Encouragement to Play the Piano

Forget Practice Makes Perfect, Think Practice Makes Progress

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We have all heard the expression that practice makes perfect, I believe that the goal is not to become a perfect piano player but rather an improved piano player. Sometimes the focus of practicing to make perfect a piece of music should not be the goal because it can induce anxiety and foster a belief … Read more

When Learning Piano Chords, Which Should Be Learned First

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While I have definite opinions on this subject, I fully acknowledge that there could be other writers that completely disagree with what I say. Because I know that this particular subject has no particular consensus, I will endeavour to explain why I have the opinions I do. When learning about chords and how they are … Read more

What is the Difference Between a Grand Piano and a Baby Grand Piano and What Should You Buy?

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Grand pianos and baby grand pianos both are stunning looking musical instruments, especially when the lids are propped open and they both look very much alike. Both a grand piano and a baby grand piano have the same number of notes and therefore have the same width as each other. Clearly, it is the length that … Read more

Writing in the Note Names is NOT Good Practice but…

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There is one practice that a lot of piano students make that is not a tool I would use. Some students think that they will learn to read the notes quicker if they write the names of the notes under every single note. I understand that they all genuinely want to maximize their efficiency by … Read more

What is a Silent Piano and Are They a Good Option?

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A silent piano from a distance looks like any normal modern upright piano. Up close it also looks like a normal upright piano except their might be a small screen positioned unobtrusively and a spot to plug in headphones. A silent piano starts with all the mechanisms of an upright piano – keys, hammers and … Read more

Why the Piano is the Best Musical Instrument for Introverts

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I don’t think it is a particularly common to think about what instrument suits what personality, but I believe some scientists somewhere have done a study to try and match personality types to musical instruments. I once knew a high school music teacher that channeled students into playing certain instruments solely on what he believed … Read more

Classical Music is Meant to Be Played As Written

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When I was  a kid learning to play the piano, I was very much taught a classical method, playing classical music. I never learned as such to play modern popular music or jazz music. My piano teachers only knew how to play classical music so therefore that is all that they taught, which is actually … Read more