First, it’s normal to have trouble with this. Patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time screws up nearly everyone. Piano’s the same. Playing each hand on its own works fine. But, when you try to put them together, all hell breaks loose. Your left hand wants to do what your right
I got an email someone who’s wondering how long it will take to learn piano. I get this question a lot and I’m sure it makes sense in the head of whoever’s asking it. But, I’ve been playing the piano for decades and I’m still not good at it. So, what hope do you have?
My way of teaching piano uses mindfulness. You might not know that because I haven’t used that word much lately. That’s because it has connotations I’m trying to avoid. But, I got an email from someone who’s interested in mindfulness. So, let’s talk about it. (The email is in a bold italic font, and my responses are
Suppose you have an undergraduate degree in a STEM field and you want to get a graduate degree (MM) in music performance. Let’s also assume you haven’t taken any music courses and you’re not great at your instrument. It won’t be easy, but you can do it. First, you don’t need an undergrad degree in
“Michael, I’m having a bit of a conflict and I’d like some help with it. You said it’s OK to block people to protect yourself and I agree with you. But, I blocked someone and I feel weird about it.” Sure, let’s talk about it. Do you feel guilty? “No, not really. I mean, he’s
“Michael, I like what you’re saying about how the piano world isn’t suited to CS majors. I’m a CS major and I’ve felt this myself. But, I kinda have some doubts. Like…don’t I have to be diligent to get good at piano? I mean, classical music is complicated. There’s a lot of detail.” I get