Tag Archives: adult piano lessons

Can you play the piano with long fingernails? Of course you can.

But should you?

That question has an entirely different answer.

Long fingernails cause a multitude of problems for a pianist in the areas of:

  • Hand position
  • Control
  • Fluency and Speed
  • Tone and Expression
  • Risk of injury and pain

The fingertips are a crucial connection between you and the piano.

These points are relevant to hand position in general and important for all pianists, but long fingernails will immediately compromise good hand position.

Hand Position

From the very first lessons at the instrument, correct hand position is stressed and supported. This position is natural and requires no extra effort. If the nails are too long, the fingers are extended, the position is no longer natural and everything becomes more difficult. Having the fingers stretched out exerts unnecessary strain on the hands, as well as making movement much more awkward. 

One very important aspect of hand position is developing strong, supportive first knuckles (the ones nearest the nail). If the fingernails are too long, it is impossible to support this knuckle and typically the knuckle will collapse inwards. At this point the knuckle and finger ‘lock’ into place, severely impeding movement as the finger sinks into the key. If the knuckle doesn’t collapse, there is a tendency for the finger to slip on the keys, or a ‘wiping’ motion is introduced, because the knuckle isn’t supporting the finger.

Control

With the correct hand position you can feel the keyboard and have more control over how your hands and the keys connect. Piano keys don’t simply go up and down; there is so much nuance available. Where the finger is on the key, the depth of pressure, the speed of the attack and how the finger approaches the key are all elements of control that are lost if the fingers are flat.

Fluency and Speed

You can possibly get away with playing with flat fingers if you are playing some types of music such as chords and slow passages, but for anything requiring speed and precision, flat fingers are definitely out. The photo below shows how the hands would be positioned and you can see it would be impossible to move quickly around the keys (particularly around the black keys). The length of the nail means the pad of the finger would struggle to connect with the key and the nail itself cannot depress the key.

Long nails simply get in the way of fluent movement. Playing may end up sounding muddy or clumpy as the hands struggle to move smoothly to their next position.

Tone and Expression

All the other points lead to this. You play an instrument because you want to produce beautiful music. You want to play expressively. We don’t always keep the fingers curved, but you need to have the choice. Different articulations require different techniques and hand shapes. For example, finger staccato requires great control of the first knuckle to produce crispness, whereas flattening slightly and using more of the pad may produce a warmer, singing tone.

You feel the keys, know the weight of the keys and learn how you can produce different sounds with just a tiny change of your hands and fingers.

A good hand position that can control tone and expression

Long nails mean flat fingers that cannot grip the keys, which results in only one level of tone quality; everything sounds the same.

Additionally, long nails usually result in a constant “click click” sound as the nails hit the keys… most distracting for the listener!

Injury and Pain

Nails can get caught in between the keys, especially when you are navigating around the black keys, or when moving quickly through larger intervals. The result? Nails being torn off. Additionally, continual pressure on the end of the nail from contact with the keys can cause pain in the nail bed, particularly with false nails.

The incorrect hand position that results from long fingernails creates unnecessary tension that moves through the hand, wrist and forearm resulting in painful strain to connective tissues.

If students don’t like the sound they are producing, they won’t continue to play (and they certainly won’t want to practise). The most common means of sabotage are a poor instrument – either non-weighted keyboards, or out of tune pianos – and poor sound as a result of poor hand position. We want students to have control over what and how they are playing and to love the sounds they produce.

Happy students controlling their touch with short nails and good hand position 😊

If you are considering music lessons for your child or for yourself, please contact me to discuss the options. Piano lessons are conducted at my studio in Wallsend, NSW.

Singing? But Isn’t This a Piano Lesson? – Piano Teacher in Wallsend, NSW

Music is a language. It contains phrases, just the same as the spoken – or sung – word. How we deliver these phrases, how we emphasise particular musical words and sentences, delivers a certain meaning to our audience. When we are trying to learn a piece, it can be difficult to look beyond the notes on the page. Singing the music allows us to feel it moving forward, with all its twists and turns and emotion, and to develop an understanding of what we are aiming to ultimately achieve when playing a piece.

