Fundamentals of Piano Practice

17 Oct 2020 @ 14:00 BST (GMT +01:00)

Have you ever sat at the piano unsure of how to begin learning a new piece or how to practise it? Or do you spend ages practising only to be disappointed with the results?

In this online workshop, Graham Fitch outlines a collection of principles and demonstrates foundational practice tools behind learning pieces and practising more effectively. Based on Graham Fitch’s eBook series and original practice tools workshops, the workshop will cover the following:

• How to analyse your piece: Before embarking on note learning, you will need some sort of a map of the terrain. Analysis does not have to be academic or dry – we will explore a few different and creative approaches to gain a clear overview of the shape and structure of the music

• The importance of a good fingering: To assist with the process of automation (muscle memory) planning the fingering is essential. However, the printed fingering is a suggestion only so we will be covering some of the principles of fingering and how to choose the fingering that fits your hand.

•  Using “The Three S’s” in day-to-day practice: How to apply the principles of “Slowly”, “Separately”, and “Sections” to achieve real results from your practice session.

• Deep-learning techniques: Many players apply a superficial repeated play-through approach in their practice, creating frustration when things do not improve. Liszt advised us to “make haste slowly”, and in this segment we will explore some aspects of deliberate, methodical practice that are absorbing and creative, and that yield permanent results.

• The two practice states: Practising is a mindful process involving self-diagnosis and an understanding of how to apply the practice tools at every stage. When we prepare for a performance there is a different focus, where non-stop run-throughs become part of our training.

This new workshop features revised material from previous practice tools workshops as well as some new topics. Every workshop is unscripted and unique, with opportunities for questions and answers. Therefore, you may be interested in attending even if you have attended one already.

As with all of our online workshops, the session will be recorded, and all participants will receive a link to download the video.