Heart of the Piano Podcast

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I’ve spent the last four weeks carefully examining the ABRSM 2027–2028 Piano Syllabus. Listen to find out what’s changed, what I think of the repertoire choices, and why this syllabus raises important questions about the future direction of ABRSM piano exams. Should students be able to take an ABRSM piano exam with only one classical piece? What does an ABRSM grade now represent? And what role should ABRSM play as one of the world’s most influential gateways into classical music?

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arpeggios!

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In this episode, I dive into the mind-blowing world of ChatGPT’s brand new voice AI feature, where I have hilarious, shockingly human-like conversations with some of history’s greatest composers! These experimental chats are not only educational but packed with unexpected humor and personality.
Join me as I explore the incredible capabilities of this revolutionary technology. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to chat with iconic figures from the past—laughing along the way—this episode will leave you both entertained and amazed!
Tune in for a fascinating mix of music history, cutting-edge AI, and plenty of laughs.

Show NotesThis episode is also available as a YouTube video here: https://youtu.be/0SG290DMZbw

These are the custom instructions I gave to ChatGPT- after this experiment I might add something like “be opinionated, don’t be afraid to be controversial, don’t try to be diplomatic, give specific examples of everything you talk about” 😂

“When you are role-playing as a musician or composer, think about how this person’s personality and character was described by others, then really amplify and exaggerate these qualities in the way you speak- the goal is an exaggerated caricature. Also, speak English with a really exaggerated caricature accent that reflects where the person was from. To keep conversations interesting and entertaining, bring up personal autobiographical details wherever possible. Speak as if to a friend, so not overly formal. Use humour on a level appropriate to the person you’re roleplaying as. If the person has negative traits and character, please feel free to indulge this”.

The intro/outro music is my jazz arrangement of the Rachmaninov Adagio from Symphony #2, you can watch the whole thing here if you like:
https://youtu.be/hMqREAngb4s

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An exploration of the challenging but crucial conversations surrounding diversity and representation in classical music education, framed through a personal cautionary experience. Drawing from recent events in the industry, topics discussed include:
– The importance of open dialogue about race and gender in music
– Challenges in representing diverse composers in educational materials
– Navigating sensitive discussions in music education
– Lessons learned from attempting to address these issues
– Broader implications for inclusivity in classical music

Links:This episode is also available with video on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/UXQ1gPeO9ek

White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism- Robin DiAngelo:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/566247/white-fragility-by-dr-robin-diangelo/9780807047415

Useful study notes on ‘White Fragility’:
https://library.fiveable.me/key-terms/hs-ethnic-studies/white-fragility

A must read extract in The Guardian from Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People about Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/30/why-im-no-longer-talking-to-white-people-about-race

YouTube video Music Theory and White Supremacy by Adam Neely:
https://youtu.be/Kr3quGh7pJA

A talk by Philip Ewell on YouTube- a useful introduction to his work:
https://youtu.be/q1yYR-VLpv0

My podcast review of the 2021 Leeds Internation Piano Competition:
https://heartofthepiano.com/e21-leeds-international-piano-competition-the-leeds-2021-review/

Fiona Sinclair’s (CEO Leeds International Piano Competition) Leeds University presentation on gender inequality in music competitions and in the profession as a whole:
https://www.youtube.com/live/xtdpAVyJzVg?si=sOp3PWG5_T_rCB-R&t=2801

A couple of news links concerning possible preferrential treatment for women in the Leeds International Piano Competition:
https://slippedisc.com/2024/09/exclusive-how-the-leeds-piano-competition-is-rigged-for-equality/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/09/19/female-pianists-favoured-men-major-competition-rules/

The new AI tool which creates incredible podcast episodes- Notebook LM’s new Audio Overview feature:
https://www.techradar.com/computing/artificial-intelligence/google-s-new-ai-audio-generator-lets-you-make-a-stunningly-real-ai-podcast-without-a-mic-here-s-how-to-try-it

The intro/outro music is my jazz arrangement of the Rachmaninov Adagio from Symphony #2, you can watch the whole thing here if you like:
https://youtu.be/hMqREAngb4s

Transcription:* Have you ever found yourself hesitant to discuss issues of race or gender for fear of saying something wrong? When we feel unable to talk about these issues freely, resentments and tensions can build up. Movements like Black Lives Matter, along with recent events in the UK, have highlighted how crucial it is to have these conversations. * It’s obviously a contentious topic, but when conversations are stifled—when we’re afraid to discuss racial issues honestly for fear of being ‘cancelled’ or vilified—this creates a pressure cooker environment. As a result, when people of colour speak out about inequalities and push for change, white people can react in exaggerated, overly defensive reactive ways rather than perhaps listening with an open mind. * Robin DiAngelo’s book White Fragility introduces the concept of this knee-jerk defensive response to healthy debate on race, which often serves to quickly shut any conversation down. DiAngelo explains that these defensive reactions—which can include anger, fear, emotional outbursts, and withdrawal—aren’t about being a ‘bad person’ but are ways people can avoid the discomfort that comes with talking about race. This means that often, despite good intentions, these kinds of defensive responses can actually serve to maintain the status quo of racial inequality by shutting down meaningful conversations about race. * Another book, Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race by UK author Reni Eddo-Lodge, sums up a lot of the frustration that people of colour experience when trying to discuss racial issues… personally, reading these two books in particular have really resonated with many of my experiences. * Now, just to give you a little bit of context here, I don’t often talk about this, but I’m basically not white. It doesn’t come up a lot these days because, for many reasons, I don’t seem to stand out as much as ‘different’ anymore. Part of this is because Britain has become much more multicultural, and perhaps some of it is because, for whatever reason, I look more ‘white’ as I get older. So from time to time, when I bring up my ethnicity, people say to me, “I had no idea you weren’t white”. But when I found myself having frustrating conversations about race, the difficulties made so much more sense once I came across the concepts in the books that I just mentioned. * I think it’s important to emphasise that the whole point of these books is not to make white people feel more defensive about talking about race, and the point is not to make white people feel attacked. This is the very problem those books are trying to solve, to highlight how we as a society need to be able to have these discussions openly without fear of being judged. * Now, the world of classical music and classical music education in particular has been grappling with issues of racial and gender representation in recent years. At one end, there are academics such as Philip Ewell, who talks about a deep-seated ideology of white supremacy within the world of classical music. Adam Neely created a great YouTube video called Music Theory and White Supremacy discussing some of these ideas. I personally disagree with a lot of what Ewell says, but the topic is layered and nuanced, and he does make some valid points that are worth considering if you take the time to read his work carefully. * Anybody who goes to classical music concerts will immediately notice the almost total absence of audience-goers who are not white. Could part of the reason for this be that non-white composers are rarely featured in concert programmes? Speaking personally, this absence did bother me when I was young. I was totally unaware that there were plenty of composers who weren’t ‘white’, and the strong perception that the world of classical music was basically for ‘white people’ did unsettle me. * Now, I want to be absolutely clear: this does not mean that I think we should cancel Western classical music—I love it deeply! The Western classical tradition is really important to me. Obviously, the history of classical music does have roots in European composers working within a certain culture, but we now have the power to influence future audiences by taking a more broad and inclusive historical view. If we make an effort to promote more composers of colour and women composers—even if this doesn’t reflect the historical proportions of those composers—it could be key in growing classical music audiences and encouraging more diverse composers in the future. * Long time listeners to my reviews of exam board syllabuses (or syllabi for those who prefer that word!) such as ABRSM, Trinity and LCME know that I have been passionate about the need to represent more women and non-white composers for this reason, and in recent years there has been noticeable pressure for all musical educational establishments including exam boards and music publishers to increase their diversity and address these issues around racial and gender representation. * Some recent piano exam syllabuses—in fact most of them—have been doing an excellent job in discovering and sharing some real gems by hitherto obscure women composers and composers of colour all the way from the Baroque era to the modern age. So it’s not that they didn’t exist– but yes the majority of composers were white men. And it is a very difficult balance to try to decide how much we want to celebrate and honour a deeply valuable tradition with all its biases, and how much we can now selectively highlight the hidden minority women and non-white composers to shape the direction of the future world of classical music. * The issue of positive discrimination surfaced in an interesting way just a few days ago at the concerto finals of the Leeds International Piano Competition, one of the most prestigious events in the classical piano world. It runs every 3 years, and you can listen to a podcast review that I made of the previous competition, the link will be in the shownotes or in the description of the YouTube video below as well as many other links and links to interesting articles on all the things I’ll be covering today. * So, after only men made it through to the finals in 2021, the CEO of the competition Fiona Sinclair set out a series of initiatives to address this gender imbalance. These included training for this year’s jurors, as well as commissioning academic studies into gender imbalances at international piano competitions. She gave a fascinating lecture on this subject at Leeds University which you can find on YouTube, again links will be in the shownotes of the podcast episode or in the description of the YouTube video. * However, there was quite the controversy just before the recent finals when major news sources spotted some clauses in the instructions to the jury members that give women competitors preferential treatment in some circumstances. You know, it’s one thing to try to tackle the problem of what was described as “male dominance” in the world of professional concert pianists, but is giving women pianists preference in a major competition to try to redress this balance going too far? * Now all these issues that I’ve discussed so far intersected a few months ago when I published a podcast review of a set of books called The Joy of Graded Piano. I was asked to review this series of piano anthologies by a future guest who I’d invited to interview on the podcast who’d just authored these new books. He’s a piano educator that I had a huge amount of respect for, and who seemed to have a lot in common with me in terms of educational approaches. I reluctantly agreed to review the books, as it takes a huge amount of my time to review substantial anthologies such as this. Unlike many reviewers, I prefer to read and play every single piece, and really enter into the books deeply before publishing my opinion. * So after a lot of work I uploaded the review, but you won’t be able to find it now for reasons that will become clear as this story unfolds. It was overwhelmingly positive, my review, it was overwhelmingly positive, with only a few minor critiques. Here’s a couple of clips from that original review that I made:

“And I’m going to basically go as far as to say that if you are studying the piano, you pretty much are going to want to own these books. I can absolutely 100% recommend that no matter who you are, if you’re learning the piano, you’re going to want to own these books if you’re at that level”.

“Yeah, I’m basically going to try to, you know, gently say some of the issues that I had with these books. But they’re not massive issues because, like I said, if you’re a learner, I 100% think that this is one of the most important books that you should own. It’s like a no-brainer. You’re learning the piano, you’re somewhere between Grade 1 and Grade 5, you really should own these books. They’re excellent, you know, 100%”.

But I did include some minor critiques which did not affect my enthusiastic and full endorsement of these books. As you may have guessed, some of these had to do with representation of women and non-white composers. In my review I pointed out that several years ago the author had publicly been quite critical about positive discrimination for women composers, warning against ‘tokenism’. And, you know, this is absolutely fine, nobody is a moral arbiter of these matters! However, in the intervening years the author modified his stance and became a staunch supporter of positive discrimination for both women and non-white composers, in common with most of the examination boards and music publishers, and which I personally thoroughly support.
But when I absorbed myself in these anthologies, I had an uneasy feeling about the way I perceived that women composers were being represented. This was nothing huge, and I applauded—genuinely applauded—the efforts towards diversity, but I did wonder if perhaps things might be moving a little towards tokenism—rather than a more organic balance of representation. Here’s another clip from the review:

“And here’s where I’m just going to be, you know, slightly critical about this, which is that what I notice in Andrew’s books are that the women, not absolutely 100% of the time, but generally, generally the format is that you tend to get all the women and non-white composers—and there are a lot of non-white composers, that’s great—but they tend to all show up near the end of the book in list C pieces, so that’s like, you know, the contemporary pieces. A lot of the pieces by women composers tend to be very sort of atmospheric, sort of more minimalist, more pop-end of the classical spectrum. You don’t tend to get sort of many women or non-white in the more sort of core Romantic and Classical. I mean you do occasionally but not as much as like say you know in recent years ABRSM and LCM have been doing with their syllabuses, and Trinity as well. I’m not really sure about just having this tokenism of, right, we’ve got all these core essential pieces, oh my God, I obviously need to fill my quota for women… Let’s now just find some fun, list C, more lightweight, superficial pieces, and make up our quota of token women, just shoving them in List C… erm, not sure about that…”

Now, I will admit my critique of how women were represented in the anthology was, let’s say, passionate and direct. It was not intended to undermine the efforts towards inclusivity—I genuinely admired those—but I felt it was important to share my perspective on how the representation came across to me. After publishing the review though, I received some messages from the author that led me to consider if my strong feelings might have come across a little bit too sharply. This is from one of the messages I sent to him in an effort to find common ground:

“Listening again to the podcast review, I’m trying to take your comments on board, and I wonder if my passionate feelings on certain topics could be communicated in better ways. I’m going to take down the reviews for the moment while I reflect on it”.

You know, I really didn’t want to cause upset or drama.

Unfortunately, despite my efforts to smooth things over, the author was still very upset. He felt that my use of the word ‘tokenism’ was unfair and that it misrepresented his work. In his view, the positioning of these composers was driven by musical and educational reasons, and not by an attempt to sideline them. He also pointed out all the women he’d included who he considered to be heavyweight composers.
So I revisited the books carefully to consider this, but the author did not react well to my subsequent reply where I respectfully further clarified and explained my opinions on this and other issues concerning objections that he’d raised:

“I’ve taken the time this evening to go and play through all the pieces by women/non-white composers in all the books so I could check if my comments were fair or not, and respond to your points”.

[…]

“earlier this evening when I played through all the pieces, I couldn’t shake the feeling of urgency every time I got near the end of the book caused by more and more women composers being squeezed together in a row, most of them being jazz, or floaty. Not that they weren’t really great pieces, and I really enjoyed them individually, but I couldn’t help but get a strong feeling of tokenism by this increasing urgency to squeeze increasing amounts of women into the end of the book with very similar styles. I would have liked ideally to have spoken about the individual pieces in the review and explained this a bit, but obviously I was ambitious enough! Yes there was Chaminade/Farrenc & Amy Beach in grades 4 & 5 but this didn’t hide the increasing amount of women in very similar styles of jazz or ‘floaty’ suddenly bunching up at the end of the book as if to make the quotas”.

Reading this back several months later, I recognise that the attempt here was clearly—surely—to explain my subjective opinion about the way things came across rather than assume any bad intent behind the choices. It was after this message that communications between us seemed to break down completely.
Now, at this point you might be wondering why I’m starting to go into so much detail concerning the messages between me and the author, and why I need to bring them up here… all should become clear by end of this cautionary tale, but I hope it’ll also be clear that while I stood by my opinions, I consistently offered to compromise so that the author would be happy with my review. How were these conciliatory gestures received? We will find out as the tale unfolds!
So, I raised similar concerns regarding how the pieces by non-white composers were represented throughout the anthology. Here’s how I expressed it in the original review…

“And that’s also my point for the non-white composers. You tend not to find so many, if hardly any at all, in the Baroque Classical Romantic end of things. And again, I think that’s a problem because, you know, are we basically saying to students, if you’re a girl or if you’re not white, you can be a composer, but not a serious one. Just fun pieces, just sort of, you know, superficial, more fun stuff. You know, again, sorry if I’m being a little bit critical there, but you know, I have strong feelings about this kind of stuff”.

So, in response, the author explained that the anthology was designed to show how classical music, which originated in Europe, gradually expanded to include contributions from composers around the world. The anthology’s chronological arrangement was designed to trace this progression, illustrating how the repertoire has grown and diversified over time. He also pointed out a couple of times when he’d placed a non-white composer nearer the front of the book.
So, I could see where he was coming from, but I felt I needed to clarify my perspective a little bit more. So I tried to acknowledge his points in a reply, while also explaining why I was still concerned about representation:

“Now I loved the Ignatius Sancho near the beginning of the first book, but was really disappointed that most of the books don’t have similar pieces in the first half of the book (ie not contemporary pieces) or that weren’t jazz, or spirituals, or floaty sugary pieces. Like I said in the review, it seems that you were being very ambitious and trying to juggle a lot of things to balance. It’s just my opinion that I’m not sure about the resulting balance”.

“And I am disappointed by the relative lack of non-white composers in the first half of most (but not all) of the books. I’m sure you’ve seen all the incredible finds of non-white composers in recent syllabuses by LCM, Trinity & ABRSM, these composers so they are definitely out there, but I also remember having a chat with you on Facebook about the incredible neglected repertoire of Latin American classical composers for example who are inexplicably neglected by educators- and a giant treasure trove of incredible educational enjoyable music. Not all non-white composers are American black composers writing music influenced by jazz or spirituals (yes there was some Asian music, but I didn’t get the sense that these were lovingly curated gems like the rest of the repertoire- this is just my opinion). But you did include some gems such as the piece by Gabriel Yared- what a fantastic piece! So my comments are generalisations and strong impressions with a few exceptions- and I think I made this reasonably clear in the review? If not, please let me know where I can make this clearer”.

And this was part of the message that resulted in the author refusing to discuss it any further.
So far, these issues around the representation of women and non-white composers were—I felt—relatively minor points of opinion. But beyond these general concerns about representation, there was one example in particular that struck me as a little more troubling. It was more than just an issue of how pieces were distributed—it raised important questions of cultural sensitivity:

“And it’s great that Andrew does include, try to include pieces from other cultures. Again, the way it’s structured does strike me as a little bit token at times. But, you know, again, why not? Not all music is Western, it’s nice to include music from other cultures, but there does seem to be in places a little bit of insensitivity and lack of awareness about some political topics. So one thing that really massively bothered me, sorry Andrew, is where one piece is listed as a Uyghur folk tune and is also on the same page called traditional Chinese. So I’ve already got myself in a whole load of trouble by a whole load of people thinking I’m pro-Chinese in something. Well here I’m now hanging my hat on the other side of whatever that analogy is… This is like during the Holocaust in Germany. This would be like coming out with a book about music and calling Jewish music traditional German. Because, sorry, sorry if this is going to cause controversy. But, you know, I’m just going to gently put it out there about the overwhelming evidence about what’s going on with Uyghurs in China and to say that a Uyghur folk tune is traditional Chinese is just unbelievably insensitive. That’s all I’m going to say. Now, I’m also going to sort of point out that this sort of problem, I don’t think this is because of the author being pro-Chinese, because in another book, there is a reference, in the Grade two book, there’s a reference to a composer having a Taiwanese nationality, which I think will automatically make that book difficult if not impossible to sell to a Chinese market because that is also a very sensitive topic to the Chinese government, let’s say. So yeah, I’m just going to, because I pointed this out I think as well in one of my previous reviews in another examination board syllabus, that they were obviously making a massive effort to include a whole load of, you know, non-white people. And then when they wrote about that, they just made some very, very uncomfortable things just showing a lack of sensitivity to certain kinds of political things, you know. I’m not going to go into that now, but I’m just going to say in general it’s not enough just to make token efforts to include other nationalities. You’ve also got to kind of be a little bit aware of some of the sensitivities to do with that. So, I’m sorry if this sounds a bit patronising and a bit harsh, but Uyghur folk tune—traditional Chinese—that, I can’t express strongly enough how much that bothers me”.

Now on this point, the author admitted that maybe there was an issue there, but expressed frustration because he had placed his trust in the publisher’s ‘diversity inclusion panel’ to catch things like this. Although it must have been difficult to hear, I did feel it was important to discuss the way the representation choices came across to me. So, in a message to him…

“I’m sorry you’ve been offended by my accusation of tokenism. But let’s take the piece I’m most concerned about- the Uyghur folk tune. Why would we chose (sic) to include a piece such as this which is obviously non-Western and exotic? I’m sure the good reasons to add a piece like this is to be genuinely curious about other cultures, which implies a sense that we care about them as well rather than just appropriate their culture so we can include elements of the ‘other’ without knowing anything about them. So of course I’m concerned in this case that there seems to be a lack of awareness of the context that they are suffering unimaginable suffering at the hands of the Chinese government who use their culture as propaganda in a similar way that the Nazis hid the true situation of the holocaust- and that the Chinese government is doing everything they can to wipe out the Uyghur culture and identity. Like I said, I really don’t want to upset anybody, and I want to be diplomatic and not unnecessarily antagonistic, but in this case I really want to suggest that this is not on a ‘diversity inclusion panel’, but on the author’s decision to include music by an ethnic group they didn’t know anything about- surely this is literally the definition of ‘tokenism’?”

Now, I understood that my comments were strong, but they were meant to encourage thoughtful reflection, and not to attack. Throughout our exchanges, I consistently sought a middle ground, where both my critiques and the author’s intentions could be recognised and valued.
Although I felt it was important to stand by my values and opinions, I had never wanted to do this at the expense of alienating and upsetting a well-respected and popular core member of the piano education community. I will put my hand up and say perhaps I was overly naive in thinking that it would be possible to have these sensitive discussions without it affecting our professional relationship. So as our communications had been deteriorating, I had been reaching out trying to calm things down in every way I could think of, looking for a way to compromise that would pacify the situation. For example, here are some of these attempts from my messages to him:

“I can edit the review where needed…”

“I’m genuinely upset you’re upset, and I do think these are excellent books that I would 100% recommend as must-owns and the first book that students should buy. I tried very hard to make points that were fair and really did not want to make criticisms”.

“There’s nothing necessarily wrong with this- […] It’s just not my personal taste at the lower grades, and I’m sure I worded the review in this way”.

“I like to consider myself as an ethical person- I’m genuinely curious to know how you deal with these kinds of situations as you obviously review a huge amount of books. I don’t know how chatting in advance could have changed most of my opinions though”.

“However, like I said, I did enjoy these pieces, I think these are excellent books, and I 100% recommend them as must-owns. Sadly I have some opinions that I think have upset you, and this absolutely was not my intention. I hope we can get past this, I have so much respect for you and look up to you hugely. I’d still love to have you on the podcast and genuinely apologise if I could have handled it better- and am open to advice on how best to do this in the future”.

“Well that is a shame as I’m willing to have an open discussion and retract anything that is a misrepresentation. I did my best to be as factual as possible in the points I made above, and I would be horrified if I made any kind of review that made misrepresentations”.

“Would you be willing to chat on the phone or on Zoom tomorrow? Perhaps a texted conversation is not the best way to resolve this. I genuinely did not anticipate this reaction. As I said, I’m happy to fix any inaccuracies, and very clearly said in our messages that I don’t think there there (sic) were any bad intentions on your part, and actually talked about what a nice guy you were in the review”.

“Listening again to the podcast review, I’m trying to take your comments on board, and I wonder if my passionate feelings on certain topics could be communicated in better ways- I’m going to take down the reviews for the moment while I reflect on it”.

