Learn to play beautifully

Question: Hello Albert,

Often bringing out or emphasizing particular notes within a chord is required, as in e.g. Schubert’s Moment Musical, Op. 94 (D.780), No. 2, where the higher notes of the right hand octave chords have to be phrased.

Especially in octave chords or 4-note chords this...

Question: I find myself taking constant breaks, procrastinating, if you will. It takes a certain amount of motivation to start my practicing. I am a lover of classical and operatic music, and I love to compose pieces off the top of my head, but I can’t promise myself a 1-hour practice...

Question: I have a question regarding mentally practicing the piano. The last expert tip on the Efficient Piano Practice page suggests to study away from the piano. I have heard that a number of great pianists such as Glenn Gould and Walter Gieseking spent most of their practice time away from...

Question: There is a blind Japanese pianist I found on YouTube, his name is Nobuyuki Tsujii. Truly remarkable, he was born blind. No doubt you probably know of him. How he learned to play, to me, is mind-boggling. He can’t see, so how did he learn to “read” music? He...

Question: How do you memorize a piece of music without using muscle memory?

Albert’s reply: There are two poles to learning music without playing it. The first is a process of abstraction in which everything about the music is absorbed except for muscle memory. The second is imagining the...

The Thrill of the Challenge

Question: Hi Albert,

For the past year, I’ve been concentrating on trying to develop and memorize the “feel” of the major and minor scales in both hands together, in unison, contrary motion, 3rds, 6ths, and chord scales in all keys.

Although I try to...

Question: What is the law about practicing hours?

Albert’s reply: Noise laws vary by city. In London, there’s a 1996 Noise Act that specifies 11 PM to 7 AM as quiet hours. Violations are penalized with a £ 100 fine.

In Vienna, I need to stop practicing by 10 PM to comply with...

Question: Hello,

I have to learn Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s Fantasia in D minor in one week, so I was wondering if you have any tips on learning a complex piece quickly and how to count 16th triplets most effectively. I have a history of taking a long time to learn complicated pieces and...

Question: Hi Albert,

I’m beginning to work on some quite difficult pieces now, as I’ve finished the 8 grades of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM). How should I go about learning a piece? And how can I make sure I’m building up my memory from the moment...

Question: I just want to say that I love your website. My name is Daniel. I’m Brazilian, 22 years old and I’ve been studying since I was 18, which is little time. I had the luck of being a student of one of most sought-after piano teachers in Brazil for the last 8 months (Joao Carlos...

Question: Dear Albert,

I usually practise for about 3 hours a day, with the odd day on which I do either 4 or – if I am too busy – 2 and a half hours. With all this practice time, which I find is a lot for a 54-year-old adult student who’s not a pianist by profession, I often...

Question: Hi Albert,

I always look forward to your weekly lessons!

My question today is, since piano practice is such a lonely (I just mean that you do it alone) activity, even the weekly lessons with a teacher are one on one, how do we gauge our progress, especially if we are older adult...