Piano Career Academy – Complete List of Tutorials

Hi everyone!

When I launched my Piano Coaching Program at PianoCareerAcademy.com (on 15th February 2012) I didn’t even imagine that this project would grow so big in less than 3 months!

Since the day of the launch, I have received hundreds of interesting piano questions from the members of my Coaching Program. These questions inspired me to design countless written and video tutorials that are now LIVE, exclusively for my online students, on the Private Members Forum!

Here is the current list of the most important tutorials (I will be updating it as often as possible):

 

 I. Step-By-Step Practice Guides for Beginners.

Video:
1. Nikolaev’s Russian School of Piano Playing. Detailed Practice Guides:
Lesson No. 1: Getting Started. The 3 Main Piano Pillars. The Basic Playing Movements. Picking Out by Ear Easy Melodies. The Basics of Musical Notation.
Lesson No. 2: Playing one-staff pieces with one finger, non-legato. Involving the 2nd and 4th fingers ‘in the process’. Practicing pieces No. 8 – 12.
Lesson No. 3: Playing pieces on two staves, hands together (alternating pattern), non-legato. Double bar lines, repeat signs and rests. Practicing pieces No. 13-14.
Lesson No. 4: Playing with different fingers. Involving the thumb and the 5th finger. Easy dynamics and accents. Practicing pieces No. 15-19.
Lesson No. 5: Playing both hands together, portamento, with different fingers. How to play an interval? Practicing pieces No. 20-24.
Lesson No. 6: Playing on black keys. Tones and semitones. Accidentals and key signatures. Phrasing and mental anticipation. The basics of correct practice. Staccato. Practicing pieces No. 25-27.
Lesson No. 7: The structure of a piano duet. Major, minor and their character. Hand positions. Leaps and jumps. Additional staff lines. Practicing pieces No. 28-31.
Lesson No. 8:
Part I: What is piano articulation? What is legato and how should we play it? Practicing piece No. 32 – 2 legato exercises.
Part II: Using the legato articulation effect in playing pieces. Playing leaps and jumps. The main dynamic indications. Practicing pieces No. 33-36.
Lesson No. 9:
Part I: Dotted notes and their duration. Transferring a melody from one hand into the other. Practicing pieces No. 37-39.
Part II: Playing both hands together simultaneously. How to play the melody louder than the accompaniment? Practicing pieces No. 40-41.
Lesson No. 10: Continuing to play both hands together simultaneously. Learning to play a melody with the LH. Portamento practice and its benefits. Practicing pieces No. 42-45.
Lesson No. 11: What is an eighth note? Incorporating eighth notes in our playing. Discovering new types of musical phrases. Practicing pieces No. 46-48.
Lesson No. 12: Continuing to incorporate eighth notes in our playing. Learning our first animated piece. Discovering new fingering principles. Practicing pieces No. 49-51.
Lesson No. 13: Musical meter and the main metric accent patterns. What is a syncope? Improving your staccato skills. Practicing pieces No. 52-54.
Lesson No. 14: Understanding hand positions. Wrist movements during portamento in a faster tempo. Practicing pieces No. 55-56.
Lesson No. 15: The 3/8 time signature. Improving our skill of playing both hands together, simultaneously. Improving our legato skills and our phrasing. Practicing pieces No. 57 and 58.
Lesson No. 16. The Bass Clef. Practicing pieces No. 59-61.
Lesson No. 17. Practicing pieces No. 62-63. Learning our first ‘piece for dessert’. Improving our posture and key attack, our staccato skills and our phrasing.
Lesson No. 18. Practicing pieces No. 65-66. Playing intervals. Articulation effects and their meaning.
Lesson No. 19. The 3/2 time signature and its expressive purpose. Analyzing our first polyphonic fragment! The raised 7th step and the harmonic minor. What is a chord? Practicing piece No. 67 and a piece for ‘dessert’.
Lesson No. 20. The dotted quarter note. Continuing to play both hands together, simultaneously. Practicing pieces No. 68-70 and a piece for ‘dessert’ – Berkovich’s Etude on a Theme by Paganini.
Lesson No. 21. Prima Volta and Seconda Volta. Imitation and Canon. Getting acquainted with the Intoning Technique. What is ‘Fermata’? Practicing pieces No. 71-72 and a piece for ‘dessert’ – an easy arrangement of the Main Theme from Beethoven’s 5th Symphony.
Lesson No. 22. What is an Anacrusis? Discovering a new interval – the Seventh. Learning how to play in Unison. Practicing pieces No. 73-75.
Lesson No. 23. Learning how to play with two different articulation effects simultaneously. Practicing pieces No. 76-77.
Lesson No. 24. Introducing sixteenth notes (semiquavers). Accents – notation, manner of execution and expressive purpose. Practicing pieces No. 78-80.
Lesson No. 25. Your first meeting with thumb crossings. Acquiring speed and dexterity – learning the basics. Practicing pieces No. 81-83.
Lesson No. 26. Rests and their expressive meaning. Getting acquainted with hand crossings. Practicing pieces No. 84-85.
Lesson No. 27. Continuing to incorporate 16th notes in various rhythmical patterns. Beginning to master 5-finger positions. Acquiring evenness, dexterity and speed. Practicing pieces No. 86-88.
Lesson No. 28. Incorporating dotted eighth notes in our playing. Practicing our first ample piano duet – piece No. 89.
Lesson No. 29. Practicing three pieces for ‘dessert’: Vivaldi – Spring. Handel – Water Music. Offenbach – Can-Can.
Lesson No. 30. Beginning Book 1 Part 2! Crescendo, diminuendo and fermata. Our first meeting with the sustain pedal. Practicing pieces No. 90 and 91.