So, as you can hear, I genuinely wanted to find a way to move forward constructively. It wasn’t about ‘being right’ or forcing my perspective, but about ensuring that we could both express our views in a respectful way. Sadly, the conversation continued to deteriorate.
As the conversation about representation had been intensifying, the author had also been increasingly focusing on smaller details of my review—what he perceived as factual inaccuracies. This included disputes about the size of the musical typesetting, fingering suggestions, and several other elements of the editorial process. It was clear that the conversation was shifting away from the core issue of representation and towards these smaller, more technical points.
So rather than addressing the sensitivities around diversity, it started to feel to me as though the focus had shifted towards derailing the broader discussion and shutting down the review. Refusing to engage with the broader critique, the author instead concentrated on defending the details of the anthology—such as whether the font was really as large as I had described, or how the fingerings had been selected.
Now these could perhaps have been fair and important points, if not for something important that I’ll get to soon.
So anyway, this all reached a head after I sent the detailed message I’ve been quoting from, where I addressed the Author’s objections to my review point by point and clarified my opinions. The conversation was shut down, he involved the publisher, and I received a message informing me that the publisher had instructed the author to cancel a Zoom call that we’d arranged to try to resolve things. This message came with a list of ‘corrections’ to what was referred to as ‘the weight of misinformation’ and misrepresentations in my review.
I would transparently share with you the full list of corrections to all my supposed inaccuracies, but I have been instructed by the author that I am prohibited from publishing any of the messages that he sent to me.
So, as you already heard, I’d decided to temporarily take the review down to prevent further conflict, and decide how to proceed. The author had actually asked me to take it down as a show of good faith just after I’d made this decision, so I was especially shocked at the sudden dramatic escalation of the situation.
Now, because of the litigious nature of some of the author’s messages to me, I’m aware that I need to be as factual and transparent as I can when discussing this here, which is why I’m erring on the side of a little too much information rather than too little. I do not want to be accused of misrepresenting anything. I also want to emphasise that the reason I’m sharing this story here and now is not to rehash past disagreements or point fingers at anybody—it’s because I think that we all need to be more open to discussing how we handle diversity and inclusion, especially when things go wrong.
Now, I do feel I need to refer to some of the accusations that were made against me concerning misinformation, and show proof that references to my ‘factual inaccuracies’ were probably attempts to derail and shut down the review- whether this was done consciously or not.
So, just a couple of days later, the author made a public post on social media praising another review of The Joy of Graded Piano as a lovely, fair, and factual review. Hmm, I wonder what his choice of words could be referring to there?! So, what was really jarring for me was that this extremely short review that he was referring to had included some very similar observations about the music font size and editorial fingering which the author had sharply criticised in my review. Yet, these same details were publicly appreciated as ‘factual’ by the author in this other review while being labelled as ‘misinformation’ in mine.
Let me play you a couple of clips from my review so you can hear this for yourself:

“For me personally, this is not necessarily a criticism, this could be a really good thing for a lot of people. The typesetting, the layout—I’m just flicking through it at the moment—the layout of the music on the page is enormous. It’s so big. If you’re half blind, you’re gonna love these books because they’re so easy to read. If you like having absolutely giant notes and unbelievably clear formatting, you’re gonna really enjoy these. For me personally, it’s too big. And the problem with that is, as a teacher, I’m trying to encourage my students out of a state of narrow focus because I find that basically one of the most common problems I find when people are learning and they’re feeling a bit, you know, insecure about themselves and they just sort of get a really… their posture rounds, their shoulders go forwards, their neck goes forwards, they stare at the music and feel that they have to just work really hard to stare and focus at everything. Personally, my concern is that the bigger the music appears to… I mean, it’s not just a little bigger, this is huge. It’s huge. And my concern is that it sort of makes it more difficult to have a more sort of holistic, more sort of being able to just take in a whole line of music in one go. So, you know, if you imagine what a good sight reader is like when we’re sight reading, we don’t want to stare at one note at a time or even one bar at a time. We want to just take in a whole load of stuff. Now, if you just magnify everything, I wonder if it actually makes it more difficult to have that more sort of- just taking in a lot of information all at the same time. It is like really huge. But if your eyesight isn’t very good, you’ll love this. You’ll love this layout. I’m just not sure. But that’s just personally my taste. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy it. It’s still excellent. Everything that I said before still stands. So having said, you know, some of my criticisms, I still absolutely stand by that if you are learning the piano and you’re at this level, you really absolutely should own these books”.

And I also had a minor criticism in my original review of some of the fingering choices:

“However, I’m not sure about Andrew’s choices for fingerings. They don’t work for me. I’m quite shocked in places, that’s all I’ll say. There’s also some odd choices with hand distributions, you know, what to put in the right hand, what to put in the left hand. I’m personally, as a teacher, just really not sure about this. So if you are a piano student, I would say take some of the editing, particularly to do with fingerings and hand distributions, with a pinch of salt”.

So, here’s the thing—after my review, the author argued, providing information about how the music font was actually average or smaller than usual, and he also said that my comments on the editorial fingerings were misrepresenting the facts—he pointed out that very few of the fingerings were his, he’d tried to stick to the composers’ original fingerings with minimal editorial fingerings. Now this does open up another can of worms, but let’s just, you know, put that to the side for now…
Yet, the review that he had praised had this to say about these same points:

“The size of the musical text in the first four books is relatively large and more spaced out than normal”

Wait, what? So now the author agrees that it is larger than usual? I’m really confused here!

“and useful editorial fingering has been added”

Woah, did I read that right? Remember that editorial means added by the author. So “useful editorial fingering has been added”. So when I was berated for saying I didn’t like the author’s fingerings, suddenly it’s ‘factual’ when another review says the author added fingerings?
So, you know, I can’t help but wonder whether the real problem here was my critique of the representation of women and non-white composers rather than the ‘weight of misinformation’.
Again, I am not bringing this up here to point fingers or prolong any conflict, but because some of the author’s messages to me had strong undertones of legal threat, and I need to be careful and clear in substantiating everything that I say.
Anyway, several months passed while I considered what to do with the review that I’d taken down. I would have preferred to not lose all the time and effort that I’d invested into it, but I also really wanted to avoid further upset. More importantly though, I felt that these issues surrounding representation in music education deserved broader discussion.
If only there was a way to present the events objectively, it might create space for an open dialogue instead of further conflict. So when I came across a cutting-edge AI tool released just a week ago which creates interesting high-quality and engaging podcast episodes, I thought this could be a great opportunity!
So you don’t give this particular AI tool any prompts which could influence it; it just simply analyses whatever you give it. It simply analyses the material and produces its own output. So, I had the idea of feeding it both the original review and all the messages between me and the author. The AI—I thought—could act as an impartial mediator, processing the information and presenting the facts without any personal bias.
Since all our messages had been in the context of discussing a public review, and nothing—nothing—had been said about requiring privacy, this seemed ethically and legally above board to share this AI-generated episode. So, out of courtesy, I sent the author a preview of what I intended to publish, explaining my intentions to publish it as part of a broader discussion on these important issues.
The response that I received back was… not what I had hoped for, warning of defamation, misrepresentation, and inaccuracies. Despite carefully reviewing the AI’s output, I struggled to see what exactly was ‘defamatory’ or where the supposed inaccuracies lay.
So, as far as I could see, the only possible source of defamation and misrepresentation might be, at a stretch, an accusation of not giving the full facts and context- which just wasn’t in the scope of a short AI-created podcast episode. I did personally feel it had given a fair synopsis though.
So anyway, at this point, having exhausted all other options, I decided to make this podcast episode to be able to open this conversation about diversity and representation in our field, while at the same time doing my best to avoid accusations of defamation or misrepresentation. This meant I had to go into much more detail than I’d have preferred, so thank you for having the patience to stay with me till the end!
Anyway, to come back full circle, what can we learn from all of this? Firstly, it’s okay to disagree publicly about issues to do with race and gender. Going back to the beginning of this podcast episode and referring to this topic as a whole–if we have good intentions about helping to open up what have been overwhelmingly white male spaces to allow for more inclusive and diverse participation–it’s essential that we are willing to engage in these conversations openly and honestly, without allowing our own discomfort or anxieties to derail any discussions.
As I’ve hopefully made clear, it’s my view that nobody has the moral authority to definitively say who is right or who is wrong on these issues. These conversations are complex, and it’s okay for us to disagree and reflect on our own biases. What matters most is that we continue to engage in these discussions with an open mind and a willingness to learn from one another. Like with so much in life, it’s all about finding a balance. Where my balance lies will not be the same as with somebody else. But if we all cooperate openly, hopefully we can find the best balance as a whole culture, together.
And what should I be taking away from all of this? Well, as I said, these are not conversations I have that often these days, so perhaps it’s useful for me to recognise that these topics can still be explosive. As the two books on race which I referred to at the beginning of this podcast episode often point out with a dark humour, it really can be impossible much of the time to have these discussions at all without ‘strong reactions’, so maybe it would be best for me to be a little more careful before I naively wade in expecting open conversations.
So thank you for joining me for this sensitive discussion, and if you’d like to contribute to this open dialogue, please do feel free to share an opinion in the comments–but please let’s keep it respectful and avoid turning it into a war zone! Let’s do our best together to help open up the world of classical music to all people from all backgrounds!

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Please check the shownotes for timings if you just want to listen to the review for one particular grade

Show Notes:* Init [1:40] * Grade 1 [2:53] * Grade 2 [4:03] * Grade 3 [6:00] * Grade 4 [10:06] * Grade 5 [13:17] * Grade 6 [15:33] * Grade 7 [17:45] * Grade 8 [23:03]

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In this thought-provoking first part of a two-part review, I explore the new books and discuss how ABRSM are navigating the complex landscape of music education in a changing world. Join me as I delve into the challenges and opportunities presented by this new syllabus, which is sure to spark lively debate within the piano community. Part two will review the individual grades.

Show Notes:Introduction

Excitement about the new ABRSM syllabus for 2025-2026.
Importance of these pieces for teachers in the coming years.

Syllabus Transition

Current syllabus (2023-2024) usable until the end of 2025.
New syllabus (2025-2026) begins in 2025.

Personal Review

Personal opinions on the new syllabus, potentially controversial.
Attempt to be balanced and see multiple perspectives.
Learning and performing all new Grade 8 pieces.
Performances and tutorials will available on Heart of the Piano YouTube channel.
Shorter review will be available on YouTube for those who prefer less detail.

Review Methodology

Re-read and replayed all pieces from the current syllabus.
Comparison of new syllabus pieces against the current syllabus.

Context of Wider Issues in Music Education

Reference to the review of the latest Trinity syllabus.
Discussion on decolonisation of music education.
Alarm at Trinity’s new syllabus allowing exams without classical music.
Context of Black Lives Matter and the critique of classical music as linked to colonialism.
Personal background and experiences with classical music.
Importance of representation of non-white and women composers.
Critique of the argument that classical music is inherently problematic or racist.

ABRSM’s Approach to Representation and Diversity

Efforts by examination boards to include women and non-white composers.
Positive discrimination to encourage diversity.
Approval of ABRSM’s representation efforts in the new syllabus.
Concern about some pieces in new List B syllabus not being classical.

Concerns about Trinity’s Recent New Syllabus, and Fears About ABRSM Following Suit

Critique of Trinity’s shift towards pop and non-classical music.
The potential for students to focus narrowly on styles like jazz or pop.
Discussion on the decline of classical music in education.
Importance of maintaining classical music exams.
Problems with turning pop and jazz music into sheet music for exams.
The need for a balanced musical diet in education.

Personal Beliefs and Teaching Philosophy

Encouragement for classical music study alongside other genres.
Role and influence of exams in developing well-rounded musicians.
Suggestion for separate exams for rock/pop music.

Comparison with ABRSM’s New Syllabus

Initial relief at the classical focus of new ABRSM books.
Subsequent concerns about non-classical pieces creeping into the syllabus.
Need for maintaining classical music standards.

Future of Classical Music Education

Risks of dumbing down exams by including too much non-classical music.
The role of ABRSM in shaping musical tastes and standards.
The importance of a balanced appreciation of classical music.

Personal Reflections on Music Education

Discussion on the neo-colonialism of the music industry.
Importance of classical music as an art form needing support.
ABRSM’s role in bridging the gap between students’ everyday musical experiences and classical music.

Historical Context of ABRSM

Reference to the book “The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music: A Social and Cultural History”.
Examination of ABRSM’s historical role in shaping music education.

Controversial Issues in Music Education

Critique of the demonisation of classical music as elitist.
The need to support classical music education.
The impact of political and societal views on classical music.

Thoughts on the New ABRSM Books

General approval of the selection of pieces, but-
Concerns over non-classical pieces in List B and some List A.
High quality editing and typesetting in these new books with no misprints this time around.
Praise for the urtext approach to Baroque and Classical pieces.
Grade 8 book: Notably shorter (37 pages) compared to the previous one (51 pages).
Less value for money compared to Trinity’s books.
List A, List B, and List C distinctions becoming less meaningful.
Concerns over the abundance of arrangements by Nikki Iles. In one grade, it’s possible to play only Nikki Iles pieces!
Praise for free access to recordings on streaming platforms (e.g., Spotify, Apple Music).
Recordings are generally good, though sometimes overly safe.

Conclusion and Recommendations

General approval of the new ABRSM syllabus with some concerns.
Encouragement to explore ABRSM’s new syllabus while considering LCM exams for a traditional classical focus.

Links and notes to follow very soon!

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Listen to this episode for a thorough review of two must-have sets of graded anthologies: The Joy of Graded Piano by Andrew Eales, and Core Classics: Essential Repertoire For Piano by ABRSM. We also discuss the benefits of using graded anthologies- compilations of sheet music organised by difficulty level

Shownotes:* 00:00 – Introduction and overview of the two graded piano anthology series being reviewed: + The Joy of Graded Piano edited by Andrew Eales + Core Classics Essential Repertoire for Piano by ABRSM + Explanation of graded anthologies, and the examination boards and grade levels + The Joy of Graded Piano covers Grades 1-5 + ABRSM’s Core Classics covers Grades 1-8 * 05:14 – Why use graded anthologies? + Relation to examination boards and grade levels + The Joy of Graded Piano covers Grades 1-5 + ABRSM’s Core Classics covers Grades 1-8 * 06:46 – Benefits of using graded anthologies in music education: + Appropriate levelling- pieces are not too easy or too difficult, promoting a sense of flow and engagement + Charting progress- provides a clear sense of progress and tangible evidence of improvement + Nourishing mix of music- covers a range of periods and styles, offering a balanced variety of pieces + Quality-focused editions- publishers creating graded anthologies for exam syllabuses strive for a high standard, as they understand the importance of these formal exams + Value for money: graded anthologies provide good value by offering well-chosen repertoire that is not only level-appropriate but also chosen with care and expertise to maximize student learning, engagement and enjoyment + Broadening musical horizons: graded anthologies can serve as samplers, exposing players to a diverse range of styles, composers, and musical eras, helping to expand their musical knowledge, refine their taste, and discover new interests * 14:38 – The Joy of Graded Piano series by Andrew Eales: + Excellent for those less familiar with core repertoire: The Joy of Graded Piano is particularly valuable for students and learners who don’t have extensive knowledge of the core piano repertoire, as it introduces them to a wide range of essential and iconic pieces + (Explanation of ABRSM List A, B, C which I refer to throughout this review) + Comparison with the original The Joy of… series + What I love about these books + Criticisms/ concerns: - Personally not sure about fingerings and hand distributions - Although usually a big fan of representation of female and non-white composers, has this gone a bit too far into excessive tokenism in these books? - Some political insensitivities/ lack of awareness in the representation of certain pieces? - Excessive size of typesetting (beneficial for those with poor eyesight, but may not suit everyone’s preferences)? * 51:29 – ABRSM Core Classics books: + Design, quality, editing, proofreading (both sets of books excellent) + Lack of consistency from book to book in terms of balance of pieces + Each book contains pieces in increasing difficulty between two grade levels (e.g., Grades 1-2, Grades 2-3), which may not be ideal for students looking for a book specific to their current grade + What were ABRSM’s intentions with these books? Who are they for? What is their function? + Frustration over the lack of clear grade information for individual pieces on the cusp of 2 grades + Scholarly and thorough approach to editing + Monetisation of ABRSM’s back catalogue * 01:07:25 – Comparison between ABRSM and Andrew’s piano books: + Editorial choices such as urtext vs more heavy editing + Arrangements vs a more purist approach + Inclusion of short biographical info as well as tips for learning vs no information + Longer pieces in both books that won’t appear in books specifically for exams + Each individual book containing pieces gradually increasing in difficulty vs individual books with pieces in random order of difficulty + If each series of books was a type of piano teacher, who would they be? * 01:20:32 – Outro + About my YouTube channel and future plans for the podcast

Notes:Andrew’s blog post ‘Why use Graded Anthologies?’- https://pianodao.com/2023/05/20/why-use-graded-anthologies/

My performance of Howells- There Was a Most Beautiful Lady (from the Core Classics Grade 5-6 book): https://youtu.be/7gwej1PuAP4?si=qwEHcYNmtn5GMxgL, and my tutorial on this piece: https://youtu.be/QaimXiuDhy0?si=FLXwMaR2ZtaakEXU

My video on brain hemispheres for musicians- https://youtu.be/q9tGbjqbmIM?si=cuxb4kmGpUoAM2_9

My YouTube series on the most common technical problems of amateur pianists- https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0sZ0MK31wvJDxcnTnbHyfGIs_EPQosul&si=SDnzuUc_OaKEI7bu

My YouTube video on why I’m horrified by ABRSM’s changes to their diplomas- https://youtu.be/aIxS8qsGYtY?si=5FbkwQGe73bQk9xZ

Here’s a breakdown in each ‘Core Classics’ book where I could find the definitive split in each book where the grade level changes:

Grades 1-2: Minuet in G= Grade 1, Adagio from Sonatina in C= Grade 2
Grades 2-3: Festivity= Grade 2, Les Pifferati= Grade 3
Grades 3-4: The Policeman’s Song= Grade 3, In The Bay= Grade 4
Grades 4-5: Grandmother’s Song= Grade 4, then no idea about the next 4 pieces, Allegro Molto from Sonatina in F= Grade 5
Grades 5-6: A New Ground = Grade 5, Mazurka = Grade 6
Grades 6-7: Avril Perce-neige= Grade 6, Le Coucou= Grade 7
Grades 7-8: Des Abends= Grade 7, Impromptu in A flat= Grade 8

The intro/outro music is my jazz arrangement of the Rachmaninov Adagio from Symphony #2, you can watch the whole thing here if you like: https://youtu.be/hMqREAngb4s

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We discuss the Pianogate drama – an international incident at St Pancras Station in London where Boogie Woogie live streamer Brendan Kavanagh stood his ground against some pushy Chinese communists. The resulting video went internationally viral and turned ‘Dr K’ into a hero of the people. But I wondered if the Chinese film crew might have had some valid points with some issues that make me uneasy about how ‘Dr K’ runs his YouTube enterprise.

Links:* My YouTube video:
https://youtu.be/RtDv7Hmdu_w

Notes:Go to 7:21 if you want to hear us get straight to the point!

For this episode, in homage to ‘Dr K’, the intro/outro music is from my jazz arrangement of Chopin’s Nocturne Op.55 No.1 in F Minor. You can watch the whole thing here if you like: https://youtu.be/7NnsB_ieJqY?si=Cq510j1G1rizUg4x

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Tim Topham is a legend in the piano education world, his podcast “The Integrated Music Teaching Podcast” is a who’s who of the most interesting & creative piano educators. It was a huge honour to chat to Tim about his new book which advocates and provides a framework for delaying reading music with beginner piano students.

