Heart of the Piano Podcast

Please check the shownotes for timings (at HeartOfThePiano.com) if you just want to listen to the review for one particular grade

In this thought-provoking first part of a two-part review, I explore the new books and discuss how ABRSM are navigating the complex landscape of music education in a changing world. Join me as I delve into the challenges and opportunities presented by this new syllabus, which is sure to spark lively debate within the piano community. Part two will review the individual grades.

Tim Topham is a legend in the piano education world, his podcast "The Integrated Music Teaching Podcast" is a who's who of the most interesting & creative piano educators. It was a huge honour to chat to Tim about his new book which advocates and provides a framework for delaying reading music with beginner piano students.

This episode is not just for piano teachers though, I'm sure everybody will be interested in our chat which includes topics such as common preventable weaknesses that most piano students have, the history of improvisation and freedom from the written note in classical music, the problem with method books, and more...

Check the shownotes for timings if you just want to listen to the review for one particular grade

The most radical and indispensable piano syllabus ever! This will either be incredibly exciting for piano teachers & students- or highly controversial. Either way, it’s a must-own. In this episode I discuss some of the many controversial issues that this new syllabus raises, and give you a detailed verdict on these new books. Part two will review the individual grades.

Cheryl is back for a masterclass on how awareness of musical tension and release can make huge changes to our playing, and demonstrates that we absolutely need to learn to learn to feel it in the body before we can successfully apply it to our piano playing

My friend Cheryl is back to chat about and get a deeper understanding of the practical ways in which we can become truly great pianists by bringing the psychological skills I've demonstrated in recent episodes into our learning and practising

An epic review (with music audio clips) of ABRSM's hotly anticipated foray into pop music!
I'm holding ABRSM to a high standard so I'm quite critical, but I do also look for what there is to enjoy in these books. Listen to this episode to find out if you should buy them for yourself or recommend them for your students!

This fourth skill is immensely practical, maybe some of you might think it's a stretch to call it a 'psychological skill', but I notice that it's totally normal for most of my students to have issues with putting this into practice as- like in meditation- we have to practise choosing where to place our awareness in any given moment

The third in a series looking at the most essential mental habits to practise at the piano that will give you the quickest and most profound progress. These are the things I refer to constantly when I'm teaching, and covers aspects of musicianship that almost all teachers consider unteachable- considered to be innate qualities in talented students. But I can show you how to develop this natural musicianship. I think we can all struggle with this third skill at times, and it's for this reason that we really need to work on it as much as possible, and will make a massive difference to the quality of your playing and performing

A must-listen review (with music audio clips) of 3 books of jazz piano sheet music from Nikki Iles & Friends published by ABRSM covering from initial grade up to grade 8 and beyond. A detailed look at highlights and 'weak' pieces with audio clips from each book starts at 36:30

The second in a series looking at the most essential mental habits to practise at the piano that will give you the quickest and most profound progress. These are the things I refer to constantly when I'm teaching, and covers aspects of musicianship that almost all teachers consider unteachable- considered to be innate qualities in talented students. But I can show you how to develop this natural musicianship.  When my students practise regularly using this second skill, their musicality is transformed, and they learn new pieces so much more easily!

A lively and passionate discussion  where we introduce the ideas and research behind Self-Determination Theory, which could help you make giant leaps with your music. Some core topics covered in this episode include intrinsic & extrinsic motivation, autonomy, how rewards actually make us perform worse, ego & needing approval from others and ourselves, and how we can practise & cultivate intrinsic motivation in our own piano journey.

Can ABRSM bounce back from their last syllabus I was highly critical of?
Listen to this episode for a comprehensive review of the new set of books, including audio clips of many of the new pieces.
I also discuss some of the recent controversial issues regarding their operational and business challenges

The first in a series looking at the most essential mental habits to practise at the piano that will give you the quickest and most profound progress. These are the things I refer to constantly when I'm teaching, and covers aspects of musicianship that almost all teachers consider unteachable- considered to be innate qualities in talented students. But I can show you how to develop this natural musicianship.  The first skill covered in this episode is by far the most important- I'm always reminding my students that it needs to be practised in every single moment of music-making! Listen to this episode to see if this is a skill you're already working on!

Matt Herskowitz is quite simply one of the most skilful, versatile, and soulful pianists on the planet.
Matt shines in many genres, but it's his outstanding work jazzing up classical music in particular that was the reason I absolutely had to chat with him for the podcast!
I include many generous audio clips of Matt's playing during the interview to give you a taste of what I love about his playing

A practical masterclass demonstrating how an understanding of the two brain hemispheres can help us deal with performance anxiety, and help us identify and deal with obstacles to our natural musicianship when learning and practising a new piece.