The Benefits of Playing with One Finger at a Time (starting with the 3rd), by Alternating the Hands, in Practicing Easy Pieces for Beginners.

Video:
Using Horizontal Wrist Navigation for Making a Smooth Legato. Connecting Several Notes on a Single Arm Movement (example – Piece No. 66 from Nikolaev’s Russian School of Piano Playing).

 

II. Musical Analysis and Practice Tips of Specific Pieces.

Video:
1. Group Study: Bach’s Minuet in D Minor, BWV Anh. 132. Detailed video+written+graphics practice guide.

Video:
2. Bach’s Minuet in G Minor, BWV Anh. 115. Practice tips: dynamic plan, phrases, articulation and ornaments.

Video:
3. Playing with a rounded hand shape. Practice tips for Bach’s Minuet in G Minor, BWV Anh. 115.

Video:
4. Bach – Invention No. 1. Analysis and Practice Tips. The Benefits of Slow Detailed Practice.

Video:
5. Avoiding Staccato in Bach’s Invention No. 1

Video:
6. Bach – Invention No. 14 BWV 785. Voicing Recommendations for the Coda.

7. Bach – Prelude & Fugue in C# Minor BWV 849 from WTC vol. I. Detailed Analysis: structure, concept, expression, performance.

Video: 
8. Emphasizing the Themes in Polyphonic Music – the Needed Key Attack (example: Fugue in C# Minor BWV 849 from WTC vol. I).

9. Bach – Prelude & Fugue in E Major BWV 854 from WTC vol. I. Expression and Articulation Recommendations.

10. Bach – Prelude & Fugue in E Minor BWV 855 from WTC vol. I. Practice Tips:
The Prelude
The Fugue

11. How to Perform Hand Crossings in Bach’s Gigue from Partita No. 1? The basic rules of hand distribution and stem notation.

12. Bach-Siloti – Prelude in B Minor. Musical analysis.

Video:
13. Graupner – Bourree in D minor. Practice tips.

Video:
14. Kuhlau’s Sonatina in C Major, op. 55. Detailed musical analysis (general concept, form, structure, phrases, dynamics etc.) and many practice tips.

Video:
15. Scarlatti – Sonata in E Minor, K. 198: Detailed musical analysis and practice tips.

Video:
16. Clementi – Sonatina op. 36 No. 3: practicing the beginning of the 2nd half (1st mov.).

Video:
17. Anon – Allegro in F. Practice tips.

Video:
18. Haydn – Sonata in D Major, No. 61 (Hob. XVI 51). Ornaments. Hand coordination – triplets vs 16th notes.

Video:
19. Haydn – Sonata in D Major, No. 61 (Hob. XVI 51). Which articulation effects are more appropriate for bars 29 and 42-43?

20. Mozart – Andante in D. Practice tips.

Video:
21. Mozart – Sonata No. 13 in Bb Major, K 333. Pedaling Recommendations for the 2nd Movement.

22. Mozart – Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major, K414: How to Perform the Trills? The Rule and the Exceptions.

23. Beethoven – Sonata op. 10 No. 1, 1st movement. Form Analysis. Recommendations for Creating Convincing Dynamics.

Video:
24. Beethoven – Sonata op. 10 No. 2, 2nd movement. Mastering the LH in bars 30-35. Practice and pedaling tips.