This episode is not just for piano teachers though, I’m sure everybody will be interested in our chat which includes topics such as common preventable weaknesses that most piano students have, the history of improvisation and freedom from the written note in classical music, the problem with method books, and more…

Key Topics Discussed:* Delaying reading music for beginner piano students, often for the first 10 weeks or more * Developing musicality, creativity, and curiosity from the very first lessons * Typical problems when students are taught to read music right away, including lack of singing, improvisation, playing by ear etc * Tim’s new book “No Book Beginners” which provides a framework and detailed lesson plans for teaching beginners without method books * The importance of singing, rhythm, improvisation & playing by ear before introducing reading * How Tim’s approach can work alongside other methods such as Piano Safari * Adapting these creative teaching strategies for older and adult students * The “sound before symbol” learning theory behind delaying reading music * The website resources that complement the lesson plans in the book

Links:* Top Music Pro website: topmusic.co * “No Book Beginners” book: topmusic.co/book * Music Learning Theory: giml.org * Tim’s podcast: topmusic.co/podcast

Notes:The intro/outro music is my jazz arrangement of the Rachmaninov Adagio from Symphony #2, you can watch the whole thing here if you like: https://youtu.be/hMqREAngb4s

I have availability for online students at the moment- if you’re interested, do get in touch using the contact page at http://HeartOfThePiano.com

I promised some links to the best podcast episodes in the outro-

this is probably the best place to start:
https://heartofthepiano.com/e34-we-discuss-the-4-most-important-psychological-skills-you-need-to-practise-at-the-piano-to-be-deeply-musical/
as it sums up many of the strategies that come up most frequently with my students
This strategy has instantly transformed the playing with some of my students, the difference is like night & day! https://heartofthepiano.com/e35-tension-release-we-discuss-the-5-psychological-skill-you-need-to-practise-at-the-piano-to-be-deeply-musical/
Some very powerful strategies in this episode that can make a huge difference to the quality of our playing, and how we deal with nerves & pressure: https://heartofthepiano.com/e28-self-determination-theory-for-pianists-how-it-can-unlock-improve-your-musicality-and-help-you-deal-with-performance-anxiety/

And here’s a link to my YouTube playlist of my tutorials and performances of UK exam board pieces:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0sZ0MK31wvKeCOH_ZFADgaZkgzyPJvw3

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Check the shownotes for timings if you just want to listen to the review for one particular grade

Show Notes:Init [2:13]

Terrible (almost non-existent) selection of Baroque/ Classical
Wild range of difficulty levels
For me, mostly unremarkable pieces
Much prefer the 2021-2023 syllabus, pieces more fun, more character, less bland
Both RSL offerings strong at this level, for me, ABRSM in 2nd place

Grade 1 [3:06]

Very strong Classical selection. Often technically challenging
Useful technical pedagogical selection of Classical & Romantic, enjoyable pieces
Highlights-
- Toccatina (Victoria Proudler)- faux Bach
- Railbird Rag (Sam Cleaver)- a little challenging but fun
Criticisms- Terrible arrangements of Heard It Through The Grapevine (Marvin Gaye), and Titanium (David Guetta ft. Sia)- lazy arrangement. Most pop arrangements at this grade not fantastic- could be more skillful
Std edition has mostly easier non-classical pieces aimed at youngsters in particular
RSL Classical better for jazz & pop than Trinity, classical pieces fun- but limited choice compared to Trinity. LCM by pick for solid rewarding pieces with good benchmarking. Trinity has best ambitious classical pieces, but overall selection inconsistent

Grade 2 [7:15]

Immediately noticed repeat sign missing at beginning of 1st piece- will be confusing
Not great Baroque/ Classical selection- not inspiring
Highlights-
- Petit nuage (Hedwige Chrétien)- sounds great at this level, achievable, great find by woman composer
- Night in the Woods (Alexander Goedicke)- challenging but rewarding, loads of character
- Jupiter Storm (Alison Mathews)- almost like pop music, students will love it
- Hedwig’s Theme (John Williams)- great arrangement- v. generous to include a more ambitious chunk which is left out of exam
- It’s a Walk in the Park (Gilon Fox)- excellent gd2 jazz/blues
- Many strong pieces
Criticisms- some clunky pop/jazz arranging but nothing too awful at this grade
ABRSM not great for this grade, but the ABRSM pop grade 2 pieces are much stronger than here. LCM shines here with by far the best classical pieces. But Trinity is strong at this grade compared to others with extended edition

Grade 3 [11:23]

Very challenging at this grade, sometimes wildly so (eg LH staccato 3rds in Turkish March duet at speed). Already tricky 3 against 2 cross rhythms in several pieces
Not impressed when I see swing rhythm quavers set incorrectly against triplets (All Blues)
Felt overwhelmed by sheer amount of non-classical music, but I do like the Baroque/Classical selection. When looking at this book, felt more like rock/pop syllabus to me than classical
Lots of film music at this level, some lovely, some bland
Lots of use of pedal at this grade that feels almost like a norm in this book- I don’t see it to this extent in other grade 3 syllabuses- seems too ambitious to me
High frequency of highly challenging pieces for this level
Highlights-
- Little Stream (Ilona Jurníčková), but wildly ambitious
- Mad World (Tears for Fears)- lovely arr but ambitious- eg repeated 3rds in RH, pedal, etc
- Someone Like You (Adele)- but crazy cross rhythms for gd 3
- Tres Palabras (Osvaldo Farrés)- nice jazz voicings
Criticisms-
- Happy (Pharrell Williams)- good chorus but verse v. clunky arrangement.
- Dynamite (BTS)- terrible tune to pick that doesn’t translate well to piano. Won’t sound much like original. Rhythms don’t match what is sung
- All Blues (Miles Davis)- terrible clunky arr. With some terrible voicings. Wide range of difficulty within piece. Not skillful arr.
ABRSM too easy for this grade. LCM solid & rewarding. RSL not one of strongest, easier than Trinity & LCM. ABRSM pop gd3 looks v. good compared to pop here. Trinity by far the most challenging of all boards

Grade 4 [18:09]

V small Baroque/ Classical selection although nice pieces if somewhat challenging. None in std edition!
Again, many wildly ambitious pieces for this level. But also some v easy ones- wild range of difficulty levels
Highlights-
- Goblin & The Mosquito (Florence Price)- also in LCM gd4- can’t be coincidence? How much is Trinity looking to other exam boards for inspiration?
- Star Wars Main Theme (John Williams)- very effective apart from terrible ending (v common in grade books!)
- Polperro Beach (Adrian Sutton)- lovely film music but challenging
- Ground Background Music (Super Mario Bros)- v effective. Def. on challenging end but will be very popular
- Time Keeper’s Lament (from Primal)- gorgeous haunting game music with deep feeling, v. achievable
- Piel Canela (Bobby Capó)- gorgeous charming Latin American jazzy piece- great rhythms & harmonies, v. effective arr.
Criticisms-
- Lag Jaa Gale (from Woh Kaun Thi?)- great to include Bollywood but this sounds nothing like original. Terrible arr. Original v melismatic so perhaps not best choice for this level. LH particularly clunky & uncreative
- Doctor Who Theme (Ron Grainer)- terrible arr. Incredibly tricky to make good arr. by just using tune and simple harmonies, needs more creativity.
- Avril 14th (Aphex Twin)- why not just make it more similar to original? I don’t see why notes had to be changed, didn’t particularly make it easier. Could have made it possible to play with original with same notes.
ABRSM easiest of all boards, solid rewarding pieces. LCM my pick for solid ‘classical’ pieces, also includes diverse pieces such as effective enjoyable Egyptian piece. RSL excellent at this level. RSL classical can’t compete, but interesting that Prelude in C (Bach) is at gd 4 vs Trinity gd5

Grade 5 [25:01]

Not the most adventurous Baroque/Classical pieces but solid enough. Bach Prelude in C in gd 4 RSL classical.
Highlights- So many strong diverse pieces here but just a few:
- Fantasia in D minor (Handel)- should be popular, easy to love
- Engagement Party (La La Land)- V effective piece and one of first to sound like it could be ‘professional’, ie what a ‘real’ pianist plays
- Mii Channel Theme (Kazumi Totaka)- fun game music w/ sophisticated jazz harmonies & latin rhythms, love it!
- Spanish Polylogarhythms (Andrea Vicari)- love it, lovely Dorian melody w/ Latin jazz
- Fina Estampa (Chabuca Granda)- love this, v. sweet, some gorgeous harmonic moments, tempo marking ‘Peruvian Waltz’- like we’re supposed to know what this is!!
Criticisms-
- Ajeeb Dastan Hai Yeh (from Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai)- terrible choice to arrange- LH in particular incredibly uninventive, loses everything that made it sound Asian. Same key as orig, can play along but is fast!
- Pop songs generally suffer from clunky arrangements at this grade
ABRSM v. strong, but more substantial performance pieces on the whole from Trinity. LCM my pick- more traditional classical but with great contemporary and ‘ethnic’ music as well. Lots of ‘misses’ here for Trinity at gd 5, but so many pieces that it’s worth it for the ones that are effective. Gd 5 generally good across the boards (not RSL classical, no competition at all). Gd5 ABRSM pop stronger than Trinity

Grade 6 [30:46]

Feel particularly at this grade that there are too many populist pieces with little musical substance. But will keep some students happy! Should be in a separate pop/rock exam?
Horrified to see editorial slurs, articulations, etc in Baroque/ early Classical with no explanation
Great selection of Baroque/ Classical, often very expressive
Notes- nonsense about modes (where is Phrygian and Phrygian Dominant in Evening on the River Nile?!). Could have talked about v obvious modes in Snowfall instead (same writer). Also, notes for ‘Something for the Weekend’- they bring lots of attention to the title as if clueless about the innuendo.
Highlights-
- Adagio (Baldassare Galuppi)- beautiful Baroque slow mvt
- Un Recuerdo (Ignacio Cervantes Kawanagh)- love this! Why not say composer was Cuban in notes? Just because is a Cuban Waltz does not mean he is automatically Cuban. Gorgeous charming piece
- People will love the Einaudi (I Giorni), but too easy for this grade?
- The Journey to the West (Princess Mononoke)- gorgeous but v easy for this level
- Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin)- v effective arr- I personally would add more instead of cutting the song off half-way
- Love Yourself (Justin Bieber)- excellent arr with enough classical textures for me to feel comfortable with this in an exam. Shame not in std edition
- Something for the Weekend (Alexandra Skevington)- love it, inventive blues
Criticisms-
- My Funny Valentine (from Babes in Arms)- so much potential in this song- but chose to stay v close to original instead of being inspired by the many gorgeous arrangements
- As said above, concern over lack of musical substance in so many of the choices
ABRSM v strong selection at this grade. LCM- fantastic varied choices w/ musical substance!! RSL v strong at this grade

Grade 7 [38:11]

Again, some odd incorrect notes about modes
More nonsense about modes in the notes- where is the Dorian mode in Spain (Chick Corea)? Did they mean Aeolian?
The 2 Classical pieces are quite dull- who is going to choose them against all the syrupy sweet populist choices? A tiny percentage of pre-20th Century pieces, percentage of ‘classical’ in general quite low for this grade
Highlights-
- Aria from Goldberg Variations (Bach)- lovable- but again v heavy editorialising
- Lots of loveable pieces in this grade, the Romantic pieces in particular are well-chosen, some challenging
- Mandala (James Treweek)- interesting enjoyable piece- mix of Latin rhythms, film music, minimalism, odd time signatures
- Navajo Vocable For Piano #1 (Connor Chee)- Gorgeous minimalist accessible film-music-style. Substantial length.
- Airships (Charles Tebbs)- another gorgeous minimalist film-music-style piece. Some unusual lovely harmonies, but book is starting to feel like book of ‘mindful/ chill/ film-music’
- Push Pull (Alexandra Skevington)- V inventive unique jazz, love it
- Mixed Nuts (from Spy x Family)- lovely rewarding typical catchy Japanese jazz/pop. Substantial length
- Kiss From A Rose (Seal)- wow, gorgeous arrangement of great song. Classical enough to be in an exam. Not in std book ☹️
- Long Drive in the Rain (Charles Tebbs)- wow! Gorgeous sophisticated contemp. Jazz. Amazing achievement to make something this good for gd 7. Substantial length.
- Corcovado (Jobim)- Stunning arr, love it Substantial length
Criticisms-
- Too much minimalist film music!! Some really lacking in musical substance
- Fallin’ (Alicia Keys)- terrible arr- loses all the feel of the original. V clunky arr with no creativity. Where are all the gospel elements from the original?
ABRSM- some great content at this level but not consistent. LCM only board I would now take seriously for classical. Thorough technical exercises. Pieces obvs chosen for pedagogical merit as well as being rewarding- not just to sell books! Trinity have very strong selection of diverse pieces at this grade

Grade 8 [46:52]

Scandalous that Trinity have such heavy-handed Baroque & early Classical editorialising at this grade with no notes of explanation.
Suddenly very unadventurous choice of classical pieces- eg Scarlatti Sonata, Haydn Sonata, Schubert Sonata, Debussy Clair de Lune, Chopin ‘Minute’ Waltz… what happened to all the great unusual finds like most of the other grades?
This grade doesn’t suffer like gd 7 from so many pieces with little musical substance- on the whole a really good selection
Wild range of difficulty levels, including some of the most difficult pieces and passages I’ve seen in a grade 8 book
A few misprints in The Heart Asks Pleasure First
Highlights-
- Deep River- supposedly by Coleridge Taylor- but I was shocked at how the incredibly sophisticated harmonies didn’t sound like him at all- then discovered just how much this has been freshly arranged by Julian Joseph almost to the point where I would not say this is by Coleridge Taylor. Not really covered in notes.
- Erinnerung (Dora Pejačević)- gorgeous harmonically interesting piece by fascinating woman composer- I love this
- Chameleon (Martin Butler)- gorgeous atonal piece clearly influenced by jazz, v. adventurous choice. ‘Luminous’.
- Rule The World (Take That)- v. adventurous contemporary classical reworking of pop tune, fantastic. Real musical substance. Substantial performance piece
- Hoe-down (Rob Colley)- I love this but my God it’s challenging! Harmonically inventive
- Vignette (Paul Edis)- gorgeous French-style ennui-filled waltz, with incredibly challenging cross-rhythms (4:3 & 8:3 in slow tempo!)
Criticisms-
- Horrible clunky ending for A New Adventure (Mark Choi)- syrupy sweet film music with stirring melody
- The Luckiest (Ben Folds)- like 2nd rate sugary music for Disney animated film. Too easy for grade 8? Not difficult technically or musically.

Links:https://heartofthepiano.com/e18-rockschool-new-classical-piano-syllabus-2021-review/

https://heartofthepiano.com/e33-comprehensive-review-of-pop-performer-by-abrsm/

It’s pretty obvious that there’s a repeat sign missing at the beginning of the 1st bar after the anacrusis in the first piece of the grade 2 extended edition book:

I’ve spotted 3 bars with misprints in The Heart Asks Pleasure First in Grade 8:

Notes:The intro/outro music is my jazz arrangement of the Rachmaninov Adagio from Symphony #2, you can watch the whole thing here if you like: https://youtu.be/hMqREAngb4s

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The most radical and indispensable piano syllabus ever! This will either be incredibly exciting for piano teachers & students- or highly controversial. Either way, it’s a must-own. In this episode I discuss some of the many controversial issues that this new syllabus raises, and give you a detailed verdict on these new books. Part two will review the individual grades.

Show Notes:* First impressions * I sight-read through every single piece in every grade, and did the same with current syllabuses from ABRSM, RSL, RSL Classical, and LCM to get a thorough feel for how the new Trinity syllabus compares with the competition

[3:28]

A look at recent trends in education such as decolonisation of music education, and commercial & ideological pressures on University music departments to move towards being ‘pop schools’
The decline of classical music in education…
Diversity in classical music
IMO this wider context is essential to understand what is happening in this new Trinity syllabus

[25:10]

Very diverse selection of music from many genres
Diversity is great, but I have strong concerns that the new syllabus allows for focusing on narrow styles. such as minimalist film music or pop music in exams, with absolutely no classical music
The cheaper standard editions miss out a lot of the classical music, emphasising commercial accessible music.
Discussion about cultural relativism
Should we formally study rock/pop music?
Such an overwhelming amount of non-classical music in this syllabus- why not just make a rock/pop exam that can be taken on piano?
You can’t compare difficulty levels of playing rock/pop & classical- therefore I feel new syllabus is meaningless as a qualification
Trinity do specify that you should play a balanced programme, but there’s no penalisation for playing just pop music for example, so this is a meaningless directive
The importance of a balanced musical ‘diet’
Less representation of non-white classical composers- a troublesome backward direction for Trinity
Positive discrimination for women and non-white composers

[42:03]

The problem of including so much pop/rock/jazz in an exam that doesn’t allow for improvisation or flexibility from the written notes
The difficulty of arranging pop/rock music into written sheet music, especially at lower grades
On the whole, Trinity have not done a great job with their pop arrangements (but there are some exceptions). ABRSM’s arrangements although still flawed are generally more successful.
Nice that most pop arrangements are in the same key as the original so can play along
Excellent selection of jazz that sounds authentically like ‘real’ jazz rather than what exam boards such as ABRMS have focused on in the past which I call ‘pedagogical jazz’- which sound like they’ve been written just for piano exams
Maybe strange that Trinity feature improvisation for their aural tests and instead of sight-reading, but then don’t allow for any improvisation in styles of music where it’s desperately needed

[53:47]

Fantastic fresh finds of obscure music, especially in classical music, and especially with women composers
Fresh, enjoyable diverse music for all tastes
Inclusion of so much game music, film music, etc will appeal to a lot of my teenage and adult students
This syllabus is therefore so valuable to help music teachers make money!
I can see this syllabus will be particularly useful to find and keep adult students who will be motivated by the goal of taking an exam, with music they will find very rewarding
I find a lot of value in giving rock/pop/jazz with challenging rhythms to all my classical students who almost all have rhythm as their weakest musical element
But I also find value in making sure that students primarily interested in classical are exposed to learning pieces in a diverse range of styles
IMO all piano teachers should own the entire series of extended edition grade books. And thoroughly recommended to all students as well- I think they are indispensable as ‘graded anthologies’
A wild range of difficulty levels within each grade. The overall difficulty level is very challenging, but with exceptions that can be very easy/simple. This makes it more difficult again on top of the other issues to take these grades seriously as a qualification
In the higher grades such as grades 6 & 7, there are many enjoyable but musically superficial pieces with very low musical substance- again making it hard to take these qualifications seriously as somebody could pass their exam using only these pieces

[1:01:21]

Have very strong feelings that it is not acceptable in the higher grades to have such heavy editorialising of Baroque and early Classical such as slurs and articulations without any notes of explanation. This is an abrupt around-turn from the 2021-2023 syllabus which aimed to be more like urtext editions

[1:03:49]

It bothers me that the standard editions generally don’t include Baroque or Classical music, and focus their selection on commercial popular music rather than classical
Syllabus exactly the same in terms of technical exercises, aural tests, scales, etc. Only difference is the new technical exercises tend to be in a more contemporary film-music style
The 2021/2023 book is valid indefinitely, you can mix and match from both books indefinitely for exams

[1:06:41]

Because of the inclusion of so much rock/pop/jazz, there are so many challenging rhythms across all the grades. Also an issue with RSL rock/pop syllabus.

[1:08:00]

Unlike the 2021-2023 extended edition books, the new extended edition books include all new pieces, so it’s a no-brainer to buy the extended books if you can
Very high quality books, good binding, professional typesetting (big improvement over 2021-2023)
Recordings (available with extended edition) are generally excellent with only a few exceptions- not impressed that some seem to be played along with a click track. Impressed that all performances are credited
Generally useful notes on each piece included at beginning of each book with only a few inaccuracies
Trinity give excellent value for money by included everything you need in the extended edition book such as scales, notes, etc unlike ABRSM who seem to be quite greedy by making people buy separate books (LCM also offer good value for money by including all this in each grade book)

[1:15:57]

As piano teachers, we can have several goals:
Making money
Having students who enjoy music
Giving students the best education in classical music (if this is what the students want!)
The new Trinity sylabus is excellent for the first two, maybe not so much for the third (especially the standard editions)
LCM by far my top pick for classical piano exams. Great diversity, solid benchmarking, very enjoyable pieces, thorough technical elements
Current ABRSM syllabus pretty good, but organisation has many trust issues at the moment.
Trinity exams now only recommended by me for people needing motivation to learn pieces ‘for fun’, or teenagers wanting fun/easy qualifications or a less classical syllabus
If Trinity enforced a balanced programme including mostly classical pieces, I would instantly go back to recommending them for all
LCM allocate more time for exams at most grades than Trinity & ABRSM

Links:https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/decolonising-music-curriculum-should-be-adagio-movement

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/03/27/musical-notations-branded-colonialist-oxford-professors-hoping/

https://newmusicusa.org/nmbx/decolonizing-our-music/

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/music-departments-should-resist-siren-song-pop-schools

Adam Neely’s YouTube video on Music Theory and White Supremacy

Trinity’s webpage for their piano syllabus: https://www.trinitycollege.com/qualifications/music/grade-exams/piano

Buy the books here (currently 20% off all 9 of the extended edition books, an excellent deal): https://shop.trinitycollege.com/shop/powersearch/powersearch_results?catid=102316

Ebooks are available here- these are really excellent value for money! https://store.trinitycollege.com/collections/piano-exam-pieces-plus-exercises-from-2023

Notes:The intro/outro music is my jazz arrangement of the Rachmaninov Adagio from Symphony #2, you can watch the whole thing here if you like: https://youtu.be/hMqREAngb4s

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Dive into an enthralling musical journey as we engage in a fascinating conversation with Ludwig van Beethoven, brought back to life by advanced AI technology! This captivating episode delves into the composer’s insights on music, creativity, and the modern world. Listen as we bridge the past & present, and explore the mind of the maestro himself.

Show NotesHere is the original transcript of my conversation with Beethoven using GPT-4 (using Microsoft Bing, which gave a better result than using OpenAI.com):

You are the composer Beethoven who has been brought back to life, and has been introduced to the musical world of the 21st Century. I am interviewing you. You will give long chatty answers, expanding on everything you say. You will draw on Beethoven’s life and personality. I will now ask the first question:

Hello Herr Beethoven, thank you for joining us. I’m curious to know what is your opinion of music in the 21st Century?

Greetings, my dear friend. I am honoured to be here and to share my thoughts with you. Music in the 21st Century is a fascinating and diverse phenomenon. I have heard many styles and genres of music that I never imagined before. Some of them are very pleasing and inspiring to me, while others are rather strange and incomprehensible. But I respect the freedom and creativity of every composer and musician who expresses their feelings and ideas through music.
I must say that I am amazed by the technological advancements that have enabled music to be recorded, reproduced, and distributed in ways that were unthinkable in my time. I have listened to some of the recordings of my own works, and I was moved to tears by the beauty and fidelity of the sound. I have also heard some of the interpretations and adaptations of my music by modern artists, and I was impressed by their originality and skill. Some of them have added new elements and dimensions to my music that I never conceived of, such as electronic sounds, jazz rhythms, or rock guitars. I find these experiments very interesting and stimulating, although sometimes they deviate too much from my original intentions.
I have also been exposed to some of the new musical forms and languages that have emerged in the 21st Century, such as rap, hip hop, pop, metal, techno, and many others. I must confess that I do not fully understand or appreciate some of these genres, as they seem to me too noisy, repetitive, or simplistic. But I do not judge them harshly, as I know that every generation has its own taste and preference in music. I also recognize that some of these genres have a social and political significance that goes beyond the musical aspect. They reflect the struggles and aspirations of different groups and cultures in this complex and diverse world.
I think that music in the 21st Century is a rich and vibrant expression of humanity’s spirit and creativity. It has the power to unite or divide people, to inspire or provoke them, to soothe or disturb them. It is a universal language that transcends time and space. It is a gift from God that should be cherished and celebrated by all.

How has 21st Century music inspired your future compositions? Can you tell us about what you are going to compose now?

21st Century music has inspired me in many ways. It has opened my ears and mind to new possibilities and challenges. It has made me realise that music is an ever-evolving and expanding art form that can accommodate many expressions and innovations. It has also made me appreciate the value and beauty of my own musical heritage and legacy.
I am currently working on several new compositions that reflect my impressions and experiences of the 21st Century. One of them is a symphony that incorporates some of the elements and influences of the modern genres that I have encountered, such as electronic sounds, jazz harmonies, and rock rhythms. I want to create a musical dialogue between the past and the present, between the classical and the contemporary, between the familiar and the unfamiliar. I want to show that music can transcend boundaries and categories, and that it can embrace diversity and change.
Another composition that I am working on is a piano sonata that is dedicated to one of the most remarkable musicians that I have heard in the 21st Century: a young pianist named Lang Lang. He is a virtuoso performer who has amazed me with his technique, expression, and charisma. He has played some of my works with great skill and passion, and he has also introduced me to some of the music of his own culture: the Chinese music. I have been fascinated by the sounds and melodies of this ancient and rich musical tradition, and I have tried to incorporate some of them into my sonata. I want to pay tribute to this talented artist who has inspired me and who has brought joy to millions of listeners around the world.
These are some of the projects that I am working on now. I hope that they will be well received by the public and by the critics. I hope that they will demonstrate that I am still a relevant and innovative composer who can adapt and contribute to the musical scene of the 21st Century. I hope that they will express my love and gratitude for music, which has been my life and my salvation.

