Graham Howard

If you’re like me and you’ve been classically trained, then you know how difficult it is to play the piano by ear. I envy pianists that can pick up any tune and play along to it. I’ve even seen beginners do this as well.

I met a new friend recently at a convention inWashington D.C. America, his name is Jermaine Griggs…

Jermaine is an incredible pianist and he specializes in teaching people how to play the piano by ear. I told him that there are lots of pianists in the ukpianos.co.uk community that want to be able to play piano by ear – but (like me) – they don’t know how or where to start. He said to me that playing by ear is not that difficult. In fact, it is something that ANYONE can learn. It doesn’t matter if they are a complete beginner or an advanced classically trained pianist.

He showed me a course he put together that teaches ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING you need to know about playing by ear. It’s incredible!

 

Click here to get the course.

 

This course is for you if you desire to:

Be able to listen to any tune you hear and then play it on the piano straight away
Play the piano without having to rely on sheet music or chord symbols
Sit down at the piano and just play exactly what you feel
Play in a band and improvise at the right moment
Play at church and accompany singers without fear or hesitation

There’s so much more, but rather than ramble on, why don’t you check out Jermaine’s course
“The Secrets to Playing Piano by Ear” here.

“You’re really going to love playing the piano when you know the secrets of how to play by ear”, Graham Howard.

Hi Graham,
I saw your notes about Jermaine Griggs’ piano by ear course.
I wonder – how doe it rank compared with other piano courses such as Ron Worthy’s courses?
Thanks for your time and for maintaining a great site,
John

Hi John

Good question.

In my opinion, Jermaine’s course is second to none.
I met the Guy in Washington DC and his knowledge is
amazing!

He is certainly the most popular piano teacher when it
comes to learning to play piano by ear.

You can read more about his course here:

Play piano by ear <<click here

Yours pianistically,
Graham Howard
UK Pianos

Questions/

Hello Graham,

Let me first thank you for the free lessons, I just need to tell you a
little about myself, I started playing piano at the age of four,(I am now
62) and my Mother sent me to piano lessons for two years at the age of ten,
my piano teacher told my Mother he could teach me nothing as I was not
reading music but interpreting my own version of music. I could play quite
fluently by ear, so for the next few years just amused myself trying to
imitate Liberace Fats Waller Winifred Atwell, etc., trying to always to find
my own style of playing.

I was married at an early age, and the piano was forgotten, my husband
always promised me one, but the nearest that I got was an electric organ,
not quite the same thing :o) It is our 30th wedding anniversary next month,
and I have just had my new piaono delivered, a wonderful Weber. I realise
that if I am to accomplish anything I need to learn again. I can still play
by ear most anything in the keys of C G & F but I am lacking in scales and
speed, I remember the basics of music but to be honest at my time of life
would just like to learn chord progressions skills,and style, maybe learn to
play in other keys, I have a real passion for R & B, but also like some of
the classical music.

Which way would you suggest that I could now progress forward. I do have a
genuine ear and love for music.
Thanks for all your help

Best regards
Brenda Houlihan.

Answer/ Hi Brenda
It seems you have a talent for playing by ear which you
developed at an early age.
This is the road I would go down if I were you.
Maybe you can find a local piano teacher that has good
knowledge of music theory. He/she can help you with
chord progressions and also to develop your talent.
There is also a very good online course written by my friend
Jermaine Griggs of Hear and Play. He teaches you how to
play any piece of music by ear.

You might consider buying his course BEFORE you approach
a teacher — it will save you the expensive cost of piano lessons.

Click here to get the course.

Yours pianistically,
Graham Howard
UK Pianos

Hi graham I have been browsing this site it looks good and I’m tempted to purchase one of there programmes ,but I’m a bit concerned to the feedback as i have tried to contact them before but never get a reply only there automated response,they send emails with programme lessons regularly but no personal contact like with you and if purchasing then I want to know that there is somebody I can reach if I have a problem. It was the same last time ,they only contacted me when you personally got in touch with them ?Or maybe I will just stick with Rocket Piano course at least they talk to you .

Reply/ Hi Charles

No worries — I have a contact at Hear and Play — In fact — I personally know the owner of the site (Jermaine Griggs).

So, if you encounter any problems I will happily follow things up.

Yours pianistically,
Graham Howard
UK Pianos

Editor’s comments/ If you play keyboard and are thinking of buying a drum machine, read this article first. Maybe you don’t have to spend anymore money.

Summary: When you are choosing an electronic keyboard, most people want to know what it sounds and feels like as a piano, but what about those who want to use their keyboard to play the drums?

Most modern MIDI keyboards come with a range of preset percussion sounds, usually many more than piano sounds, which are perfect for this application. One example is the Korg Pa1X Pro Elite arranger keyboard which has 48 preset drum kit sounds and the capacity for a further 128 that you can program yourself. Even Yamaha’s new YPG series of piano focused keyboards incorporate 12 drum/SFX kits.

Check the specification of any keyboard you are considering buying to find out how many preset drum kits are included. Each sound will incorporate a full range of instruments from a snare and bass drum to a floor tom, triangle and full range of cymbals.

It may seem a little odd to play a drum kit by pressing keys on a keyboard but it is quite simple to learn. If your keyboard synthesizer is compatible with General MIDI then the preset drum sounds will be mapped to the keyboard using a standard GM percussion map. Each individual instrument in the drum kit sound is assigned to a specific note and that when that key is pressed down, the instrument will sound. The notes are numbered in a standard way so that middle C is always MIDI note number 60.