Video:
25. Beethoven – Sonata op. 13 Pathetique, 1st movement. Detailed practice tips for the RH intervals and the LH octave tremolo.

Video:
26. Beethoven – Sonata op. 13 (Pathetique), 2nd movement. Detailed Voicing and Phrasing Recommendations.

Video:
27. Beethoven – Sonata op. 90, 1st movement. Mastering the LH in bars 55-64. Practice Tips.

28. Beethoven – Sonata op. 90, 2nd movement. Mastering the staccato chords.

Video:
29. Mastering the Alberti Bass: origins, structure, examples and practice tips for Beethoven’s Sonata op. 49 No. 2 (2nd mov).

30. Beethoven – Fur Elise. Detailed Musical Analysis: history, form, phrases, melody.

Video:
31. Beethoven – Bagatelle in D Major, op. 33 No. 6. How to perform the trill in bar 3? 2 main versions.

Video:
32. Burgmuller – Etude op. 100 No. 4, Petite Reunion. Mastering the double notes: practice tips.

33. Schubert – Impromptu op. 90 No. 1. How to play bars 5-8: staccato vs non-legato.

Video:
34. Schubert – Impromptu op 142. No. 2. How to Play the LH Trill from the Trio?

35. Schubert’s Erlkonig – Historical Background

36. Schubert-Liszt – Erlkonig. Practice Tips.

Video:
37. Liszt – Benediction de Dieu dans la Solitude. Practice Tips.

Video:
38. Liszt – Liebestraum No. 3. The Cadenzas – detailed analysis and practice tips: fingering, hand positions, technical patterns and pedaling.
Part I – The 1st Cadenza
Part II – The 2nd Cadenza

39. Liszt – Orage (No. 5 from Annees de pelerinage, Suisse). Analysis and practice tips for the Piu moto section.

Video:
40. Liszt – Nuages Gris. Musical Analysis and Practice Tips.

Video:
41. Schumann’s Happy Farmer. Detailed musical analysis.

Video:
42. Schumann – Norse Song. Detailed Musical Analysis and Practice Tips.

Video:
43. Schumann’s Kinderszenen Suite No. 11. How to avoid tension in playing the fast chords?

Video:
44. Chopin – Waltz in A Minor, op. posth. Practice tips and pedaling indications.

Video:
45. Chopin – Wiosna (Polish Song op. 74 No. 2). Avoiding Wrist Tension in Playing the LH Accompaniment. Detailed Practice Tips.

Video:
46. Chopin Etude op. 10 No. 4 – practice tips (part I);
47. Chopin Etude op. 10 No. 4 – practice tips (part II)

48. Chopin Etude op. 10 No. 4. Written tutorial: understanding the ergonomic structure of Chopin’s works and discovering the technical ‘patterns’ and hand positions.

Video:
49. Chopin – Etude op. 10. No. 5. Practice Tips: Bringing Out the LH Melody.

Video:
50. Chopin – Etude op. 25 No. 1. Detailed analysis and practice tips.

51. Chopin’s Prelude op. 28 No. 15, Raindrop. Musical Analysis and Practice Tips (+ written tutorial about the color of tonalities):
Part I
Part II

Video:
52. Chopin’s Nocturne op. 15 No. 2: Analyzing and Practicing the Cross-Rhythms in the Doppio movimento section.

Video:
53. Chopin – Scherzo No. 1, op. 20. Practice Tips for the Final Chromatic Scale.

54. Chopin – Ballade No. 1, op. 23. Practice Tips for the Coda: understanding hand positions and support points.

Video:
55. Grieg – Butterfly (from ‘Lyric Pieces’). Detailed Practice Tips: analyzing and mastering the 5 main technical patterns.

Video:
56. Grieg – The Holberg Suite op. 40. History and Musical Concept. Practice tips for Piece No. 4 – Air: mastering the fragment with arpeggiated chords in the LH (bars 40-47).

Video:
57. Rachmaninoff – Etude Tableaux op. 33, No. 2. Practice tips: mastering the LH passages in bars 22-28; overcoming the technical and expressive challenges in the last 5 bars.

Video:
58. Rachmaninoff – Prelude op. 32 No. 5. Practice tips: mastering the main LH patterns.

Video:
59. Medtner – Canzona Serenata (No. 6 from Forgotten Melodies op. 38): detailed practice tips for bars 38-49.

