Piano

In Jan 2019 I started learning to play piano and started having regular lessons with the London Piano Institute.

In early 2020 I took my ABRSM Piano Grade 1 exam and achieved a Merit – which I’m very pleased with.

I’m now working through the ABRSM Grade 2 syllabus with a view to taking the exam late 2020/early 2021.

Here’s some posts I’ve written about my piano experiences:

  • My tips for scales (beginners)
    Watch one hand going up and the other hand coming down. Always play two octaves, don’t just practice one. It’s crucial to build in those LH 5,3,4,3 and RH 3,4,3,5 muscle memories. On the way up, the 4 in the left hand is the trigger for the 4 in the right hand and vice-versa on the way down Say the names of the notes as you play them. This will reinforce the sharps and flats in the scale. Saying the notes as you go down the scale is a real challenge! I can recommend the book Scales Bootcamp by Philip … Read more
  • Connecting a digital piano, an iPad, an audio mixer and headphones
    I recently bought a Yamaha P-115 Digital Piano (which I love) in an attempt to teach myself to play piano. Its piano sounds are amazing and the graded-hammer-action on the keys really do feel like an acoustic piano. I quickly discovered there are some really great apps available on iOS for learning piano and the majority of them allow you to connect your iOS device to your digital piano via its MIDI port. This means the app can check which keys you’re playing and help guide you though your piano lessons. A great example of this is Simply Piano by … Read more