When you are first getting to grips with playing percussion on a keyboard, it is useful to have songs that you can play along with, getting progressively more complicated and requiring the use of more fingers as you introduce new drums and cymbals. Preferably your keyboard should have some sort of education features to help you with this.

If you already have a keyboard, but are considering buying another just because it has increased percussion sounds, or any other sounds for that matter, it is worth looking at purchasing additional software synthesizers for your computer instead. One example would be Propellerhead Software Reason 2.5 (Mac/Win) which incorporates a pattern-based software drum machine, known as Redrum. This has 78 drum kit sounds.

 

About Author:

Dan Maynord is sharing his expertise with us about keyboards.  I have so many questions from students, and it is so important to purchase the right piano, that I thought what better than to have an expert with us.

 

Please note: This article is copyright and protected. You may publish this article on your website providing you leave the article “as is” and retain the author’s biography box. All contents Copyright © 2008-2023. All rights reserved. Graham Howard, author of The Digital Piano Bible (a buyer’s guide) and The Howard Score (piano rating system).

 

I often have people ask me about playing a piano “by ear”.  What
they are referring to of course is learning and being able to
play songs just by listening to them.

When I was quite young and still learning to play the piano I
remember hearing watching someone listen to a song on the radio
and then quickly walk over to the piano and play what was on the
radio. It was very impressive.  I remember thinking how amazing
that was.

The thing that I’ve learned since then is that if you spend time
with music – listening to it, playing it, paying attention to it,
that things start to stick out.

By this I mean certain chords start to become familiar, certain
melodies that then go along with those chords.  Probably the most
important one of these aspects is that chord progressions that
start to stick out. These are the fundamental parts to playing by
ear.

One thing that happens quite often with piano is that when someone
starts their piano education they are usually taught how to read
music first, then to play off sheet music.  So when it comes time
to play something that isn’t written down they have great trouble.
I know this was how it was for me in the beginning.

To really learn music by ear you need to have at least some
knowledge about chords and chord progressions.  Once you know a
little more about chords (major and minor, and what they sound
like) you can start with learning by ear.

The first thing to do is find a song you really like
and would like to play.  The second thing is to make sure it’s
an easy song.  You will probably find out pretty quickly how
difficult it is to play.  If you hear there are a lot of chord
changes then maybe pick another song.

The thing about learning by ear is that when you first start
out, it will take a while and you need to be patient.  When I
first started it took me quite some time and I had to work
through quite a lot of frustrating moments but it’s much more
rewarding.

Some people will be able to pick up music from their ear with
much more ease than others.  This is just a fact of life.  Some
people’s ears are just more tuned to music than others.  Quite
often though, these people are the ones who listen to the most
music.

The key is to experiment with playing along with music and give
yourself the time it will take to learn by ear.  You will find
that the more you do the better at it you will be come and after
a while it will come naturally and you will be able to play with
whatever is on the radio.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alex, The Rapid Piano Expert

 

Please note: This article is copyright and protected. You may publish this article on your website providing you leave the article “as is” and retain the author’s biography box. All contents Copyright © 2008-2023. All rights reserved. Graham Howard, author of The Digital Piano Bible (a buyer’s guide) and The Howard Score (piano rating system).

 

If you want to avoid having to pay for piano lessons, there is an effective
method which can save you both time and money. In essence it involves doing
the opposite of everyone else. I have used this principle to jump several
piano grades in a matter of months, on my own; I’m confident that you can
teach yourself piano using this concept.

One of the keys to doing this is to analyse what works and what doesn’t –
and adjust what you do accordingly. This is a common concept in business,
but I have rarely seen it applied to piano practice. Using it you can avoid
having pay a teacher. It is invaluable when you want to teach yourself
piano.

It’s called the 80-20 Rule.

Also known as Pareto’s Principle, this is a highly effective concept which
has helped me to eliminate most of the less effective parts of my piano
practice, and allowed me to learn pieces 10 times faster than my peers. I
was also able to cut out the teacher element, which acted as a bottleneck,
and began to teach myself.

The principle simply states that 80% of output comes from 20% of effort or
time (or 90-10, or 99-1; the exact ratio doesn’t matter, only the rough
concept). Applied to learning piano, we discover that 80% of progress made
is due to only 20% of effort. Therefore most of what people do when
practicing has a small impact compared to several very important things.
Unfortunately, often what a piano teacher does ends up in the inneffective
80%, which means that past a certain level lessons become less and less
useful.

The problem is, which 20% is most important?

Obviously when learning a piece, actually looking at the sheet music is
fundamental; if we don’t do this, we can’t learn the piece. Memorisation is
second; if we don’t memorise a piece, we can’t play it properly. So to begin
with, we must scan the piece and memorise it as fast as possible.

I do this by deconstructing the piece, using a pencil on the score. I mark
out all the different sections (look up different musical forms, such as
A-B-A and Sonata Form), count the number of bars, analyse the key changes,
work out any repeat sections, work out where the melody and harmonies are,
figure out any patterns in the piece (whether in the melody, harmony,
scales, arpeggios), and label all the different parts.

This is the best way to memorise a piece: by analysing it to death. Only by
doing this can you attain any high level of skill when you teach yourself
piano.

This activity is perhaps only 2% of what most people do during the entire
time they are learning a new piece, yet it accounts for a good 50% of the
end product. So it makes sense to maximise the effect of this by focusing
more time on it than usual, and by going as in-depth as possible. In order
to balance the time, we also need to eliminate things which have less
impact.