Video:
60. Cecile Chaminade – Automne op. 35 No. 2. Mastering the Cross-Rhythms: Detailed Analysis and Practice Tips.

Video:
61. Ernesto Lecuona – Malaguena. Practice tips: mastering repetitive close position chords.

Video:
62. Debussy – The Girl with the Flaxen Hair. Practice tips. How to create a soft ‘impressionist’ sound?

63. Debussy – Brouillards (Prelude No. 1 from Book 2). Analyzing the Rhythm.

64. Debussy – Brouillards. Detailed Voicing and Pedaling Recommendations.

Video:
65. Debussy – Clair de Lune. Practice Tips.

Video:
66. Faure – Pavane (trio version). How to Create a Pizzicato Effect on the Piano?

Video:
67. Scriabin – Prelude op. 11 No. 10. Musical Analysis and Practice Tips: Main Expressive Tasks, Key Attack, Pedaling.

Video:
68. Poulenc – Nocturne No. 7. Voicing and Dynamic Recommendations. Analysis and Detailed Practice Tips for Bar No. 5.

Video:
69. Eric Thiman – Flood-Time. Practice Tips: structure, phrasing, dynamics and pedaling.

 

III. Piano Playing Basics.

1. Becoming a good pianist – the needed qualities.

2. Learning How to Play Piano – The Power of the Patient, Mindful, Step-by-Step Approach.

Video:
3. The Basic Piano Key Attack. Mastering Whole-Arm Action in 5 Easy Steps.

Video:
4. The Correct Key Attack and the importance of wrist flexibility.

Video:
5. The Fundamental Portamento Key Attack: Detailed Demonstration.

6. Pressing the Keys Vs Pushing Yourself From the Keys – 2 Ways of Perceiving the Fundamental Whole-Arm Piano Key Attack.

Video:
7. Wrist Movements During the ‘Diving’ Portamento Key Attack.

8. Should the Downward Wrist Movement Continue After the Key Attack?

9. Wrist Movement and Its Main Functions: avoiding exaggerations when raising our wrists.

10. Wrist Height vs Wrist Action: Achieving Fluidity and Freedom by Using Wrist Flexibility.

Video:
11. The ‘Cat Kneading’ Effect – a Metaphor for the Whole-Arm Action Principle. Finger Action in Pressing and Releasing a Key.

Video:
12. How To Channel the Force Coming From Our Back Into The Keyboard?

Video:
13. The Difference Between Whole-Arm Action and Separate Finger Action. The benefits of portamento practice in mastering whole-arm action.

Video:
14. How to Play Deeply and Firmly, to the Bottom of the Keys?

15. The Free Fall of the Arm and the Gradual Deep Key Attack: Are These Techniques Compatible?

Video:
16. How to Ensure Accuracy During the Free Fall of the Arm?

17. How to Get Rid of a Tensed Playing Habit?

18. Improving Our Sight-Reading:
Part I:
General Sight-Reading Principles and Practice Tips.

Part II:
My Sight-Reading Experience;
Sight-Reading is Relative;
Focus, Horizontal Thinking and Mind-Fingers Coordination: a Step-By-Step Sight-Reading Guide.

19. Improving our Rhythm.

 

IV. Piano Posture.

Video:
1. The 5 Basic Elements of a Correct Piano Posture.

2. How Far Should We Sit From the Piano? Finding the Golden Middle.

Video:
3. The Benefits of a Wide Arm Position.

Video:
4. How to Avoid Tensed Wrist/Elbow Bends in Reaching Uncomfortable Positions (for example, playing with the LH above the middle C).

5. Getting Rid of Back, Neck and Shoulder pain.

Video:
6. Shoulder Relaxation and its role in mastering the ‘whole arm action’ principle.

7. Is It OK to Stand Up for Playing Louder? The classical professional rule and the modern exceptions.

 

V. Piano Sound & Expression.

Video:
1. Between Pianissimo and Fortissimo. Improving the Piano Dynamic Range.
Episode One: The Real Dynamic Possibilities of the Piano
Episode Two: The ‘Whole Arm Action Principle’, the Correct Key Attack and Their Role in Creating a Wide Range of Dynamic Gradations
Episode Three: Weight, Speed and Height – 3 Variables that can Influence the Sound Intensity.

2. How Can We Embrace the Entire Piano Dynamic Range? Three Main Pillars.

3. How Can We Create Expressive, Gradual Crescendos and Diminuendos? Avoiding 4 Common Mistakes. A step-by-step holistic guide.

