Tips for Nervous Beginners...

...I toyed with the idea of putting the key word - 'piano' - in the title there, but decided against it as I'm pretty sure (over 70%) that there are numerous situations in life to which these can be applied. However, I'm going to write the rest of this blog using piano examples and with the mindset that I am, as you are no doubt aware by now, a piano teacher.

And like any teacher, I get pupils who are nervous or unsure.

So this post is for those people. Words of advice, reassurance and guidance from somebody who, in fairness, has been there himself!

Copyright © Brian Law Photography

It is Merely a Musical Instrument

My first point may sound a touch obvious, but it is essential to remember that nothing bad will come out of you learning the piano.

Put it like this;

If I were an instructor for any mode of transportation, whether that be something as commonplace as driving or much more specialised such as flying, there are very real dangers that need addressing. You require constant focus, constant attention. Head in the game at all times - often pre-empting as well as dealing with the here and now.

If I were a trainer for some form of weapon, there would be very real dangers involved here too.

And even sports training can cause physical issues if not gone about in the right way!

So when I say that a piano is 'merely' an instrument, I don't do so with the intention of undermining how amazing a thing being a musical instrument is, but more so to do with how little damage you will do for not playing the right note or playing a bit out of time.

None!

Last time I checked, pianos are not weaponised, and surprisingly there is no plan to weaponise them. Therefore, you can play piano in absolute safety and comfort! No danger to anyone, including yourself.

The Lack of Judgement

For many people, on the other hand, it is more the judgement that they feel they will get when they start to perform for others whether this be friends and family who may just happen to be in the house, actual performances or...of course...the teacher!

Here's the secret about any good piano teacher:

A good piano teacher will not expect something unrealistic of any of their pupils.

So, if you go away with some exercises or a piece of music set by your teacher and you come back - regardless of how much or how little practice you put in - not able to do it or do it as well as you feel you should given that the expert has set it, it is actually not your responsibility to fix this. It is the teacher's.

In this instant, a teacher will identify problem areas, offer assistance with your technique, suggest exercises to better your performance or other area as needed or - and here's the thing - they'll strip it back and recognise that you need something a tad more basic.

And there's absolutely no shame in that. Walking before you can run is always the best approach, and this is true of new beginners or people who are relearning the piano after any amount of time away from the instrument.

"Strong and Wrong" is OK

As I have previously identified, the piano is not a weapon. Therefore, it will cause you no pain for playing the keys a little harder.

However, one of the most common things I see amongst beginners is a trepidation in playing the keys, preferring to somewhat 'stroke' them instead.

There are times, of course, when the dynamic will be beautifully enhanced for this technique, however it is a technique that requires control and the control is not necessarily something that the pupil has mastered yet.

Therefore, hitting the keys harder and creating a consistent dynamic for your exercises and practicing your pieces is fantastic. And you might find as you adopt a more 'firm' approach to your playing that you don't play the notes as accurately to begin with. However, you are strengthening your fingers and - providing you do in fact continue with this technique - it will become the new norm enough that you can play much more confidently.

Over-practising is a Silent Killer

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times:

Don't. Over. Practice.

And the reasoning behind this simple, golden rule is twofold;

• your fingers and hands can get tired, as can your posture and your focus. This isn't just true of piano playing. It's true of anything from revision to physical training. In doing so, you'll notice a decline in your standard, meaning that despite the fact that you are repeating the same thing over and over, it isn't necessarily going in because your brain starts to shut off and your fingers just don't have the energy. This in itself is a good enough reason, but if you don't recognise it then you can definitely find yourself a victim of frustration, leading to stress at having not been able to practice 'substantially'. And stress then leads to...

• ...lack of enjoyment. The association of not being able to play and it being hard work because it's causing you physical and / or mental fatigue and / or pain can seriously jeopardise your feeling towards the piano. And you need to remember that, fundamentally, the reason you are learning piano should be because you want to learn to play, and the reason you want to learn to play should be because you think it's a beautiful instrument, you like piano music, you enjoy playing etc. etc.

So never put yourself in this position!

Recognise as soon as possible if you are getting stressed and take a break. And breaks can do more good than over-practicing! If you take a break and return to the same problem area the following day, you may even find it less of a challenge than you did the previous!