So, what can we eliminate?

Things which I had largely gotten rid of include: scales and arpeggios (at
least more than once or twice a week for more than half an hour – more than
this is overkill and not necesary); practicing easy bits (you don’t need to,
they’re already easy!); not getting carried away and practicing too much
(maximising post-practice improvement).

Remember, learning a piece to 95% proficiency only takes a few weeks at the
most, but learning a piece to 99% proficiency can take months, or even the
better part of a year. Stick with passable accuracy rather than invincible
technique; most audiences can’t tell the difference. Most teachers don’t
know this, but with this knowledge you’ve attained the first step to being
able to teach yourself piano.

 

About the Author

Sebastian Mitchell is the author of “Learn Piano More Quickly in 3 Hours or
Less”. He has been using unorthodox piano learning techniques for
2.5 years, winning competitions against much more experienced players.

 

Please note: This article is copyright and protected. You may publish this article on your website providing you leave the article “as is” and retain the author’s biography box. All contents Copyright © 2008-2023. All rights reserved. Graham Howard, author of The Digital Piano Bible (a buyer’s guide) and The Howard Score (piano rating system).

 

 

Comments

Now this worked very well. Often one can get frustrated when practicing a difficult piece.

However, by breaking it down this way, it made the practice session much easier and piece more digestible.

Top stuff! Thanks.
Linton

A hundred years ago or so, practical music training – and keyboard musicianship education in particular – appears to have undergone a dramatic shift. During the eighteenth and nineteenth century, pianists were taught to master the skill of improvising rhythm, melody, harmony and counterpoint spontaneously and they read music by hearing the score inwardly first and simply playing what their inner musician demanded.

Back in the Baroque period, keyboard players were fluent at improvising over figured bass and they had the ability to extemporise music spontaneously. The complex counterpoint of Baroque keyboard music has its roots in fluent improvisation.

It is a naive error to assume that it was academic or theoretical knowledge that gave Bach his ability to compose amazing Fugues. And the suggestion that Bach’s music has some mathematical essence is absurd. Theoretical and practical music are not mutually dependent. It is possible for a very capable pianist to have an extensive theoretical knowledge of harmony without being able to harmonise a melody fluently at the keyboard. Equally, from my own experience I know it is possible to play rich and complex chords completely intentionally without actually giving their theoretical construction a second thought.

The improvising classical musician is now a rare creature and this lies in the strange way in which classical piano is now taught. It is normal for students to be taught to decode the dots of musical scores onto the keyboard before they have developed any aptitude for the spontaneous creation of musically intelligible sounds using the keyboard. This is a little like trying to teach a child to read who has not yet mastered speech. This decoding – not reading – dominates the modern approach.

Students learn to recite complex classical pieces whose inherent musical syntax – the patterns from which it is constructed – frequently remains utterly obscure to them. Just as it is possible to recite a poem in a language one cannot speak fluently, so it is possible to “sound” like a fluent musician.

Teachers often teach the notes first and then expression is added subsequently. If the student adopts the appropriate manner of playing effectively, eloquent results can appear. And there are many classically trained pianists today who play beautifully but who cannot improvise very much at all. This is of course fine as long as it is the music student’s genuine goal but I believe fluent musicianship is something that can be trained and if such training were widely available, it would be sought by many.

People frequently give up their piano studies, frustrated that all they can do is slowly and painstakingly decode scores and recite them passively. They crave the natural fluency that they see in the talented few and become discouraged.

So why then are there some musicians who can improvise well? Admittedly, Jazz piano methods do teach improvisation, and often quite effectively, although in this field too there is still usually a pronounced emphasis on theory which can result in a rather rigid and mechanical form of improvising that falls short of genuine fluency. The reality is that most fluent musicians have not been taught at all. Some simply have a talent for it – a matter of luck perhaps. My own fluency arrived very early.

At the age of four or five I could play back melodies I heard and liked and harmonise them too. There are also musicians who do not manifest such gifts early on but who as a result of self-tuition or playful experimentation, can pick out melodies and chords and play rhythmically and with good phrasing. Such musicians often write their own songs and can play music they know by ear in their own way. There may be gaping holes in terms of the range of musical “vocabulary” they can handle but what they do possess, they use to express themselves directly and freely.

So I refute the claim that musical fluency is a rare gift. I have even heard it said that a “good ear” cannot be taught or that there might be a “perfect pitch” gene. Such notions fuel the disempowering belief that music is something that only the talented few can do well. Talent in music is much like talent in language. A fluent command of language will not turn someone into a great writer or actor. I believe fluent musicianship is something all people can achieve given the right kind of training.

I first became interested in this subject when I was a student at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. I had a job as a piano teacher on a Saturday in a music shop in Chorley, Lancashire. I was probably quite a bad teacher back then and was fortunately very cheap. My weakness as a teacher was because of my own natural, untutored fluency as a practical musician. I was frustrated.

I could not understand why my pupils seemed to be playing lists of notes. The lists they played were seldom all reproduced correctly but even if they were they would have no musical shape or expression – they would mean nothing. So I adapted and in time I learned to do what I know most piano teachers do and instruct my students with clarity and precision on how to play each note with the “right” expression. I call it eloquence by numbers. Frankly, the results never sounded very naturally musical to my ears but my students would pass their examination; some even did very well.

