Where Piano Playing Retirees Get Information and Encouragement
I don’t improvise. That might sound quite startling to some musicians, but it is the truth. The reason why I don’t improvise is that I was never taught it. I was taught how to play classical piano and while I have no regrets in learning classical piano (because that is what I exclusively play now), … Read more
When you are playing the piano, it is fair and reasonable that you should feel some sense of joy when you are playing, at least most of the time. However, there are some other emotions that are perfectly valid to feel while you are playing. All of these emotions, while it doesn’t always feel good, … Read more
I hope that in writing these blogs it is obvious that I respect and appreciate the different styles and genres of piano music. I genuinely think that every genre and every style has its place and that just because I have a certain penchant for classical music, doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate other types of … Read more
I have been thinking about how to express why I have loved playing the piano for most of my life. It is not easy to express because there are actually a number of reasons. So here goes… I enjoy playing the piano and have always enjoyed playing partly because of the challenge. I enjoy a … Read more
I know that this sounds weird coming from me, who writes a blog about how wonderful it is to play the piano. It is true that I think playing the piano is a joy, but there is one aspect that I do not enjoy and it is not practising scales or learning new music. For … Read more
I understand that this might seem a little strange, especially when I so often advocate that practice will equal progress. Don’t get me wrong, I still believe this – I know that this is true but there are circumstances when some things are impossible, or very much close to it. Let me explain. For as … Read more
Why does it really matter to me whether or not people learn to play the piano, particularly retirees and seniors? Well if I really honest, this has not always been my focus. When I was in my twenties, I was very much focused on my music teaching career, both as a private piano teacher and … Read more