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Rachmaninoff - Prelude in C-sharp Minor (Op. 3 No. 2)

(Op. 3 No. 2)

A series of three videos exploring Rachmaninov’s famous Prelude in C-sharp Minor (Op. 3 No. 2) at the piano, with extensive practice tips to solve the technical issues, pedalling suggestions and thoughts on performance – including how to achieve a big sound effortlessly without banging or harshness.... Read >>

David Önaç - A Distant Star in the Stillness

ABRSM Grade 5 - C3

David Önaç’s cosmic soundscape is an ideal piece to stimulate the imagination. It will help to read the composer’s programme note at the foot of the page, where he describes how he found inspiration from the vastness of space, how “gigantic stars…appear as tiny dots in our night sky”. Using jazz-influenced chords, this piece uses the high and low registers of the piano to conjure up vast distances, blending sounds together using the pedal. Preview (please log-in or subscribe to see full video) ... Read >>

Burgmüller - 21. L’Harmonie des Anges (The Music of the Angels) in G Major (from 25 Easy and Progressive Etudes, Op. 100)

The marking armonioso (harmoniously) implies that L’harmonie des anges (The Music of the Angels) requires pedal to blend the notes into clouds of harmony. How we pedal is actually the main objective of the étude; it will soon become apparent that there are plenty of possible solutions that can work, and that variety in our pedalling is called for. Literal-minded players may conclude that the pedal must be cleared in the presence of rests. While this may be a good guideline for Baroque and Classical period music, Romantic style is much freer. The left-hand rests in bar 1, for example,... Read >>

Tchaikovsky - Juin: Barcarolle (No. 6 from Les saisons, Op. 37b)

ABRSM Grade 8 - B3

Les saisons (The Seasons) is a collection of 12 pieces published in 1876, each piece bearing the title of a month of the year inspired by an epigram from a Russian poet. The epigram for Juin: Barcarolle is worth keeping in mind as we study the piece: “Let us go to the shore; there the waves will kiss our feet. With mysterious sadness the stars will shine down on us”.A barcarolle is a song of the Venetian gondoliers. We feel the movement of the gondola moving through the water in the LH, the RH melody line needs a flexible approach... Read >>

Burgmüller - 22. Barcarolle in A-flat Major (from 25 Easy and Progressive Etudes, Op. 100)

A barcarolle is a Venetian gondolier’s song, and in Burgmüller’s Barcarolle we clearly feel the boat gliding over the water as the boatman sings his wistful song. The main focus of this étude is expressive playing and projecting a beautifully shaped right hand melody over the gently rocking rhythm created by the left hand. As with any melodic line, remember the golden rule: “if you cannot sing it, you cannot play it”. Singing the top line out loud gives us the best idea of how to shape and phrase it artistically. Controlling the left hands chords from bar 12 is... Read >>

Caroline Tyler - Little Whale Explores the Calm Sea

ABRSM Grade 1 – C3

In this piece, we find an instruction at the start of the piece to hold the pedal down all the way to bar 21, with just a brief moment of clarity before we use the pedal again for the ending. The idea is to create the necessary echoing, underwater effect of the title. Plenty of imagination is called for and the player might come up with a storyline that describes what is happening in each new phrase, or perhaps series of images that captures the changing scenes. Preview (please log-in or subscribe... Read >>

Chopin - Mazurka in A Minor, Op. 68 No. 2

ABRSM Grade 7 - B1

The mazurka is a stylised Polish folk dance in triple meter, usually at a lively tempo, with strong accents on the second or third beat. Chopin wrote over 50 mazurkas and this is an example of a slower one - there needs to be some leeway with the prescribed metronome speed of 116, given the lento marking. Sad and wistful in character, the mood changes when the music moves briefly into C major, requiring a new colour. The middle section in the brighter key of A major requires a flexible approach to the new (faster) tempo. Pedal markings require some... Read >>

D. Scarlatti - Sonata in A, Kp. 208, L. 238

ABRSM Grade 6 – A10

Born in 1685, the same year as J. S. Bach and G. F. Handel, Domenico Scarlatti wrote 555 single-movement, mostly binary form sonatas for the harpsichord (some possibly intended for the early piano). Some of these works display a bold use of harmony, the influence of the Spanish guitar and of Iberian folk music.To make the Sonata in A, K. 208 interesting on the piano, a wide dynamic palette is essential. The main line needs to be projected and shaped in vocal style, the left hand generally keeping out of the way. Play without pedal and your sound will likely... Read >>

Nancy Litten - The Sad Ghost

ABRSM Grade 3 - B1

This piece depicts a ghost peeping at its old haunts, sighing as it goes. We feel the eeriness of the mood in the mournful main melody, supported by a left hand that features chromatic scales that seem to float downwards. The repeating note pattern at the end takes us to the top registers of the piano, and the ghost disappears. There is the possibility for some colourful pedalling for those who wish to explore it, or the piece can be played without. Preview (please log-in or subscribe to see full video) ... Read >>