Learn to play beautifully

Question: What is the best way to quickly warm up or get acclimated to an unfamiliar piano? That is, if you have, say, five minutes to prepare, what do you play to get your muscles and ears situated so you can make best use of your lesson time? If you sit down at a piano you’ve never...

Question: Do you do or suggest any kind of physical warm-ups (non-musical) such as hand or arm stretches before practicing or playing (or after as well)? I believe I read that you used to do yoga.

Thanks!

– Kevin

Albert’s reply: In general, I suggest keeping your body in shape....

Question: I want to knew when pedals are used and how can I guess their use? Also, there are many signs in the sheet music which are difficult to understand; could you please help me? My sincere thanks.

– Olfa (Japan)

Albert’s reply: Most important is the right pedal, called the ...

Question: Albert, with little time to study every day, do you think it’s wrong to wake up, sit down and study a piece or is it necessary to do at least a half hour of exercises such as Czerny, Hanon and Cinq Doits?

– Daniel Avzaradel (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

Albert’s reply:...

Question: I can get easily distracted from playing piano, whether it be my phone going off, hearing the TV or going to the computer and listening to a song for a second (which turns into hours). I really want to get good at the piano because I want to be a music teacher but I can’t stay...

Question: Do you have any tips for singing from memory? I can never remember it all and usually get stuck in the middle.

– Courtney (UK)

Albert’s reply: It’s most important to integrate the different types of musical memory as you practice. The brain absorbs information...

Question: Hello Albert,

I studied piano for five years, and the course was focused on jazz, blues, bossa nova, and other Brazilian styles. These styles are quite different from classical since there’s not much to read; it’s more a matter of rhythm, “swing” and...

Question: I am a late learner (75), probably grade 2 or 3. I am to play in a concert in 3 weeks’ time. I will play the first and third movements of Clementi’s Op. 36, No. 2, which takes about 10 minutes. I can play it at high speed, 3/4 speed and without any particular mistakes but...

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...