If you are considering music lessons for your child or for yourself, please contact me to discuss the options. Piano lessons are conducted at my studio in Wallsend, NSWThere are various benefits for singing during piano lessons:

  • When singing along with what we are playing, we learn to match the pitch of our voices with the piano, which is a great ear-training tool for ascertaining both pitch and intervals.
  • Being aware of where we need to breathe when singing helps to understand where our hands also need to take a little breath. Slurs are written into music to tell us when to take this tiny break (an upward lift), but it can feel mechanical without understanding the feeling behind the phrasing.
  • Perhaps most importantly, singing is great for allowing us to feel the emotion of a piece (particularly if it has lyrics). We are able to tell the story with more musicality and expression, moving it forward with purpose.

“By exploring the voice, we teach important musical ideas and encourage piano students to achieve a higher level of musicianship”.

Jennifer Merry, Keyboard Companion, Spring 2005

Piano teacher in Wallsend NSWIt is certainly more difficult to encourage students to sing than it is to get them to play, as singing seems to involve displaying a little more of ourselves, but it is this inner emotion we are trying to release. This is what we need in our playing. Once the students open up and let go, understanding how the music feels, they can really put some energy and feeling into what they’re playing.

Sight singing is more formal. Used as a forerunner to playing the piece, it helps students to not only develop aural skills and sight reading skills, but learn to get a feel for a piece from sight. Being able to pitch the piece and develop a good idea of how it will sound before starting to play is a great benefit.

So if your child arrives home from a lesson and says, “Today we sang,” then you’ll know they were learning to develop their musical expression.

If you are considering music lessons for your child or for yourself, please contact me to discuss the options. Piano lessons are conducted at my studio in Wallsend, NSW.

Your Teacher Can’t Help You Progress If You Do These Three Things – Piano Teacher in Wallsend, NSW

There is an automatic assumption if you start piano lessons, you want to learn how to play the piano nicely, so you can produce (and control) a beautiful sound and progress to become a better pianist. There are three common issues that can stop this happening:

You practise on a non-weighted keyboard at home

On the surface, a keyboard without weighted action keys will allow you to learn what keys are what notes, but nothing more. There is no capacity for dynamics, articulation or any level of nuance. That is, every single note sounds exactly the same. Every time. No soft or loud or crescendo. No staccato, no slurs. Deeper down, these keyboards create very bad technical habits, tension that can cause injuries, and will hinder the student developing good listening and music appreciation skills and becoming a well-rounded musician.

 

You ignore technical work

Piano Teacher in Wallsend NSWAthletes warm up before a game. They train with lots of repetitious drills so their body learns those actions and they can incorporate them into their game. Dancers work through lots of exercises to develop their physical skill. They also warm up before they dance. This is accepted as normal. Playing the piano incorporates a large portion of physical skill. It requires a strong technical foundation. Trying to play pieces of increasing difficulty without gradually building the physical skills required is like running a marathon because you understand the mechanics of running but haven’t trained. The result will be frustration.

 

You don’t practise between lessons

Piano Teacher in Wallsend NSWThis is a no-brainer and has been covered in many previous blog posts. Lessons are generally as short as 30 minutes, and are when new concepts and material are taught, not where practise happens. Those concepts then need to be consolidated with practise at home, or at the next lesson you will still be in exactly the same place you were the week before. Practise is about feeling accomplished; setting a goal (even a small one) and achieving it.

Your teacher will plant all the seeds, but you need to water the garden. Believe me, when that garden begins to flower, it will be incredibly rewarding!

If you are considering music lessons for your child or for yourself, please contact me to discuss the options. Piano lessons are conducted at my studio in Wallsend, NSW.

Common Piano Practise Mistakes (Part 2) – Piano Teacher in Wallsend, NSW

“Don’t practice until you get it right. Practice until you can’t get it wrong.”
– Unknown

With a school holiday period looming here in Australia, students will have three weeks in which they will be practising with no input or guidance from their teachers. That’s a long time to be getting nowhere if they aren’t practising effectively and efficiently. Last month I posted about some common mistakes make by students when practising and how to overcome these issues.

Following are some more tips that will help you practise effectively not just over the term holidays, but at any time:

Using incorrect fingering. Sometimes the fingering noted on the music may seem either unimportant or too difficult, but the truth is it is always there for a reason. It is usually moving your hand to where it needs to be for optimum movement (and minimal confusion). Being consistent with fingering also calls upon your muscle memory, allowing you to learn the piece with more stability.

Practising too fast. I know I have mentioned this many times before, but it is so important to slow down and take your time. It can be frustrating when you know how the piece sounds and you just want to play it at speed so the familiar sound and what you are playing are closer. But playing too fast doesn’t allow you to really pay attention to what you’re playing or note the areas that need additional work. It’s much easier to increase speed once the piece is correct than it is to have to slow down later and try to ‘unlearn’ mistakes.

