Tag: Happy

judi

Happy Holidays – Practising the Piano

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This is my final post for 2019 – let me take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy and peaceful holiday season. It has been a year of tremendous growth for the Online Academy, and we have some exciting plans in place for the New Year (about which more later!).

As a thank you for your support over the past year, I’m delighted to offer a free gift of two study editions for Burgmüller’s Op. 100 set that we’ve been featuring throughout the year. The study editions include a teaching note, practice and performance suggestions (with exercises in manuscript) as well as a link to a video walkthrough. All you need to do to receive your free gift editions of L’arabesque and Ballade is sign-up for our mailing list here and they will be sent to you next week.

Let me leave you with Frederic Chiu’s transcription of Prokoviev’s Troika from the Lieutenant Kijé Suite. A troika is a traditional Russian three-horse sled that takes us on an exhilarating ride through the snow, accompanied by the sounds of sleigh bells. 

Troika akron

Looking for a gift for a pianist?  

We’ve just added a new feature to our site which makes it possible to purchase a range of digital products and subscriptions as gift vouchers. Our range of eBooks, digital editions, online lessons and subscriptions make ideal Christmas presents for piano lovers!  

How it works

  • Select a gift from our catalogue (a full listing of products and subscriptions available for gift purchase can be viewed here) and click “Buy gift”
  • Enter the details of the payment card that you wish to use to make the purchase and click “Pay”
  • On successful completion of your payment you will be taken to a confirmation page which provides a voucher code and a link which the recipient can use to redeem their gift (further instructions for the recipient are also provided)

Featured gifts

  • Practising the Piano eBook series – Click here to purchase a gift voucher for all four parts of Graham Fitch’s highly popular multimedia eBook series for £39.99
  • Study Edition – Chopin Nocturne in C-sharp Minor – Click here to purchase a gift voucher for an Annotated Study Edition of Chopin’s Nocturne in C-sharp minor, (Op. Posth.) for £5.99
  • Burgmüller’s 25 Easy and Progressive Etudes – Click here to purchase a gift voucher for our most popular video series on the Online Academy which features walkthroughs to each of these etudes for £29.99
  • Subscriptions – The Online Academy is the ultimate online resources for pianists and teachers featuring over three hundred articles and five hundred videos on the subject of piano playing from renowned experts on topics such as improvisation, sight reading, learning pieces, healthy piano playing and teaching:
    • 3-Month Subscription – Click here to purchase a gift subscription for three months access to the Online Academy
    • Annual Subscription – Click here to purchase a gift subscription for a years’ access to the Online Academy, including additional bonus eBooks and editions worth over £70!
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judi

Happy Birthday Herr Beethoven! – Practising the Piano

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Although there’s no authentic record of Beethoven’s day of birth, the registry of his baptism on 17th December 1770 has survived. Since it was custom to baptise within 24 hours of birth, the consensus is that his birthday was the 16th of December.

To celebrate Beethoven’s 250th birthday tomorrow, we’ve created an instalment in our #piecestoplay series featuring a selection of piano works at various levels and our resources for them.

beethoven
Beethoven in 1803, painted by Christian Horneman

Ecossaise in E-Flat (No. 4 from Six Ecossaises, WoO 83)

A lively dance in 2/4 time, an ecossaise is actually the French word for “Scottish”! This piece is currently set as Grade 3 in the 2021 & 2022 ABRSM piano examination syllabus. Click here to view a video-walkthrough for this work.

Sonatina in G (Anh. 5 No. 1)

Although there are some questions as to whether this work is correctly attributed to Beethoven, it offers an excellent opportunity to assimilate essential elements of the Classical style: articulation, balance, ornamentation, and clear phrasing.

Click here to view our From the Ground Up edition which provides a step-by-step approach to learning or teaching this piece.

Für Elise (Bagatelle No. 25 in A Minor)

This evergreen miniature of Beethoven scarcely needs any introduction at all and many pianists attempt it before they are ready for it. This video from our Q-Spot series shows how to use quarantining and other practice tools to tackle two challenging spots within the work.