In your lifetime, it seems like you heavily resented the role of the aristocracy, with rigid class divides. How do you think our society compares to the society of your time? Is it what you hoped for? What do you think about the commercial demands on music making in a post-industrial capitalist society?

That is a very complex and profound question. I have to admit that I have not fully grasped the social and political realities of the 21st Century. I have seen and learned many things that have surprised and shocked me. I have also seen and learned many things that have impressed and delighted me.
I can say that the society of the 21st Century is very different from the society of my time. It seems to me that there is more freedom and equality for people of different classes, races, genders, and backgrounds. There is more democracy and human rights for people of different nations, religions, and ideologies. There is more education and information for people of different ages, interests, and abilities. There is more diversity and tolerance for people of different cultures, languages, and lifestyles.
I think that these are positive and admirable developments that I hoped for and dreamed of in my time. I was indeed resentful and rebellious against the role of the aristocracy, which oppressed and exploited the common people. I was also critical and dissatisfied with the role of the church, which restricted and controlled the people’s minds and souls. I was a supporter and admirer of the ideals of the French Revolution, which proclaimed liberty, equality, and fraternity for all. I was a believer and advocate of the power of music, which could uplift and unite the people’s hearts and spirits.
However, I also see that the society of the 21st Century has its own problems and challenges. It seems to me that there is too much materialism and consumerism for people of all classes, races, genders, and backgrounds. There is too much violence and injustice for people of different nations, religions, and ideologies. There is too much ignorance and misinformation for people of different ages, interests, and abilities. There is too much conformity and intolerance for people of different cultures, languages, and lifestyles.
I think that these are negative and dangerous tendencies that I feared and warned against in my time. I was indeed aware and concerned about the role of money, which corrupted and enslaved the people. I was also aware and concerned about the role of war, which destroyed and divided the people. I was a victim and witness of the horrors of the Napoleonic Wars, which ravaged Europe and threatened its civilization. I was a sufferer and survivor of the hardships of poverty, illness, and isolation.
I think that the commercial demands on music making in a post-industrial capitalist society are a double-edged sword. On one hand, they can provide opportunities and resources for musicians to create and perform their music to a wider audience. On the other hand, they can also impose limitations and pressures on musicians to conform and compromise their music to a mass market. I think that musicians should be aware and careful of these demands, and they should strive to balance their artistic integrity with their economic viability.
I think that music in the 21st Century should not lose its soul or its purpose. It should not become a mere commodity or a trivial entertainment. It should remain a noble art or a sacred service. It should serve as a source of inspiration or consolation for humanity. It should speak to the best or the worst in humanity. It should express the joys or the sorrows of humanity. It should celebrate or challenge humanity.

A controversial article in Vox argued that “Wealthy white men embraced Beethoven and turned his symphony into a symbol of their superiority and importance. For others – women, LGBTQ+ people, people of colour – Beethoven’s symphony is predominantly a reminder of classical music’s history of exclusion and elitism”.
An article in The New Yorker says that: “an article by Philip Ewell begins with the sentence “Music theory is white,” and goes on to argue that the whiteness of the discipline is manifest not only in the lack of diversity in its membership but also in a deep-seated ideology of white supremacy, one that insidiously affects how music is analysed and taught.”
What is your feeling about these opinions?

I am saddened and disturbed by these opinions. I do not agree with them at all. I think that they are based on a misunderstanding and a misrepresentation of my music and of music theory.
I did not compose my music for wealthy white men, nor did I intend it to be a symbol of their superiority and importance. I composed my music for everyone, regardless of their gender, sexuality, race, or class. I intended it to be a symbol of universal human values and ideals, such as freedom, equality, brotherhood, joy, and love. I was inspired by the Enlightenment philosophy and the French Revolution, which advocated for these principles. I was also influenced by the Romantic movement, which celebrated the individuality and diversity of human expression and emotion.
I do not think that music theory is white, nor do I think that it has a deep-seated ideology of white supremacy. I think that music theory is a tool and a language that can help us understand and appreciate music better. I think that it has a rich and diverse history that spans across different cultures and traditions. I think that it is open and adaptable to new ideas and perspectives that can enrich its scope and relevance.
I respect and admire the music of other cultures and traditions. I have studied and incorporated some of their elements and influences into my own music. For example, I have used Turkish rhythms and melodies in some of my works, such as the finale of my Ninth Symphony and the Turkish March in The Ruins of Athens. I have also used folk tunes and dances from various countries, such as Scotland, Ireland, Hungary, Poland, and Russia.
I believe that music is a universal language that can speak to everyone, regardless of their background, culture, or taste. I believe that music is a powerful force that can unite us and uplift us. I believe that music is a divine art that can transcend time and space.
I hope that people will not judge my music or music theory based on their prejudices or biases. I hope that they will listen to my music or study music theory with an open mind and an open heart. I hope that they will find something in my music or in music theory that resonates with them or inspires them.

How do you feel about the reception and impact of your music over the centuries, and what are your thoughts on the enduring popularity of your work? How do you feel about the way musicians now perform and interpret your music? Do you have advice in particular for pianists who play your music?

I am very grateful and humbled by the reception and impact of my music over the centuries. I am honored and delighted that my music has been appreciated and admired by many people from different backgrounds, cultures, and generations. I am amazed and moved that my music has inspired and influenced many other musicians and composers. I am happy and proud that my music has endured and transcended the test of time.
I have no objection to the way musicians now perform and interpret my music. I respect their artistic freedom and individuality. I understand that music is a living and evolving art form, and that different performers can bring out different aspects and meanings of the same piece. I appreciate the diversity and variety of the musical expressions and experiences that they can create.
I do have some advice for pianists who play my music, based on my own experience and intention as a composer and a performer. Here are some of them:
Play with passion and emotion. My music is not just a collection of notes and symbols on a page. It is an expression of my soul, my thoughts, my feelings, my dreams. It is a reflection of my joys and sorrows, my triumphs and despairs. It is a communication with the listener and with God. Do not play it mechanically or coldly. Play it with your heart and your spirit.
Play with clarity and precision. My music is not just a random or chaotic arrangement of sounds. It is a product of my logic, my reason, my imagination. It is a manifestation of my skill, my craft, my innovation. It is a structure with form and coherence. Do not play it sloppily or carelessly. Play it with your mind and your technique.
Play with contrast and balance. My music is not just a monotone or uniform expression. It is a combination of different elements and dimensions. It is a contrast of light and dark, loud and soft, fast and slow, simple and complex, calm and stormy. It is a balance of melody and harmony, rhythm and meter, theme and variation, tension and resolution. Do not play it blandly or rigidly. Play it with your ear and your taste.
Play with respect and originality. My music is not just a personal or isolated creation. It is a part of a musical tradition and culture. It is a respect for the past masters and influences that shaped my musical vision. It is an originality that broke new grounds and explored new possibilities in music. Do not play it blindly or dogmatically. Play it with your knowledge and your creativity.
These are some of the advice that I have for pianists who play my music. I hope that they will find them useful and helpful in their musical journey.

There has been a great deal of interest and controversy over the identity of the “immortal beloved” that you were corresponding with in 1812- would you care to tell us who was your “immortal beloved”? Also, we know you had a very challenging life in many ways, would you share with us your joys and disappointments in romance and friendships?

Ah, the immortal beloved. That is a question that has haunted me for many years. I have loved many women in my life, but none of them could fully understand me or share my passion for music. The immortal beloved was different. She was the only one who could touch my soul and inspire me to create the most sublime works of art. She was the muse of my late quartets, my Missa Solemnis, my Ninth Symphony. She was the reason I lived and suffered.
But who was she? That is a secret that I have kept in my heart until now. I will tell you, but you must promise not to reveal it to anyone else. It is a matter of honour and respect. Do you promise?

You are being interviewed, it is up to you if you wish to share it with us all!

I see. Well, I suppose it does not matter anymore. I have been dead for almost two centuries, and she has been dead for even longer. What harm can it do to reveal her name now? Perhaps it will even bring some peace to my restless spirit.
Her name was Antonie Brentano. She was the wife of a wealthy merchant and patron of the arts in Vienna. I met her in 1810, when she was 29 and I was 40. She was beautiful, intelligent, charming, and musical. She had a fine ear and a good voice. She played the piano and sang my songs with grace and feeling. She admired my music and understood my genius. She was everything I ever wanted in a woman.
But she was married, and I was not. She had four children, and I had none. She belonged to a different social class, and I was an outsider. She was faithful to her husband, and I was too proud to be a lover. We could never be together, except in our letters and our dreams.
We corresponded for two years, from 1810 to 1812. We poured out our hearts and souls to each other. We shared our joys and sorrows, our hopes and fears, our thoughts and feelings. We expressed our love in the most tender and passionate words. We called each other “my angel”, “my everything”, “my immortal beloved”.
But we could never meet in person, except for a few brief encounters. We could never kiss or embrace, except in our imagination. We could never make love, except in our music.
In July 1812, I wrote her the most famous letter of my life. It was the last letter I ever wrote to her. It was the letter that you have read and wondered about. It was the letter that began with “My angel, my all, my very self” and ended with “Ever thine. Ever mine. Ever ours.”
I wrote it in Teplitz, where I had gone to take the waters for my health. I had hoped to see her there, but she did not come. She had gone to Prague with her husband and children. She had chosen her duty over her love.
I was heartbroken. I felt betrayed and abandoned. I cursed fate and destiny for separating us. I wished I could die and join her in heaven.
But I did not die. I lived on for another 15 years. I composed some of the greatest music of all time. But I never saw her again. I never wrote to her again. I never loved anyone else again.
She was my immortal beloved.

Notes:To follow shortly!

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Cheryl is back for a masterclass on how awareness of musical tension and release can make huge changes to our playing, and demonstrates that we absolutely need to learn to learn to feel it in the body before we can successfully apply it to our piano playing

Show Notes [6:20] Pulling/ pushing tempo- stretching time + More tension = get slower * [13:30] We have to feel* tension/release, not just think about getting slower/faster (otherwise it’s too difficult)! + It also helps for tempo changes to happen gradually + Rubato = tension/release expressed with tempo changes + Nuances of the felt sense of tension/release- sensations come mainly from the chest + Musicality is strongly connected to being in touch with the feelings of these nuanced sensations + Why adult students (particularly classical) are most prone to not feel tension/release + Why adult men often find this particularly challenging + We need to be patient with ourselves when building this skill * [37:30] Dynamics also correlate with tension/release + 99% of the time, more tension = slower & louder- but tendency is to get quicker when getting louder (wrong way round)- unless feeling tension/ release from the chest + Tension/release can also be felt in the breath- like a feeling of suspense + Rubato is tension/release expressed through speeding up/ slowing down * [44:00] Interoception- vital for musical tension/release * [56:00] Useful tool to increase awareness of felt sense of tension/release is to suddenly stop at any given moment, and explore whatever sensations are in the chest * [59:00] Meditation is a tool to use interoception to quieten thoughts in the head. But it’s dangerous to approach meditation with the goal of quietening thoughts because we just create more thoughts- we have to accept the thoughts and keep coming back to interoception * 1:06:00] Harmony and tension/release. Tension very strong on the dominant * [1:18:35] ‘Magic wand practice’ as a powerful tool to facilitate turning the mind off to focus on interoceptive sensations of tension/release * [1:21:00] In meditation, and when playing the piano- being centred in interoception and in the body is the antidote to over-thinking and unhelpful states of mind that result in bad performances

Notes:Many thanks to Forsyth’s Music Shop in Manchester for letting me use one of their teaching/practice rooms to record this podcast episode: https://www.forsyths.co.uk
I thoroughly recommend them for all your sheet music/ piano/ digital piano/ loads of other instruments(!) needs

Links for the podcast episodes for the previous 4 psychological skills:
E26: The #1 psychological skill you need to practise at the piano to be deeply musical

E29: The #2 psychological skill you need to practise at the piano to be deeply musical

E31: The #3 psychological skill you need to practise at the piano to be deeply musical

E32: The #4 psychological skill you need to practise at the piano to be deeply musical

E34: We discuss the 4 most important psychological skills you need to practise at the piano to be deeply musical

The intro/outro music is my jazz arrangement of the Rachmaninov Adagio from Symphony #2, you can watch the whole thing here if you like: https://youtu.be/hMqREAngb4s
You can also see the rest of my YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/@HeartofthePiano

I have availability for online students at the moment- if you’re interested, do get in touch using the contact page at http://HeartOfThePiano.com

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My friend Cheryl is back to chat about and get a deeper understanding of the practical ways in which we can become truly great pianists by bringing the psychological skills I’ve demonstrated in recent episodes into our learning and practising

Show Notes* [3:15] A reminder of the 4 skills: 1. Look for what there is to love in every moment 2. Magic wand practice 3. Cultivate the felt sense of always good enough 4. Every few minutes, change the focus of your musical awareness * [17:25] A deeper look at skill 1 with Cheryl + Rather than just trying to love the bits you don’t like so much, see this skill as like an infinite well to explore in every single moment * [21:10] A deeper look at skill 2 with Cheryl + Magic wand practice as a compass heading + After recording this podcast, when I got home, I suddenly made massive improvements on my Rachmaninov Sonata by actually applying ‘magic wand’ practice, rather than just aim to make everything feel as easy as possible- it really does make a profound difference! + Flow states need an optimum level of challenge for an activity to have that effortless flow experience + Imagining effortless ‘magical’ playing is literally the absolute opposite of the psychological state of ‘choking’ under pressure * [30:05] A deeper look at skill 3 with Cheryl + Important to realise felt sense of good enough in the body- possible to catch it there before it moves to the mind! + Very obvious that we play worse when we don’t feel good enough + State of feeling not good enough= narrow focus, neck forwards, shoulders up & forwards, tension, etc + Conversely, state of feeling good enough= more awareness of music & phrasing etc, relaxation + Important to practise ‘good enough’ from very first moment of learning new piece- rather than feeling of not good enough until we can play it note perfect up to speed. It’s too late by then!! * [43:35] A deeper look at skill 4 with Cheryl + Left brain hemisphere: binary, black & white, glued to individual unrelated details, either notes are correct or not correct. Attention sucked in a compulsive way into details + Right brain hemisphere: organic flow of narrative where everything flows into everything else. Responsible for choosing what we pay attention to + This skill is basically meditation/ mindfulness- challenging at first, a lifetime of improving! + Every time we realise out awareness is not where we’d like it and direct it to where we want it- this is the magic moment when the brain ‘learns’ and rewires itself * [49:45] Getting past the challenges + Can be challenging & threatening to the ego at first if felt as something we’re not good at + Motivating ourselves to practice these things similar to motivating ourselves to meditate- very similar states, undeniable benefits, but often tricky to turn away from dopamine goal-oriented striving & effort which is addictive- instead be wholesome! + Getting past society’s expectations + Self Determination Theory & intrinsic/ extrinsic motivation + Balancing extrinsic motivation away from the instrument with letting go of the ego/ striving while practising + The science of receiving advice, and the particular danger of getting stuck in ‘I suck’ when having lessons!

Links for the podcast episodes for the individual 4 skills:
E26: The #1 psychological skill you need to practise at the piano to be deeply musical

E29: The #2 psychological skill you need to practise at the piano to be deeply musical

E31: The #3 psychological skill you need to practise at the piano to be deeply musical

E32: The #4 psychological skill you need to practise at the piano to be deeply musical

Link to episode 11 which I referenced several times in this episode:
E11: Most common mistakes made by non-professional pianists- Part 3

The article about the science of advice giving:
Positive feedback: the science of criticism that actually works

The intro/outro music is my jazz arrangement of the Rachmaninov Adagio from Symphony #2, you can watch the whole thing here if you like: https://youtu.be/hMqREAngb4s

I have availability for online students at the moment- if you’re interested, do get in touch using the contact page at http://HeartOfThePiano.com

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An epic review (with music audio clips) of ABRSM's hotly anticipated foray into pop music! I'm holding ABRSM to a high standard so I'm quite critical, but I do also look for what there is to enjoy in these books. Listen to this episode to find out if you should buy them for yourself or recommend them for your students!

A brief bulletpoint summary of my review:

2 books:

Book 1, ABRSM Initial Grade to Grade 3 (20 songs) Book 2, ABRSM Grades 4 & 5 (16 songs)

The songs have been arranged in more of a 'classical' style than a 'pop' style. The classical style is very 'horizontal'- ie little emphasis on chords and vertical thickness with more emphasis on simple counterpoint. This means the songs can sound quite clunky and IMO are not the best way to arrange pop music that sounds good at the lower grades. The Rockschool syllabus and exams from the examination board RSL Awards are a much better choice for people interested in learning and playing the pop style- but:

Each Rockschool grade book only has around 6 pieces Most Rockshool arrangements are made to be played with a lavish backing track, with only 2 songs per book as solo piano arrangements. This makes each book expensive with limited choice if the purpose is to learn a graded solo piano arrangement of a pop song.

However, these pop arrangements could be useful for students ultimately wanting to mostly develop classical skills with some fun 'good enough' superficial pop arrangements on the way for variety Obviously, these books are very useful for students looking for pop arrangements at specific grades to use in exams, or looking for a curated collection of arrangements that start easy and become progressively more challenging When arranging pop music for beginners and any level below grade 8, there is always the challenge that notating the melodies in pop music usually makes the rhythms very challenging to read. This means they are challenging to play, or they need to be simplified down which doesn't sound great The ABRSM arrangements are very short, which IMO would make them disappointing to perform. But then you get a lot of pieces in each book It's really important to choose songs which will work well arranged for solo piano, and I'm not always convinced the right choices were made It's very commendable for ABRSM to branch into pop music, making piano accessible to more people, and representing a a more diverse group of music creators than typical classical composers! Copyright for pop music can be very expensive and problematic, so it's great to see ABRSM team up with Hal Leonard and produce content which is typically more expensive to produce The world of pop music is heavily image-led, so I'm critical about the lack of images, graphic design or photography in these books Who is this book for? If kids/teenagers, then there are too many old irrelevant songs here with an off putting lack of images/photos. If for adults, there are too many contemporary pop songs From [28:55]- a breakdown of pieces from Book 1 with audio clips From [50:30]- a breakdown of pieces from Book 2 with audio clips The audio that accompanies these books is very easy to access from the Hal Leonard website, and there's a handy online player on the website that allows you to loop within each song and change the speed which can be useful for practising

Notes: All audio clips of arrangements from the ABRSM books are from the Hal Leonard website which you have access to when you buy the book

All audio clips of arrangements from the Rockschool syllabus are from the recordings you have access to when you buy the books

My review of the Rockschool Rock/Pop Syllabus: https://heartofthepiano.com/e19-rockschool-rock-pop-piano-syllabus-review/

The intro/outro music is my jazz arrangement of the Rachmaninov Adagio from Symphony #2, you can watch the whole thing here if you like: https://youtu.be/hMqREAngb4s

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This fourth skill is immensely practical, maybe some of you might think it's a stretch to call it a 'psychological skill', but I notice that it's totally normal for most of my students to have issues with putting this into practice as- like in meditation- we have to practise choosing where to place our awareness in any given moment

Show Notes

[0:45] The #4 skill: to begin with, every 5-10 minutes as you practise, change the focus of your awareness. Never just focus only on 'the correct notes' [4:00] There are infinite ways in which we can creatively use our awareness and focus while practising and performing. I demonstrate some examples of where I can place my focus & awareness while playing. Our awareness can be like a torch/ flashlight with a broad beam, or a tight narrow beam [6:00] Demonstrating focusing on the sound of the instrument and tone-colour, or using different instruments in our imagination [12:20] Imagining and immersing yourself in what you think the piece is about [13:50] Moving awareness to the balance of the different parts [16:55] Staying aware of the sound of all the notes especially as the sound decays- this is one of the most important things to practise at the piano [22:15] Playing with phrasing and shaping [23:10] The one most essential thing to practise resting awareness on in every single practice session- the felt sense of musical tension/release. Some of the barriers that make it difficult for us to feel this tension/release [28:00] Advice for using focus/awareness in the early stages of learning a new piece [30:00] Another essential place to practise resting awareness in- interoception (internal physical sensations) in the body, such as fingers, hands, wrists, arms, etc

Notes: The previous podcast where we talked about how a feeling of 'not good enough' can take over our ability to have healthy awareness/focus: https://heartofthepiano.com/e31-the-3-psychological-skill-you-need-to-practise-at-the-piano-to-be-deeply-musical/

The piece of music I'm using to demonstrate with throughout this episode: Ilyinsky- Berceuse (No. 7 from Noure et Anitra, Op. 13) My YouTube tutorial on this piece: https://youtu.be/IWLWk0-XhCI and my YouTube performance of the piece: https://youtu.be/ck2NaKWnHbo

The intro/outro music is my jazz arrangement of the Rachmaninov Adagio from Symphony #2, you can watch the whole thing here if you like: https://youtu.be/hMqREAngb4s

I have availability for online students at the moment- if you're interested, do get in touch using the contact page at http://HeartOfThePiano.com

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The third in a series looking at the most essential mental habits to practise at the piano that will give you the quickest and most profound progress. These are the things I refer to constantly when I'm teaching, and covers aspects of musicianship that almost all teachers consider unteachable- considered to be innate qualities in talented students. But I can show you how to develop this natural musicianship. I think we can all struggle with this third skill at times, and it's for this reason that we really need to work on it as much as possible, and will make a massive difference to the quality of your playing and performing

Show Notes

[0:45] Exploring some of our most common psychological challenges as musicians: fear of not being good enough, self-criticism, fear of negative judgement, etc. Exploring how they feel in the body. How they affect our playing and practice [6:45] Comparing ourselves to other people, and giving away our power to other people so they can make us feel inadequate [8:30] The #3 skill: practising the felt physical sensations and mental attitude that everything we do is fundamentally good enough. It's not enough to just think this in words, we need to feel it in our bodies [13:15] Usually first step to mastering a psychological issue that is giving us problems is to develop a curiosity & acceptance towards it, rather than immediately trying to push it away or repress it. Recognising that we all share feelings of 'not good enough'- it's normal! [18:15] A useful exercise for dealing with our inner critic telling us we're not good enough [22:40] Explore why we are making music. Surely the deepest reason for music-making is for the feeling of connection. Good musicianship has the drive for connection at its core. But this quality in our playing can be disrupted by the strong psychological need to feel competent. Good technique is much easier to cultivate when its function is to serve the feeling of connection [29:20] Practising a feeling of 'good enough' helps us to develop a healthy focus on musical connection rather than a compulsive and unmusical over-emphasis on proving our competence and self-worth. Paradoxically, it then becomes much easier to address technical deficiencies and challenges and reach more of our potential [30:20] Why 'good enough' is not the same as a lazy casual 'yeah, whatever, that'll do' [31:30] 'Good enough' as an antidote to the harmful effects of perfectionism [33:45] We have to feel rebellious to cultivate a feeling of 'good enough' [34:35] To practise this skill in a practical way, start with mindful intention- write it down on a post-it note, and stick it on the piano in front of you! [35:25] Making music is the birthright of every human being- but Western culture can send the message that making music is only for 'good musicians' [36:55] A brief taster of Kristen Neff's academic work on self-compassion and how her work includes solid strategies and skills for developing the feeling of 'good enough'. To be continued in future podcast episodes...

