Tag Archives: technique

Recent Purchases: Scale Blocks & A Technique Monkey

By joy (admin) | Published: 3 November 2011

I don’t know about you, but I’m always on the lookout for creative and inexpensive items for my teaching.  The dollar store is one of my favorite places to go! In the craft aisle at Dollar Tree right now, there are packages of foam cubes, as shown in the picture.  I’ve always wanted to make [...]

Posted in beginners / elementary Level, games, music theory, private lessons, resources / links, settings:, studio class / group lessons, technique, what I'm up to | Also tagged , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Just Updated: Scale & Arpeggio Fingering (2 Octaves) Reference Sheet

By joy (admin) | Published: 24 June 2011

Some of you may remember the Scale & Arpeggio Fingering reference sheet I posted in December of 2010. About a month ago, a friendly reader made some very helpful suggestions for improvement, and so I spent quite a bit of time revising the printable. It’s called “Scale and Arpeggio Fingering for Piano (2 Octaves)” and [...]

Posted in adult students, advanced level, intermediate level, music theory, other resources, practicing, printables, private lessons, technique | Also tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Just Added: Scale and Arpeggio Fingering (2 Octaves) Reference Sheet

By joy (admin) | Published: 6 December 2010

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve added a new printable to the Printables page….so here’s one I created a couple of months ago.  You can find it on the Printables > Other Resources page. Scale and Arpeggio Fingering (2 Octaves) Reference Sheet (3 pages long) I created this printable with my intermediate/advanced students in [...]

Posted in advanced level, intermediate level, other resources, practicing, printables, technique | Also tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Practice Tips: Bringing out the Melody

By joy (admin) | Published: 16 November 2010

A reader asks for practice tips for learning to bring out the melody in the midst of a series of chords.

Posted in advanced level, practicing, technique | Also tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The November Forum: Analogies for Finger/Hand Shape

By joy (admin) | Published: 1 November 2010

This month’s discussion topic: Analogies for Finger/Hand Shape at the Piano How do you teach students how their fingers/hands should look when they play?  Do you use any analogies, such as: “pretend you are holding a bubble”?  What do you find works, and what doesn’t?  Please share your tips! Leave your thoughts in the comments [...]

Posted in beginners / elementary Level, Forum Q&A's, technique | Also tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Teaching Phrase: “Pretend It’s Easy”

By joy (admin) | Published: 12 October 2010

Lately, I’ve trying out this phrase with my students, in situations when a student is struggling with the technique of playing a particular passage: “Pretend this is really easy for you to play.” This phrase works best in a situation where the teacher observes that the student is holding far too much tension in his/her [...]

Posted in practicing, settings:, technique | Also tagged , , | 3 Comments

Top 5 Reasons to Learn Scales

By joy (admin) | Published: 24 September 2010
Screen shot 2010-09-24 at 7.07.45 AM

Why do we learn and practice scales? Is it just for tradition’s sake? This post discusses 5 great reasons for learning and practicing scales.

Posted in memorization, music theory, practicing, technique | Also tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Tension and Piano Playing

By joy (admin) | Published: 26 August 2010

A brief discussion about issues with tension in piano playing.

Posted in advanced level, musings, technique, what I'm up to | Also tagged , | 1 Comment

Bench Height: Try Little Pillows for Little Students

By joy (admin) | Published: 2 July 2010

Just thought I’d share my recent find.  One again, I’ll admit, I found another treasure at the dollar store.  (Does anyone else love dollar stores as much as I do?) It might not seem like much, but I see great potential in this little blue pillow.  My little student won’t have to sit on a [...]

Posted in beginners / elementary Level, by student's level, improving as a teacher, technique | Also tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Play forte – but NOT accented…

By joy (admin) | Published: 2 April 2010

You know, learning to play an instrument is all about making breakthroughs.  There are so many things to consider and train yourself to do.  It’s a complicated process!  You are never done learning.  There’s always room for improvement. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been realizing that when I play forte on the piano — [...]

Posted in advanced level, beginners / elementary Level, by student's level, improving as a teacher, intermediate level, interpretation, private lessons, settings: | Also tagged , , | Leave a comment
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