Video:
4. How Should We Keep our Fingers When Creating a Soft Piano Sound?

Video:
5. Emphasizing the Melody in Piano Playing. Learning How to Play with Different Sound Intensities Simultaneously.
Part I (example: Khachaturian’s Andantino)
Part II (examples: Mozart’s Sonata K545 and Chopin’s Nocturne op. 72 No. 1, E Minor)
Part III (examples: Schumann’s Happy Farmer, Chopin’s Etude op. 25 No.7, Schubert’s Impromptu op. 90 No. 3)

6. Exercises for Developing Hand/Finger Independence and Coordination: learning how to play with different sound intensities and characters simultaneously.

Video:
7. Mastering the Art of Voicing. Preparatory Exercises. Emphasizing the Melody ‘Hidden’ within Chord Structures (example – Debussy’s Prelude La Cathedrale Engloutie).

8. How to Determine which Voice should be Emphasized in Polyphonic Music? (example: Bach’s Invention No. 2).

Video:
9. Emphasizing the Themes in Polyphonic Music – the Needed Key Attack (example: Fugue in C# Minor BWV 849 from WTC vol. I).

Video:
10. What is Rubato? Origins, Meaning and Detailed Description. Creating an Expressive Rubato in Chopin’s Prelude op. 28 No. 6.

Video:
11. The 3 Main Articulation Effects: Non-legato, Legato & Staccato.

12. What is Tenuto? Notation, Manner of Execution and Expressive Purpose.

13. Understanding Combined Articulation Marks.

14. Understanding Combined Articulation Marks in Impressionist Music (example – Jimbo’s Lullaby from Debussy’s Children’s Corner).

Video:
15. The Piano Intoning Technique and the Illusion of Legato

16. Different Types of Staccato – depending on the artistic concept of the piece, the epoch and the style of the composer.

Video:
17. Finger, Wrist and Arm Staccato.

Video:
18. Avoiding Staccato in Bach’s Invention No. 1

19. The benefits of practicing on portamento.

20. Understanding the Difference Between Articulation Marks (legato, staccato, portamento) and Phrasing.

21. Understanding the difference between legato slurs and phrasing slurs.

Video:
22. Piano Ornaments – Main Types and Manner of Execution according to the style of the epoch.

23. How to Perform Trills in Classical Pieces? The Rule and the Exceptions.

24. Performing Grace Notes in Chopin’s Music. The General Rule and the Exceptions.

25. Should we practice with dynamics from the start?

Video:
26. How to Create a Soft Sound in Playing Impressionist Music? Practicing Debussy’s Prelude La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin.

27. What is Slap Touch (or Carezzando-Touch)? Exploring Debussy’s Innovations in the Realm of Piano Touch and Tone.

 

VI. Piano Technique.

1. The Scale System in the Russian piano school

2. Scales and Arpeggios (score)

3. Maintenance of technical work – the importance of a flexible practice session.

4. Structuring our technical practice: the ‘spiral of progress’ in practicing scales.

5. How we practice scales in the Russian piano school

Video:
5. C Major scale – 3 basic variations

Video:
6. How to Achieve Lightness and Speed in Playing Scales? A Step-By-Step Holistic Guide.

Video:
7. The Chromatic Scale. Rimsky-Korsakov – Flight of the Bumblebee. Practice tips.

8. Wrist Action In Playing Chromatic Scales

Video:
9. Preparing the Hand Positions in Playing Triad Chords

Video:
10. The Art of Playing Large Chords with Different Dynamic Gradations

Video:
11. How to Play Arpeggios? Mastering The Basics. Practicing Short, Broken and Long Arpeggios.

Video:
12. Short, broken and long arpeggios + written tutorial about long arpeggio fingering.

13. Long arpeggio fingering for the B scales:

14. 11 arpeggios from 1 note – written description

15. Building Triad Chords and Seventh Chords

16. Understanding Inversions of Triad Chords and Seventh Chords. What is 6, 6/4, 6/5, 4/3?

Video:
17. Detailed tutorial on:

• Basic triad chords and their inversions;
• The main functions of a tonality: the tonic, dominant and subdominant;
• What is a dominant 7th chord? Building the basic chord and its inversions;
• What is a diminished 7th chord? Building the chord and understanding its character;
• The 2 hand positions in playing diminished 7th chords;
• Building 11 arpeggios from 1 note – C (with detailed explanations);
• Building 11 arpeggios from A.

