Full Archive

Supporting Your Piano Pathway
Written by Andrew Eales

Did your last practice session leave you feeling a bit like a corpse, or was your piano playing totally on fire?

Reflecting on our practice is not just a good idea, but an essential component of making the tangible progress that we all hope for whenever we sit down at the piano. Remember, it is the quality of our practice which makes the real difference, not just the quantity.

So what has your practice looked like in recent weeks?
How can you improve it, and develop a more effective approach?

Preventing Injury in Pianists

Pianodao Articles • Full Archive

Supporting Your Piano Pathway
Written by Andrew Eales

The problem of musicians developing injuries related to their playing has received much attention in recent years. Happily, we can learn from a growing body of performing arts medicine research, and the insights of respected pioneers who have devoted their expertise to the fields of piano technique and movement retraining.

A systematic review (2018) of existing research into the prevalence of injury makes sobering reading, suggesting that up to three quarters of all keyboard players report experiencing musculoskeletal pain. And sadly we will all most likely have encountered players who suffered injuries such as tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and dystonia.

Avoiding injury is clearly a key concern. However, increased awareness of this important issue has been accompanied by confusion and disagreement between pianists and educators both about the causes of injury, and what constitutes “good technique”.