Playing the Piano

Why the Rhythm and Timing is so Important

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Getting the rhythm and timing correct is really important, no matter what style or genre of music you are interested in playing. Even though it can be quite hard for some to master (or at least it was hard for me to master when I was the piano student), it is important to work at … Read more

Mezzo Staccato – What is it?

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When I was a music student, I learned that mezzo staccato means moderately short and detached. To me, this made sense because my understanding of mezzo meant moderately and staccato meant short and detached. For the longest time, the definition seemed quite suitable. However, it seems that in the last few years there has been … Read more

Why Having the Correct Hand Positioning is Important

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I have quite a while to think about this and I have decided that whilst a correct hand positioning is important for everyone that learns to play the piano, it is even more important for middle aged people and older to have a correct hand position. This is not scientific fact as far as I … Read more

What Is Good Enough at Playing the Piano?

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I have talked to many, many people about playing the piano and people who want to learn to play the piano. One thing that keeps coming up and holding people back from taking the plunge and at least having a go at learning to play the piano, is the fear of not being good enough. … Read more

Why Do You Procrastinate?

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Yes, I am talking to you – why do you procrastinate at learning to play the piano? If you have been reading my blog for a bit, you clearly want to learn to play the piano or else why would you waste your time on a website called Piano For Retirees? I get that procrastination … Read more

Can Any Piece of Music be Played With Chords and  Should All Music Be Played With Chords?

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The simple answer to this question is no, not every piece of music can be played with just chords, however, there there are many that can be played just using chords. Probably almost every piece of music that you care to name can probably be played using chords. Certainly popular modern music and jazz can … Read more

Why Does Baroque Music Seem to Be Harder than Other Genres of Music?

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Maybe it is just me, but when I was learning to play the piano, I often really struggled with learning to play anything from the Baroque Era (which was from about 1600 to 1750). For me, this meant quite a bit of Handel and J.S. Bach. For those of us that studied classical music, you … Read more