Over time, my enquiry deepened into what it was that made a musical person and after twenty years of searching, I have come to understand that natural, musical expressiveness occurs when the components of the musical “language” are internalised; when the rhythm and tonality – melody and harmony – are mapped into the musician’s body. Reciting set pieces or scales and exercises actually blocks the process of acquiring fluency when this occurs without first internalising – or deeply familiarising oneself with – the components of “language” from which the music is constructed. So I needed a new system of training.

“Musically Fluent” – as I call it – is the system of keyboard training that I have now developed. It feeds the components of the musical language to students in an incremental order so that fluency is possible at every stage and musicianship builds upon a firm foundation without dangerous holes appearing.

This order is very different to the one currently used by most traditional methods and it stands in direct opposition to the methods that promise short cuts and often teach a few set chords and patterns. Such approaches are like learning a few phrases in a language – a very far cry from the development of real fluency.

The pieces, exercises and games that I compose are musically rewarding – people usually want to play music which is strong and memorable – but the language components are internalised first so that the musician never plays “by numbers” or passive imitation. I place enormous emphasis on rhythmic awareness, in particular the awareness of pulsation and structure in music.

We can tell from the way that musical notation is written that an awareness of underlying rhythmic structure was something which used to be considered very important. Today in musical training it is often woefully neglected or simply taught in a damaging way.

Counting aloud is sometimes taught but this can create a serious block to natural rhythmic flow. Making students play with a metronome to try to force rhythmic stability is usually extremely destructive. Rhythm is natural. It exists in the body and needs to be drawn out with awareness. Clapping exercises and word games are a great way to get it going and I have also developed visual resources which I use prior to teaching musical notation; they are designed specifically to help people to see – and more importantly to feel – the matrix of pulsation and structure of music.

Different rhythmic patterns are introduced in a specific order as are the tonal components – keys, intervals and chords – so that the musical “vocabulary” builds steadily. In many ways, I sense that I am returning to the values of music training once championed in the past. And much of what I teach is simple musical common sense. But I recognise that my approach and the teaching pieces that I compose need to be fresh and smart to address the needs of a twenty-first century music student.

I have been teaching now in this new and radical way for a year or so and am thrilled by the results it produces in students who are committed. Many of my students were musically stiff and frustrated when they first came to me and it is so good to see them begin to find expressive freedom and real command. Still in its infancy, Musically Fluent is my hope for generating some new approaches to learning keyboard musicianship. The keyboard is an extraordinarily powerful musical tool.

New technology opens up limitless possibilities as we live at the beginning of a new chapter in its long history. I am looking to spread and develop the principles of Musically Fluent far and wide and to begin a revolution.

About The Author

My name is Phil Best. I have launched a website, musicallyfluent.com and am currently writing a book on the subject. People do not realise what they are capable of musically and I want music educators everywhere to join me in changing this and opening up a new path of empowering people to become fluent musicians.

 

Please note: This article is copyright and protected. You may publish this article on your website providing you leave the article “as is” and retain the author’s biography box. All contents Copyright © 2008-2023. All rights reserved. Graham Howard, author of The Digital Piano Bible (a buyer’s guide) and The Howard Score (piano rating system).

 

Editor’s comment/ It is important to get your playing technique correct before you tackle chords. These words of wisdom come from pianist April Wright who nowadays plays mainly chord related pieces.

Kids take years and years to learn the piano. Practicing and perfecting. Adults who want to learn to play the piano may feel overwhelmed by the enormity of what they need to learn. Learning to play classical piano will take a lot of time but there is another option.

 

Chords

Learning chords can take weeks instead of years. It is important to get the proper piano playing technique at first. Then it is a matter of learning certain musical patterns.

To learn chords you need to learn about these things:

1. What the keys on the piano are called
2. The different types of chords and how to read them
3. How to form chords (by ear or by learning about key  signatures and other methods)

With chords you can play a number of things like…

~ Songs you hear on the radio – rock, pop, etc
~ Play off of lead sheets (they have a basic melody and chords)
~ You can write your own songs and chord progressions
~ You can improvise and play with a band

How do you start?

1. Begin by learning the notes of the piano
2. Start learning about chords – make sure you research piano  chords or you’ll find a lot of guitar related material
3. Find a song you like online and look up the chords for that  song. Here’s a great chord finder.

If you do decide to go on and learn to play more piano off written notes, learning chords will make that easier and faster. It’s a great way to start and to be able to play the piano without taking so long.

About the Author

April Wright is the author of www.piano-lessons-info.com. Starting out playing classical piano, she mainly enjoys playing chord related pieces now.

 

Please note: This article is copyright and protected. You may publish this article on your website providing you leave the article “as is” and retain the author’s biography box. All contents Copyright © 2008-2023. All rights reserved. Graham Howard, author of The Digital Piano Bible (a buyer’s guide) and The Howard Score (piano rating system).

 

There are many different questions when it comes to buying a
keyboard.  How much should I pay, how many keys it needs and so
on.  A lot of it really depends on the buyer and your own
personal preference.

The best way to tell if the keyboard is right for you is if it
“feels” right.  But, in saying that, there are a few simple
guidelines that can help you out come purchase time.

 

Graham Howard – Author and Piano Advisor.
Email for piano advice: grahamhoward@ukpianos.co.uk
or Call 020 8367 5107

 

One of the great things about having so many different keyboards
to choose from is that you can find one at a suitable price.  The
first thing is you want to make sure the keyboard actually works.

The problem with keyboards is that as they get older they tend to
decay a bit.  So be careful buying a keyboard before you’ve
actually played it and checked the keys, all the buttons and so on.