It may sound daft to suggest to not do something to help you with your practice sessions, but if that's what you need to do then that's absolutely fine!

Set Realistic Goals and Expectations

This one has never been a problem for any of my pupils, but it is one I caution anybody wishing to start piano to consider.

Anybody can learn to play piano. I firmly believe that. However, you need to consider what you want to learn piano for, or why.

If you wish to be a concert pianist, fantastic. But you have to consider all things, such as;

• age

• how often you can practice

• health

• any deadlines you need to meet

Anybody wishing to be a concert pianist will need to devote an awful lot of practice to playing and a fair amount of study to understand theory and reading music, have good eyesight, good control of their mental health under high pressure situations, no unmanageable / unbearable pain in hands (and feet, preferably) and not only the desire but the ability to learn to learn pieces of music in short amounts of time (this partly ties into frequency of practice).

Learning casually is a great way to go, but it is still a good idea to have some sort of goal by the end of it. This can be the form of getting so far in a workbook, learning a specific piece of music or working towards an exam. However, these must also take the above into account. For example, working towards exams take a good amount of practice. Can you fit this in? Is it worth you waiting for the end of an exam syllabus year to start the new one if you are worried about the deadline you have to meet if you are unsure or consider yourself a slower learner?

Often I get new pupils who just wish to learn casually, and this is fantastic as this is a canvas that can be built upon jointly between both them and myself. Keeping an open mind is a really good tool to have, as you may find you have strengths in areas you didn't even consider! For example, a classical grounding is all well and good but once you've got that you may find you have a really good grasp of the jazz technique, even if you've never considered that before!

We're All Still Learning!

Oh yes. You might think that I can play off the cuff any piece of music that is set in front of me.

I can't. My practice journals are testament to that.

You might think I'm as good a pianist now as the best in the world!

Absolutely not!

You may think I'm as good as I'm ever going to get?

No...

Although I could potentially call it quits not and play purely for pleasure and never broaden my performance catalogue (which is absolutely fine if you feel you have got what you want out of the instrument), I am still very much taking on new pieces to learn and doing exercises to improve my technique.

And you know how you might be struggling with that exercise that's only on the second page of your workbook?

I feel the exact same way about some of the exercises and pieces I'm learning!

What's the difference?

The only difference is that I'm farther advanced, and - speaking relatively - we're both going through the same thing.

If you persist, you will achieve and one day that very exercise or piece will become what you might term 'child's play' to you. But this doesn't mean you'll feel accomplished. You'll just keep moving on!

So enjoy the process, because learning piano - or any instrument, I believe - is, as I say regularly, amongst the most rewarding things you can do!

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#piano #pianist #pianoplayer #pianotip #beginnerpiano #learnpiano #classicalpianist #pianistudent

Clef, Key, Time - A Quick Reference for Beginners

At the very beginning of any piece of notated music, you will be able to deduce three pieces of information. The answers lie in the following three markings:

• Clef

• Key Signature

• Time Signature

...and they always occur in that order (alphabetical - C,K,T).

But what to they mean? What do they represent? Do you need to know them?

Beginners can often get a bit confused as to what they mean, so here I am to explain them in the simplest ways I can.

Clef

What is a Clef?

The clef is a symbol that tells us, in the simplest way possible, where Middle C is on the stave.

The stave refers to the group of 5 lines on which the notes are printed. If you started at the bottom and put a note on the lower line and worked up, filling all lines and spaces until you reach the top line, you'll notice you only have a range of 9 notes.

The piano has 88!

So the positioning of Middle C is extremely important as it tells us where our hands are playing - not only what note, but which of that note.

On the piano, you will most commonly use treble clef and bass clef. Middle C occurs one imaginary line (called a ledger line) below the stave on the treble clef and one ledger line above the stave on the bass clef. Therefore, they kind of mirror each other.

Because nine out of ten pieces you play - particularly as a beginner - will have the right hand playing above the left hand, it is logical to assume that treble clef typically takes a right hand position and bass clef takes left hand position. So, because your left hand is playing lower notes, it uses bass clef to ensure that the notes you are playing are more likely to fall within the legible spaces and lines of the stave, thus negating the need for ledger lines. The exact same principal applies when playing in the right hand, as you are more likely to be playing notes above Middle C, therefore most of the notes will fall comfortably in the lines and spaces of the stave.

