Piano Practicing Tips

Learning to Read the Lines and Spaces of the Treble Clef and Bass Clef

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Everyone has there own way of learning and while some techniques work for some people, they will not work for all. The same principle applies to learning to play a musical instrument and learning to read and interpret musical notation. Learning to read the treble clef notes and the bass clef notes can be easy … Read more

Vegetable Rhythms – What Are They and How Can They Help?

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In my work this year as a relief music teacher working across primary and high schools, I have come across the concept of vegetable rhythms and even though they are aimed at children from the ages of 5 to 8, I think that whoever came up with the concept was really rather clever. Vegetable rhythms … Read more

Old Piano Books- Are They Any Use?

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t strikes me as amusing that one thing that tends to not ever be thrown out is old music books. People that don’t play the piano, have never wanted  to or will ever want to learn to play the piano, will hold on to piano music, sometimes for generations. This has been the case on … Read more

Ways to Count When Learning a New Piano Piece

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There are some people who can sit down at a piano and just play stuff with seemingly no effort at all. They seem to get the notes and the timing (or rhythm) without even really thinking. This is the perception but it is not actually a reality. I would be one of those people who … Read more

How is Crescendo and Diminuendo Different From Playing Forte and Piano?

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You might be familiar with the expression terms of crescendo, diminuendo, forte and piano, as well as mezzo forte, mezzo piano, fortissimo and pianissimo, if not then here is their definitions: Crescendo – gradually becoming louder Diminuendo – gradually becoming softer Forte – loud Piano – soft Mezzo Forte – moderately loud Mezzo Piano – … Read more

Feeling Daunted About Learning to Play the Piano? Means You’re Learning and Gaining New Skills

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Learning is meant to be fun and easy. There is also this perception that if you are finding something hard to learn, then you are not really applying yourself or trying hard enough. I find this thought can be quite common but not necessarily true. Sometimes learning can be confusing or daunting and sometimes it … Read more

Life is Not a Competition and Neither is Playing the Piano

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So often in life we consciously or even sub-consciously  compare ourselves to others and think that just because someone is more skilled than us, we may think that we are not able to achieve anything. Take myself for example. I started learning the piano at the age of six and knew by the age of … Read more