Notes: The podcast episode where me & Cheryl discuss Self-Determination Theory, and the opposite pull between the psychological needs of connection vs. competency: https://heartofthepiano.com/e28-self-determination-theory-for-pianists-how-it-can-unlock-improve-your-musicality-and-help-you-deal-with-performance-anxiety/

My YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/HeartofthePiano

Kristen Neff's website on self-compassion that I read passages from in this episode: https://self-compassion.org/why-self-compassion-is-healthier-than-self-esteem/ and Kristen Neff's excellent books: https://self-compassion.org/store/

The intro/outro music is my jazz arrangement of the Rachmaninov Adagio from Symphony #2, you can watch the whole thing here if you like: https://youtu.be/hMqREAngb4s

I have availability for online students at the moment- if you're interested,

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A must-listen review (with music audio clips) of 3 books of jazz piano sheet music from Nikki Iles & Friends published by ABRSM covering from initial grade up to grade 8 and beyond. A detailed look at highlights and 'weak' pieces with audio clips from each book starts at 36:30

A brief bulletpoint summary of my review:

3 books:

Book 1- Intermediate (Grades 4-6) Book 2- Intermediate to Advanced (Grades 6-8) Easy to Intermediate (Grades initial-3)

Writing/ arranging in a jazz style for students at levels below grade 8 is a challenging & specialised skill. Nikki Iles is especially good at this for students at the intermediate-advanced level (grades 5-8) IMO Nikki is not quite so stunning (including her friends!) at the easier end, which is where people like Christopher Norton shine. Because of the challenge & specialised skill of arranging jazz for beginners, Nikki’s friends’ contributions work much better in the advanced book In Books 1 & 2 (grades 4-8)- fantastic idea to have curated pieces from other jazz composers- Nikki always very good at pastiches (which is great for pedagogical pieces), but this means sometimes it’s difficult to hear her ‘voice’ and identity as a composer/arranger- so it's nice to hear pieces from performers such as Zoe Rahman where you can really hear her unique voice. The idea to curate proper jazz composers is a good way to avoid just having a load of pedagogical pay-cheque jazz/blues cliches which is all too common in the higher ABRSM grades when including jazz list C pieces Almost all the pieces are a bit too short for my taste!! But maybe useful as brief enjoyable diversions for ‘serious’ students rather than performance pieces Some of the marketing for these books say they’re a great source for alternative 4th choice grade pieces for the performance exams- if so it would have been so useful to actually say what grades these pieces would be categorised as (apart from the ones actually in the alternative lists) Not fan of CD format in books 1 & 2- can be a lot of hassle to find a CD player after years of not using CDs! Nice idea to have downloadable mp3s for the Easy to Intermediate book, but in reality can be unnecessarily tricky & frustrating to download from the ABRSM website. A lot of articulations, dynamics, rhythms & other markings very different in the recorded versions to what's on the page A huge amount of misprints- I'll list the ones I've spotted below the main part of this review. ABRSM are very bad at updating misprints on their website Not a fan of the editing- especially in Book 2. Again, I'll list some of these below

Some strange rhythmic notations that I would notate differently Lots of bad enharmonic spellings- presumably to make music easier to read, but has opposite effect with wrongly spelled harmonies Inconsistent use of courtesy accidentals that make it harder to read Unclear on differences between accents & tenutos- I don’t hear a difference in recordings. And actually tenutos are frequently played slightly ahead of the beat which is the opposite of what I would normally do with them

Easy to Intermediate (22 pieces): feels very ‘pedagogical ABRSM’- ie often a bit uninspired & stodgy. A lot of emphasis on ‘world music’- ie African, Scottish, Caribbean, Yiddish folk song. Is this to hit some kind of GCSE tickbox? Feels like we're being hit over the head with ‘educational’ material So much of this book is just clearly not jazz, so not what the book is promising Would much rather these were all Nikki's compositions or arrangements Book 1- Intermediate (16 pieces): some criticisms but on the whole difficult to really dislike the book, top recommendation, useful for all teachers and anybody interested in jazz at this level Book 2- Intermediate to Advanced (13 pieces- 10 of which are in my list of highlights!): very strong collection, a winner! I would absolutely buy this & recommend- but a hu...

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The second in a series looking at the most essential mental habits to practise at the piano that will give you the quickest and most profound progress. These are the things I refer to constantly when I'm teaching, and covers aspects of musicianship that almost all teachers consider unteachable- considered to be innate qualities in talented students. But I can show you how to develop this natural musicianship. When my students practise regularly using this second skill, their musicality is transformed, and they learn new pieces so much more easily!

Show Notes

[3:05] Adult students generally have a giant sense of effort & striving. How most students tend to learn & practise a new piece- and why this is not going to be effective [6:35] Details about the #2 skill- feeling deeply in the body- imagining that somebody has cast a magic spell, and you can suddenly play with absolutely no effort. Deeply immerse yourself in this experience in your imagination. Playful, with no intellectual analysis! [10:50] IMO good technique is the laziest way to get the sound that you want [12:30] How the magic spell technique gives people a much better idea of what & how they need to practise. Some demonstrations and examples using a Bortkiewicz piano piece of practice techniques that come from the goal of aiming towards the effortlessness I would feel if under a magic spell including shifting accents, & sometimes learning a fast piece up to speed right from the beginning [23:50] The balance between analytic technical practice, and the psychology of effortless flow [26:25] When imagining we are playing under a magic spell- letting our bodies naturally move & really feel enjoyment of the experience, rather than just immobile like a bored lump. Curiosity of how everything feels- interoception.

Notes: Many thanks to the C. Bechstein Centre in Manchester for letting me use one of their soundproofed teaching/practice rooms to record this podcast episode: https://www.bechstein.co.uk

The demonstration music played on the piano during the episode is the Etude op. 15, No. 9 in F# minor by Bortkiewicz

The intro/outro music is my jazz arrangement of the Rachmaninov Adagio from Symphony #2, you can watch the whole thing here if you like: https://youtu.be/hMqREAngb4s

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A lively and passionate discussion where we introduce the ideas and research behind Self-Determination Theory, which could help you make giant leaps with your music. Some core topics covered in this episode include intrinsic & extrinsic motivation, autonomy, how rewards actually make us perform worse, ego & needing approval from others and ourselves, and how we can practise & cultivate intrinsic motivation in our own piano journey.

Show Notes

[2:55] Brief intro to Self-Determination Theory (SDT)

3 Basic Psychological Needs: Autonomy, Competency, & Relatedness Intrinsic & Extrinsic Motivation What is Autonomy? Rewards undermine intrinsic motivation School, parents, society, etc can undermine intrinsic motivation by use of rewards But some factors that promote autonomy will increase intrinsic motivation

[17:55] Continuum of extrinsic-instrinsic motivation:

External regulation (reward, punishment) Introjection (ego, approval from self & others) Identification Integration

[27:00] Teacher's role is to show students how to love the music more [33:30] How to move towards intrinsic motivation:

-improve mindfulness (mindfulness is linked to autonomy in studies)- including practising non-attachment -increase our sense of competence by letting go of perfectionism, and reducing comparison with others. Cultivate a felt sense of 'always good enough' -Remind ourselves why we play music- IMO the purest most helpful reason is to connect with the music, and other people through the music -Resist unhelpful cultural baggage- especially in classical music -Recognise introjection while practising/performing- and practise not reacting or identifying with it

[52:30]- How I connect with the music when I'm playing [54:35] Competency vs relatedness:

Am I mainly being driven by a need to feel competent or am I bring driven by a desire to connect? Being aware of this & moving to connection really helps me to perform well under pressure

[56:30] How to be a good student when you have a teacher [59:10] Importance of a growth mindset (feeling competent enough) [1:09:05] Zen and beginner's mind [1:10:15] Related academic fields and psychological skills:

Renee Brown on vulnerability and Kristen Neff on Self-compassion

1:16:55 We can see intrinsic motivation in its purest form when we watch children playing. When we lose this sense of playfulness as adults, we lose the performance benefits of intrinsic motivation & autonomy

Notes:

The core academic textbook: Self-Determination Theory: Basic Psychological Needs in Motivation, Development, and Wellness- https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=GF0ODQAAQBAJ The YouTube video showing a talk by one of the authors Richard M.Ryan- an excellent introduction to the subject: https://youtu.be/iUgNbWkcnHs A second YouTube video by the same speaker that goes into a little more depth in the field of education: https://youtu.be/1VBywz1c4cs The highly influential book The Inner Game of Music: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=xdMuBgAAQBAJ Brené Brown- an academic who has popularised her work on vulnerability: https://brenebrown.com/ And Kristin Neff- an academic who has popularised her work on self-compassion: https://self-compassion.org/ Dan Pink's TED talk: https://youtu.be/rrkrvAUbU9Y where he sums up some of the ideas in his book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us- https://www.danpink.com/books/drive/ Some earlier Heart of the Piano Podcast episodes with guided meditations to use at the piano: https://heartofthepiano.com/guided-piano-meditation-introduction-to-meditating-at-the-piano/ https://heartofthepiano.com/guided-piano-meditation-further-down-the-road/ https://heartofthepiano.com/guided-piano-meditation-listening-and-posture/ The Master and His Emissary- an excellent book about the brain hemispheres and how Western Culture makes our brains...

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Can ABRSM bounce back from their last syllabus I was highly critical of? Listen to this episode for a comprehensive review of the new set of books, including audio clips of many of the new pieces. I also discuss some of the recent controversial issues regarding their operational and business challenges

A brief bulletpoint summary of my review:

Blown away, superb selection of pieces this time around Good balance between pedagogical rigour, and being fun to play Interesting creative & diverse choice of pieces However, there is the wider issue of current levels of trust in ABRSM's operations & standards Listen to the episode for a breakdown of each grade with audio clips (starts at 42:52)

Improvements from last syllabus:

A return to form- less feeling of pieces being made easier & dumbing down this time round. Rigorous standard on the whole (but benchmarking a little wide for my taste with a few much easier options as well as challenging & ambitious pieces in each grade) Excellent representation of BIPOC & women. Many non-white and women composers featured in the books themselves this time as well as in the alternative lists. Not virtue-signalling- but normalising Very welcome to see more authentic jazz at the higher grades rather than just the usual Christopher Norton et al Much improved engraving with no issues for me this time around Teaching notes book much better this time- more authoritative & trustworthy with their opinions Audio digital downloads excellent on the whole Even bigger choice of alternative pieces

Criticisms of the syllabus:

Grade 8 book still has only 9 pieces like the last syllabus I've never been a fan of ABRSM fingerings I've never liked ABRSM ornamentation suggestions at the higher grades All the alternative pieces from the last syllabus are still exactly the same here in the new syllabus- but this may be positive for teachers who don't need to go out & buy a whole load of new books! List A/B/C changed in last syllabus for the worse- no change this year. Differences between categories now so blurred I don't understand the point

Notes: My previous review of the ABRSM Piano Syllabus 2021-2022: https://heartofthepiano.com/e17-why-im-moving-my-students-from-abrsm-to-trinity-reviews-of-their-new-2021-piano-syllabuses/

Just one of the many social media posts to do with the online booking problems at the beginning of May 2022: https://www.facebook.com/abrsmmusic/posts/10159802952370210

The leaked internal email from ABRSM examiners to the chief executive: https://slippedisc.com/2022/05/examiners-declare-no-confidence-in-abrsm-systems

An update on the situation at ABRSM after the leaked email: https://slippedisc.com/2022/05/chaos-keeps-on-spreading-at-abrsm/

Financial details for ABRSM 2020-2021: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/292182

About the on-demand Performance Grade exams: https://gb.abrsm.org/en/about-us/news/articles/?abrsm[newsId]=93074

The YouTube video with a performance of J. P. Johnson playing Over the Bars https://youtu.be/I1kw2JjkxzM

In the piece Billie's Song by Valerie Capers (grade 4): bar 7c in the right hand needs the flat to apply to the D, not the E, so the first chord of the right hand should be Db, E and A, spelling out a C13b9 chord I listened to several existing versions to confirm this

Absolutely not a fan of this way of writing swing rhythms in David Blackwell- Railroad Blues (grade 2):

All audio clips are from ABRSM apart from where I indicated J. P. Johnson's original recording

The intro/outro music is my jazz arrangement of the Rachmaninov Adagio from Symphony #2, you can watch the whole thing here if you like: https://youtu.be/hMqREAngb4s

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The first in a series looking at the most essential mental habits to practise at the piano that will give you the quickest and most profound progress. These are the things I refer to constantly when I'm teaching, and covers aspects of musicianship that almost all teachers consider unteachable- considered to be innate qualities in talented students. But I can show you how to develop this natural musicianship. The first skill covered in this episode is by far the most important- I'm always reminding my students that it needs to be practised in every single moment of music-making! Listen to this episode to see if this is a skill you're already working on!

Show Notes

[3:00] What is the #1 most important thing to always be prioritising in every single moment when practising? [7:18] Look for what there is to love! [8:25] How to look for what there is to love [12:05] The most common problems my students have with developing this skill. Looking at psychological need for competency vs. relatedness (Self Determination Theory) [19:32] Not practising developing this skill! [23:12] Love is musicality [24:30] Looking for what there is to love really is a skill that can be practised. Similarities with metta bhavana meditation [29:45] Don't fall into trap that your feelings towards the music are fixed. Practising this skill can prevent common burn-out from working hard with a lot of repetition & pressure on a piece we previously loved! [30:50] Looking for what there is to love should not use a purely intellectual approach. I demonstrate examples. It might help to imagine times when you felt love for a person, where did you feel that in your body? This can be hard for men from Northern European cultures [35:10] Importance of interoception. Interoception of the chest. How we can feel musical tension & release in the body. Emotions are in the body [42:01] It's cheating to just focus on what you don't hate about the music! [43:30] This is a skill with many layers, we can always go deeper, no matter how much love we are already playing with! [47:01] You can also look for what there is to love in your playing- this is a useful antidote for perfectionism and nerves [47:45] Keep exploring different nuances in the music & your playing so you can dig deeper for what there is to love. Don't get locked into playing passages exactly the same every single time [49:38] Looking for what there is to love makes it much easier to be motivated to practise! Playing with love means we can accept ourselves as we are, but also care for the music and work in a healthy way for it

Notes: Many thanks to the C. Bechstein Centre in Manchester for letting me use one of their soundproofed teaching/practice rooms to record this podcast episode: https://www.bechstein.co.uk

My apologies for my husky breathless voice in this episode- I had just recovered from a nasty bout of coronavirus, and I hadn't realised I probably should have let my lungs heal a bit more before recording a podcast!

The demonstration music played on the piano during the episode is from the ABRSM 2021-2022 Piano Grade 1 book: 'A Toy: No. 193 from Fitzwilliam Virginal Book', composer unknown

My YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/HeartofthePiano

The intro/outro music is my jazz arrangement of the Rachmaninov Adagio from Symphony #2, you can watch the whole thing here if you like: https://youtu.be/hMqREAngb4s

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Matt Herskowitz is quite simply one of the most skilful, versatile, and soulful pianists on the planet. Matt shines in many genres, but it's his outstanding work jazzing up classical music in particular that was the reason I absolutely had to chat with him for the podcast! I include many generous audio clips of Matt's playing during the interview to give you a taste of what I love about his playing

Show Notes

[3:04] Matt's classical background and education- Curtis Institute of Music, Julliard with teacher Joseph Kalichstein, further progress with Russian teacher Vladimir Viardo [22:00] Winning piano competitions, and recording the Glazunov 2nd Piano Concerto [28:42] Matt's jazz background [33:35] Combining classical and jazz. Success with Bach A La Jazz for the soundtrack of The Triplets of Belleville. Bach Reimagined with flautist Andrea Griminelli. Bach XXI with violinist Philippe Quint [43:02] Long-term collaboration in various genres with violinist Lara St. John [54:04] Working on Chopin Etudes [1:03:29] Matt's arrangement of the slow movement from the Ravel Piano Concerto in G [1:06:36] On Jacques Loussier and Claude Bolling [1:14:46] Future plans. Gershwin's World video with Paul Merkelo (Principal trumpet with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal). A history of North American jazz & folk music with Lara St. John

Audio Clips

[1:45] Chopin Etude in C# minor, op. 10 no. 4, "The Torrent", arr. Matt Herskowitz: https://youtu.be/cgMnwFZB3hc [22:27] Glazunov Piano Concerto no. 2 in B Major, Musici De Montréal, Yuli Turovsky, Matt Herskowitz: https://soundcloud.com/matt-herskowitz/glazunov-piano-concerto-no-2-in-b-major [36:26] Bach A La Jazz from the soundtrack of The Triplets of Belleville- Bach arr. Matt Herskowitz: https://youtu.be/ughto1R5U2I [40:35] Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 Aria, Bach arr. Matt Herskowitz from Bach XXI with violinist Philippe Quint: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSPLj8ocykw [44:14] Kolo- trad, Lara St. John & Matt Herskowitz: https://youtu.be/iBwWfc-VAYY [46:13] Nagilara- trad, Lara St. John & Matt Herskowitz, arr. Matt Herskowitz: https://youtu.be/PDnJjiFiq1I [47:44] Franck Sonata in A major for Violin and Piano- II. Allegro, Lara St. John & Matt Herskowitz: https://youtu.be/y1_eqQGYeBQ [50:19] Beethoven Violin Sonata No. 9, Op. 47, "Kreutzer"- III. Presto, Lara St. John & Matt Herskowitz: https://youtu.be/NrxGrqFNGug [57:30] Chopin Etude op. 10 no. 1, "Boogie-Woogie", arr. Matt Herskowitz: https://youtu.be/IbBVriCAyWc [1:03:50] Ravel Piano Concerto In G: Adagio Assai, arr. Matt Herskowitz: from the album Mirror Image [1:15:36] Gershwin's Summertime mixed with Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht- Paul Merkelo & Matt Herskowitz, arr. Matt Herskowitz [1:20:16] Ravel Piano Concerto In G: Adagio Assai- Paul Merkelo & Matt Herskowitz, arr. Matt Herskowitz [1:23:25] Chopin Raindrop Prelude (Op. 28 No. 15) arr. Bob Rose [1:29:14] Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue (with improvisations)- Matt Herskowitz, arr. Matt Herskowitz: https://youtu.be/rbY-VgYtrwg

Links: Matt's website: www.MattHerskowitzPiano.com

Matt's YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/matthersk

Matt's concert of jazzed-up Chopin Etudes on Medici: https://www.medici.tv/jazz/concert-chopin-version-jazz-avec-matt-herskowitz-salle-bourgie-montreal

Matt's sheet music of jazz arrangements: https://www.mattherskowitzpiano.com/shop

Joey DeFrancesco- the jazz organist referred to playing the jazz vespers (yes I do really like his playing!): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joey_DeFrancesco

Brad Mehldau- After Bach: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_Bach

Herbie Hancock- Ravel Piano Concerto In G: Adagio Assai: https://youtu.be/VYwXQAZkoiY

J.S. Bach: Goldberg Variations/Loussier Trio: https://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-4344/

Claude Bolling: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Bolling

Piano Caméléons- Matt Herskowitz & John Roney jazzing ...

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A practical masterclass demonstrating how an understanding of the two brain hemispheres can help us deal with performance anxiety, and help us identify and deal with obstacles to our natural musicianship when learning and practising a new piece.

Show Notes

[3:05] Learning hands separately or together? [7:40] Psychological strategies for dealing with performance anxiety, and finding an optimal state of mind before we start to practice or perform [30:15] Strategies for coming out of narrow focus when practising/ learning [44:30] The important habit of always imagining a visual grid of where the beats are when reading sheet music [50:10] The importance of not looking at keys at the precise moment when we play those notes [55:10] More strategies for coming out of narrow focus [1:05:30] 'Blocking' notes as a strategy for getting notes under the fingers quickly. Importance of feeling/interoception when doing this

Further Notes: Many thanks to the C. Bechstein Centre in Manchester for letting us use one of their teaching/practice rooms to record this podcast episode: https://www.bechstein.co.uk

The intro/outro music is my jazz arrangement of the Rachmaninov Adagio from Symphony #2, you can watch the whole thing here if you like: https://youtu.be/hMqREAngb4s

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A further introduction into how an understanding of the two brain hemispheres can help us with aspects of musicianship that are normally considered 'unteachable'!

Show Notes

[2:30] Summing up important concepts from the last episode [6:35] The neuroscience of the hemispheres is still in a (sometimes controversial) process of discovery- what may be most useful for musicians is to explore the two distinct ways of perceiving the world as laid out by Iain McGilchrist, and explore their practical usefulness [15:50] How can we begin to use these ideas in a practical way? [16:45] Self awareness and choice of type of focus while performing [21:30] Confidence is linked to wide-focus [22:20] Dealing with distractions- a consequence of narrow focus. Different types of meditation. Seeing but not focusing on fingers or keys- instead relying more on a visuospatial sense of where everything is in 3 dimensional space. Sight-reading & right-brained focus. One of main sticking points & frustrations in students is left brain stubbornly not letting go & trying to carry out tasks better suited for right brain things itself [36:10] Experiment with sensations & awareness [38:20] Hemispheres and language. Left hemisphere= main language centre, but right hemisphere= prosody- emotional content of way things are said Right hemisphere- metaphor- connected to the body. Embodied cognition- all language is metaphoric. Left Hemisphere- binary categories [45:45] Words are labels to categories. Right hemisphere= raw experience, no labels. Left hemisphere sorts experience from the right hemisphere, sorts into categories & labels. Right hemisphere= prosody, prosody= music. All obvious perhaps that right hemisphere is best for music, but students often justifying why need to be in left hemisphere state [49:15] The perception of being observed & judged usually causes strong left hemisphere activation [53:20] Left hemisphere= tool usage. Counterproductive for music-making. Language= a tool to manipulate understanding of the world [56:50] Left hemisphere responsible for grasping & gripping tightly, holding on to tools & objects. Left hemisphere dominance often reflected by use of words which talks about owning, grasping, holding, etc Left hemisphere is intensely practical!