Video:
18. The Basic Principles of Piano Fingering

Video:
19. Using the Thumbs in Piano Playing – 5 Basic Secrets.

Video:
20. Three Types of Thumb Crossings. Mastering the ‘Flying Technique’ in Playing Scales

Video:
21. Mastering the Thumb Passage in Playing Scales

Video:
22. Performing Thumb Crossings in Playing Long Arpeggios

23. How to Play with Strong Fingers, without ‘Collapsing’ the Joints?

24. Finger Independence: Between Myth and Reality.

Video:
25. How to Strengthen the 5th Finger and Prevent it From ‘Sticking Out’?

26. How to get rid of the ‘raised pinkie’ problem? Written+pictures tutorial.

27. How to Practice Octaves? Tips for Pianists with Small Hands.

Video:
28. Avoiding Tension in Playing Uncomfortable Structures: Stretches, Octaves, Chords. Step-by-Step Practice Tips. Examples: Bach’s Prelude in E Major, WTC Book 1; Grieg’s Lyric Pieces op. 65 no. 1 and op. 68 No. 5.

Video:
29. Pointing, or Placing Fingers. Two Main Types of Finger Articulation.

30. How high should we lift our fingers in playing fast passages (especially in Bach’s music)?

Video:
31. Do we need to look at our fingers when playing?

Video:
32. Mastering leaps, jumps and hand position changes

Video:
33. What is Jeu Perle in Piano Playing? Description, examples and practice tips.

Video:
34. The Layout of the Musical Text in Piano Playing and the wrist navigation technique.

35. How to Achieve Technical Stability in Piano Playing?

36. Developing technique through repertoire or Etudes?

37. Developing Expression and Technique – the method used in the Russian Piano School.

38. What is more effective: Hanon, Czerny or Bach?

39. Horowitz – analyzing his technique

 

VII. Piano Practice

Video:
1. The Key Principles of Correct Piano Practice: a Step-By-Step Holistic Guide.

2. The ‘Framework’ of a Productive Practice Session

3. Structuring our Practice Session: when and how should we focus on certain technical or expressive aspects of a musical piece?

4. How Many Hours per Day Should We Dedicate to a Piece? The 3 Phases of Learning.

5. The ‘Magnifying Glass’ Practice Method

6. The ‘Alternating Rhythmical Patterns’ Practice Method: Is It Effective? A Few Useful Exercises.

7. Work Smart! Tips for a Productive and Enjoyable Piano Practice.

8. Correct Practice and its Direct Influence on the Quality of our Performance.

9. Correct Practice – the Importance of Focus.

10. Where to Start? A Practice Guide for Beginners.

11. How to Decipher a New Piece? A Guide for Beginners and Intermediates.

12. How to Perfect a Piece and Bring it to Performance Level?

13. How Long Does it Take to Perfect a Piece?

14. Can We Learn a Piece Quicker? A Step-by-Step Guide for ‘Speeding Up’ the Learning Process.

15. Should We Use the Metronome When Practicing? Identifying and Solving the Most Common Rhythmical Problems.

16. How to Practice Cross-Rhythms?

17. Is Very Slow Practice Beneficial?

18. When and How do We Need to Increase the Tempo when Practicing?

19. Should we Practice Pieces that are More Difficult than our Current Level?

20. Starting Off Our Practice Session.

21. Resuming Our Practice After a Vacation.

22. Practicing Ample-Form Pieces.

VIII. Piano Performance

1. Getting Ready for a Recital

2. Putting Together a Recital: Balancing Our Practice.

3. Getting Ready for an Exam: Increasing Our Confidence.

4. Getting Ready for an Exam – The Final Stage

5. Concentrating Before a Performance

6. Maintaining a Calm, Focused State of Mind During Exams.

7. Active Playing vs Passive Playing. Making the Difference Between Relaxation and Passivity.

8. How to Deal with Shaking Hands?

9. How to Keep your Hands Warm Before Exams/Recitals?

10. Practicing your ‘performing skills’: the 300%-200%-100% principle:
Part I
Part II

11. Emotional display and the ‘acting’ part of piano playing:
Part I
Part II

 

