technique

I’m finding in some of my small groups that individuals need some one on one that is hard to achieve in a group setting. I’m curious if any of you do ‘hybrid’ lessons when one week they might be in a group and the next…

• Last updated 1 year ago
• addressing poor technique, benefits of group lessons, benefits of shared lessons, comfort in teaching groups, different levels, different pacing in group, dislikes shared lessons, FL4, flat fingers, foundation level 4, group, group by level, group dynamics, group lesson, group lessons, group obstacles, group or private lessons, group vs private, groups, hybrid, intervals, keeping groups together, L4, Laurie Richards, leading groups, learning differences, Level 4, managing groups, managing shared lessons, mentor groups, navigating a valley, office hours, opposition to shared lessons, poor technique, private vs group, private vs shared, private vs shared lessons, shared, shared lesson, shared lesson ideas, shared lesson management, shared lessons, shared lessons management, shared vs private, siblings moving at a different pace, student mentors, student valley, students in groups with different abilities, students progressing differently, students teaching, students teaching each other, teaching groups, technique, technique questions, valley, valley on Level 4, valleys, value of groups

Regarding hand and arm and sitting position at the piano with beginners, do you focus on this at the start at all, and does anyone have any interesting ways of approaching this the Simply Music way? Depending on the age I wait a while. Some…

• Last updated 7 years ago
• arm positions, hand positions, posture, sitting positions, technique

Coming from a traditional background, I still cringe when I see kids playing with flat fingers, stiff wrists, etc. I know we’re not supposed to focus on these issues because they tend to work themselves out with time. Please reassure me that this is true!…

• Last updated 7 years ago
• addressing poor technique, Laurie Richards, poor technique, stiff fingers, technique

I have a 66-year-old student who is having difficulty playing chords with finger 1, 3, 5. Her fourth finger has limited upward mobility. We had lesson number 6 today. Would it be terrible to adapt and let her play chords with fingers 1, 3, 4?…

• Last updated 7 years ago
• chords, fingering, Laurie Richards, Neil Moore, physicality, technique

On July 13th, Laura wrote a series of questions. Neil Moore briefly responds to these. 1) Bench Height:  if I don’t have an adjustable bench, how do I deal with students who are smaller and have very bent arms to play (looks very uncomfortable). On…

• Last updated 9 years ago
• Neil Moore, pedal recording, technique

Yesterday, an amazing 16 year old boy looking for a piano teacher came by my studio to talk with me. Although he had traditional lessons in the past, he has been his own teacher for the last several years but feels the need for some…

• Last updated 3 years ago
• accompaniment, advanced students, Gordon Harvey, jazz, prior experience, reading, technique, traditional lessons

I have a student whose grandmother has the whole family concerned about the position wrists are held while playing. While I have often reminded students to lower shoulders, or alter the wrist position to try to increase their comfort, I haven’t really noticed anything obvious…

• Last updated 10 years ago
• how to play, technique, traditional lessons, what to play, wrist position

I’m wondering when other teachers are introducing overlapping pedal technique with the right (damper) pedal. I know this can vary from student to student and tends to be age related. My teen students tend to grasp the concept quickly, but I find it seems to…

• Last updated 7 years ago
• accompaniment, Amazing Grace, Dreams Arrangement, Honey Dew, I’ll Be There, Night Storm, pedal, Pedal Workshop, rainbow pedaling, self expression, technique

I have a student who has played in the past, and has a habit of twisting her hands laterally (outwards) when playing chords. She wants to use her own fingering, and complains about having to use the fingering as instructed, and even included on her…

• Last updated 6 years ago
• claiming territory, coaching, fingering, Neil Moore, resistant students, SM big picture, technique, twisting hands