Piano teacher Wallsend NSWHaving your piano in an out-of-the-way location. Having your piano or keyboard tucked away in a spare room or an area of the house not regularly accessed doesn’t encourage regular practise. Out of sight, out of mind! Have your piano in a prominent position in the house so it acts as a constant reminder.

Not counting out loud. Even though I have been playing for over 40 years, I still find counting out loud is the easiest way to get my mind around a complicated new passage. It is particularly crucial for beginners and works excellently in conjunction with the point above about slowing down. Counting out loud helps develop a sense of rhythm; the physical act of counting makes the rhythm more dominant and the hands tend to follow.

Watching your hands instead of the music. When you watch your hands instead of the music, you tend to learn the piece with mistakes; playing by ear and using memory take over from reading what the music is asking you to play. When you do need to look down to your hands, try to just avert your eyes rather than move your head, or it is more difficult to re-find your place on the music when you lift your (moved) head back up.

Practising “in bulk”. Shorter, regular practise sessions are far more effective than one very long one. Once you are aware you are becoming mentally fatigued, you should stop practise and come back to it when you feel more alert.

If you are considering music lessons for your child or for yourself, please contact me to discuss the options. Piano lessons are conducted at my studio in Wallsend, NSW.

App Review “Blob Chorus” by Lumpty Learning – Piano Teacher in Wallsend, NSW

Aural training – or developing ‘a good ear’ – is such an important part of becoming a musician. It helps with everything from being able to harmonise through to simply recognising if you’ve made a mistake. But not everybody is born with a naturally good ear and even those who are can still learn to better refine it.

So how do we help our students develop their aural skills without the drudgery of drills and exercises? We use fun apps!

I initially reviewed this app nearly three years ago, but it has had a resurgence in my studio, with all current students really enjoying it, so it is worth revisiting it here.

Piano Teacher in Wallsend NSWBlob Chorus by Lumpty Learning is one such app, which introduces students to basic pitch recognition in a fun way. It is used in thousands of schools around the world because it also works well in a group setting, but its simplicity means it is also totally suitable for individual lessons.

The premise of the game is simple: a number of green blobs have formed a choir and they are singing for King Blob (who is purple and wears a crown). Each blob sings a note and then King Blob sings a note. The note sung by the king is the same as a note sung by one of the blobs. But which one? This is what you need to identify.

Piano Teacher in Wallsend NSWAlthough the game always opens with the default of three blobs, you can set the game to as little as two (which is the best place to start). As you improve, you can increase the number of blobs in the choir. The maximum is eight blobs, which is very difficult.

If the incorrect blob is selected, that blob will explode, but you are able to select another blob and continue doing this until the correct blob is selected. At any time you can click the ‘hear blobs again’ button at the bottom to hear the remaining blobs sing their notes again.

Piano Teacher in Wallsend NSWThe game is separated into groups of ten questions; after each set of ten you will receive a score and an overall rating.

$1.49 on the Apple app store (but not for Android), the Apple version can be found here.

If you don’t own or have access to an iPad or Android tablet, never fear! The game is also available in a web version here; it just requires an internet connection.

They not only look cute, but they sound really cute as well 🙂

If you are considering music lessons for your child or for yourself, please contact me to discuss the options. Piano lessons are conducted at my studio in Wallsend, NSW.

Common Piano Practise Mistakes (Part 1) – Piano Teacher in Wallsend, NSW

Sometimes you may feel as though you are beating your head against a brick wall. You set a practise schedule and you try to stick to it, but you just aren’t progressing. You could be making one of the following mistakes, all of which are easy to overcome:

Not actually practising. You intend to and you pop it into your schedule but it is never given the priority it requires and deserves. It requires a true commitment. Trust me, once you practise enough to get past those early learning hurdles, you will start to enjoy it much more and even look forward to practise.

Playing what you already know. It’s so much easier to keep playing the pieces you already play well and neglect the ones that require more effort, but you’ll pretty quickly become bored with your repertoire as well as not having a challenge.

Not reviewing old pieces to maintain a repertoire. Following on from the point above, you want to revisit older pieces occasionally so you can maintain a repertoire that has both volume and variety.

