It’s time to play with confidence!
Written by ANDREW EALES
The Active Repertoire Project continues to help piano players around the world build fluency in their playing and the confidence to share their music with others…
Continue reading The Active Repertoire Challenge 2023Supporting Your Piano Playing Journey
Written by ANDREW EALES
The question of why we play the piano would seem to be both an obvious one to ask and an easy one to answer. And yet it rarely is.
In this article I consider four “types” of player, while recognising that many of us combine aspects of most or all of them.
Continue reading Why do we play the piano?Supporting Teachers • Promoting Learning
Written by ANDREW EALES
The topic of singing in aural tests has long been a contentious one, but has become more so in recent years. Not only have growing numbers of teachers noted how unpopular the singing tests are, but research in the field of cognitive science now casts doubt on the previously assumed validity of such tests.
In this article I will explore the requirements of the five main boards, consider the links between singing and “audiation”, touch on some basic scientific research (with links for those wanting to read more) and suggest change.
Continue reading Singing in Aural Tests: the Bottom LineSupporting Your Piano Playing Journey
Written by ANDREW EALES
Those who know me well enough to have observed some of my personal struggles often urge me to stop caring what others think of my choices, opinions, beliefs and work. Many of us become trapped in the mindset of the “people-pleaser”; manipulated or bullied by others, we can easily lose sight of our own core values if we aren’t careful.
A decision not to care what others think about us can be emancipating, and can empower us to be our more authentic selves. I’m not surprised that this sentiment has become a common theme in self-help manuals.
But wait. If we stop caring about what others think, how long before we stop caring about them at all? Mutual understanding of each other’s ideas, feelings and perspectives is a crucial foundation for building empathetic, honest relationships.
We may not always agree with the opinions of others, but shutting them out ultimately isolates us. Clearly a balance is needed, along with an ability to accept the perspectives of others without feeling belittled.
As in life, so too this applies in our piano playing…
Continue reading A Fresh PerspectiveProducts featured on Pianodao are selected for review by ANDREW EALES.
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A preponderance of music theory publications currently exist which are specifically tailored for those preparing to battle with the somewhat arcane requirements of compulsory exams. And yet, for those who simply want to understand notation and written music in a way that’s useful and relevant to today’s piano players, the market has long been wide open.
Finally we can welcome a simple textbook which is clear, concise, and of practical benefit. While not entirely eschewing the testing regime, David Hall’s excellent self-published There’s More to Playing the Piano offers a thorough explanation of music theory which is for all, and which has two very special selling points.
In the author’s own words:
Could this be the ideal music theory primer for pianists of all ages?
In a word, “yes”. Whether you are searching for a better understanding of the music you play, a returning pianist refreshing your knowledge, or a student wanting a crash course or revising for an exam, I think that this book could well be for you. So let’s take a closer look…
Continue reading David Hall: ‘There’s More to Playing the Piano’Living Beyond the Notes
Written by ANDREW EALES
Recently, my wife Louise had a minor kitchen accident which resulted in her breaking my favourite tea cup.
As she tells the story (on her social media):
“So I broke Andrew’s favourite teacup.
I felt I should make him a new one in pottery.
It lists a little bit but it works!
Andrew said that it’s the best thing that anyone has given him. He then went on to say that most people would’ve given up and started again once they noticed the listing.
Clearly I’m not most people!”
As you can see from the photo above, my new cup is a thing of great beauty! But as Louise admits, it’s hardly perfect from a functional point of view. The “listing” perhaps doesn’t look serious, but when pouring tea into the cup it’s quite obvious that when one side is full to the brim, the other side is only two-thirds full.
There’s another problem too. Inside the cup, there are quirky recesses that somehow trap the tea, making it impossible to empty the cup when drinking from it in a genteel, civilised manner. Only tipping it upside down really does the trick!
Here, for comparison, is a cup that has none of these issues:
A bit boring, right?
The beauty of my new mug is in its imperfection: its quirkiness, vibrant personality, its energy. And central to all that, the fact that it was borne of relationship, made with love.
Continue reading The Pianist’s ImperfectionLiving Beyond the Notes
Written by ANDREW EALES
The start of any new year or season is for many a time for making resolutions: a time for ambition, grit and determination.
Whether it’s a fresh commitment to healthy eating and exercise, or a renewed self-discipline in setting aside time to practise the piano, this is a month where many make a decision to turn a new leaf.
But how can we foster perseverance and ultimately success?