Bagatelle in E-Flat (No.1 from Seven Bagatelles, Op. 33)

Beethoven wrote short pieces (which he called “trifles”) throughout his creative life, which he published in three collections. This piece is the first from the earliest set, Op. 33 and is set as Grade 7 in the 2021 & 2022 piano examination syllabus. Click here to view a video walk-through of this work from our collection of resources for the syllabus.

“Moonlight” Sonata in C# Minor (Op. 27, No. 2)

This work is one of the most famous pieces written for the piano. Completed in 1801, the name “Moonlight Sonata” was not given by Beethoven but comes from German poet and music critic Ludwig Rellstab who, five years after Beethoven’s death, compared the effect of the first movement to moonlight shining on Lake Lucerne. Click here to view an article on pedalling in this work or here for some tips on how to project the melody.

Sonata Pathétique in C Minor (Op. 13)

This sonata was a great success in establishing Beethoven’s reputation as a composer at the time – the work was instantly popular and has remained so to this day. Pianists respond to the drama and intensity of the music and clamour to learn it. This series of eleven videos looks at challenges posed throughout all three movements, giving interpretative and technical guidelines as well as suggestions for practice.

More Beethoven Resources Coming!

We’re delighted to announce that we’ve embarked upon a project to film walk-throughs of Beethoven’s 32 Piano Sonatas with pianist, teacher and captain of the Piano Boat, Masayuki Tayama. These videos will be added to the Online Academy’s growing repertoire library and will provide insights on interpretation, style and technique for each of the Sonatas.

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judi

Happy Holidays! – Practising the Piano

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This is my final blog post for 2020, so let me take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy and peaceful holiday season. It has been a year of tremendous growth for the Online Academy, with many new subscribers joining us from all over the globe and lots of new content from our team of contributors. Needless to say we have many exciting plans in place for the New Year!

The global pandemic has been disastrous for live music and for the arts in general. And yet some silver linings have come out of it. The Online Academy has been able to offer an extensive series of Zoom workshops and presentations on a variety of different topics, from practising to technique, to exam preparation, sight-reading and more. My own Facebook Live practice clinics, which I give monthly, have become a regular fixture, offering subscribers the opportunity to send in questions and problems they are having from specific pieces. We are planning a new series of Zoom workshops for the 2021, so make sure you are subscribed to our mailing list for more information (details of the next fixtures are available here).

Let me leave you with a piece I always associate with the holiday season, and New Year’s Eve – Schulz-Evler’s transcription of Johann Strauss II’s Blue Danube Waltz – ‘Concert Arabesques on The Beautiful Blue Danube‘, in this scintillating performance by Mikhail Pletnev.

I’ll now be taking a break for the festive season, so see you in the New Year. Happy holidays, everyone!

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Looking for a gift for a pianist?  

Our range of eBooks, digital editions, online lessons and subscriptions make ideal Christmas presents for piano lovers!  A selection of our digital products and subscriptions can be purchased from our store as gift vouchers.

How it works

  • Select a gift from our catalogue (a full listing of products and subscriptions available for gift purchase can be viewed here) and click “Buy gift”
  • Enter the details of the payment card that you wish to use to make the purchase and click “Pay”
  • On successful completion of your payment you will be taken to a confirmation page which provides a voucher code and a link which the recipient can use to redeem their gift (further instructions for the recipient are also provided)

Featured gifts

  • Practising the Piano eBook series – Click here to purchase a gift voucher for all four parts of Graham Fitch’s highly popular multimedia eBook series for £39.99
  • Study Edition – Chopin Nocturne in C-sharp Minor – Click here to purchase a gift voucher for an Annotated Study Edition of Chopin’s Nocturne in C-sharp minor, (Op. Posth.) for £5.99
  • Burgmüller’s 25 Easy and Progressive Etudes – Click here to purchase a gift voucher for our most popular video series on the Online Academy which features walkthroughs to each of these etudes for £29.99
  • Subscriptions – The Online Academy is the ultimate online resources for pianists and teachers featuring over three hundred articles and five hundred videos on the subject of piano playing from renowned experts on topics such as improvisation, sight reading, learning pieces, healthy piano playing and teaching:
    • 3-Month Subscription – Click here to purchase a gift subscription for three months access to the Online Academy
    • Annual Subscription – Click here to purchase a gift subscription for a years’ access to the Online Academy, including additional bonus eBooks and editions worth over £70!
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judi