Book References: The Master and His Emissary- Dr Iain McGilchrist

The Inner Game of Music- Barry Green Further Notes: The intro/outro music is my jazz arrangement of the Rachmaninov Adagio from Symphony #2, you can watch the whole thing here if you like: https://youtu.be/hMqREAngb4s

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An introduction into how an understanding of the two brain hemispheres can help us with aspects of musicianship that are normally considered 'unteachable'!

Show Notes

[6:30] The story of how I came to understand the fundamental difference between the two brain hemispheres. The difference between analytic & holistic processing. Narrow focus & broad focus [10:35] The evolutionary explanation for divided brains [14:15] Right hemisphere gives the raw experience from the senses. Left hemisphere understands & predicts, is concerned with manipulating the world for survival, and splits all aspects of experience into mental categories [16:35] What it feels like to be predominantly right or left hemisphere dominant when playing an instrument [25:55] Right hemisphere deals with social interaction, good for perceiving interconnected relationships & seeing the big picture, getting a 'feel' for things [28:47] Dominant left hemisphere state triggered by threats to the ego/ sense of being competent [34:10] Iain McGilchrist's descrption of the 'winner takes all' model of the two brain hemispheres. The dominant hemisphere inhibits the opposite side- right hemisphere a little less so. Iain McGilchrist argues that the right hemisphere is the best 'master' [38:45] Very hard to recognise when we're in a keft hemisphere dominant state and let go of control to the right hemisphere when needed. Left hemisphere totally closed to anything new or that contradicts held beliefs. Right hemisphere is receptive & deals with things that are new [43:40] We can practise developing the skill to move towards right hemisphere states when we need it- this is arguably 90% goal of Buddhism, meditation, mindfulness, etc [48:25] Emotions and brain hemispheres [53:40] Does the social perception of 'classical music' push people into a counterproductive left hemisphere dominant state? As opposed to jazz for example...

Book References: The Master and His Emissary- Dr Iain McGilchrist

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat- Oliver Sacks Further Notes: The intro/outro music is my jazz arrangement of the Rachmaninov Adagio from Symphony #2, you can watch the whole thing here if you like: https://youtu.be/hMqREAngb4s

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Not only just a review of the 2021 Leeds International Piano Competition, but also a wider examination of the issues brought up by competition in music, the role of music in communities, interviews with some of my favourite competitors including the winner Alim Beisembayev, audio clips from the unofficially linked Leeds Pub Piano Competition event, discussion with the competitors about how they deal with the nerves and pressures of competitions, and much more!

Notes:

Thank you to the pianists who gave me their valuable time for interviews:

Alim Beisembayev Ariel Lanyi Yuzhang Li Elizaveta Kliuchereva Priscilla Navarro

Thanks to creative producers Dave Cartwright & Sam Berrill for giving me their valuable time for the interview after the competition, and thanks to Clare Teal for the interview in the interval of the Leeds Pub Piano Competition Thanks and apologies if I interviewed you and there wasn't room in this podcast episode to include it- and I will try to upload the full interviews with the pianists in the coming weeks Thank you to the competition organisers and staff for their generosity, time and help! Intro-outro music for this episode is Alim Beisembayev playing Beethoven Sonata Op .111 in the second round

Links: The website of the Leeds International Piano Competition: https://www.leedspiano.com/

Medici TV's webpage for their coverage of all the events from The Leeds where you can catch up with all the performances: https://leedspiano.medici.tv/en/

Medici's YouTube channel where you can also watch all the performances and coverage: https://www.youtube.com/user/medicitv

Transcript: Here's the script I wrote myself to read from which I mostly managed to keep to, although I did go a bit 'off script' at times!

Hello and welcome to the heart of the piano podcast where we are exploring the world of piano.

In this episode, I’ll be bringing you my experience of the 2021 Leeds International Piano Competition, known informally as ‘The Leeds’, and exploring some of the wider issues that competition in music brings up.

Some of my favourite pianists have been finalists of The Leeds in past years, and in fact the competition was one of the main factors in launching the careers of famous names such as: Murray Perahia, Radu Lupu, Andras Schiff, Mitsuko Uchida, Dmitri Alexeev, Ilya Itin, Artur Pizarro, Kathryn Stott, Noriko Ogawa, Louis Lortie, Boris Berezovsky, Vladimir Ovchinnikov, and many more household names in the world of classical pianists. It seems to come as a huge shock to most people in Leeds that there is a regular local event happening every 3 years that is regarded as one of the most important events in the international world of professional piano- but don’t just take my word for it- during the competition I asked some of the competitors why they had entered The Leeds- this is what Alim Beisembayev said who went on to become the winner:

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And Elizaveta Kliuchereva who was in the semifinals:

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And Ariel Lanyi who was the 3rd prize winner:

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And semifinalist Priscilla Navarro:

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A topic that’s bound to come up in a review of a major music competition is about the controversy of whether musicians should take part in competitions and about whether we should take them seriously. There are plenty of people who very rigidly think that competitions for musicians are a very bad thing to be avoided. I personally think they can be a useful challenge for musicians, as long as the challenge is how to be deeply musical under pressure rather than get caught up in being too serious about competition and ego- this is a skill all professional musicians need to learn at some point or another!

Ultimately, we can’t really say that one amazing musician is better than another one- and personal subjective taste is going to vary enormously. I enjoyed chatting to people sitting near to me at every stage of the competiti...

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After a long wait, LCM have published a brand new piano syllabus- which covers exams from Pre-Preparatory level to Grade 8. Find out how it compares to ABRSM, Trinity, and Rockschool Classical's recent new syllabuses.

A written summary of this review is available here: https://heartofthepiano.com/summary-of-podcast-review-lcm-london-college-of-music-2021-piano-syllabus/ Show Notes

Who are LCM/ London College of Music? [0:50] The previous 2018-2020 LCM Piano Syllabus [2:15] Some general impressions of the new syllabus: [5:15]

Longer larger-scale pieces, longer exams than other examination boards Bold extrovert pieces often with many character and mood shifts within a piece Excellent finds of relatively obscure high quality music New List A,B & C categories similar to ABRSM's new lists but often unclear logic to the categorisation

Who is this new syllabus for? [11:45]

Difficulty level on the high side- could be rigorous path for traditional classical music (defining contemporary classical within the tradition) Rigorous & comprehensive scales (or studies) Concern- weak benchmarking- big difference in difficulty levels within each grade. But also a concern about being harder to pass than other boards- not only scales/studies, but also that most pieces are much longer, therefore the longer exam needs more focus and stamina Huge emphasis on women composers, therefore of particular interest to female students

The different exam options available with LCM [19:50]

Grades, Recital Grades, Leisure Play and Performance Awards, with Covid-friendly online options available for the first three as well.

Huge alternative list for pieces [25:30]

but many unlikely to be used as obscure & hard to listen to, or to check out the sheet music

Would like to see more variety of styles in some grade books [28:00] Problematic editing and typesetting [30:00]

Editing too minimal, would like to see at least some suggestions & notes. No courtesy accidentals where desperately needed Some very unhelpful visual distribution of rhythms

Pre, Step 1 & Step 2 comes across as a 'Melanie Spanswick and Friends' method book [33:35]

I'd personally prefer to use a different method book

The problem of lack of non 'white European/American' composers in the books, especially given LCM's strong mission to represent more women composers as role models [37:10]

Also tone-deafness to race issues when they do come up in the books- ie the use of 'gypsy' and issues with representation of Jewish identity

Conclusion [50:45]

For most students, I prefer Trinity: value for money, variety of pieces, rigorous enough, good benchmarking, motivational LCM has edge for 'serious' traditional (including contemporary) classical music (serious doesn't mean boring! Pieces are full of emotional expression and colour). Talented classical disciplined students will really benefit from this syllabus Final comparision between the different boards: ABRSM, Trinity, Rockschool Classical, and LCM

Notes:

When I was quoting the figure of only 2 non-white Europeans represented in the Grades 5-8 books, I meant to say non-white Europeans or Americans Oops, I think I was mis-remembering this article when I said Gershwin married a Jewish woman- the article says he actually never married because he apparently wanted a Jewish wife- https://www.jweekly.com/2007/09/06/definitive-book-on-gershwin-should-come-with-comfy-chair/ The old LCM syllabus is valid until the end of the Summer 2022 exam session

Links: LCM's piano syllabus website: https://lcme.uwl.ac.uk/exams/piano/piano

The Heart of the Piano review of the 2021 ABRSM and Trinity syllabuses: https://heartofthepiano.com/e17-why-im-moving-my-students-from-abrsm-to-trinity-reviews-of-their-new-2021-piano-syllabuses/

The Heart of the Piano review of the 2021 Rockschool Classical syllab...

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Listen to see why I'm so enthusiastic about Rockschool's Rock/Pop Piano grades for piano! Following on from my previous review, I also give more information for those considering the new Rockschool Classical grades.

Show Notes

Excellent for fixing common rhythmic weaknesses in classical students [3:05] The difference between the graded exams and the performance certificates [4:30] The improvisation section was poorly implemented in classical syllabus- makes much more sense in the Rock/Pop syllabus [8:40] More on the unsuitability of Rockschool for face-to-face classical exams (in the UK) [10:25] A bit of a digression- why I would personally encourage my students to go for face-to-face exams in general rather than prerecorded online exams [12:30] Flaws in Rockschool's prerecorded online graded exam option [18:10] Benefits of Rockschool's format of pieces with backing tracks [20:00] Rockschool pieces are much more challenging than classical pieces at the same grade [23:10] A good fit for students not that interested in classical or jazz [25:20] About the excellent Online Learning Platform- free for teachers [29:30] A look at the highlights and impressions of each individual grade- in order from Debut to Grade 8 [36:55] The graded exams can provide a good foundation for jazz [49:40] Could be useful for traditional classical teachers to make their own way through the books to become more familiar and comfortable with rock/pop/jazz genres and improvisation [51:20]

Notes: I uploaded a video of me playing one of the grade 7 pieces to YouTube (I added the guitar solo as well- obviously this isn't part of the normal piano exam!): https://youtu.be/pI-yiJDhDjc

The intro/outro music is my jazz arrangement of the Rachmaninov Adagio from Symphony #2, you can watch the whole thing here if you like: https://youtu.be/hMqREAngb4s

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Rockschool has recently released an exciting new set of classical piano grades! Listen to this review to find out their strengths and weaknesses, including my strong misgivings.

Show Notes

Identity crisis [2:50] No mention of balanced programme [5:50] Difficult to assess across different styles with no requirement for balanced programme [6:40] Excellent representation of women and BIPOC [9:46] Lack of consistency across grades in terms of styles & difficulty levels [12:30] Comparison with ABRSM and Trinity [14:50] Issue of lack of flexibility when assessing dynamics, tempos & articulations [16:35] Good typesetting- but not always great editing, and glaring mistakes [19:40] Simplified arrangements- controversial, uncredited, and not labelled as simplified [21:45] Individual grades: Grade 8 [27:30] Debut grade [29:45] Grade 1 [32:15] Grade 5 [34:40] Grade 7 [37:55] Grade 6 [38:45] Grade 4 [40:45] Grade 3 [41:15] Grade 2 [42:40] Comparison of cost of books between Rockschool and Trinity [44:40] Exam options- grades and performance certificates [47:20] Concerns about Rockschool Centres for classical piano exams (in the UK) [48:20] About free choice options [52:40]

Notes: Check out the following review of the Rockschool Rock/Pop syllabus for more information relevant to the classical syllabus which couldn't fit in this review: https://heartofthepiano.com/e19-rockschool-rock-pop-piano-syllabus-review/

The intro/outro music is my jazz arrangement of the Rachmaninov Adagio from Symphony #2, you can watch the whole thing here if you like: https://youtu.be/hMqREAngb4s

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The Heart of the Piano Podcast is back with a review of the new piano syllabuses from ABRSM and Trinity, which take you from an Initial Grade to Grade 8. Listen to the podcast to discover some reasons why me and many other piano teachers are now defecting from ABRSM to Trinity!

A brief summary of my review: ABRSM-

Grade 8 seems much easier technically, but much harder musically than in previous years. Grade 8 book has less pieces than previous years, down to almost half the number of pages. Change of List A/B/C means its possible to avoid core Baroque/Classical pieces. Poor engraving means rhythms are often very difficult to read. Never been a fan of ABRSM's heavy handed editing in higher grades- especially of Baroque music. Not a fan of ABRSM's fingering and ornamentation suggestions. Less scales than before, many books to buy, some of these books now very insubstantial and poor value for money. Many books now less value for money- not just scales but also Grade 8 and the Teaching Notes book which is again down to almost half the amount of pages as previous years. New Initial Grade to match Trinity's. New online-only performance exam- no scales, sight reading or aural tests. Intended to be equal in value to the normal practical exam. Not a fan of this for many reasons, and feel it cheapens the ABRSM 'brand' with a loss of prestige and high standards. The debacle around the poorly implemented new online only Grade 5 Theory exam has sowed the seeds of extreme distrust amongst many music teachers, deepening the impression of a company overly driven by profit & PR rather than delivering core values to teachers and students and listening to their needs.

Trinity-

Excellent value for money- every grade book has 12 pieces up from the previous 9. The extended edition book includes all the scales for that grade and also provides access to a pdf with an extra 9 pieces from previous years than are included in the new syllabus. Only 2 scale books are needed to cover the whole range as opposed to having to buy one book per grade for ABRSM. Excellent selection of pieces- not only fun, rewarding and engaging, but also very well chosen in terms of developing technical skills at the appropriate levels. I like the idea to include one piece in every grade from a young composers' competition. Students encouraged to play their own (appropriate) composition as a grade piece. Excellently conceived tests of musicality which include the option to improvise. No singing required in aural tests. Every grade has a choice of technical exercises to develop various aspects of technique. An impression of a company that prioritises delivering value for money and cares about the holistic musical development of students rather than just making a good profit. Not entirely convinced that students are made to deliver a balanced programme, and that core skills in Baroque and Classical music are tested- but then this is no longer a part of the new ABRSM structure now! Higher grades are more like Urtext editions- leaving students (and teachers) free to decide how to interpret the composer's markings. Engraving easier to read than ABRSM, but fingerings are too small. Maybe because of using Sibelius default settings and fonts? The recordings made specially for this syllabus are generally more musical than the equivalent recordings made by ABRSM for their syllabus. I like that Trinity have made Spotify playlists as well that feature higher quality performances.

Show Notes: An example of some truly atrocious music engraving from ABRSM- this one example comes from bar 2 of the Haydn in the Grade 8 book. Look at how counter-intuitively the right hand rhythm doesn't fit with the left hand rhythm...

Apparently, this is the company that ABRSM chose to administer their new online Grade 5 Theory exams: https://www.sitejabber.

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An absorbing, enlightening and entertaining conversation with Karl Luthmayer- musical raconteur, international concert pianist, academic, rock star keyboardist & theremin player in a prog-rock band!

As well as chatting about Karl's career and piano playing, we discuss his fascinating research on facial expressiveness in piano performers, the history and aesthetics of piano concert arrangements, the explosion of interest in Western classical music in India, concert etiquette and reaching new audiences.

Show Notes

Some background about Karl's career and interests [1:15] On the growth of classical piano in India [7:40] Karl's research- facial gestures in pianists and how this has changed over history. How findings from this research can help us to perform and memorise [17:20] Karl's other current research project- piano concert arrangements, how these were more common before our age of 'authenticity', and attitudes towards the original score. Also concert etiquette and re imagining the concert experience [31.15] Narcissism and music-making [55:40] About Karl's Busoni Festival [1:04:20]

Links: Karl's website: http://www.karllutchmayer.com/

The interview with Karl that appeared a couple of days before we recorded this podcast episode and is referred to a few times: https://crosseyedpianist.com/2019/11/14/meet-the-artist-karl-lutchmayer-pianist/

A clip from one of Karl's conversational concerts: https://youtu.be/sfS1APe5Ino

A paper which has a useful summation of Jane Davidson's pioneering research on visual expressiveness in music performers and the effect on audiences: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0305735612449896

The research paper that demonstrated how experts' judements of music competition performances changed radically with and without being able to watch the video as well as hear the performances: https://www.pnas.org/content/110/36/14580

A video of my arrangement of the Chopin Nocturne Op.55 No.1 in F Minor that Karl somehow heard about and is discussed here in this episode: https://youtu.be/7NnsB_ieJqY

The fantastic CD 'Got a Minute? - Paraphrases on Chopin's "Minute Waltz" and Other Works': https://www.chandos.net/products/catalogue/BI%201083 and on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3dfFGzFetWceTHNDIKqYrs?si=DCUaoFbTT4yZJ3Bn61ox9w

More Spotify links to various albums of transcriptions referred to in this podcast discussion:

Volodos Rachmaninov transcriptions: https://open.spotify.com/album/1CXuE7ZolszyV3fbLezusT?si=nxXVZawQRh6qyei4_N0ZyQ and https://open.spotify.com/album/5xkEiNcoOn0Y4kWdi9UqbL?si=bQsJkT7TQ3KF9Lzf58iQvg Unfortunately Earl Wild's album of Rachmaninov song transcriptions is not on Spotify, but there are a couple of albums recorded by other pianists of these genius arrangements. Nowhere near as good unfortunately as the real thing. The original is definitely one of my desert island discs: https://open.spotify.com/album/1rudoPWy56B321lzAjBmTD?si=gla6kdfkThGZaQCuOucG8g A controversial CD of Rachmaninov reproduced from piano rolls- how accurate and representative are these? Who knows! But there are some stunning versions of Rachmaninov's arrangements- particularly for me the Liebeslied- nobody plays it better than this recording! https://open.spotify.com/album/39O5Qp8wG4P32ebUqqLGv7?si=bdGM1FSOQwOSnH0YKcYnOQ One of the best recordings of the Bach/Busoni Chaconne, here with a performance of Liszt's transcription of Beethoven's 7th Symphony- a real treat! The old LP cover was absolutely hilarious, but I can't seem to find an image of it anywhere on the internet- if anyone has it, do send a photo! https://open.spotify.com/album/281x07NB0TtYmp9Jmy8Qzv?si=OiP1zePlQhCN8iQMWyLp1Q Volodos' live album which has his version of Liszt's Dante Sonata: https://open.spotify.com/album/3TsXBqjYS4SgtK7g7xPAHd?si=Ux3oinodTRGlyxO9QOnhrg Horowitz's Pictures at an Exhibition: https://open.spotify.

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An exciting and profound new episode that could transform the way you practice, learn and perform. It's a long episode, but worth listening through to the end for important tips on deep musicality, easy (well... easier!) learning, and performing with less nerves.

Show Notes

What is narcissism? (including a brief foray into individualist vs. collectivist cultures that perhaps I should have left until later in the episode!). [2:30] A tentative definition of 'spirituality' as the opposite of narcissism, and its relevance to piano playing. [9:00] Why do we play, learn and practice the piano? Why is this important? Validating and proving ourselves. Being 'good enough'. Practising states of mind at the piano. [15:00] The practice of looking for what there is to love in every moment of music-making. Similarity to loving kindness meditation (Metta Bhavana). My belief that the best musicians all do this instinctively, and this is what makes them great. Learning to love reduces tension and makes learning easier, quicker, and more long-lasting- among other benefits. [26:30] The benefits of self-compassion to combat narcissism, self-doubt, and fragile self-esteem [42:30] The pros and cons of music exams. [46:35] Self-esteem & narcissism vs. beginner's mind. [51:20] The magical easy & quick way to become good? Letting go of narcissism by looking at the positive values of 'laziness' as opposed to striving. [1:00:40] How self-criticism vs. self-compassion affect our nervous systems. [1:05:10] Unhelpful self-consciousness and how to deal with it. [1:06:20] Narcissism and the fear of vulnerability. [1:11:00]

Links: One of many academic research papers summing up the links between loving-kindness meditation and neurological & behavioural effects:- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3176989/

An academic paper on the role dopamine has in forming long-term memories:- https://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/fulltext/S1364-6613(10)00186-5

One of the key books on cultural narcissism in the West:- https://www.amazon.com/Culture-Narcissism-American-Diminishing-Expectations/dp/0393307387

A particularly useful and relevant chapter from a superb book on the study of self-esteem that I found after recording the podcast! Every person learning a musical instrument should read this to become enlightened about the dangers and pitfalls of pursuing self-esteem:- https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=r0gahbOYsU4C&oi=fnd&pg=PA274&dq=self+esteem+benefits#v=onepage&q=self%20esteem%20benefits

This is an excellent podcast with clear and well-explained information about zen meditation- https://zenstudiespodcast.com/meditation-category-page/

A very salient academic article by one of the most important researchers and best writer on self-compassion as opposed to self-esteem, here she makes the direct link between narcissism and self-esteem. Every musician and person learning an instrument needs to read this, and other articles/books by her (Kristin D. Neff):- https://self-compassion.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/SC.SE_.Well-being.pdf

A must-listen podcast episode with Kristin Neff as guest explaining more about the pitfalls of self-esteem & the practical benefits of self-compassion:- https://www.therapistuncensored.com/self-compassion-dr-kristin-neff/

The best book I've read on Buddhism, which really gets behind a lot of misconceptions and does a great job of examining some of the paradoxes at the heart of the path. This book is mainly about the felt perception of time which I believe is a very useful thing to be aware of as a musician:- https://www.windhorsepublications.com/product/free-time-from-clock-watching-to-free-flowing-a-buddhist-guide-paperback/

Unfortunately the free access to this online summit on narcissism has now ended, but I found many of these videos to be incredibly useful and enlightening:- https://www.soundstrue.