Continue reading The Pianist’s ResolutionSupporting Your Piano Playing Journey
Written by ANDREW EALES
As the words boomed along the station platform, I realised straight away that they were directed at me. I turned, looked up the platform towards a burly man in an official-looking hi-vis jacket and sheepishly gave him the thumbs up.
I had been momentarily transfixed in a meditation on the nature of fear. Looking down at the rails I realised how easy it would be (having of course first checked there were no trains on the horizon) to step down from the platform, hop across the tracks and explore the beautiful verge that beckoned me from the other side. The grass is always greener…
And yet I would never, ever actually do so.
A self-preservatory terror of the rails had been instilled into me decades ago by my mother. My guess is that most of the passengers waiting on the platform would feel something of the same fear.
When movie heroes leap onto the tracks, we regard it as derring-do, suitably convinced of the huge risks involved. Meanwhile we ignore the thought that ordinary Network Rail employees routinely mosey around the rail infrastructure on a daily basis without being vaporised on the spot.
Most of us rarely question the fears or values that were instilled in us at a young age. But perhaps we should do.
Continue reading “Stand back from the edge please!”Products featured on Pianodao are selected for review by ANDREW EALES.
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Back in 2008, ABRSM published a series of books called Piano Specimen Sight-Reading Tests. Although deserving an award for having the most utilitarian and uninspiring titles in my whole music collection, they have nonetheless rarely been out of action in the intervening years.
In short, they were an essential purchase for any piano teacher preparing students for ABRSM’s world-leading piano grade examinations, and have seen very active service over many years.
Since 2008, many others have brought out alternative products to help teachers and students prepare for the sight-reading element of ABRSM exams. Paul Harris’s ubiquitous and respected Improve Your Sight-Reading series has been updated more than once, and now includes audio tracks. Useful and innovative alternatives have also appeared from Alan Bullard, Samantha Coates, e-music maestro and several others.
Now ABRSM return with a new series bearing the slightly-less scary title More Piano Sight-Reading, a suite of eight new books, one to tie in with each of their grades.
A superficial look at the eight books suggests that these aren’t radically different from their predecessors (which, I should add, are still valid, as the syllabus itself remains unchanged). However, a more detailed look reveals several tweaks and changes to the format which, between them, make the new books a step-improvement on the older ones.
For this review, I will focus on five specific improvements which I think make this new series a superior alternative to the previous books.
Continue reading More Piano Sight-Reading from ABRSMProducts featured on Pianodao are selected for review by ANDREW EALES.
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Small Hand Piano is the latest in Barbara Arens’ series of publications from Edition Breitkopf, following on from the successful One Hand Piano, 21 Amazingly Easy Pieces (read my review here), Piano Misterioso (reviewed here), Piano Vivace – Piano Tranquillo and Piano Exotico (all reviewed here).
Small Hand Piano is also (ironically) the largest of these collections, providing 40 Pieces “without octaves”, half of which are original compositions, the rest selected from the existing literature.
I often hear players mention online that their stretch is too small for a lot of the repertoire they would prefer to play, so this publication certainly has the potential to be something of a crowd-pleaser.
Let’s take a look and see how well it succeeds in fulfilling this useful aim…
Continue reading Small Hand PianoSupporting Teachers • Promoting Learning
Written by ANDREW EALES
Lesson Notes is an occasional series of blog posts reflecting on specific lessons I have given and the particular issues that arose and were addressed.
Eva (not her real name) learnt to play piano as a child, but took an extended break in early adulthood. A few years ago she returned to playing. Since coming to me for lessons she has completed the higher ABRSM grades and gained a DipABRSM performance diploma.
Eva continues coming for a 90 minute consultation lesson once a month. Her focus is on expanding her repertoire, and at present she is working on Bach’s Partita No.1 in B flat major.
In this lesson, we address the importance of the breath in alleviating shoulder tension, using three dance movements from the Partita as example repertoire.
Continue reading Breathing with BachSupporting Your Piano Playing Journey
Written by ANDREW EALES
”In the beginning of training, it may seem as if you are doing very little. You compare yourself to your teachers and to more accomplished people, and you may despair at ever reaching their levels.
But if you are diligent, then it is inevitable that you will make something of yourself. Once you reach such a plateau, you will be able to relax a bit and contemplate where you are on your journey.”
Deng Ming-Dao, 365 Tao Daily Mediations (204).