A further introduction into how an understanding of the two brain hemispheres can help us with aspects of musicianship that are normally considered 'unteachable'!

An introduction into how an understanding of the two brain hemispheres can help us with aspects of musicianship that are normally considered 'unteachable'!

Not only just a review of the 2021 Leeds International Piano Competition, but also a wider examination of the issues brought up by competition in music, the role of music in communities, interviews with some of my favourite competitors including the winner Alim Beisembayev, audio clips from the unofficially linked Leeds Pub Piano Competition event, discussion with the competitors about how they deal with the nerves and pressures of competitions, and much more!

After a long wait, LCM have published a brand new piano syllabus- which covers exams from Pre-Preparatory level to Grade 8. Find out how it compares to ABRSM, Trinity, and Rockschool Classical's recent new syllabuses.

Listen to see why I'm so enthusiastic about Rockschool's Rock/Pop Piano grades for piano! Following on from my previous review, I also give more information for those considering the new Rockschool Classical grades.

Rockschool has recently released an exciting new set of classical piano grades! Listen to this review to find out their strengths and weaknesses, including my strong misgivings.

The Heart of the Piano Podcast is back with a review of the new piano syllabuses from ABRSM and Trinity, which take you from an Initial Grade to Grade 8. Listen to the podcast to discover some reasons why me and many other piano teachers are now defecting from ABRSM to Trinity!

An absorbing, enlightening and entertaining conversation with Karl Luthmayer- musical raconteur, international concert pianist, academic, rock star keyboardist and theremin player in a prog-rock band!

As well as chatting about Karl's career and piano playing, we discuss his fascinating research on facial expressiveness in piano performers, the history and aesthetics of piano concert arrangements, the explosion of interest in Western classical music in India, concert etiquette and reaching new audiences.

I was so excited about interviewing Karen Bulmer that it only very recently occurred to me after recording the interview that Karen is not actually a pianist! But every musician will get so much from listening to this episode, and I think particularly us pianists who often have to juggle so many things happening at once in our music will really benefit from so much of the conversation between me and Karen.

Karen is an incredibly clear thinker and communicator, with thoughtful responses on some of my favourite topics such as skilful use of attention in practice and performance, narrow and wide focus, internal and external focus, perfectionism in classical music, meditation and music, beginner's mind, movement and music, and all that good stuff!

I very much recommend all musicians to check out the Music, Mind, and Movement Podcast that Karen runs- she's had some amazing guests and all the interviews are fantastic. In episode 9, Karen actually got a student to interview her, so you can hear a lot about her background and work there. Rather than repeat that format for this interview at Heart of the Piano, I thought it would be interesting to have more of a two-way conversation and go deeper into many of the topics dear to my heart that I've heard Karen's guests discuss on her podcast.

The Leeds International Piano Competition is one of the top 3 most important and prestigious piano competitions in the world, with previous finalists such as Murray Perahia, Mitsuko Uchida, András Schiff... and dozens more names that anybody familiar with classical pianists will recognise instantly as being in the top row of the best, most important, and most successful artists in the business.

The competition has always owed its strength and international presence to its founder Dame Fanny Waterman- after she recently stepped down from her role as Artistic Director, Adam Gatehouse and the pianist Paul Lewis took over the reigns as joint Artistic Directors (Paul Lewis has unfortunately since resigned from the post due to career commitments).

We already covered aspects of The Leeds (as the competition is more informally known) in episode 5 of the Heart of the Piano Podcast when I interviewed Benjamin Frith, who took part as a competitor in 2 separate years, and whose teacher is Dame Fanny Waterman. So it was a pleasure to be able to chat to Adam who very kindly gave us some of his time in the middle of the Leeds Piano Festival (a new annual offshoot of the competition!) which is currently running in Leeds (Yorkshire) and London.

Olga is not only a superb pianist- her CD shows off her deep soulful & expressive playing with a highly refined ear for counterpoint, layers and structure- but her concert transcription of the Vitali Chaconne for solo piano is an absolute masterpiece, and she has also done a PhD on polyphony in Rachmaninov... I absolutely had to interview her!
I'm afraid my enthusiasm for details about bells and the structure of the Rachmaninov 2nd Sonata made the beginning of this episode perhaps a little self indulgent! But from 8 minutes in, you can learn about how Rachmaninov was influenced by Russian folk music (and I guarantee this will be new information for you!), and we spend quite a while chatting about the importance of learning to really listen when developing as a pianist- particularly with counterpoint and polyphony.
Anybody who's serious about becoming a better pianist will pick up many important tips from the Russian School of Piano Playing which Olga explains passionately and clearly.
All audio clips are from Olga's CD 'Chaconnes & Songs'

Erica is the editor of UK-based Pianist Magazine, an internationally renowned magazine for people who love to play the piano. It features interviews with top concert pianists, full-length features on current issues, how-to piano lessons, CD and sheet music reviews, Questions and Answers, teaching tips and concert highlights.

