In the Humoresques of 23rd April (“Enemies to Lovers”) and 30th April (“Vingt-et-Un”) I gave you guidance on when, why and how to use a metronome as part of your practice. Remember, I suggested you only use numbers between 60bpm (beats per minute) and 144bpm. [I am sticking, as always, to traditional metronome marks, although …
The pianist in the photo was Radu Lupu (1945-2022). He was Romanian, and one of the greatest pianists ever. We are very lucky to have recordings of his performances. Lupu started studying piano when he was six years old. In 1969, at the age of 24, he won the famous Leeds International Piano Competition. In …
It’s never been easier! There are YouTube playlists, Spotify playlists, mp3 recordings to buy, borrow or stream – and, of course, CDs and even vinyl records! What a choice! So it’s easy to listen – but why should you? Here are three great reasons: 3. Listening helps your hands follow your ears. This isn’t just …
Last week I asked if anyone wanted me to send my “Humoresque” posts to their teenage children, or friends or family who might be interested. I have had no response at all! Teenage children would benefit from the advice in these posts, and might even enjoy reading them. This includes many of my pupils. Please …
Vingt-et-un is a card game in which you have to collect twenty-one points. Here’s a quick summary of the rules: I hope you’ll have a go at this age-old gambling game! I grew up on it! And now the reason we’re diving into “vingt-et-un” today: old-fashioned metronomes are the answer. Old-fashioned metronomes, those lovely pyramid-shaped …
Hello everyone! You will probably have seen a couple of my “Humoresque” blog posts by now. They are intended to be both Humorous and Helpful! I hope they’re hitting the spot. However, I don’t have email addresses for all my pupils, in particular those under the age of eighteen. If your child is one of …
Many of you will know that I write novels – Medieval Fantasy Adventures. This is just one genre of fiction, and there are many others. We all have our favourites, but one of the on-trend genres right now is called “Enemies to Lovers”. The “enemies to lovers” trope describes a romantic narrative where two characters who …
Sight-reading means playing a piece of music for the first time. In an exam situation, your sight-reading test is meant to be a performance: don’t stop, don’t go back, get from start to finish in one go, and if you can, add dynamics and play musically! In real life, sight-reading isn’t a test at all. …
Hello everyone, this is just to let you know that I will be posting on a blog on the Rippling Keys website from next week. The overarching name for the blog is “Humoresque”, which means a light-hearted piece of music, usually short and lively. It may be fanciful and humorous, apparently! Probably the best-known humoresque …
A Humoresque is a genre of Romantic music, characterised by pieces with fanciful humour in the sense of mood rather than wit. (Wikipedia, accessed 09: 50 2nd April 2025)