Piano students (and adult learners in particular) often underestimate the time it will take to become proficient players, to play the music they aspire to, and to sound as good as they hoped.
When newcomers ask me, “how long until I can play really well?” I typically answer, “How does ten years sound?” It’s an easy (if entirely random) guess, but the point is the aspiring pianist’s response:
Are they mentally prepared for the climb ahead?
Continue reading The Pianist’s AccomplishmentSupporting Your Piano Playing Journey
Written by ANDREW EALES
In my recent article Why Bother with Scales? I considered the many benefits that arise from regularly playing and teaching scales and arpeggios.
In this shorter post I’m going to hone in on one especially important advantage which is sometimes overlooked entirely:
Regular scale and arpeggio practice trains the brain and the fingers to develop precision in judging and playing all intervals up to a fourth, using any standard combination of shapes and fingerings, and in all the standard keys.
This significant benefit is certainly not to be sniffed at, and fosters a technical ability that is otherwise unlikely to develop during the formative stages of learning the piano. Let’s consider how this works…
Continue reading Learning to Play with PrecisionLiving Beyond the Notes
Written by ANDREW EALES
“If you’re invited for tea by a connoisseur of Pu Er (tea) in Yunnan, be prepared to deal with a fanatic, for Pu Er inspires a zealous devotion among its advocates, who, like missionaries of a mysterious cult, will try their best to coax you away from your own acquired taste in Chinese tea, and persuade you instead that Pu Er is the high and mighty lord in the entire pantheon of Chinese tea.”
Daniel Reid: The Art and Alchemy of Chinese Tea (Singing Dragon, 2011, p78)
Reading these words, I can think of several parallels in the world of the piano, where advocates of a particular approach or style present themselves as zealots for their cause.
It seems to me that there’s nothing wrong with such passion, so long as we each remember to show respect for one another, and present our views and ideas with dignity, generosity and grace towards others.
I have been, and remain, a fanatic for many musical and other causes. If something works for me, there’s a good chance it will equally work for others, and I am happy to share my experiences and insights if they might help.
But what works for one, although it may work for all, need not do so…
We are, each of us, unique. Each must find their path, and few of us like to feel coerced or pressurised into accepting a rigid model stipulated by another.
Experience ultimately always triumphs over dogma. As the saying goes,
“The older I get, the less I know.”
So let’s keep the fires of healthy fanaticism alight, but in our passion we must remember humility, keeping our hearts and minds open.
Above all, pursuing kindness.
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Breathing and stretching exercises for healthy practice and living
Compiled for Pianodao by ANDREW EALES
In my article about Breathing at the Piano, I shared some tips and simple exercises to help you reconnect with your breathing while playing.
That article was warmly received. I have heard from and worked with many players who found the simple exercises helpful, even revolutionary for their playing. If you’ve not already printed off and tried the FREE exercises, please check them out before going on.
The aim here is to help players easily check in with our breathing when at the piano. To understand the importance of this, please read about “Awareness in Breathing” in my article What is Qigong and Piano Playing and refer back to my article András Schiff and Natural Breathing for more background.
In this article, I will now build on the foundation of the exercises and ideas previously shared…
Continue reading More Breathing at the PianoSupporting Your Piano Playing Journey
Written by ANDREW EALES
My wife Louise and I recently visited my cousin and her husband for a delightful evening meal. At some point in the evening, conversation turned to footwear, and my cousin was appalled to learn that I often wear slippers when teaching in my home studio.
Inevitably, I was quickly ganged up on, the object of much mirth. To be honest, it was a bit harsh. Jibes included:
“How old did you say you are again – 87?”
Followed by,
“Do you wear pyjamas and a dressing gown too?”
And even …
“Are you trying to look like Hugh Heffner?”
Now I ask you, what kind of question is that?
Gamely, I tried to defend myself with:
“…but slippers are really comfortable when playing the piano…”
But of course this quickly led to:
“So do all your pupils bring slippers to wear too?”
Which got me thinking …
Continue reading Fancy Footwear?Supporting Your Piano Playing Journey
Written by ANDREW EALES
One of the major stumbling blocks for players is that we too often feel that we are struggling, making little progress, and perhaps just haven’t got what it takes to become a “good player” (however we define what that is).
To enjoy playing an instrument, we need to move beyond this negative self-talk. And I suggest that one of the most easy and powerful ways we can achieve this is to adjust the balance between working and playing during our personal piano time.
Which brings us to the question,
Continue reading What Can You Play?“What can you play?”
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