What Time Is It?

A few years ago I was in the last day of a music theory class I teach for teenage and adult musicians. We had been working intensively for two straight weeks and had covered a lot of material. To inspire the students, I told them to be “like The Beatles.” The Beatles only knew a … Read More

Do your musical self a favor… Gather up all those loose pages of music that are lying around your piano or keyboard, punch 3 holes in them, and put them in a 3-ring binder.  It’ll only take about 10 minutes, and you’ll practice in a more organized, effective way. (And  you’ll probably find something else you’ve … Read More

Here’s a quick tip to make your left hand walking bass lines sound better on piano or keyboard: Emphasize the 2nd and 4th beats. Lean into them a little more (they’ll sound a little louder, but I don’t think of it as really “accenting” them). one-TWO-three-FOUR. If you just play all 4 beats at the same … Read More

I’d like to share an email I received yesterday from a student of mine.  Virginia takes my classes each summer at the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival.  What made me smile was that she’s taken what she’s learned and brought it into her daily life in a wonderful and natural way.  She readily agreed to let me share this … Read More

What do you do when your piano piece has ONE hard part that you have trouble playing well? The easy answer is: practice 🙂 Well, yes, we all know that, but what if your about to play the piece in a recital that starts in 5 minutes and you don’t have time to practice enough … Read More

What would happen if you radically shifted your goals the next time you play piano for an audience? What would happen if you didn’t worry so much about what everyone thinks of your performance and simply tried to enjoy yourself. Enjoy the music, enjoy the fact that the piano can make such beautiful sounds, and enjoy … Read More

As I began a piano lesson with a 12-year old student yesterday, I asked him how his school day had been.  I already knew that all students in New York State had begun a 3-week period of extensive testing yesterday.  (These state-level tests are considered very difficult and not many students or their parents look forward … Read More

Let me ask you a question: When you listen to your favorite pianist, do you get inspired by the wonderful music you hear?  Or do you get discouraged by how good they are and think, “It’s no use practicing; I’ll never play that well.” If you gave the second answer, don’t worry: there is hope for … Read More

I get asked about this a lot. A new student will tell me they’ve heard that “you should keep your thumbs off the black keys.” But in order to follow this “rule” they end up turning their whole hand in and awkward manner; all to avoid playing a black key with their thumb. Well I’m … Read More

We all have a piano piece we’ve always wanted to learn. (Mine is Beethoven’s sonata, Op. 109 in E major.) Do you want to know how to get the energy to finally learn it? Here’s what you do: Ask yourself this question: “Why do I want to learn it?” When you’ve answered that question, say … Read More