Middle C on the treble and bass clef.

Are there other types of clef?

There are, however as a pianist you will not be expected to use them unless you are transposing music from a different instrument that would use that clef.

For example, the alto clef puts Middle C on the middle line of the stave. However, you will almost never find a piece of piano music using this. It will, however, benefit you to know about it as you become more advanced and wish to progress your music theory understanding and transposition skills.

Middle C on an alto clef

Going Higher than Treble and Lower than Bass

Nine notes is still not many that we can comfortably fit in the spaces and on the lines of a stave, and you may wonder how we designate higher or lower notes. For example, notes at the absolute top of the piano.

There are three ways to do this:

• Ledger Lines - If it's just a few incidental notes, or you're not going too far above or below the surface, ledger lines are fine to use.

• 8va and 8vb / 15va and 15vb Lines - for longer passages, you may see 8va and 15va lines above the music or 8vb or 15bv lines below. 8va means to play an octave higher, 8vb means play an octave lower. 15va means play two octaves higher. 15vb means play two octaves lower.

• 8va and 8b / 15va and 15b Clefs - similarly to the passages, but when you are wanting to allocate significantly longer passages - if not the whole piece - to the extreme high or low of the keyboard, you can add the octave markings to the clef, meaning everything in the music - unless otherwise marked - is played higher or lower in the same capacity as the lines would implicate above.

Each bar of music are the exact same notes and pitch

Key Signature

What is a Key Signature?

When we start learning piano, we frequently start by learning pieces of music that we are told are 'in the key of' C major. From a pianist's point of view, C major is the key that uses all white notes on the piano.

But...what does it mean?!

To put this as simply as I possibly can, a key signature refers to the regular set of sharp or flat notes within a piece of music. It is marked at the beginning of a piece of music by way of marking all the notes that will be sharp or flat (unless marked otherwise as 'natural') so that the music doesn't have to specify every single time.

Every set of sharps or flats within a piece of music can be associated with a scale, and this scale creates the key signature.

Until you start learning more about different keys, it can be a tricky one to comprehend. Especially if you have begun with C major as this isn't specifically marked on the music (all notes in the C major scale are natural - C - D - E - F - G - A - B i.e. neither sharp 'nor flat). However, if we take a basic example.

In the below example, we can see that the F is sharpened.

The scale that contains an F# as its only sharp note is G major.

Therefore, this piece of music is in G major.

All the notated notes are F#, which we know because of the F# marked between the clef and time (the key signature)

However, there is a trip hazard...

...can a Key Signature be in the Minor Key?

It can!

If you can deduce the major key of a key signature, bear in mind that by looking at the music alone, you could also be in that key signature's relative minor.

To find the relative minor, find the root note and count three notes down (three semitones - i.e. count every note whether it be black or white).

This is the root note of the relative minor scale.

For example, if we keep our example in G major and count down three notes, we get to E. So the relative minor of G major is E minor.

Therefore, our piece of music could be in G major, but it could also be in E minor.

How do you Find a Key Signature?

The most commonly used tool to help people find the key signature is called the Circle of Fifths.

Sadly, my passion for graphic design is vastly less than my passion for music, so whilst it's possible to find infinitely more artistic interpretations on the Internet, here's a rough idea:

Circle of Fifths

The Circle of Fifths helps us deduce keys from sharps, starting with the key of C major and 0 sharps (remember that C Major is all natural!). As we go round it, we are progressing in perfect fifths to our new root note (C - G - D - A - E - B), all the while whilst adding a brand new sharp to the mix (F# for G major, C# for D major etc.).

The order that new notes are added is always the order that sharps are notated on the key signature in music (F, C, G, D, A, E, B). One way to remember this order is with the acronym 'Fast Cars Go Driving Around Everywhere'.

This circle moves clockwise and finishes at C# major

Circle of Fourths

The Circle of Fourths works exactly the same way as the Circle of Fifths, except it helps us to find key signatures with flats. Again starting with C major and 0 flats, this time ascending in perfect fourths (F - Bb - Eb - Ab - Db - Gb - Cb) all the while adding a brand new flat note (Bb for F major, Eb for Bb major etc.)