The next step is looking at how many keys it has.  I’m often asked
“how many keys should I get?”  The answer is really down to
personal preference and what exactly you’re using your keyboard
for.  My advice is to get a keyboard with the full 88 keys.  But
76 and even 61 will usually be enough.  If you have the choice I
think either 88 or 76 keys is best.

If you were just using a small range of the keyboard and it’s
more for recording interesting samples and so on, then fewer keys
is fine.  Most professionals will use 88 keys.

The next thing to look at is weighted keys or “synth” action.
This means what the feel of the actual keys is like.  This again
really depends on personal taste.  There are weighted keys – keys
on the keyboard have the same feel and weight as keys on a
standard piano.  A lot of trained pianists will go this route,
myself included.

I don’t like to use synth style keys but that’s entirely my
personal taste.  One of the benefits of playing on a keyboard
with weighted keys is that if you never played an acoustic piano
before you should easily be able to adjust quickly because your
hands will be used to it.  Synth style keys also have their
advantages.  Because they’re not weighted it’s a lot easier to
play them faster.

Another important aspect is the velocity and after touch of the
keyboard.  Velocity refers to whether how hard you hit the keys
affects how loud the sound that comes out, so that if you lightly
touch the keyboard you will get a nice quiet sound.

Similarly if you hit down hard you will get a nice loud reaction.
After touch refers to the sensitivity to the sound and touch
after you hit the note and hold it down.  If you play a note and
you want it to ring the way an acoustic piano does, after touch
is very important.

Personally I believe that velocity and after touch is VERY
important and any keyboard you have should really have these
things catered for.

So there are a couple things to consider when looking at
keyboards.  Ultimately I believe a lot of it comes down to
personal taste and what your instincts tell you about the
keyboard itself.  Remember, you want it to be something that you
can spend a lot of time on so make sure that you are completely
happy with what you end up with.

Article by George Russell

 

Please note: This article is copyright and protected. You may publish this article on your website providing you leave the article “as is” and retain the author’s biography box. All contents Copyright © 2008-2023. All rights reserved. Graham Howard, author of The Digital Piano Bible (a buyer’s guide) and The Howard Score (piano rating system).

 

The day the piano exam arrives can be a very frightening moment. Whether you are seven or seventy, the prospect of going in to face an examiner can be daunting. The piano exam, however, need not be a terrifying experience and in this article I would like to outline a few hints that may help you if you are planning to take one.

Spend time selecting your exam pieces carefully, choosing pieces that you will enjoy playing and that are suited to your hands. After all, exam preparation should be a pleasurable experience which is simply a part of your general musical development. Look on it as the beginning to further study rather than something very narrow that begins and ends with the syllabus. If you are studying Mozart, for example, listen to his operas and the music of Haydn so that you become more familiar with the classical style. Also take every opportunity to listen to other interpretations of your exam pieces.

If you are working towards Grade 1 aim to practise for at least half an hour a day, by Grade 5 aim for an hour a day and if you are working towards a diploma then aim for at least 2 hours practice a day. There may be one or two days in the week when you are unable to practise, in which case make sure your practice in the rest of the week is adequate. If you plan long sessions give yourself adequate breaks and be realistic about the amount of study that can be put into one practice session otherwise the quality of your practice may suffer.

Work on the principle that it is better to practise the new before the old, for example, practise your newest pieces and scales before the more familiar ones. Keep a practice notebook listing scales, pieces and sight-reading to be practised and any points needing special attention. By writing down exactly what is going wrong in a scale or a piece, you can often put it right much more quickly. It is so important not to spend valuable practice time repeating the same mistakes over again so that they become more and more deeply ingrained.

Whenever you make mistakes in your practice be aware that feelings of anger or annoyance with yourself will not help to put them right. They will only encourage changes in your breathing and posture and cause unnecessary tension. Instead, focus on your playing in a non-judgmental way, looking at why you are not playing something the way you want. This will be the starting point for doing something about it. By adopting this constructive mental attitude, you can allow the difficulties in your playing to melt away.

 

Graham Howard – Author and Piano Advisor.
Email for piano advice: grahamhoward@ukpianos.co.uk
or Call 020 8367 5107

 

 

PREPARING SCALES AND ARPEGGIOS

Make every scale and arpeggio a musical event. Avoid a trial and error approach and aim for accuracy in both notes and fingering every time. Practise reciting the following away from the keyboard:
– the key signatures of your scales and the changed notes in minor scales
– the names of the notes up and down (one octave will suffice)
– the notes the thumb or fourth finger plays

Relate individual scales to the groups to which they belong. For example, the scales of C, G, D, A and E major and minor (both harmonic and melodic) all have the same finger pattern.

If you have a large number of scales to learn, organise your scale practice carefully. Write out your scales and arpeggios on cards, one scale per card, which may even be colour coded, such as blue for major and red for minor and so on. Important points such as key signatures or fingering can be written on the back. Divide your scales into groups and keep the cards in separate envelopes so that you can work on one group in a practice session. Work through a set of scales putting them into two separate piles, one containing those that were accurate the first time and the other in which there were mistakes. Play every scale that goes wrong three times in a row correctly before going on to another one. If it goes wrong the third time, play it three more times.

If you are working on scales and arpeggios in all keys, practise them sometimes in a cycle of fifths. Also mix up your scales and arpeggios by playing every kind you know that starts on a particular note, for example, a C major, C harmonic and melodic minor scale, a chromatic scale on C and an arpeggio, dominant and diminished seventh on C.