Piano teacher Wallsend NSWAlways starting from the beginning. If you start a piece at the beginning every time you play it, you will find you quickly become proficient at the start of the piece but less so as the piece goes on. I often tell my students to start at the part they find the most difficult, work on that part and then incorporate it back into the song.

Playing easier parts faster than the harder passages. If – as the point above suggests – you usually start at the beginning of a piece, you will probably play this part best and consequently a little faster. Then when you hit passages that require more concentration, you will slow down. From the time quavers are introduced to my students, I tell them to look at the hardest part (which at that stage is usually where the quavers are) and see at what speed they are comfortable playing that part. The rest of the piece is then played at this tempo. An added bonus is if that means the majority of the piece is feeling too slow, there is an added incentive to work on the troublesome section first to get it to the speed you want. Effective practise!

More common mistakes and how to fix them next month 🙂

If you are considering music lessons for your child or for yourself, please contact me to discuss the options. Piano lessons are conducted at my studio in Wallsend, NSW.

Stop and Listen – Piano Teacher in Wallsend, NSW

Stop and smell the roses.

An old saying, but one that is as relevant when playing music as it is in everyday life. Pause for a moment and discover the beauty being offered, not only in life, but also in the music you are playing.

piano-teacher-in-wallsend-nsw-roseI have written before about the reasons why I love teaching adults. They are flexible and motivated, but they are also hard on themselves. I have learned through teaching them, that this pressure is often evidenced in rushing. Rushing through pieces to attain their accelerated goals. But rushing often means we don’t listen to what we are playing.

What do we want to hear most? Usually the melody. Where is that melody? Is it in the highest notes of the right hand? Is it in the left hand? What else are we playing that is supporting that melody? Can we hear the rhythm?

Playing an instrument is not just about reading the notes on the page. We need to think about the role of those notes and how we balance our hands to achieve the desired audible result. This is one of the reasons I like to incorporate singing into the lesson; if the students can sing the melody of their piece, they are more likely to hear what they need to make prominent when they play.

Check out this short example (please excuse my croaky voice):

So let’s take the time to smell our musical roses and see what magic can be created.

If you are considering music lessons for your child or for yourself, please contact me to discuss the options. Piano lessons are conducted at my studio in Wallsend, NSW.

Starting a New Year Practise Routine – Piano Teacher in Wallsend, NSW

It’s a new year and with that comes new routines, new commitments and new goals. For parents of piano kids, now – while you are setting school, activity and homework routines – is the time to establish piano into those routines. For adult students, it’s a good reminder to work some time into your schedule.

Why?

Because we know that if you don’t practise, you don’t progress, and if you don’t progress, you will become disheartened and probably give up. But we can make it easier.

Would you sleep soundly if the only place you could sleep was in the middle of your laundry while the washing machine and dryer were operating?

How productive would your work be if half the items you needed to do that work were not to hand?

If you were trying to study, would your effort be effective if you were banished to a cold, musty downstairs room away from the warmth and comfort of the main house?

Of course, we are more successful in what we do if we have everything we need, are in the best environment and are nice and comfy. It’s no different for our piano practise. If going to the piano is lonely, uncomfortable and disorganised, chances are you (or your child) won’t feel inclined to practise. What can we do to help?

We can create a practise nest. A place that is welcoming, comfortable and organised.

The wonderful folk at Teach Piano Today have provided some great tips for creating such a space. While they have been written for parents of piano kids, the same tactics apply for adult students; create a nest where you feel comfortable and have everything you need before you begin.

Piano Teacher in Wallsend NSW1. When choosing a location for your piano, select a space that is lived-in, welcoming, and well-lit. Keep it close to ‘the action’ but not in the action. Your children will gravitate to the piano more often if it is in a central place in your home. Avoid bedrooms, basements and other out of the way places. Feeling shut-off from the family while practising will inevitably lead to a reluctance to spend time on the piano.

While choosing an appropriate space, also consider the noise factor; not only from the piano, but also from your family’s day-to-day activities. Your children want to be close by, but not competing with noise from televisions, dishwashers and washing machines.

2. Make the space warm and welcoming. Your children will be encouraged to spend upwards of 30 minutes every day in this space. Is it a happy place to be for this amount of time? Small adjustments to lighting and heating can make a world of difference. Seek out places with natural light and ensure it is a cheerful and welcoming space that will encourage your child to visit the piano often for their own enjoyment.

3. Ensure your children have all required materials at hand. Help your children put together a small basket or bin of everything they may need for home practise. Pens, pencils, highlighters, and post-it notes will give your children a sense of organisation that will then spill over into their practise habits. Your children will also need adequate lighting to see their music, and a comfortable bench at the correct height to practise comfortably and correctly.

