Dear Friends,

I hope you are having a great week, in whatever part of the world you are! This past weekend I was traveling for a conference and then had a studio recital where all of my students played, so I’m sending this week’s issue a day later than usual (on Monday rather than Sunday).

Some of you may already be familiar with a recent discovery that thrilled pianists and classical music lovers worldwide. At the Morgan Library & Museum in New York, a curator uncovered a manuscript, tucked away among other documents: a postcard-sized score containing a waltz by none other than Frédéric Chopin. For generations, this piece was entirely unknown; it sat in that box, in the dark, waiting patiently to be rediscovered.

These days it’s easy to feel as though everything is just a click away. If I want to learn information, view a score, or hear a rare recording, I expect it to be available online. I can even get frustrated if I can’t quickly access what I’m looking for. And yet, this discovery demonstrates that although we live in a hyper-connected world where so much is measured, tracked and documented, there are still mysteries waiting for us: forgotten pieces of history hidden in the corners of libraries, museum archives, or attics.

The discovery of this new Chopin waltz gives me hope, reminding me that human creativity, with its endless inventiveness, spills beyond the bounds of what we think we already know and can quantify. Perhaps this is a call to embrace a bit more “messiness” and mystery in our own lives, to resist the need for everything to be perfectly indexed and ordered.

In my teaching studio, I have many shelves of music scores that have been donated to me over the years from private collections. I have alphabetized the scores, but many of them are composers or works I wasn’t previously familiar with. I enjoy browsing the shelves and discovering new-to-me pieces that I wouldn’t have even known to search for.

After all, the thrill of discovery lies the idea that a score tucked between two others on a shelf or at the bottom of a box might hold something capable of inspiring and astonishing us. So, this week, instead of asking a question, I want to encourage you to browse, to discover, and explore something new at the piano, whether it’s a new composer, recording, idea, or interpretation.

👋 Have a great week! Happy practicing! 🎹

-Kate

This Week's Practice Tip: Study the Pedal! 👞

Chopin once wrote, “The correct use of the pedal remains a study for life.” Despite this, pedaling is one of the most overlooked aspects of piano playing. Concertgoers are likely to be amazed by virtuosic finger technique on the keyboard, but few people look at a pianist’s feet to understand the subtle nature of the pedal.

Mastering the ability to coordinate the movement of your foot with the harmonic and melodic changes in a piece (and, therefore, to pedal effectively) can take years of practice.

Think of the damper pedal as more like a gas pedal than an on/off switch. Pushing the pedal all the way down will completely lift the dampers from the strings, but if you push it down only partway, the dampers will release slightly off the strings. Pianists refer to this technique as “half-” and “quarter-” pedaling, and use gradations of pedaling to create subtle variations in sound.

Masterful pedaling can turn a good interpretation into an unforgettable performance. It’s easy to see why Chopin felt the pedal required a lifetime of study!

This week's Exercise:

1. Start by getting acquainted with your own piano’s unique pedal response. Play a simple warm up (broken chords, chord progressions, etc.), and listen carefully to the sound, while slowly moving your foot to raise and lower the dampers slowly. Notice the point at which the dampers engage and the maximum depth of the pedal, exploring all the levels in between.
2. Select a passage from piece that requires the pedal. Many Romantic-era pieces will be ideal for this.
3. Before playing anything, take note of any pedal markings in the music and compare them to the harmonies you see. Are there any markings that don’t seem to match the harmonic changes? Most pedal markings are suggestions; you don’t need to follow them exactly, but they can help inform your interpretation.
4. Play through the passage several times, each time trying a different way of using the pedal. Experiment with timing, depth, and release. The pedal is a study for life, so you will find something new every time you do this! (For more on pedaling, check out this week's book recommendation below!)

🎥 This week's Video

​How to Improve BALANCE Between Your Hands on the Piano​

In this week's video, I tackle an essential and often frustrating aspect of piano playing: the balance between the hands. I cover three key areas to help you improve this skill: active listening, the feel of your hands, and the specific techniques required for playing loud versus soft.

💜 Some of My Favorite Things

1. 🎹Performance: Here is a recording with score of Lang Lang performing the newly-discovered Chopin Waltz in A Minor that I mentioned at the beginning of this newsletter.
2. 📚Book: The Pianist's Guide to Pedaling, by Joseph Banowetz. This book offers in-depth coverage of pedaling techniques, geared toward advanced pianists and teachers. I recently updated my book recommendations page - you can check out my new recommendations here!
3. 📲 Blog Post: "How Important Is It Really to Practice Every Day?" on the Bulletproof Musician blog. Is practicing every day really essential? This post describes studies comparing the difference between daily, spaced-out practice and marathon sessions, in terms of learning and retention.

🎹 Stay Connected:

• 📆 Book a lesson or a coaching session with me. I have updated my available dates through the end of November!
• 🎓 Contact me to learn about applying to study with me at Butler University at the undergraduate or master's level. You can also see ​Butler University’s audition schedule​ if you are interested in studying with me here in Indianapolis. Go Dawgs! 🐾
• 📚 Check out my resource pages, where I share my recommended books, technical exercises, gear and more!
• 🎥 Subscribe to my YouTube channel!
• 📱Follow me on Instagram!