Musicality, Pedaling, Technique

I’m really interested in everyone’s perspective. Multiple studies over decades report that roughly 50–70% of musicians (including pianists) experience playing-related musculoskeletal pain or injury during their training or careers. Given that traditional piano pedagogy relies heavily on standardised posture rules, prescribed hand positions, and visual…

• Last updated 3 months ago
• addressing poor technique, classical, classically trained, comparing traditional to Simply Music, competing methods, hand position, hand positioning, hand positions, hurt, hurts, injuries, injury, method, method comparisons, methodology, methods, other methods, pain, painful, pedagogy, poor technique, posture, SM vs traditional, technique, technique questions, traditional, traditional background, traditional experience, traditional lessons, traditional student, traditional students, traditional students to SM, traditional studio, traditional teacher, traditional teachers

I find that my students who don’t like to sing often shorten the ends of phrases in Dreams, Dog, Sleeping, Fur Elise, etc. so they have to work at unlearning, then learning the correct rhythm by singing with me, reviewing the audio, playing with the…

• Last updated 1 year ago
• active listening, audio, audio recording, Audio recordings, complex rhythm, counting, counting as lyric, difficult rhythm, Dog, Dreams, Dreams Come True, external speaker, external speakers, feeling rhythm, Fur Elise, Fur Elise tempo, getting an even rhythm, helping students feel rhythm, how to play, improving rhythm skills, isolating rhythm, listen, listening, listening to audio recordings, listening to the audio recordings, managing singing, natural rhythm, play SH along with audio, play SH with audio, playing along with audio, playing with audio tracks, practice SH along with audio, practice SH with audio, processing rhythm, processing rhythms, rhythm, rhythm difficulty, rhythmically challenged, singing, singing along, singing in class, singing off key, singing off pitch, singing while playing, singing while playing struggle, single thought process, single thought processes, sleeping, speaking instructions out loud, STP, student lacks rhythm, teaching rhythm, using audio recordings, using audio tracks, using the audio recordings to learn songs, using the audio recordings to move ahead, voice, what to play

HI everybody – any tips for growing skills to line up fingers accurately to play fast passages like the beginning and end of Ballade? Of course – play slowly and gradually increase speed. That alone doesn’t seem adequate. I feel like all the things I…

• Last updated 2 years ago
• audio, audio materials, audio recording, Audio recordings, audio SHMs, Ballade, control the events, controlling the events, CTE, drills, exercises, external speaker, external speakers, fast playing, finger exercises, getting student to slow down, importance of playlist, keeping playlist alive, keeping playlists, keeping the playlist alive, learning slowly, Neil Moore, Neil's Responses (YouTube Videos), playing along with audio, playing fast vs slow, playing slowly, playing speed, playing with audio tracks, Playlist, practicing slowly, single thought process, single thought processes, slow practice, slow-steady-musical-even, slowing down, speaking instructions out loud, SSME, STP

The below question was asked in response to a video Neil posted to help answer a question about what key Dark Blue is in, covered in a separate Simpedia post: https://simpedia.info/what-key-is-dark-blue-in/ Neil Moore hearing Joe’s playing also made me realize you don’t put tempo markings…

• Last updated 4 years ago
• adding expression, Dark Blue, developing generative skills, dynamics, expression, expression marks, generative, generative students, Joe Gilman, learning clues, lyrics, musical expression, Neil Moore, Neil's Responses (YouTube Videos), playing with expression, self expression, self generating, self generative, self-generate, self-generation, sleeping, tempo, tempo marks

I have an adult student (currently in Level 3) who sent me the following email and I would like to reply to this: “I would love to have more feedback on how to play better! I am very happy with my classes the following is…

• Last updated 4 years ago
• adding expression, developing generative skills, discovery, dynamics, expression, expressive playing, generative, generative learning, generative students, musical expression, musicality, Neil's Responses (YouTube Videos), pedal, playing musically, playing softly, playing speed, playing with expression, self expression, self generating, self generative, self-generate, self-generation, soft, softly play soft, soundtracks, stories, tempo, Tune Toolkit, Using the Pedal, volume

I have noticed pianists do something I have never been shown nor taught. They play a note and then change the fingers so that note is still being played but the hand is being set up for the next steps. Is this something that is…

• Last updated 4 years ago
• adapting fingering, changing finger, figuring out fingering, finger adaptations, finger change, finger positions, finger substitution, finger substitutions, finger switch, fingering, switching finger

I have another question dear teachers. A student has asked for advice on how to play softer in the LH to which I have suggested practicing the repertoire p/pp to develop skill in playing softly. Hopefully, with practice, one can then maintain a softer LH…

• Last updated 5 years ago
• dynamics, ghost notes, hand balance, playing softly, single thought process, single thought processes, soft, softly play soft, STP, volume

Hi Teachers, I’d love your input on how to coach a student through introducing a trill as this is not something I have learned myself. Up to this point controlling the events and breaking it down into groups/fragments and using a TLTR or similar clue…

• Last updated 5 years ago
• applying PB strategies to music, BH, both hands, hands together, HT, learning strategies, learning tools, learning tools and strategies, playing-based strategies, processing, processing issues, processing rhythm, processing rhythms, reading strategies, separate hands, SH, single thought process, single thought processes, STP, strategies, tools and strategies, trill, trouble with hands together, using playing-based tools while reading

I have a new adult student in her late 50s who started with me last week. She was given a lovely digital piano from her husband for Christmas and given subsequent traditional lessons with the piano salesman which didn’t work out for her although her…

• Last updated 5 years ago
• arthritis, deformed hand, finger positions, hand, hand position, hand positioning, hand positions, position, positioning, positions, posture, wrist position

I have one student who is really struggling to get the “swing” feel for Alma Mater Blues and also Rocking Honey. It seems for some it comes so naturally, and for others, it’s a huge effort. We verbalise the “here’s humpty dumpty”, we clap the…

• Last updated 5 years ago
• Alma Mater Blues, dosage, dose, doses, Gordon Harvey, Honey Dew, humpty, humpty dumpty, microdose, small doses, smaller dose, smaller doses, swing rhythm, swing rhythms