4. Make the practice nest a communal space.  Children of any age appreciate company while they practise. Having a chair, couch, beanbag chair or pillows nearby where family members will be inclined to sit, listen and enjoy the music immediately sets the tone for happy time on the piano. Encourage siblings to stop by and listen quietly, and allow yourself even just 10 minutes to sit and listen with undivided attention each time your children practise. A set-up that is conducive to including the family in home practise will encourage everyone involved to make piano practise an activity the entire family can be a part of.

5. Set the stage for organisation. Ensure your children’s practise space is uncluttered and organised. Clear out old sheet music and books from the piano bench, use a magazine organiser to hold current and favorite materials, and minimise knickknacks and other distractions from the top of the piano. If you can, avoid having the piano room do “double-duty” for laundry, toys and other clutter. Having the books your children need at their fingertips reliably ensures that no time is spent searching for lost or crumpled music. Get into the habit of placing the piano books in their appropriate space immediately after each piano lesson so they are ready and waiting.

Plus one more! Adding small surprises to your children’s practice nest (fresh flowers, a hand-written note of encouragement, a small treat, a new sticker pad, a special pen etc.) helps to show that you value the time they are spending on the piano and that you appreciate their efforts and dedication. Preserving the specialness of their practise space encourages positive feelings towards their home music time.

If you are considering music lessons for your child or for yourself, please contact me to discuss the options. Piano lessons are conducted at my studio in Wallsend, NSW.

Recital Wrap-Up – Piano Teacher in Wallsend, NSW

This piano teacher is very proud!

We had our first studio piano recital a few days ago and everybody did such a great job.

It was a day of celebration, showcasing a variety of students and levels. Being a relatively young studio, we had some performers who have been learning for a few years, and we also had some who have only been learning for a few months, with one as little as three weeks. I feel fortunate to teach such a special and diverse group of students.

For the majority of the students, it was their first time performing anywhere. For others, it was their first time performing outside of the exam environment. There was a great crowd of family and friends to support them and the atmosphere was very positive.

Where I needed to be for quick stage access meant I could only capture photos from behind, but it still gives us a nice record of the occasion. Here is a selection:

At the beginning of this year, school aged students undertook some motivation and goal setting activities, with the result being that many of them decided to take the 40 Piece Challenge. This is a global initiative and as the name suggests, the aim is to work through a large variety of repertoire exposing the students to a wide range of music. It’s a tough ask! The students who completed the 40 Piece Challenge and the modified 30 Piece Challenge were awarded with their certificates at the recital.

40: Amelia, Adi, Cooper and Ella

30: Charlotte and George

We also acknowledged Ashley, Georgia, Alan and Sungwon on the dedication and effort they put into their exams this year.

Congratulations to everybody on a great year!

Would you like to be a part of this next year? If you are considering music lessons for your child or for yourself, please contact me to discuss the options. Piano lessons are conducted at my studio in Wallsend, NSW.

 

 

Three Things Every Beginning Student Needs to Know – Piano Teacher in Wallsend, NSW

We all know by now that learning a musical instrument is exceptionally good for our brains and provides great cognitive development. Persistence, delayed gratification and problem solving are among the many skills that are expanded. (In case you’ve forgotten, the infographic in this blog post explains it very succinctly). But these advantages don’t appear overnight.

The expectation that they will be fluently playing sophisticated pieces within a short time frame is one I see often… “Can I play Fur Elise soon?”… “Can she play the Christmas carols at our family get-together next month?”… and the kicker… “I’ll just have a few lessons and see if I like it.”

Piano Teacher in Wallsend NSWI recently wrote a post about playing an instrument being a cumulative skill, and understanding this helps us realise what is required to reach our goals. For anybody starting to learn an instrument – but particularly children – there are some expectations that should be set right from the start:

  • It’s okay to fail, and the failures will help you become a better musician.
  • Putting in the time and effort wins out over talent.
  • Learning an instrument is a long-term commitment and you will be sticking with it.

Tony Mazzocchi has written an article (here) that explains how – if approached correctly – music lessons may be one of your child’s greatest opportunities. Please take the time to peruse the article, especially the three main points.

If you are considering music lessons for your child or for yourself, please contact me to discuss the options. Piano lessons are conducted at my studio in Wallsend, NSW.