I recently purchased a Broadwood Square Piano which was built in 1814. This is the kind of instrument composers of the classical period would have been used to, and is very different from a modern piano. You can watch my YouTube video where I compare this period piano with a modern instrument, see here I […]

Do you sometimes find it difficult to get fast pieces of music up to tempo? Do you notice that as you increase the speed inaccuracies start to creep into or you find you are playing with tension? These three tips will help you to play fluently and with ease at faster tempi. Tip 1 - […]

There are many techniques in deciding which pieces to include in a concert and in this blog post I discuss just four ways of putting together a varied and entertaining programme. 1. Perform works by one composer Focusing on one composer can be a great solution for choosing an interesting and enjoyable programme. I have […]

Like all musicians, my way of sharing live music with audiences changed dramatically with the Covid-19 pandemic. I was already regularly posting on social media and sharing videos on YouTube. However, I had little experience of broadcasting concerts live online. When it was clear that performances with audiences would be unable to happen for a […]

1. Use an Urtext edition During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries it became popular to play Mozart's piano music in quite a romantic style. Many editions of the Sonatas add pedal markings, dynamics, tempo changes and phrasing not found in the original. It is therefore essential to use a good Urtext edition so that […]