Whatever the requirements, practise scales separately as well as together, and experiment with different dynamics, articulation and rhythms. If a recommended minimum scale speed has been given, use the metronome to work your way up to this carefully over a period of time. Aim to keep all of your scales the same speed – generally scales will be one speed and arpeggios slower. Concentrate on quality rather than quantity since intelligent playing of a few scales slowly in one session will be far more beneficial than hurrying through your examination requirements without much care.

 

PREPARING PIECES

When you first start to study your exam pieces it is important to explore them thoroughly. This will help you to become familiar with the characteristics of the composer’s style and so lead to a deeper understanding of the piece and a more mature interpretation. Some examination boards also set a viva voce where you will be asked questions on your pieces and so it will provide invaluable help in preparing for this.

If you can find more than one edition of your pieces, compare them noting any differences in phrasing, expression, and ornamentation. Find out if possible which markings are those of the composer since you may wish to experiment and change, with the help of your teacher, any of those given by an editor provided the solution is in character with the piece.

If you cannot find out when your piece was composed make sure that at least you know when the composer was alive, his nationality and who any of his contemporaries were. The piece may have been originally written for an early keyboard instrument such as a harpsichord, in which case if you are not familiar with the sound, listen to recordings of harpsichord playing. You may even be able to find a recording of your piece played on this instrument. It may be part of a set of pieces or a larger work such as a sonata or suite. If it is part of a bigger work, listen to the whole piece or better still, if possible, learn the whole piece.

Examine the piece comprehensively, checking the title, time signature, rhythm, tempo, key signature, phrase structure, expression, ornamentation, pedal markings etc. By looking at these aspects this will help give you a clear idea of the kind of piece to be practised, for example, whether it is dance-like or descriptive or the mood is happy or sad and make you more aware of the challenges to be solved in learning it.

Once you have explored your piece, you are in a position to assess the most suitable way of practising it. Firstly go through the piece working out the fingering to be used. Whether it has been marked or not, choose fingering that is suitable for your hands and so be prepared to change any given in the copy. Experiment until you find the most appropriate, always taking into account the phrasing and most efficient fingering.

Next the piece can be built up carefully hands separately and then together, phrase by phrase and section by section. If there are any particularly challenging areas mark them for special attention and work on them first. Whenever you make a mistake, always assess exactly what has happened and correct it immediately at least once. Correct the mistake from a few beats before as it is the movement to the note or chord that is the fault. Always have a pencil on hand for circling important finger numbers, incorrect notes or for marking in how you will count difficult rhythms.

It is not the greatest number of repetitions of a piece that is important but the greatest number of correct repetitions. To help your accuracy always make steady, careful practice a top priority, practising your pieces very slowly at first, gradually increasing the speed over a period of time. Use the metronome if this helps. If you have worked up to a new speed on a piece in one session, go back to a slower speed the next day and work up to this again.

When practising the piece as a whole, make sure you bring out its character. For example, if the piece is a dance, imagine how the people would be dressed and how they would be dancing; if the piece is descriptive concentrate on bringing pictures to mind. If the piece is like a song without words, make up your own words, reflecting the mood of the music and sing them sometimes when you play it. Imagine the piano as an orchestra and consider orchestral colours at each point of the texture. The piece may suggest, for example, a large symphony orchestra or a chamber ensemble.

Practise a piece sometimes without playing it at all! Sit down with the music and read it through, giving the perfect performance in your mind, then sit or lie down with your eyes closed and do the same without the copy. Set aside a part of your practice time at regular intervals to tape record performance of your pieces. While listening to the recording make detailed notes of your observations about your performance.

 

PREPARING SIGHT-READING

Make sight-reading a regular part of your practice. There are many series of graded sight-reading books available to help you in this. Remember too that there is a vast piano repertoire at your disposal which you can use to improve your sight-reading, so go out and explore it! Also consider offering yourself as an accompanist to a friend who sings or plays an orchestral instrument or team up with a friend of a similar standard to play duets.

When practising sight-reading, choose the tempo very carefully based on the piece as a whole. Keep your eyes on the music and look ahead, aiming to take in several bars at a glance, noticing patterns such as repeated rhythms and passages built on scales or chords. Imagine as well as you can how the music will sound before you play it and when playing it, give rhythm priority over correct notes.

Take an example and carry out the following procedure. Firstly allow yourself 30 seconds to explore the sight-reading, examining the key, rhythm, dynamics, any accidentals, tied notes etc. Although 30 seconds does not seem long if it is used well you can cover a great deal about your piece. You can usually expect to receive up to this amount of time in the exam. As a further aid to understanding the rhythm before playing, now clap or tap the rhythm of the piece through first, counting aloud.

Next play through the piece counting aloud. Make a mental note of any mistakes you have noticed without correcting them and then after pausing a while to consider them, play the piece again focusing on what could be improved the second time. What you focus on this time will depend on how you played it the first time, for example, you may need to read the key signature or rhythms more carefully. This time count in your head. Assess your second performance and tick the example as having been done. If there are still many slips the second time, then consider whether it would have been wise to play it more slowly or do an easier book of examples first.

Work through a book of sight-reading this way and when you get to the end of it go back and start the book again. This time look at each example for 30 seconds and then play it through once counting in your head. You may become aware of how much you have learnt in the meantime.

 

AURAL PREPARATION

Aural tests feature in most piano examinations and you can do a great deal to develop your aural skills in your practice sessions. Consider buying commercial cassettes or CDs of your aural tests and work through them methodically. Most importantly, listen to real music and relate your tests to this.