IX. Piano Repertoire (repertoire advice and exclusive scores)

1. The Repertoire Approach in the Russian Piano School

2. Exploring the Pianistic Repertoire

3. What is Urtext? Should We Use Urtext or Edited Scores when Playing Bach?

4. Which are the Best Piano Editions?

5. How to Retain Old Pieces in our Repertoire? Practice and scheduling tips.

6. Nikolaev – Russian School of Piano Playing (score), levels 1-3.

7. Artobolevskaia – Piano Chrestomathy (score), levels 1-4.

8. Milich – Graded Piano Repertoire (score), levels 2-7.

9. Studying J.S. Bach’s Works – The Methodical Order. The 5 Main Steps of Mastery.

10. J.S. Bach – Polyphonic Pieces For the Intermediate Level – repertoire suggestions.

11. J.S. Bach – Inventions and Sinfonias (starting from level 4).

12. J.S. Bach – The Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach (score), levels 1-5.

13. Bach – Little Preludes and Fugues (score), levels 2-8.

14. J.S. Bach – 6 Clavier Partitas (score), for advanced students.

15. Haydn – Arietta with Variation: charming ample-form piece (score), levels 2-4.

16. Clementi – 7 Sonatinas (score), levels 3-8.

17. Mozart-Liszt – Lacrimosa (score), advanced level

18. Gedike – 30 Easy Pieces (score), levels 1-3.

19. Schumann – Album for the Young (score), levels 1-5

20. Tchaikovsky – Album for The Young (score), levels 2-5.

21. Debussy – Children’s Corner, levels 4-8.

22. Bela Bartok – Mikrokosmos (score and practice recommendations)

23. Gluck-Sgambati – Melodie (score and practice recommendations)

24. Grieg – The Holberg Suite op. 40 (score, history, musical concept and video tutorial).

25. Etudes – Detailed Repertoire Recommendations, levels 1-8 (scores attached).

26. Burgmuller – 25 Easy and Progressive Studies (score and practice recommendations)

27. Very easy pieces for beginners, useful for developing our correct playing skills – suggestions.

28. Romantic pieces and Sonatinas for beginners (level 1) – suggestions.

29. Polyphonic pieces and romantic pieces for beginners (levels 1-2) – suggestions.

30. Playing Four-Part Pieces: Where to Begin? Repertoire Suggestions and Practice Tips for Early-Intermediate Students.

31. Sonatinas and romantic pieces for the intermediary level: detailed repertoire suggestios.

32. Chopin’s Mazurkas – suggestions for the intermediary level.

33. 4-hand pieces for intermediate level – suggestions and scores.

34. Repertoire recommendations for advanced students and piano teachers.

35. Duet Repertoire for Advanced Students – suggestions and scores.

36. Getting Familiarized with Impressionist Music – What Pieces Should We Start With? Repertoire suggestions for intermediate students.

 

X. Piano Pedal

Video:
1. Using the Piano Pedals – The Art Behind the Mechanism

2. Beginning to play with pedal. A detailed guide for beginners.

3. Mozart – Sonata K280. Pedaling tips for the 1st and 2nd movements.

Video:
4. Mozart – Sonata K280, 2nd mov. Pedaling tips for the fragment starting in bar 9.

Video:
5. Mozart – Sonata No. 13 in Bb Major, K 333. Pedaling Recommendations for the 2nd Movement.

6. Beethoven – Rondo in C Major, op. 51 No. 1. Pedaling suggestions.

Video:
7. Chopin – Mazurka in Ab Major, op. posth. Pedaling Recommendations.

8. Tchaikovsky – In Church: detailed pedaling guide.

9. Debussy – Brouillards. Detailed Voicing and Pedaling Recommendations.

 

XI. Piano Mind

Video:
1. Piano Playing is a Lifetime Commitment!

2. How to Memorize a Piece? A Step-by-Step Holistic Guide.

3. Understanding a Piano Piece: detailed written tutorial.

4. The 3 ‘Layers’ of a Musical Piece: Details, Phrases and the Whole.

5. How to Understand the ‘Message’ of a Piece? A General Overview.

6. Expressing the Meaning of a Piece: Abstract Music and Program Music.

7. Phrasing and the Meaning of the Piece. The message encoded in classical/pre-classical music.

8. Awakening Our Creativity: Mastering the Art of Piano Improvisation

9. Overcoming Mental Blockages in Piano Playing.

10. Overcoming Routine in Our Practice: (Re)-Finding Inspiration.

11. Reaching our Piano Goals: How Far Can We Go?

12. Aural Training: Developing our Objective Hearing.

13. How Can we Train our Ability of Visualizing the Emotional Content of a Piece?

14. How to Hear (Visualize) the Music with our Inner Hearing While Playing?

15. Hearing the sound in our mind before pressing the keys:
Part I
Part II

 

