Question: What about feelings taking over you by what you listen to before you produce the idea on the piano? Until what point can a pianist deal with passion evoked through the music he/she is listening to in the head before reproducing it? I am talking about the difference between the listener...
Question: Hi,
I want to know how to learn to play a piece without making mistakes.
I have tried practicing the piece over and over. And when I am at home alone I can seem to get through it with out making mistakes.
But when I get in front of the church or even in front of my family I simply...
Question: Thank you for putting up this site! It has been really helpful!! However, I get rather confused when it comes to the topic of scales, in certain places you say that it is essential to practice scales evenly and with a metronome, and in some other places you say that scales should be...
Question: I am a beginning piano player and want to start on a path to being a good piano player. I have started practicing scales, but it bores me to death. I find myself going back to playing songs after only a minute of playing scales.
Is it possible to get better at playing the piano without...
Question: What do you mean by “mistakes are ‘unwelcome guests’ and we are to check them at the door” (quotation from your Piano Practice page)?
Albert’s reply: One of my teachers once asked me to imagine that every time I made a mistake in practice, a trap door...
Question: I’m a retired church musician (organist/choirmaster) who’s been asked to play eight noon recitals at a public library over the course of next year starting in January. I’ll be playing the WTC Book II plus preludes by lots of other composers. I’ve never had the...
Question: Is it possible to practice piano playing without a piano? Just like athletes need to go to gym to strengthen their muscles.
Any comment?
– Tingting (Hong Kong)
Albert’s reply: Practicing away from your instrument is not only productive, done properly it can be even more...
Question: Hello Albert,
Your site and its contents along with your explanations are exceptional, and I am enjoying reading it all. It seems to speak to me.
Q: Which key do you tend to “mess around in” when not actually performing, and why? As an adult male of 63 years, I have tended...
Question: Why didn’t you include transcription? I’ve always thought that it was an important part of learning an instrument.
– Mike B. (Chicago)
Albert’s reply: You’re absolutely right that transcriptions are a wonderful exercise. They’re particularly...
What do you imagine when practicing piano? Is it about losing yourself in the music in a state of perpetual inspiration… or waiting for inspiration to strike? Flashbacks of nasty piano-teaching sadists bringing grown men to tears? Hours of hair-splitting, nail-biting drills? Or worst of...
Question: I have a 7-year-old son who is talented and who has got a good teacher, but is not methodical or disciplined. How do I instill discipline in him?
– Tejas
Albert’s reply: In the arts, there’s a dichotomy between giving free reign to one’s whims and careful,...
Question: Is there such a thing as effective memorization technique on any given piano piece? I only know memorization through repetitions.
– Leo (California, USA)
Albert’s reply: There’s an enormous amount that could be written on the subject of memorizing piano music, but...