Aural skills can only be improved if they are practised regularly over a period of time. Each of the examination boards has differing requirements for aural tests but they fall broadly into three categories: rhythm and time tests, pitch tests and recognising features.

Clapping back rhythms is frequently set as a test. When practising this, work on short examples first, gradually increasing the length. If you clap with two or three fingers on the palm of the hand, this will allow you to clap fast rhythms more easily.

In the test to identify time your specific requirement may be to clap the pulse of a passage, conduct time or simply state the time. Practise this by listening to music, noting carefully where the strong beat falls as this will usually indicate the first beat in a bar. Beat the pulse or conduct at the same time and then, if possible, check the score to see if you were correct.

The pitch tests fall into several categories. If you never sing, you may find it of value to consider joining a choir where you will have the opportunity to develop your aural skills over a period of time and have the pleasure of singing. If you have to sing a melody back, as with clapping back rhythms work on short examples first, gradually increasing the length. Remember that this is a piano exam and not a singing exam and the quality of your voice is not being tested! Most examination boards will allow you to sing to la or any vowel sound so practice the way with which you feel most comfortable.

If there is a test to recognise intervals, you may find it helpful to learn to do this by thinking of the notes as the start of a tune you know, for example, Away in a Manger starts with a perfect fourth and My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean with a major sixth. Make a list of tunes you know for other intervals and examine various intervals found in your pieces. Singing intervals can be practised in any spare time, including humming while waiting for a bus so use every moment well!

In recognising chord sequences and cadences always listen to the bass notes. Your work on intervals will help in this. Also bear in mind the following when recognising cadences:

A perfect cadence moves from chord V to I. It will therefore sound finished and there will be no shared notes between the two chords.

A plagal cadence moves from IV to I and so also sounds finished but the key note is present in each of the chords. This cadence is used when singing “Amen”.

An imperfect cadence moves from any chord to chord V and sounds unfinished.

An interrupted cadence moves from V to VI and so starts like a perfect cadence but there is an element of surprise when it does not go to chord I. If it is in a major key then chord VI will be minor whereas in a minor key both V and VI will be major.

Look at your pieces and play through the cadences. You will already be familiar with the sound of these cadences and so make sure you can also name them.

If you have a modulation test, first of all practise singing up and down the notes of a major and minor triad so that you can hear the difference between the two. Bear in mind also that as a broad generalisation, major pieces sound more cheerful and happy whereas minor keys are often used for sadder pieces. When listening for a modulation, practise this by keeping the original tonic in mind throughout the example by humming it gently, and then check to hear if it is still in the final chord. You may have to recognise, for example, whether a piece in a major key has moved to the subdominant, dominant or relative minor. If the original tonic is still in the last chord and the last chord is major then the modulation will be to the subdominant whereas if the last chord is minor then it will be the relative minor. If the tonic is not still there and the key is major the modulation will be to the dominant.

If you have to recognise features in a piece as part of your aural tests, make a list of the features you are expected to recognise, such as dynamics, articulation and tempo changes. Listen carefully to music of all kinds – not just for piano – with these in mind. A detailed exploration of the pieces you are studying will also help in this test.

In the exam be clear which tests you have to do for your grade and examination board and if you are not sure about the answer to a test consider the possibilities and give an answer rather than say nothing. If you cannot remember the end of a rhythm that you have to clap back or a melody that you have to sing back, at least make an attempt to finish it and there is a good chance that at least some of it will be right! Whatever tests are incorporated in your examination, make intelligent listening a regular part of your preparation for your exam and you can combine the enjoyment of this with effective exam preparation.

 

THE EXAMINATION

And so we come to the examination itself. If you have learnt your pieces in good time for the exam, play them through occasionally, and go on and learn some other pieces or concentrate on other aspects of the exam. It is essential to get the balance right so that there is no last minute panic but on the other hand that the pieces are not stale through over-practice.

A successful exam will, to a large extent, depend on the care you have taken in preparation, but you must also consider the element of nervousness since you may have had little experience at playing in front of others.

Ask your teacher to give you one or two mock exams 2 to 3 weeks before the exam. This will give you an impression of the exam itself and still give you some time to work on any aspects which come up. Take every opportunity to play your pieces to family or friends, listening to any helpful advice. Look for performance opportunities in playing as a soloist or part of an ensemble, accompanying or duet playing. One of the best ways of getting used to performing is to play with others. These all give you experience of playing to others while taking the spotlight off your own performance. Also take every opportunity to go to concerts and watch others perform.

When the day of the examination gets near, play your pieces through in the clothes you will be wearing on the day, including the shoes, making sure you are comfortable, but taking care over your appearance in the same way that you will have taken care over every other part of the exam.

Work out in advance how to get to the exam centre so that you arrive at least 10 minutes before and make sure you know how to pronounce the titles and composers of your pieces, if asked for by the examiner. Arrange to practise on the piano on which you will be playing if at all possible, or at least make sure you have had experience of playing on different pianos, otherwise when it comes to performing on a strange instrument you may find it difficult to adjust, particularly if the piano you will be playing on is a grand piano and you have only ever played on an upright one where the music desk is a different height.

In the waiting room, check to make sure that your hands are warm and if you feel nervous, focus on deep breathing. When you enter the exam room smile and greet the examiner and adjust the stool if necessary so that it is the right height.

