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It's time to get tough and really learn about the piano - with a gentle touch of course!
YOUR INSTRUCTORS: ELEONORA LVOV & ROBIN SKINNER
COME MAKE FRIENDS & ENJOY EACH MOMENT!
Date, Location: To Be Announced...
Topics (possible but not limited to):
1. Why do we do what we do? Why play piano? We'll discuss all different motivations behind what we do: From a sense of accomplishment to simple enjoyment of Beauty and emotion contained in magnificent masterworks! From casual player to serious amateur and even professional. Let us explore, and dream.
2. Theory anyone? What key am I in? What's the harmonic structure of this piece? Does is help to know? What is a “dominant” and should I be afraid of it? The circle of Fifths is not a drinking game...
3. The lost art of counting. Counting synchronizes hands, puts us in touch with the meter, and brings the multitudes of elements together - in perfect rhythm. Lose all inhibition. Let it out. Loud & Proud!!
4. Reading: Why look down? The notes are on the paper – the fingers on the keys – make the connection without looking. Feel with fingers. Visualize. Translate & think while reading. Look ahead. Recognize chord patterns, inversions, arpeggios & scales. Don't be intimidated by the instrument or the music – make friends with it - and enjoy.
5. Memorization. Learn the piece right - right from the beginning, and you will have it in your mind and in your fingertips. How to do it....right!
6. Warm up stretching. We are told to stretch before tennis or running, why not at the piano before we play? Learn easy, enjoyable stretches to improve posture, breathing, relaxation, and balance. Playing piano well requires total relaxation of the fingers, arms and shoulders. The result – immediate, marked improvement of agility and.... “ability!”
7. Playing with your whole body – not just the fingers. How to relax and let the weight of the arm do the work.
8. The perfect scale? Creating an even tone... Cascading... How to play pearl-like runs, and twists of all sorts...
9. Phrasing vs. fingering! Interpretation. Let the melody sing and your soul soar.
10. Pedaling. What do you do with those pedals? Great pianists say: “they are the soul of the piano”. Sustaining pedal is 90% of sonority. Bring out the best “Sounds of Music”!
11. Technical difficulties: Divide & Conquer! Break it down! Manageable bites is the key...
12. Stage fright. Making mistakes and recovering from them. GET OVER IT!
13. Ego? How to deal with adulation, praise & rejection.
14. The well-rounded musician (not a plug for diets!) Appreciation of different times and styles – in music, art, philosophy & literature – aids interpretation... Mozart is not always pretty. Bach can be passionate. Liszt isn't trite. Scriabin isn't crazy. Rock is not taboo.
15. Completing. How not to “stew in your own juices”... We don't know if a piece is learned until we play it for somebody.
16. Be inspired, create goals, reach, and make your practices count. Improvements can be incremental or quantum – which do you choose?
Eleonora Lvov - Russian Concert Pianist and Master Teacher - concertpianist1@gmail.com - (941) 358-0235
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