Which came first, Pitch or Rhythm? Pitches = the notes you play or sing, in the correct order. Rhythm = the duration of each of those notes, i.e. how long they last. Musicians measure pitch with letters of the alphabet: A, B, C, D, E, F and G. Sometimes sharps or flats are added, but …
Years ago I read Arnold Schwarzenegger’s autobiography, “Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story”. In it, he tells a story which illustrates his mindset before competitions. Actually, I think the entire book is about this. Mindset. Competitions. Winning. Being the best. I’ll give you the story in a bit, but first let’s put this into …
Humoresque has decided to tackle the subject of music practice. Yes, I know. Again! It has long been a mantra of music teachers everywhere that it’s better to practise “little and often”, rather than one enormous splurge on the morning of your music lesson. In principle – I can see why people say this. In …
Read more “Little and Often! But how little? And how often?”
Humoresque welcomes you back and wishes you all a Happy New Year! We had a lovely Christmas in Malvern with all the family, and then Carly and I celebrated the New Year by ourselves at home. The new term started this week, and so Humoresque is up and running again, and keen to help you …
Well done everybody! I loved hearing all your performances of The Donkey, and there really was a huge variety. In Category 4 there were clip-clopping donkeys, donkeys with strange and exotic chords and donkeys who picked up speed as they neared their destination! Category 3 was even more inventive, with wonderful added harmonies. In Category …
I’m looking forward to hearing everyone play The Donkey next week. Yes, the competition begins on Monday 8th December and runs until Saturday 13th December. There’s a first and second prize for each Category winner, and Humoresque will announce the winners on Monday 15th December. If you’ve won a prize, you’ll get it during your …
It has recently come to Humoresque’s attention that not many of you read these posts. Humoresque began on 6th April this year. The intention was to provide a weekly term-time blog post which would be helpful (hopefully!), informative (mostly!), entertaining (a humoresque!) and light-hearted (i.e. short!) All Humoresque’s posts are on my website, and you’re …
2026 Rippling Keys Music term dates as follows: Winter 26 begins Monday 12th January and ends Saturday 28th March. During this Session, there are no lessons in the week beginning 16th February. Spring/Summer 26 begins Monday 20th April and ends Saturday 25th July. During this Session, there are no lessons on Friday 15th May, Saturday …
You are all invited to Hemblington Church on Sunday 14th December for our Candlelit Carol Service, followed by Cake! I know some of you are too far away to make this, but if you’re in Norfolk on that day, please do come along! It’s a very special event, with the Christmas story told through prose, …
Competition Time! At the bottom of this post, you’ll see a score of a song. This song is in a piano book which I use with adult beginners. The song is called “The Donkey”. This competition has four categories. Here’s what I want you to do: Category 1 is for beginners up to and including …