Happy Birthday Johannes Brahms! – Practising the Piano

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Today is Johannes Brahms’s birthday! Born 189 years ago on 7th of May, his oeuvre includes some of the most beloved pieces in the piano repertoire. In celebration of his birthday, we’ve compiled a selection of videos and links to various resources featuring some of his piano works.

Happy Birthday Johannes Brahms

Intermezzo in E Major (Op. 116 No. 6)

In this excerpt from his video walk-through for this work, Graham Fitch explores ways in which to approach the opening phrases:

Intermezzo in E-Flat Major (Op. 117 No. 1)

This set of pieces was described by Brahms as  “lullabies to my sorrows” and the first of the set of three certainly conveys a sense of a rocking motion. In this video, Graham Fitch demonstrates how to bring out the melody in the inner (middle) voices of this piece:

Intermezzo in A Major (Op. 118 No. 2)

The six pieces for the piano that make up Brahms’s Op. 118 were dedicated to Clara Schumann with whom Brahms shared a longstanding and intimate friendship. This video is the first of a set of seven exploring a narrative for this work, starting with a little background to Brahms’ relationship with Robert and Clara Schumann.

Intermezzo in B Minor (Op. 119 No. 1)

In this video excerpt, Graham Fitch reveals an example of the many hidden treasures within Brahms’s late piano works:  

Other Resources

The following is a listing of resources  for Brahms’ music on the Practising the Piano Online Academy (they are all available with an annual subscription or in some instances as as separate products for once-off purchase – click here to find out more about the Online Academy or click here to subscribe):

  • Intermezzo in A Minor (Op. 76 No. 7) – Click here for annotated study edition and video walk-through
  • Intermezzo in E Major (Op. 116 No. 6) – Click here for video walk-through
  • Intermezzo in A Major (Op. 118 No. 2) – Click here for fantasy analysis videos or click here for walk-through and annotated study edition
  • Intermezzo in B Minor (Op. 119 No. 1) – Click here for video walk-through
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judi

Festive Greetings & a Happy New Year

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As usual, it’s been a busy year for us at Practising the Piano with many projects and new initiatives. We are proud to have hosted a wide range of events throughout the year presented by myself as well as others from our growing team of experts.

During the latter half of the year we ran several events in our new state-of-the-art London studio which enables us to create high-quality recordings and offer the opportunity to participate in-person and online via Zoom. This format has worked very well and we will be developing it further and presenting more of these events in the year ahead.

I have thoroughly enjoyed creating new content for the Online Academy over the last few years. This past year I have recorded a multitude of videos on exam and other repertoire. A selection of these videos has already been published with a whole lot more to come.

I look forward to sharing these videos with you and to hopefully seeing you online or in-person at one of our events. In the meantime, thank you all for your support, we really appreciate it, and my very best wishes for a happy holiday season and a joyous 2023!

– Graham

festive greetings

Looking for Festive Music?

If you’d like to be able to play some seasonally-themed music on the piano then Lucinda Mackworth-Young’s recent online workshop might be just what you’re looking for! In this festive edition of her popular spontaneous social piano workshop, Lucinda shows how to play, accompany and improvise on a wealth of carols and seasonal songs including Jingle Bells, Silent Night, Good King Wenceslas, Auld Lang Syne and more! Click here to purchase access to the workshop recording and resources.

Last Minute Gift Ideas!

Are you looking for a present for someone who plays the piano? Our range of eBooks, digital editions, video lessons and subscriptions make ideal presents for piano lovers and teachers! The following links will give you 20% off a selection of some of our most popular products available for gift purchase:

Please visit our store for more gift options or click here to find out how purchasing gifts works.

  

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