If you have the choice, then consider starting with your scales first in order to get used to the touch of the piano. Throughout the exam, stay calm, playing even the wrong notes beautifully and if you enjoy the whole experience the chances are that the examiner will too. When the result arrives, read through the mark form carefully, and if you are disappointed, concentrate on how you can use the comments to help your playing. However the chances are that if you have really taken this whole exam business seriously you will succeed. Good Luck!

The best value for money online course I have seen so far is the Rocket Piano. Read more about it here

 

Author

Jeffrey Whitton is a piano teacher, an examiner, a composer of educational music, including An Alphabet of Piano Pieces, and author of the book The Art of Practising the Piano published by Stainer and Bell. He has also produced a Video called Piano Exams – A Guide to Preparation which is available from Jay Music jaymus@tiscali.co.uk or tel. 020 8673 1864. Get free piano lessons for beginners here: ukpianos.co.uk/free-online-piano-lessons

 

Please note: This article is copyright and protected. You may publish this article on your website providing you leave the article “as is” and retain the author’s biography box. All contents Copyright © 2008-2023. All rights reserved. Graham Howard, author of The Digital Piano Bible (a buyer’s guide) and The Howard Score (piano rating system).

 

Learning how to play the piano by ear is easier than you think…

There is no time like the present to start learning how to play piano by ear and online piano lessons are the fastest way for you to learn this amazing skill. And since you are learning you should learn the best way possible, you should learn to play piano by ear. It is only by learning to play piano by ear that you will be able to sit down to your piano and play something that you just heard on TV or on the radio and this is such a fun thing to be able to do. Not only will it feel good for you to be able to play piano by ear, it will impress the heck out of all your friends.

Online piano lessons are cheap and they are easy to follow. You can actually find some free online piano lessons, you should look into this first. Even if you decide to take more paid for online piano lessons at least this way you will have a foundation down first. This will make your further education in learning to play piano by ear much easier for you. Learning to play piano by ear is a big step and you need all of the help you can get, the less it costs the better right?

There are some techniques that you can use to learn to play piano by ear. These can be added to your online piano lessons. Learning them in conjunction is a smart way to learn to play piano by ear. For example you can start with the chords. Listen to them as you play them and then tape them. Listen to them over and over again until you can hear the subtle and not so subtle differences. This is key if you want to play piano by ear.

Before you choose the online piano lessons that are right for you, make sure that they really are the right ones. Try to focus on online piano lessons that will help you to play piano by ear. Some online piano lessons will state that this is their goal, to help you to play piano by ear. This is what you want to look for in your lessons.

The best value for money online course I have seen so far is the Rocket Piano Read more about it here

Josh Nelson is an avid piano player and learned to play the piano by ear. He offers a free report with tips and tricks for playing by ear at his site: get-online-piano-lessons.com.
Get free piano lessons for beginners here: www.ukpianos.co.uk/free-online-piano-lessons

 

Please note: This article is copyright and protected. You may publish this article on your website providing you leave the article “as is” and retain the author’s biography box. All contents Copyright © 2008-2023. All rights reserved. Graham Howard, author of The Digital Piano Bible (a buyer’s guide) and The Howard Score (piano rating system).

 

If you’re aiming to learn to play piano here are a few things to consider. Learn with a professional piano teacher or take online lessons? Each choice has its advantages and disadvantages.

1. Learning with a teacher

If you choose to have taught lessons by a trained piano teacher as a beginner you will have the advantages of learning correct hand positions, regular progress reports, maintaining good practice habits, setting attainable goals, and working to your learning strengths. A piano teacher is able to point out easily missed mistakes and provide alternative interpretations of the music, and also suggest useful extended learning materials. You can discuss your areas of concern with your teacher. The cost of private piano tuition bears its fruit in the tutor’s accessibility, sharing his/her expertise, ability to model new and difficult passages, and acting as a good ‘sounding board’.

2. Using modern technology

You may prefer online learning using CDs, DVDs, youtube, or other e-learning resource. Recorded music allows you to progress at your own speed, without feeling pressurised by expected targets set by a teacher. By listening to recorded music you’ll be able to copy and adapt the style of playing to a point. You’ll also be able to correct and replay the section you are currently learning. While these are all methods that may fit in well with your programme, you may enhance your own progress, musicality and confidence by performing with a friend. Most importantly, choose the right method and online learning resource to suit your specific learning needs.

3. How to practice a new piece

Remember: ‘Practice makes perfect’. Initially play though a new piece. You may then need to break down the music into sections, practice the new material in small segments, slowly at first, gradually increasing tempo. If you find playing both hands at the same time too complicated, practice playing one hand first [melody], then the other hand [harmony/chords]. Finally, bring the whole piece together by playing both hands. This sectional learning style should increase your confidence, attainment, and sense of satisfaction in your achievement.
Whatever your learning method, regular practice is most beneficial, 20-30 minutes daily as a guide.

4. Boost your confidence

If you work well to set targets and expectations then your favoured learning style may be with a teacher. Either method will produce encouraging results as long as you are focused and faithful to adapt a regular routine of practice aimed at improving your piano playing skills. Don’t be frightened at the prospect of performing your pieces to a trusted audience, perhaps your friends or family. They will most likely be the best audience to give you positive feedback and a much needed confidence boost!

 

Author – Jackie Samuals

Please note: This article is copyright and protected. You may publish this article on your website providing you leave the article “as is” and retain the author’s biography box. All contents Copyright © 2008-2023. All rights reserved. Graham Howard, author of The Digital Piano Bible (a buyer’s guide) and The Howard Score (piano rating system).