The order that new notes are added is always the order that flats are notated on the key signature in music (B, E, A, D, G, C, F). Aside from the first four letters spelling 'Bead', you could remember the acronym 'Battle Ends and Down Goes Charles Father'.

This circle moves clockwise and finishes on Cb major

The "Real" Circle of Fifths

The real circle of fifths that you will see most frequently is kind of a mixture of the two and creates the titular never ending 'Circle'. Starting from C major and 0 sharps or flats, you can progress right to work through key signatures with sharps or left to work with key signatures with flats. However, when you get about halfway, you'll notice that it switches from flats to sharps or from sharps to flats depending on which direction you're travelling. This is to eliminate the need for excess sharps or flats and for simplifying the key signature.

This Circle of Fifths is a complete circle - fourths anti-clockwise and fifths clockwise and it goes on forever!

Finding a Key Signature

Count the number of sharps or flats in the key signature at the beginning of the music, then cross reference against the portion of the Circle of Fourths / Fifths with that many sharps or flats. This is the key signature. Don't forget there's a relative minor for every major key signature!

Time Signature

What is a Time Signature?

The time signature tells us not only how many beats are in a bar, but what kind of beats are in the bar.

If you see a 'C' at the beginning of the music, this is a time signature marking which means 'Common Time'. Common Time is 4/4 time.

The number on top denotes how many beats are in the bar.

The number on the bottom tells you what kind of beats, assuming:

2 = minim / half notes

4 = crotchet / quarter notes

8 = quaver / eighth notes

16 = semiquaver / sixteenth notes

So, 4/4 means 4 crotchets in a bar.

Time Signature Examples

To give an idea of some commonly used time signatures:

2/4 - March

3/4 - Waltz

4/4 - Common Time

12/8 - Slow Rock

Differentiating Between Time Signatures

Sometimes we can be lulled into a false sense of security thinking that two time signatures are the same, however you have to always remember that the number on the bottom is specifying how beats are broken up.

For example, 3/4 implies that you count a very definite 1 - 2 - 3 - 1 - 2 - 3 etc., and the main hits are on these beats (explaining why this is used for waltz time).

However, if we see a piece in 6/8 our mathematical minds might be drawn to the conclusion that it is the same.

On paper it is, however 6/8 is used at a time where we need to get between those beats. The most common example of this is if we were counting 1 and a 2 and a 1 and a 2 and a...etc.

Whilst is is certainly possible to write this rhythm in 3/4, writing it in 6/8 allows for these notes to be much better represented as we are already counting between the 3 beats that 3/4 would imply.

The first bar - 3/4 - is better for 3 definite hits, whereas 6 rising and falling notes would be better suited for 6/8

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#musictheory #sheetmusic #musicnotation #howtoreadmusic #musician #piano #learnpiano #pianist #pianoplayer #pianobeginner

Miniatures for Piano - LIVE!

You may remember that a few months back - on World Piano Day, in fact - an album of music performed by myself and composed by Michael A Grant was unleashed onto the unsuspecting world.

Well, it was only a matter of time before 'Miniatures' was to make its live debut, having already been released for download, streaming and on CD.

Over the past few weeks I have been relearning (as it has been over a year, and my long term memory isn't what it once was!) these twelve delightful piano pieces with a view to performing them live.

And live will come in the form of;

Friday 13th October

8:00 pm

Emmanuel Church

6 Barlow Moor Road, Didsbury, M20 6TR

Performed by myself once more, and with a commentary of insights into the music by the composer himself, I am looking forward to being a part of this and performing this music once again.

Unsurprisingly, what with it not taking all that long to get back into the swing of playing the pieces, I feel I play them even better now second time round! You can find evidence of this as I have been filming as I go and uploading to YouTube.

And all twelve pieces are on YouTube for you to watch me perform them!

For example, here is 'Vision of Triumph':

Click here to watch the whole playlist!

And if that suitably whets your appetite, come and see me perform it all live on Friday 13th October at Didsbury's Emmanuel Church.

Book tickets here!

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#piano #pianist #pianorecital #pianoconcert #manchester #didsbury #concert #musicconcert #classicalmusic #modernclassical