Writing in the Note Names is NOT Good Practice but…

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?

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

Are Online Virtual Pianos Any Good?

In case you didn’t realize, there is such a thing as an online virtual piano and its only recently that I found out that such a thing even existed! Basically they are a piano keyboard that when you click or press on a touch screen, on a particular note, you will hear a reasonably authentic … Read more

Why the Piano is the Best Musical Instrument for Introverts

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

What is the Difference Between a Keyboard and a Synthesizer?

Sometimes the words ‘keyboard’ and ‘synthesizer’ are used interchangeably. It could be argued that a synthesizer is in fact a keyboard, using the broader definition of the word. That would make pianos, electric pianos, organs and harpsichords all keyboard instruments. Most of the time though, referring to a keyboard is referring to a specific musical … Read more

Does the Way You Position Your Hands on the Piano Actually Matter?

The simple answer to this question is yes. It does matter how you hold your hands when you are playing the piano for a number of reasons. The most important reason is to prevent strain and injury and while I think that this is important for everyone who plays the piano, I think it is … Read more

When Playing the Piano, Which is More Important – The Right Hand or The Left Hand?

The piano, together with the organ and harp are unique musical instruments in the sense that each hand can play notes independently of the other hand. If you think about stringed instruments such as guitar and violin, the left hand usually determines what note or notes are played while the right hand determines the quality … Read more