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Do you make these mistakes in your piano practice?

by Tim Topham

Practising music is something we need to learn how to do and until we do, we will probably make some mistakes. This article highlights some of the most common errors made in music practice and tells you how to amend them. The result will be that you can begin to progress on your instrument with ... Do you make these mistakes in your piano practice?

06/22/2011 Read more

Here, Have a Chainsaw! Metronome Practice | Piano Pedagogy Page

by Tim Topham

All about metronome practice with students… Great article. It occurs to me that I’m occasionally guilty of telling students they need to use a metronome without having taught them how to use one.  It’s the musical equivalent of handing someone a chainsaw and expecting them to cut down a tree. Pretend for a moment that you’ve ... Here, Have a Chainsaw! Metronome Practice | Piano Pedagogy Page

06/21/2011 Read more

Chord playing for beginners

by Tim Topham

I normally introduce chord playing for beginners in root position within the first two lessons for a new beginner. Why? Simply because playing triads with the RH and octaves or single bass notes in the LH is instantly fun and sounds really musical. It’s also great practice for learning about harmony and common chord progressions. I ... Chord playing for beginners

06/13/2011 Read more

“Google Earth” Practice

by Tim Topham

I’ve recently begun using the analogy of Google Earth when helping my students plan their practice. For those of you who haven’t used Google Earth before, it’s a free satellite imaging program that allows a user to zoom in on any area of the Earth, starting with a view of the Earth as if you were in ... “Google Earth” Practice

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Teaching piano with rhythms

by Tim Topham

Practising in rhythms is, without a doubt, my No 1 practice tip for students! Why? One simple reason: it reduces the amount of time that they need to spend practising repetitive sequences such as scales and scale passages, arpeggios, broken chords and any kind of fast quaver or semiquaver movement. Students will be able to ... Teaching piano with rhythms

06/04/2011 Read more