I thought, who better to chat with than the editor of one of the world's top piano magazines for interesting opinions and conversations on all things piano related!

Erica originally had a scholarship to study at the Manhattan School of Music, and we also chat about her musical journey- it's Erica's wonderful piano playing that we hear at the beginning and end of this podcast episode.

This time, my friend Andy Cole did the interviewing, chatting with Melvin Besbrode, owner of one of the biggest piano stores in the UK- situated in Leeds.
It's well worth listening to even if you're not buying a piano- very interesting topics are covered such as the monumental popularity of the piano in China & Asia, and little-known reasons how the piano came to be such an important part of the culture there.

Ben Richards organises 8(!) regular piano meetup groups all across the UK.
We talk about what makes his groups particularly fun and inviting for amateurs and beginners (although advanced players also play), some of the history of piano groups and the piano, and the various benefits and attractions of taking part.
We also talk about the inevitable nerves and performance anxiety that we all feel, and chat a little about how to deal with it!

A free guided visualisation to help people get passionate and motivated to practise their piano and achieve their goals!
This guided visualisation is strongly influenced by the book 'Rethinking Positive Thinking: Inside the New Science of Motivation', which suggests strong evidence-led strategies for using visualisation in ways that are most likely to bring about successful goal achievement.
You should have a chosen bar ready to practise with fingerings already worked out to make the most of this meditation.
It's better to use speakers (or just use the speaker on your phone or computer) and not use headphones for this meditation so you can hear your piano clearly.
The meditation starts at 1:30 if you want to listen to it after the first time without the introduction.
Risks: people with unresolved trauma, psychotic disorders, major depression or severe personality disorders should get advice from medical practitioners and meditation teachers before starting any form of meditation.

A free guided audio meditation to use while practising the piano- this meditation uses a slightly more selective selection of techniques from the previous meditation, 'Further Down the Road'. However, the plan is to make many guided meditations that will guide people over a longer period of time to gradually and gently build up these techniques, and go into more depth on each one.
You should have a chosen bar ready to practise with fingerings already worked out to make the most of this meditation.
It's better to use speakers (or just use the speaker on your phone or computer) and not use headphones for this meditation so you can hear your piano clearly.
The meditation starts at 5:00 if you want to listen to it after the first time without the introduction.
Risks: people with unresolved trauma, psychotic disorders, major depression or severe personality disorders should get advice from medical practitioners and meditation teachers before starting any form of meditation.

A free guided audio meditation to use while sat at the piano- this meditation gives a taster of many different techniques that can be used to deepen piano practice. However, the plan is to make many guided meditations that will guide people over a longer period of time to gradually and gently build up these techniques, and go into more depth on each one.
It's better to use speakers (or just use the speaker on your phone or computer) and not use headphones for this meditation so you can hear your piano clearly.
The meditation starts at 2:35 if you want to listen to it after the first time without the introduction.
Risks: people with unresolved trauma, psychotic disorders, major depression or severe personality disorders should get advice from medical practitioners and meditation teachers before starting any form of meditation.

A free guided audio meditation to use while sat at the piano- this meditation explores the ability to really listen to your piano- one of the most important skills for any pianist.
It's better to use speakers (or just use the speaker on your phone or computer) and not use headphones for this meditation so you can hear your piano clearly.
Risks: people with unresolved trauma, psychotic disorders, major depression or severe personality disorders should get advice from medical practitioners and meditation teachers before starting any form of meditation.

Continuation of the interview with Benjamin Frith, British classical pianist with strong links to the Leeds International Piano Competition- having been a competitor at 'The Leeds' twice, and a student with Dame Fanny Waterman since an early age.
He won several big awards early in his career, and his recordings are highly regarded- five of his discs are represented in the Gramophone Best CD Guide and his disc of Schumann’s Davidsbundlertänze was chosen as the top recommendation on the Radio 3 “Building a Library” programme.

Benjamin Frith is a British classical pianist with strong links to the Leeds International Piano Competition- having been a competitor at 'The Leeds' twice, and a student with Dame Fanny Waterman since an early age. He won several big awards early in his career, and his recordings are highly regarded- five of his discs are represented in the Gramophone Best CD Guide and his disc of Schumann’s Davidsbundlertänze was chosen as the top recommendation on the Radio 3 “Building a Library” programme.
Ben also happens to have been my piano teacher when I was doing my music degree, and I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to be inspired and guided by such an incredible musician. In these two podcasts, we talk about the Leeds Piano Competition, his teacher Dame Fanny Waterman and generally chat and catch up!