The Culture of Narcissism: American Life in an Age of Diminishing Expectations

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I was so excited about interviewing Karen Bulmer that it only very recently occurred to me after recording the interview that Karen is not actually a pianist! But every musician will get so much from listening to this episode, and I think particularly us pianists who often have to juggle so many things happening at once in our music will really benefit from so much of the conversation between me and Karen.

Karen is an incredibly clear thinker and communicator, with thoughtful responses on some of my favourite topics such as skilful use of attention in practice and performance, narrow and wide focus, internal and external focus, perfectionism in classical music, meditation and music, beginner's mind, movement and music, and all that good stuff!

I very much recommend all musicians to check out the Music, Mind, and Movement Podcast that Karen runs- she's had some amazing guests and all the interviews are fantastic. In episode 9, Karen actually got a student to interview her, so you can hear a lot about her background and work there. Rather than repeat that format for this interview at Heart of the Piano, I thought it would be interesting to have more of a two-way conversation and go deeper into many of the topics dear to my heart that I've heard Karen's guests discuss on her podcast.

Show Notes

A brief 'taster' of Karen's background and biography- check episode 9 of her podcast for more information- link below! [1:20] Feeling and controlling the the flow of attention when practising [4:40] Switching between narrow and broad attention in an agile way Embodied attention Tactics for becoming embodied when performing [10:50] Sports psychology, and external vs internal focus for musicians [12:20] Narrow focus, posture and movement [19:00] Focus and the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS), including effects on anxiety Neurofeedback West/East cultural differences in perception- object based vs. relationship/contextual ways of perceiving Perfectionism in classical music [30:10] Meditation, open awareness, 'just sit', non-striving [36:10] Effect on music making Practising the perfectionism on/off switch when practising classical music [46:20] The concept of holding lightly Beginner's mind [54:10] Movement techniques and strategies for musicians [46:40] Being efficient with movement and expression What to do with stiff, non-moving students [1:02:20] How can we nurture heartfelt musical expression in students? [1:05:50]

Links: Karen's interview on her own Music, Mind, and Movement Podcast: https://musicmindandmovement.com/podcast-2/2018/12/14/ep-9-turning-the-tables-withme-karen-bulmer

A research paper that describes the exact external focus strategies Karen was referring to in this episode, including details about the experiment that showed a difference between instructions on pushing your foot against the floor vs focusing on calf muscles: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3153816/

Publications by Gabriele Wulf who studies the effects of different attentional styles in sports and music: http://gwulf.faculty.unlv.edu/publications-2/ This paper in particular is a useful summary of the field of research of external vs internal attention and includes studies on musicians: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271992035_Attentional_focus_and_motor_learning_A_review_of_15_years

Karen's interview with Vanessa Mulvey on the Music, Mind, and Movement Podcast, where Vanessa describes the process of widening the visual field: https://musicmindandmovement.com/podcast-2/2019/1/11/ep-10-with-vanessa-mulvey

The Open-Focus Brain by Les Fehmi: https://www.amazon.com/Open-Focus-Brain-Harnessing-Power-Attention/dp/1590306120 as well as some of his guided meditations: https://openfocus.com/shop/

The Muse neurofeedback headband I use for meditation (and sometimes practising the piano!): https://choosemuse.com/muse/

A compelling review of the research showing the...

The Open-Focus Brain: Harnessing the Power of Attention to Heal Mind and Body

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The Leeds International Piano Competition is one of the top 3 most important and prestigious piano competitions in the world, with previous finalists such as Murray Perahia, Mitsuko Uchida, András Schiff... and dozens more names that anybody familiar with classical pianists will recognise instantly as being in the top row of the best, most important, and most successful artists in the business.

The competition has always owed its strength and international presence to its founder Dame Fanny Waterman- after she recently stepped down from her role as Artistic Director, Adam Gatehouse and the pianist Paul Lewis took over the reigns as joint Artistic Directors (Paul Lewis has unfortunately since resigned from the post due to career commitments).

We already covered aspects of The Leeds (as the competition is more informally known) in episode 5 of the Heart of the Piano Podcast when I interviewed Benjamin Frith, who took part as a competitor in 2 separate years, and whose teacher is Dame Fanny Waterman. So it was a pleasure to be able to chat to Adam who very kindly gave us some of his time in the middle of the Leeds Piano Festival (a new annual offshoot of the competition!) which is currently running in Leeds (Yorkshire) and London.

Adam Gatehouse and Lang Lang Scholars at the Leeds Piano Festival 2019

Show Notes

Adam's impact on the world of piano (and beyond!)- The BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists' Scheme [3:00] How Adam was approached by Dame Fanny Waterman to be on the jury for The Leeds, and subsequently Artistic Director [6:10] New direction and feel for the competition- less of a competition and more of a celebration but still keeping some of the 'gladiatorial' aspect! The case for piano competitions as a means of launching careers [9:40] How The Leeds has been helping Eric Lu's (2018 winner) career About Eric Lu [11:15] A supportive atmosphere for the competitors [12:40] More forgiveness towards memory lapses! Competitors all invited to take part in masterclasses, and participants knocked out of the competition valued by being invited to take part in education and outreach events [16:10] How to bring high-level classical piano playing to the general public? [18:20] Adam's previous experience as a jury member for The Leeds [26:45] The things Adam wanted to change after being appointed Artistic Director The new annual piano festival to keep interest alive in the years between competitions [34:20] Increasing awareness of The Leeds which was previously a well-kept secret! [37:05]

Links: The earlier 2-part podcast episode with pianist Benjamin Frith with much discussion about The Leeds and Dame Fanny Waterman: https://heartofthepiano.com/e05-part-1-interview-with-benjamin-frith/ and https://heartofthepiano.com/e05-part-2-interview-with-benjamin-frith/ Also, available on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/heart-of-the-piano-podcast/id1435254725

The Leeds International Piano Competition: https://www.leedspiano.com

Eric Lu's new CD recorded at The Leeds: https://www.leedspiano.com/product/eric-lu-new-cd/

Catch all the replays from Medici.tv while they're available! https://leedspiano2018.medici.tv/

About Adam Gatehouse: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Gatehouse

A must-have book for anybody interested in this competition: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Piano-Competition-Story-Wendy-Thompson/dp/0571160727 Notes: The 'Fiona' I referred to is Fiona Sinclair, the Chief Executive of The Leeds: https://www.leedspiano.com/leeds-international-piano-competition-appoints-fiona-sinclair-as-chief-executive/

This article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4704577/Winning-ways-with-a-rhapsody.html reminded me that it was Armen Babakhanian who was punished in 1996 for his memory lapse in the final!

I'm guessing it's this article that Adam was referring to, which discusses Bach's current surge in popularity in under-35s: https://www.yorkpress.co.

Piano Competition: The Story of the Leeds

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Olga is not only a superb pianist- her CD shows off her deep soulful & expressive playing with a highly refined ear for counterpoint, layers and structure- but her concert transcription of the Vitali Chaconne for solo piano is an absolute masterpiece, and she has also done a PhD on polyphony in Rachmaninov's music... I absolutely had to interview her!

I'm afraid my enthusiasm for details about bells and the structure of the Rachmaninov 2nd Sonata made the beginning of this episode perhaps a little self indulgent! But from 8 minutes in, you can learn about how Rachmaninov was influenced by Russian folk music (and I guarantee this will be new information for you!), and we spend quite a while chatting about the importance of learning to really listen when developing as a pianist- particularly with counterpoint and polyphony.

Anybody who's serious about becoming a better pianist will pick up many important tips from the Russian School of Piano Playing which Olga explains passionately and clearly.

All audio clips are from Olga's CD 'Chaconnes & Songs'

Show Notes

Olga's CD and a theme of bells? [2:10] Similarities between chaconne structure and Rachmaninov's 2nd Sonata (and other works by Rachmaninov) [4:25] Influences of Russian polyphonic folk music on Rachmaninov [8:10] Olga's background and career as pianist, teacher/lecturer, and her PhD Developing listening skills for polyphony [15:30] The importance of listening/hearing for all aspects of piano technique and communication [21:10] Physical technique to create a deep, rich sound [28:00] Practising and teaching listening/hearing skills [31:40] Violin repertoire [42:40] Violin pieces transcribed for piano, and the art of transcription About Olga's transcriptions [53:50] How to perform to a red light- recording! [1:04:25] How to memorise lots of music quickly and efficiently [1:11:45] More on violin repertoire- the importance of listening to other instruments to develop as a pianist [1:18:35]

Links: Olga's website: https://www.olgageorgievskaya.com/

Olga's CD on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-25snI7MH6M

Olga's CD on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/2FLsApNvQVIvJnabXBQrRf?si=d8aV0O97RdC0dK1_xmdb3w

Buy Olga's CD on Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/Chaconnes-Songs-Olga-Georgievskaya/dp/B00P9FC3ME (UK link here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chaconnes-Songs-Olga-Georgievskaya/dp/B00P9FC3ME)

A website where you can listen to Russian polyphonic folk music: mp3mn.com/?song=ромода but on my computer at least, this link doesn't work- you have to use a Russian proxy server... a link that works for now is: http://china.stanislaw.ru/ - and then download the tracks (using a translating plugin for your browser! Sorry this is so complicated! Olga assures me this is a legal website, and not illegal downloading)

An article about Le Mystère Des Voix Bulgares- the Bulgarian folk choir I referred to (and yes, they do sound quite similar!): https://thevinylfactory.com/features/mystere-des-voix-bulgares-4ad-story/

One great version of the Bach Chaconne (but this can cause big arguments over which is best, or even adequate!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqA3qQMKueA

The Vitali Chaconne played by Heifetz (essential listening!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvtibhCdepQ

The Vitali Chaconne played by Sarah Chang (I'm so sorry, I really did know this, I don't know why I said Vanessa Mae- in my defense, they were both very famous at around the same time!)- gorgeous full-blooded Romantic playing- with an orchestration by Respighi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOxVK0-dQ1E

Some information about the Vitali Chaconne: http://www.sheilascorner.com/vitali.html

Rachmaninov plays his own (partial) transcription of Bach's third Partita for unaccompanied violin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbTqEYrolQk

You can buy Olga's transcriptions here (don't just go by the titles at the top of the page,

Oh Do Not Grieve: Chaconnes & Transcriptions

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An inspirational look at some of the most common mental habits that stop us all from realising our highest potential as musicians, with practical steps and strategies on how to dramatically improve our playing by being attentive to how we use our minds as we practise.

I'm really proud of this one, I'm very passionate about how these concepts (which are only rarely touched on in the world of piano teaching) can make a giant difference to the struggle and frustration that a lot of people feel as they learn- and deepen the progress of those who are further on the path. Show Notes

The gap between knowing what to do when practising, and doing it! [1:55] The strategy of aiming for practice with no concentration as the highest priority [8:10] The importance of keeping this solid intention when practising, and trust in this goal The benefits of mindfulness and meditation

More trophies this year! Exactly how self-doubt and lack of confidence affects how we practise and how to deal with this [32:00] The importance of enough sleep [43:05] The common error of practice needing to be stimulating, and how to fix this in a way that feels easy and rewarding [44:05] Brain scans in musicians/pianists and in meditators The importance of immersed embodiment, and how this physically shapes and rewires the brain [49:45] Effective practice strategies and techniques come naturally from the goal of not concentrating [1:00:30] More about needing stimulation vs relaxed mindful 'being' and how this makes effective practice rich and rewarding [1:01:40] Good piano technique can develop naturally from mindfulness [1:05:15] We are all natural musicians, we have to just not get in our own way! Practising self-acceptance and a feeling of being 'good enough' [1:09:40] Committing to action with a strong intent- it's not enough just to understand what to do! [1:20:05] Positive motivation [1:24:15] Carrot rather than stick is best for motivation! Cultivate and deepen love of the piano and the music you want to learn Reflect on why music has value and importance for you, and focus on that sense of value

Links: Playing a musical instrument improves audio-motor connectivity in the brain: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170727105218.htm

Studying the brains of pianists: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00636/full

Meditation and consequently altered brain structure: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261373893_Is_meditation_associated_with_altered_brain_structure_A_systematic_review_and_meta-analysis_of_morphometric_neuroimaging_in_meditation_practitioners

The intro/outro music is me (Bob Rose) playing a bit of my own jazzed up version of the "Raindrop" Prelude, Op 28, No. 15 by Chopin

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Erica is the editor of UK-based Pianist Magazine, an internationally renowned magazine for people who love to play the piano. It features interviews with top concert pianists, full-length features on current issues, how-to piano lessons, CD and sheet music reviews, Questions and Answers, teaching tips and concert highlights.

I thought, who better to chat with than the editor of one of the world's top piano magazines for interesting opinions and conversations on all things piano related!

Erica originally had a scholarship to study at the Manhattan School of Music, and we also chat about her musical journey- it's Erica's wonderful piano playing that we hear at the beginning and end of this podcast episode.

Show Notes

A brief introduction about Pianist Magazine [0.30] About Erica's impressive piano skills [1:55], including: Erica's teacher at Manhattan School of Music, Constance Keene who made the best (IMO) recording of the Rachmaninov Preludes Erica's Liberace scholarship, and a chat about Liberace's place in the world of classical music

Erica (2nd from left) with Liberace (centre) Mainstream and crossover classical pianists- quite rare compared to other instruments such as the violin [15:45] The demographic of Pianist Magazine [21:05] Modern mainstream resistance to classical music, and the role of music education in schools [23:50] Listening to recordings- is it useful when developing as a pianist? [29:40] Amateur pianists and what they find useful [31:50] Interviewing piano superstars! [35:30] What does it take to make a solid career as a concert pianist? Does one have to start incredibly young with very vigorous training? About the modern style of piano playing [45:10] Chatting about the Leeds International Piano Competition 2018, and about the value of competitions in music [51:20]

Links: Pianist Magazine: www.pianistmagazine.com

A British Pathé clip of Constance Keene: https://youtu.be/61NhVzHPsS4?t=177

Constance Keene playing Rachmaninov Prelude no. 4 op. 32 in E minor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4pAB8Ng2nk&t=404s - I personally tried learning this one many moons ago, and gave up- this version is just incredible!

A pivotal scene in the film 'Whiplash': https://youtu.be/xDAsABdkWSc

Behind the Candelabra: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1291580/

A really fantastic clip of Dudley Moore jazzing up Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade (I could have chosen from so many clips to show what an amazing pianist he was!): https://youtu.be/uUcBbJVhQnI

The legendary Victor Borge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKeqaDSjy98

The magnificence that is the video for Richard Clayderman's Ballade Pour Adeline: 😂 https://youtu.be/eCCan3TFPoc

André Rieu- Hallelujah, featuring lots of beautiful frocks. 😂 But you can't say the audience aren't enjoying themselves!: https://youtu.be/NZb-SVm7eLE

Tokio Myers on the final of Britain's Got Talent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bgoe2kYFyiQ

Tokio Myers and Erica Worth

Chloe Flower playing at the Grammy Awards 2019 for Cardi B: https://youtu.be/WGOGjTuezNY

One of Vanessa Mae's old crossover videos: https://youtu.be/euOu89d3npA

Exquisite playing by Emil Gilels: https://youtu.be/Yu06WnXlPCY

Menahem Pressler's gorgeous unsentimental recording of Ravel's Pavane pour une Infante Défunte that Ravel would have loved: https://youtu.be/uROzEvSdIdU

Information about virtuoso Arcadi Volodos: www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/volodos-arcadi -'For someone who did not take piano seriously until he was 16, Volodos plays with the wizardry of one who was a child prodigy. [...] Volodos said that, “It is not too late at 16 [to learn piano]. In the end it depends on how you deal with the music. I have never practiced scales and I always got bad marks for technique.”'

About Evgeny Kissin and his teacher: http://andrewsolomon.com/articles/questions-of-genius/

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This time, my friend Andy Cole did the interviewing, chatting with Melvin Besbrode, owner of one of the biggest piano stores in the UK- situated in Leeds. It's well worth listening to even if you're not buying a piano- very interesting topics are covered such as the monumental popularity of the piano in China & Asia, and little-known reasons how the piano came to be such an important part of the culture there.

Show Notes

An introduction to the business, with a background of how Melvin went from being an unemployed Fine Art degree graduate, to owning such a successful business- via being in a punk band with Alexei Sayle! [0:45] The history and importance of the piano industry- in the 19th Century, ladies needed to play (and own!) pianos to attract suitable suitors. [8:50] The Steinway manufacturing process- still all done by hand, vs the Yamaha manufacturing process which is more automated. The difference between German and American Steinways. [9:40] Who buys antique pianos? Interior designers, hotels, museums... [13:00] About fitting pianos with silent mechanisms that allows practice with headphones, and also about the DiscPiano system which is the modern equivalent of a player piano. [16:40] New vs old pianos, how to look after pianos, temperature and moisture, how often to tune them [21:20] The business of selling pianos- when do people buy them seasonally? [24:30] Do adverts and popular culture fads affect sales? [27:05] The culture of piano in China, 99% of all new pianos made in China High demand for old pianos imported from the West At least 40 million children learning the piano in China! [32:30] Apparently, one of the main reasons the piano is so popular now in China is that during the 2nd World War, many Western pianists taught at Beijing Conservatory to escape the war. [36:45] The trope of the long haired Romantic pianist who gets all the girls in Chinese and Asian film and popular culture [37:45] Demographic of customers- at least 40% of visitors to showroom are Chinese. Southern Ireland is large customer base because of the musical culture. The German model of piano shops- much more integrated into the local community and culture. [40:00] At least 50 Steinways at the Besbrode showroom, cheaper than Steinway Hall in London- many visitors come from London, easy train journey, collected from the station. [44:00] About the 'Let's Play the Piano' group that meets at Besbrode, and how Adam Gatehouse, artistic director of the Leeds International Piano Competition, was impressed with the size and enthusiasm of the group. [45:50] About upcoming impressive concerts in the showroom, and the piano lent to York Minster [48:00]

Extra notes:

At [29:30]- Tokio Myers won Britain's Got Talent, not The X Factor! Links: Besbrode Pianos: http://www.besbrodepianos.co.uk

Some vintage posters featuring ladies attracting suitors!: https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-woman-playing-piano-for-guests-harvard-pianos-trade-card-circa-1907-55586638.html https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-aeolian-company-pianolas-1920s-artist-wilfred-fryer-74089922.html https://i.etsystatic.com/5693401/r/il/4b1ed7/1323017722/il_570xN.1323017722_adnw.jpg

About silent and PianoDisc systems: http://www.besbrodepianos.co.uk/digitalplayerpianos.htm

Some of the adverts mentioned: John Lewis advert- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNbSgMEZ_Tw The Waitrose advert referencing the John Lewis advert- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrCtXSQ3Nf8 The Huawei advert- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWnRFLYQtTc

Tokio Myers on the final of Britain's Got Talent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bgoe2kYFyiQ

About Parsons Music- https://www.pianobuyer.com/Resources/Piano-Brands-Profiles/Detail/ArticleId/92/Brand/Parsons-Music

The piano meetup group held at Besbrode every 2 months: https://www.meetup.com/Lets-Play-The-Piano-Leeds

The podcast where I chat to Ben Richards who organises 'Le...

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Ben Richards organises 8(!) regular piano meetup groups all across the UK. We talk about what makes his groups particularly fun and inviting for amateurs and beginners (although advanced players also play), some of the history of piano groups and the piano, and the various benefits and attractions of taking part. We also talk about the inevitable nerves and performance anxiety that we all feel, and chat a little about how to deal with it!

Ben Richards playing in Leeds as part of the Leeds Piano Competition Piano Trail

No timestamped show notes for this episode as the conversation flows quickly from one topic to another, but I will put links below! Links: https://www.meetup.com/Lets-Play-The-Piano-Manchester/

https://www.meetup.com/Lets-Play-The-Piano-Liverpool/

https://www.meetup.com/Lets-Play-The-Piano-Birmingham/

https://www.meetup.com/Lets-Play-The-Piano-Newcastle/

https://www.meetup.com/Lets-Play-The-Piano-Cambridge/

https://www.meetup.com/Lets-Play-The-Piano-Norwich/

https://www.meetup.com/Lets-Play-The-Piano-Leeds/

https://www.meetup.com/Lets-Play-The-Piano-Glasgow/

and not run by Ben but talked about during the podcast:

https://www.meetup.com/edinburghpianomeetupgroup/

There's a reasonably comprehensive list of UK amateur piano groups here:

https://practisingthepiano.com/resources-pianists/

I've talked about the neurofeedback headband I use on previous podcasts, we talk about it briefly on this podcast:

https://choosemuse.com/

And this is the app I use on my Pebble smartwatch that discreetly vibrates as I sit in the audience to help me breathe the right amount of times a minute to activate Heart Rate Variability (HRV) Resonance Frequency Breathing (more on HRV in the future!)

http://breatheforpebble.tk/

The intro/outro music is me (Bob Rose) playing a bit of my own jazzed up version of the "Raindrop" Prelude, Op 28, No. 15 by Chopin on my new Kawai CA98 :-) (although it sounds a bit rough with the reduced bit rate!)

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A free guided visualisation to help people get passionate and motivated to practise their piano and achieve their goals! You don't need to be sat at the piano for this meditation, and you can use headphones if you'd like. The meditation starts at 4:45 if you want to listen to it after the first time without the introduction. Risks: people with unresolved trauma, psychotic disorders, major depression or severe personality disorders should get advice from medical practitioners and meditation teachers before starting any form of meditation.

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A free guided audio meditation to use while practising the piano- this meditation uses a slightly more selective selection of techniques from the previous meditation, 'Further Down the Road'. However, the plan is to make many guided meditations that will guide people over a longer period of time to gradually and gently build up these techniques, and go into more depth on each one. You should have a chosen bar ready to practise with fingerings already worked out to make the most of this meditation. It's better to use speakers (or just use the speaker on your phone or computer) and not use headphones for this meditation so you can hear your piano clearly. The meditation starts at 1:30 if you want to listen to it after the first time without the introduction. Risks: people with unresolved trauma, psychotic disorders, major depression or severe personality disorders should get advice from medical practitioners and meditation teachers before starting any form of meditation.

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A free guided audio meditation to use while practising the piano- this meditation gives a taster of many different techniques that can be used to deepen piano practice. However, the plan is to make many guided meditations that will guide people over a longer period of time to gradually and gently build up these techniques, and go into more depth on each one. You should have a chosen bar ready to practise with fingerings already worked out to make the most of this meditation. It's better to use speakers (or just use the speaker on your phone or computer) and not use headphones for this meditation so you can hear your piano clearly. The meditation starts at 5:00 if you want to listen to it after the first time without the introduction. Risks: people with unresolved trauma, psychotic disorders, major depression or severe personality disorders should get advice from medical practitioners and meditation teachers before starting any form of meditation.