XII. Piano Theory

1. All Tonalities and their Key Signatures (easy charts posted under Lesson No. 6 for Beginners).

2. The Circle of Fifths

3. Tonalities, Modes and Chromaticism

4. Musical Modes

5. Natural, Harmonic and Melodic Minor

6. What is Syncopation?

7. Examples of Syncopation in Pre-Classical, Classical and Romantic Music.

8. Harmony and Expression: Learning how to Decipher the Meaning Encoded in Different Harmonies and Chords Progressions.

9. The Main Types of Cadences and Their Meaning

10. What are Motives, Phrases and Themes?

11. How to Identify a Musical Phrase?

12. Natural, Harmonic and Melodic Minor

13. Solfeggio in the Russian Music Schools

14. The Fixed Do/Movable Do Methods. Which One is Better?

15. What are Ample-Form Pieces? Explaining the structure of Sonatinas and Sonatas.

16. What are Variations and Movements?

17. Understanding the Structure of Polyphonic Music

18. Two Types of Musical Texture: Polyphonic and Homophono-Harmonic. The Basics of Stem Notation.

19. Hand Distribution and Stem Notation. Understanding two- and three-staves structures.

20. What is a ‘performance score’? Analyzing unusual time signatures.

21. Using Composition as a Means of Learning.

 

XIII. Piano History

1. Understanding the Evolution of the Major Musical Styles: Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Modernist. Reflecting the Style of the Epoch/Composer in our Performance.

2. Mozart and the Intellectual Values Encoded in Classical Music

3. Schubert’s Erlkonig – Historical Background

4. Musical Impressionism. Origins and main pianistic characteristics.

5. Satie’s Trois Sarabandes: History, Concept, Meaning, Expression.

6. Alexandr Scriabin – Personality, Philosophical Views and Stylistic Evolution.

 

XIV. Piano Teaching

1. The Studying System in The Russian Piano School

2. How to Start Teaching Piano?

3. The Structure of a Piano Lesson: Evaluating a Student

4. The Expressive Benefits of Singing Songs with Words during The First Piano Lessons.

5. Wrist Movements According to the Duration of the Note: How to Explain this Concept to Beginners?

6. Teaching Beginners How to Play with Strong Fingers, without ‘Collapsing’ the Joints.

7. How to Help Intermediate Students Get Rid of a Tensed Playing Habit?

8. Incorporating Theory in Piano Lessons

9. The Suzuki Method – the basic principles.

10. How Long Should We Study With One Teacher?

 

XV. Piano Health

1. Breathing Correctly While Playing

2. Wrist Tension – a Mega-Cause of Hand Injuries. A Holistic Overview.

3. Dealing with Thumb Injuries: Correct and Incorrect Thumb Positions

Video:
4. Workout Tutorials are Coming Soon!:

Video:
5. Wrist, Arm & Shoulder Warm-Up for Pianists

Video:
6. Spine Warm-Up and Back Exercises for Pianists

 

XVI. Exploring Our Instrument

1. Choosing the best digital piano for home use:
Part I
Part II

2. The harpsichord, the acoustic piano and the digital piano: learning to see the ‘connecting dots’.

3. The Harpsichord and the Clavichord

In order to get full access to all these tutorials and to many other exclusive piano playing tips, join my Piano Coaching Program at PianoCareerAcademy.com today – and learn the secrets of the Russian piano school! On the Private Members Forum you’ll also be able to ask me ANY piano question, anytime, and receive personalized, detailed, professional piano advice!

Many new articles and video tutorials are coming soon on PianoCareer.com. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Google + (and now also on Pinterest!) to get instant updates, support and motivation!

[glow=orange,2,300]Video:[/glow]

 [b][url=http://pianocareeracademy.com/forum/index.php/topic,444.msg4224.html#msg4224]Avoiding Tension in Playing Uncomfortable Structures: Stretches, Octaves, Chords[/url]. Step-by-Step Practice Tips[/b]. Examples: Bach’s Prelude in E Major, WTC Book 1; Grieg’s Lyric Pieces op. 65 no. 1 and op. 68 No. 5.

[url=http://pianocareeracademy.com/forum/index.php/topic,558.msg5321.html#msg5321][b]Debussy – [i]Brouillards[/i][/b][/url]. Detailed Voicing and Pedaling Recommendations.