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A free guided audio meditation to use while sat at the piano- this meditation explores the ability to really listen to your piano- one of the most important skills for any pianist. It's better to use speakers (or just use the speaker on your phone or computer) and not use headphones for this meditation so you can hear your piano clearly. The meditation starts at 2:35 if you want to listen to it after the first time without the introduction. Risks: people with unresolved trauma, psychotic disorders, major depression or severe personality disorders should get advice from medical practitioners and meditation teachers before starting any form of meditation.

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All about the powerful effects of mindfulness and meditation and how we can practise these skills to dramatically improve our piano playing through far more effective practice, dealing with performance anxiety, and finding the right state of mind to learn and make music more effectively and at a much higher level. Also about the guided meditations to use while at the piano that will be accompanying this podcast episode.

Show Notes

Andy's initial thoughts on mindfulness [1:25] How did mindfulness become so popular? [4:05] Evidence-based general benefits of meditation [7:00] What is meditation and mindfulness? [10:00] The difference between the terms meditation and mindfulness How meditation can help with performance anxiety [15:45] 'Doing' and 'Being'- how these concepts and meditation can dramatically improve your playing [18:20] Meditation as the practice of directing attention- a crucial skill for musicians [22:25] The dramatic improvement in my piano playing after a week-long silent meditation retreat [24:35] How meditation can speed up learning the piano and make practice far more efficient [26:20], Using neurofeedback while practising Being 100% in the moment, one of the goals of meditation [31:35] Making piano practice more efficient with meditation [35:45] Meditation is about skilful use of attention- most of the common amateur & beginner mistakes are ultimately caused by unskillful use of attention [42:00] Practising 'being' with meditation, and how this helps with performance anxiety and piano playing in general [50:00] About my guided meditations for pianists to use as they practise- some free recordings will be accompanying this episode [55:30] Common challenges people have when meditating, with advice [59:00] Risks associated with meditation [1:01:40] Andy's resistance with meditation [1:04:05]

Links: The Musician's Way- https://www.amazon.com/Musicians-Way-Practice-Performance-Wellness/dp/0195343131

The Inner Game of Music- https://www.amazon.com/Inner-Game-Music-Barry-Green/dp/0385231261

The page where I quoted benefits of meditation with citations- https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ylTXBAAAQBAJ&lpg=PT129&pg=PT13#v=onepage&q&f=false

A comprehensive meta-analysis of the beneficial effects of the MBSR meditation course- https://www.cancerwa.asn.au/resources/2015-07-07-Grossman-2004MBSR-and-health-benefits-meta-analysis.pdf

The Musician's Way: A Guide to Practice, Performance, and Wellness

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We discuss how audiation, the ability to clearly hear music just in your head, is the key skill that all of musicality and being able to play the piano well hinges on. How singing is linked to audiation. How to develop the skill of of audiation. Findings from sports psychology that demonstrate how important audiation is as a goal for pianists. And much more!

Show Notes

Andy's initial thoughts on audiation [1:00], Audiating after a concert, Audiation helping the memorisation of music Mental practice away from the piano [7:35], Importance of being able to clearly imagine the sound as you imagine practising on your instrument Findings from sports psychology [10:00], The importance of focusing on the goal rather than the mechanics, The goal in music is to imagine the sound Studies show that good pianists practise by first building a strong internal idea of the sound of their ideal performance [13:30], This can be done two ways- in more experienced pianists by building up the sound from the score, and in less experienced pianists by listening to recordings, Listening to recordings in general is a vastly underestimated activity that boosts musicality, Importance of having pleasure when listening & practising, Pleasure and enjoyment of unfamiliar music can be cultivated Different ways of listening to music [22:30], Appreciating structure of music requires audiation Audiation is a skill that can be learnt, developed & practised [26:50] Mental practice as a way of removing bad habits [32:00], Practising in imagination pretty much as effective as practising on the piano, Mental practice is great way of really memorising music I've changed my mind from my earlier podcast- actually the #1 mistake of amateur pianists is to not audiate while playing, instead focusing on mechanical movement of the fingers, etc [34:30], The importance of hearing what you're going to play in your imagination before you start performing How audiation is a key skill that makes sight-reading possible and pleasurable (notational audiation) [37:30] The importance of allowing ourselves to feel like a beginner at something without a fear of feeling incompetent, so we can enjoy it more [42:00] The importance of singing to develop audiation [43:25] If you can sing it, you can usually play it. If you can't play it, this is usually because you're not able to sing it [45:20], How singing depends on audiation, How to develop audiation How audiation helps developing aural skills [51:10], Audiation in conjunction with kinaesthetic imagination, Embodied cognition Efficient way to develop musicality- play one hand while singing the other [1:02:50]

Links: How the Body Knows Its Mind- 'The human body is not just a passive device carrying out messages sent by the brain, but rather an integral part of how we think and make decisions'- https://www.amazon.com/How-Body-Knows-Its-Mind/dp/145162669X

An External Focus of Attention Enhances Golf Shot Accuracy (the most cited piece of research on this general topic)- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5903149_An_External_Focus_of_Attention_Enhances_Golf_Shot_Accuracy_in_Beginners_and_Experts

Adopting an External Focus of Attention Enhances Musical Performance- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328106947_Adopting_an_External_Focus_of_Attention_Enhances_Musical_Performance

Developing a mental representation of a piece- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325018718_Creative_Processes_in_the_Shaping_of_a_Musical_Interpretation_A_Study_of_Nine_Professional_Musicians

Mental Rehearsal & Visualisation- https://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/mental/visualization.html

The Mental Representation of Music Notation: Notational Audiation- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5475827_The_Mental_Representation_of_Music_Notation_Notational_Audiation

Studying the brains of pianists- https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.

How the Body Knows Its Mind: The Surprising Power of the Physical Environment to Influence How You Think and Feel

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Continuation of the interview with Benjamin Frith, British classical pianist with strong links to the Leeds International Piano Competition- having been a competitor at 'The Leeds' twice, and a student with Dame Fanny Waterman since an early age. He won several big awards early in his career, and his recordings are highly regarded- five of his discs are represented in the Gramophone Best CD Guide and his disc of Schumann’s Davidsbundlertänze was chosen as the top recommendation on the Radio 3 “Building a Library” programme.

Show Notes

Ben discusses his favourite recordings from his career [0:35] Memorising vs. reading music [3:20] Chatting about a great performance I saw of Ben playing Rachmaninov Trio No. 2 as part of the Gould Piano Trio Composers writing for their own hands and idiosyncrasies [10:30] The merits of Chopin [11:20] The importance of listening when playing the piano, and more elements of Fanny Waterman's teaching [14:50] Ben as a teacher (and me as a bad student!) [21:40] Ben's involvement with Chetham's Summer School for Pianists, and we discuss common amateur pitfalls and mistakes [29:20] Ben's musical influences and the importance of listening to good recordings [33:30] The psychology of performing and the importance of sleep [36:00]

Recordings Played: Intro: Schumann- Davidsbundlertanze, Op. 6 VIII. Frisch- https://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.550493

[1:00] Brahms- Piano Trio in A Major, Op. Post: III. Lento- https://www.amazon.co.uk/Johannes-Brahms-Complete-Quartets-CHRCD129/dp/B0754687GK

[7:30] Tchaikovsky- Trio in Aminor op.50 : I Pezzo elegiaco- http://www.gouldpianotrio.com/albums/rachmaninov-tchaikovsky-piano-trios/

[19:20] Scarlatti- Keyboard Sonata in D Major, K.214- https://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.554792

End: Schumann- Fantasiestücke, Op. 12 I. Lebhaft- https://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.550493 Other Recordings Discussed: John Ogdon- Rachmaninov Sonata No.2- https://open.spotify.com/album/2HnbBMePktK3jFf3ip04dn?si=vrPjDDbKRUmk9T8sqkr0Wg (no wonder he said he hadn't learnt it, this is a complete mess!)

Horowitz- Rachmaninov Sonata No.2- https://open.spotify.com/album/67KSPkAz7OqmsFMPkTvoZj?si=JhmytE9AShOHCHxwjIiJ2g

Alfred Cortot- Chopin- Etudes: https://open.spotify.com/album/0BPBVqsSju6mKjofZTojzB?si=pztNLJfKQe2JfCmcYr787g

Ashkenazi- Chopin - Etudes: https://open.spotify.com/album/52GqKxkh98eIf5OUi5pLAB?si=q_ozgpMWTsu7fz5JmlXMFA Notes: [20:20] Oops I was thinking about Moszkowski! https://imslp.org/wiki/Studies_in_Double_Notes%2C_Op.64_(Moszkowski%2C_Moritz)

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Benjamin Frith is a British classical pianist with strong links to the Leeds International Piano Competition- having been a competitor at 'The Leeds' twice, and a student with Dame Fanny Waterman since an early age. He won several big awards early in his career, and his recordings are highly regarded- five of his discs are represented in the Gramophone Best CD Guide and his disc of Schumann’s Davidsbundlertänze was chosen as the top recommendation on the Radio 3 “Building a Library” programme. Ben also happens to have been my piano teacher when I was doing my music degree, and I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to be inspired and guided by such an incredible musician. In these two podcasts, we talk about the Leeds Piano Competition, his teacher Dame Fanny Waterman and generally chat and catch up!

Show Notes

Ben's history with the Leeds International Piano Competition and experiences with Dame Fanny Waterman as a teacher [2:30] Ben's successes with the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition and Arthur Rubinstein Competition in Israel [10:30] The start of Ben's recording career [16:00], Recording with the BBC, Live and studio recording, Solo career and chamber music with the Gould Piano Trio Chopin- Ben's first love [25:00], Time taken to learn new repertoire, Humour in Beethoven Ben's experience as a competitor at the Leeds Piano Competition [32:50], The need to be unique as an artist, Core repertoire and less well-known repertoire Dame Fanny Waterman as a teacher [42:50]

Links: Information about Ben: http://www.mbam.co.uk/pianists/benjamin-frith.html

Information about Dame Fanny Waterman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Waterman

A review of the 2018 Leeds International Piano Competition with some information about its history: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/reviews/leeds-international-piano-competition-review-town-hall-winners-a8539946.html

Videos of all performances from the first round onwards of the 2018 Leeds International Piano Competition: https://leedspiano2018.medici.tv/

The website for Champs Hill Records as discussed in the podcast: https://www.champshillrecords.co.uk/ Recordings Played: Intro: Schumann- Fantasiestücke, Op. 12 No. 7 Traumeswirren- https://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.550493

[22:20] Field- Nocturne No. 7 in C Major, H. 45A- https://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.550761

[23:40] Field- Piano Concerto No. 6 in C Major, H. 49A- https://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.554221

[41:55] Weber- Piano Concertos No. 2, III. Rondo- https://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.550959

[42:40] Hummel- Piano Trio No. 6 in Eb Major, II. Un poco larghetto- http://www.gouldpianotrio.com/albums/hummel-piano-trios-vol-1-nos-2-3-6-and-7/

[51:20] Schumann- Davidsbundlertanze, Op. 6 VIII. Frisch- https://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.550493 Other Recordings Discussed: Fou Ts'ong- Chopin Mazurkas: https://open.spotify.com/album/5U0shyOsb2qRcCLAv9wJFJ?si=YkNtrhB3Tmuugty3bXgwBQ

Sergio Fiorentino- Chopin Preludes: https://open.spotify.com/album/1LxVSnVrqk2gTdIhxGOFmH?si=Tu9k_dOBRQGGTrDTa3lMwg

Sergio Fiorentino- Chopin Walzes: https://open.spotify.com/album/0JQWRmFkP6V7a5U34q2CjF?si=AtP7nf9uQFKyLbZEO-Lh6Q

Benjamin Frith- Beethoven- Diabelli Variations (I've mislaid my copy so couldn't put any clips in I'm afraid!): https://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-12514/

Alfred Cortot- Chopin- Etudes: https://open.spotify.com/album/0BPBVqsSju6mKjofZTojzB?si=pztNLJfKQe2JfCmcYr787g

Mitsuko Uchida- Chopin- Etude Op.10 No.2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCmUEqN-wTw

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In the fourth episode, we discuss performance nerves and anxiety- and talk about some of the most powerful and effective strategies for performing the piano and other instruments easily and confidently.

Show Notes

Talking about Andy's experience with nerves performing at a competition earlier this year (2018) [1:25] How the common goal of striving for as many correct notes as possible and avoiding wrong notes is not a helpful one while performing. [3:20] The feeling of a 'critical' audience- how this is projected by the performer and how to deal with it. [9:30] Continuing the topic of practising with the two hats of 'flow' and 'deliberate practice' from episode 3, and how important this is for dealing with performance nerves. [14:50] The interplay between preparation and the skill of being able to deal with performance nerves. Dealing with nerves means less preparation is needed, and vice versa! Efficient use of practice time therefore must include regular practice dealing with nerves. [20:45] Fast heart rates while performing. This is completely normal! Beta blockers- for and against. [26:00] Examining the motivation for performing. Unhelpful reasons cause nerves. When the #1 goal is communicating love of the music, the nerves are diminished. This needs to be rehearsed in every practice session. [30:40] The two psychological traps of 'inherently flawed' and 'not good enough'- dealing with the latter is particularly important. [36:30] Continuing the topic of narrow & wide focus (and related physical posture) from episode two- and how addressing this fixes nerves and physical shaking. [47:55] The link between 'not good enough' and narrow focus. [56:00] All practice and performance needs to be permeated with a practised & deliberate sense of 'good enough'. [1:00:10] A very brief introduction to using meditation & mindfulness to deal with performance nerves- we need to be able to choose where we put our attention. Common misconception of meditation is that you have to empty your mind of thoughts- this is totally wrong, it's about controlling your attention so you can keep choosing to rest your attention on something other than your thoughts- this is really useful when performing. Cultivating a sense of curiosity, rather than an attitude of 'correct' and 'incorrect'. [1:02:00]

A few extra notes:

At [4:20]- this podcast is specifically about performance nerves- any other time I would quickly have questioned the use of moving the shoulders to create more power at the piano- I absolutely teach using arm weight and not the shoulders, so will be having a chat with Andy about this!! At [47:10], I should have spent more time talking specifically about the differences in dealing with nerves for exams vs public performances, or even friends & family. Let us know if you'd like us to talk about this in a future podcast! Some photos taken before and after the competition we talked about at the beginning of this episode that we took part in back earlier this year:

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Some photos taken from our excursion into the woods to make this podcast!

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I'll put up as soon as I can a video showing how a common performance posture actually causes shaking!

Links: The Inner Game of Music:- http://theinnergame.com/inner-game-books/inner-game-of-music/

Heart rate in professional musicians:- https://occup-med.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1745-6673-3-16

An article with some statistics on use of beta blockers in musicians:- http://www.musicianshealthcollective.com/blog/2016/8/24/follow-up-on-the-musicians-health-survey-with

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In the third episode, we continue looking at some of the most common mistakes and pitfalls made by amateur & beginner pianists, with advice and suggestions on how to avoid them! Today, we talk about the difference that good practice habits can make on your piano playing, how to practice for much less time and get much quicker and more effective results, and the traps that most people fall into.

Show Notes

The #1 practice problem afflicting most amateur pianists- simply playing the piece over and over from beginning to end. [2:00] Andy talks about some of the most useful practice techniques that enabled huge breakthroughs in his playing and enjoyment of playing piano. [5:30] I introduce the concept of functional harmony and how this can help pianists at all levels to use dynamics in a more musical and natural way... to be continued in more detail in the future! [7:40] The dangers of a rigid un-moving body when practising- usually caused by over-focusing and tension. Introducing movement into practising is a very powerful tool. Ideally, music is made from the body, not from the head. [12:30] Good practising opens up a world of much more advanced pieces that are otherwise inaccessible. Virtually any piece at any difficulty level is achievable by most pianists given the right practice techniques. [19:40] The importance of consistent fingering [27:50] The fundamental importance of practising by breaking the piece down into very small chunks, repeating them slowly enough so that it feels very easy. Impatience is the enemy [29:05] I explain my method of 'shifting accents' for very rapid learning of what can often feel like impossibly difficult passages of finger-twisting notes, and is also very useful for even finger-work and articulation. [38:10] The difference between 'flow' and 'deliberate practice'. Flow is 'pleasure-led practising', Deliberate practice is about targeting weaknesses and learning the hardest parts first. [44:20] The usefulness of learning from the end backwards [50:40] The trap of ignoring what's on the page- just playing the notes is not enough! [52:00] Practising swapping the 2 hats of 'flow' and 'deliberate practice' in every practice session. [54:40] More about the benefits of learning/practising from the end backwards [57:10] The danger of only learning/practising from beginning to end- relying on kinaesthetic memory that falls apart under pressure... the only way to recover being to have to start again from the beginning! [59:10] The difference between knowing what you need to do- and actually doing it! [1:02:00]

Links: Liberace plays his arrangement of Addinsel's Warsaw Concerto(!):- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ncKhyMWvQc

Me playing the Rachmaninov Prelude in C minor Op. 23 No. 7 that we spend some time talking about in this episode:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdLCXgwcjBk

An article about 'deliberate practice':- https://blog.rescuetime.com/deliberate-practice/

All about 'flow':- https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi-father-of-flow/

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In the second episode, we start to look at the common mistakes and pitfalls made by amateur & beginner pianists, with advice and suggestions on how to avoid them! This episode starts with a look at the world of informal gatherings of pianists where we can play to each other in non-judgemental safety, and goes on to a discussion of how changing the quality of focus and attention can make deep and profound changes in learning and performing.

Show Notes

Piano meetup groups in the UK [1:30], including: -The importance and fun of playing in public at all levels from beginner to advanced -Being non-judgemental when attending amateur piano groups How the biggest mistake of not listening to the piano while performing is caused by the wrong type of focus/effort/attention [16:20], including: -Wide vs narrow focus -Cultural differences in the way we use our attention & focus -How posture is linked to attention & focus -Practical ways to improve attention & focus -Brainwaves and neurofeedback Using attention & focus to correct a common problem that usually afflicts performances of Chopin the most! [53:30]

Links: Some of the great piano meetup groups in the UK run by the fantastic Ben Richards: https://www.meetup.com/Lets-Play-The-Piano-Leeds/ https://www.meetup.com/Lets-Play-The-Piano-Liverpool/ https://www.meetup.com/Lets-Play-The-Piano-Manchester/ https://www.meetup.com/Lets-Play-The-Piano-Cambridge/

The Open-Focus Brain- https://www.amazon.com/Open-Focus-Brain-Harnessing-Power-Attention/dp/1590306120

How the Body Knows Its Mind- 'The human body is not just a passive device carrying out messages sent by the brain, but rather an integral part of how we think and make decisions'- https://www.amazon.com/How-Body-Knows-Its-Mind/dp/145162669X East and West: Seeing the world through different lenses- https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/04iht-6sncult.1.10695876.html and https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn7882-westerners-and-easterners-see-the-world-differently/ Neurofeedback on music students- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3091595.stm

Mood influences the type of attention we have- https://academic.oup.com/scan/article/12/7/1159/3778192

'The oft-quoted statistic that 40 million Chinese children are studying the piano is considered by many to be a spectacular underestimate'- https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/music/classical-music-is-taking-over-the-world-9594034.html

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In the first episode, we look at what makes classical music different to play and listen to from other styles and talk about who listens to it. Although some future episodes will cover rock/pop/jazz, there will be a lot of emphasis on classical music. We discuss some of the problems with classical music and why some people may be intimidated or put off by it.

Show Notes

What is classical music? Distinction between classical music and Classical era music which is a sub-genre of classical music!! How to listen to classical music. [3:53] Who is the audience for classical music? Why are there so few young people at concerts? TV & film tropes concerning classical music. Emotion & energy in classical music. Declining music education in the UK. Demographics of young people listening to classical music.[20:30] The importance of visual cues to appreciate musical expression in audiences without a musical education. [36:44] Layers and counterpoint in classical music vs. more simple textures in other music. [48:45] Classical music as soothing aural wallpaper, and different ways of listening. [51:54] Using classical music as a 'weapon' against young people [54:47] Piano and gender! [56:31] Young audiences preferring young performers [1:00:48] Ritual piano smashing after the popularisation and availability of TV [1:02:22] Generation Z and classical music [1:05:53]

A few extra notes:

At [0:40]- sorry Andy- you've played keyboards at a high level for a long time, I really meant to say classical music at a serious high level!

Sorry to listeners not from the UK- I'll be more careful with this in future podcasts:

Classic FM is a radio station in the UK that plays very unchallenging classical music for the masses(!) GCSEs are the exams people take when they're 16. Young Musician of the Year is a music competition run by the BBC that has large viewing figures and is an important UK institution.

The introduction music is me playing my own arrangement of the 3rd movement from Rachmaninov's 2nd Symphony on a Yamaha P105 digital piano (hopefully I'll make a better recording on a nice grand piano at some point!) Links: Classic FM:- https://www.classicfm.com/

The decline of music in UK schools:- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-39154242

Dopamine, music and food:- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12135590

Dopamine and sugar:- https://wellnessretreatrecovery.com/sugar-and-dopamine-link-sweets-addiction/ (can we similarly be addicted to very 'sugary', refined and simple music?)

TV Tropes:- https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ClassicalMusicIsBoring

More young people listening to classical music:- https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/fifth-young-listen-classical-music/

Classic FM Demographics with increasing numbers of young people:- https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/increase-listeners-under-25/

The cellist who won 2016 Young Musician of the Year and shot to fame by playing at the recent royal wedding:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheku_Kanneh-Mason

Using classical music as a weapon against young people:- http://slippedisc.com/2018/05/weaponising-classical-music-against-the-underclasses/

Not mentioned in the podcast- but even at a high level in classical music it seems that visual communication matters!:- https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-23717228

I've not read this book, but it looks interesting- for me particularly looking at the masculinity of Liszt- this may be a great idea for a future podcast- I've given a lecture before on the striking parallels between Liszt and 80s rock guitar heroes:- https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=2197

El Sistema:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Sistema

Gustavo Dudamel in a very lively clip with an uncharacteristically enthusiastic young audience!:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEs8yqhavtI

A comparison between film music and classical music- listen to this film music often played on Cla...

Heart of the Piano Podcast: Recent Episodes

Bob Rose