Dear Friends,

This past Tuesday, on October 22, was Franz Liszt's birthday - he was born 213 years ago.

​Amy Fay, an American pianist who studied with Liszt, described his teaching style in her book Music Study in Germany, which consists of a series of letters she wrote during her time in Germany from 1869-1875.

In these letters, Fay describes Liszt as both inspiring and unorthodox in his methods. Liszt’s teaching often revolved around interpretation and emotional expression, as opposed to emphasizing technical drills. He gave group lessons to his students, allowing them to learn from one another as well as from him.

Fay recalls how Liszt had an almost supernatural presence at the piano, transforming the instrument into an orchestra, and how his interpretations could elevate a piece to new artistic heights. His feedback was direct, always urging his students to play with expression and passion.

Liszt’s group lessons were about more than just playing the right notes; they were about creating an environment where students could learn from each other, explore their individual artistic voices, and grow as musicians and people. He believed in the importance of expression, interpretation, and bringing something personal to the music.

So, my question for you this week is: What’s one way you can bring more of your own personality into your playing? I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you’re making the music your own.

👋 Have a great week! Happy practicing! 🎹

-Kate

Today's Practice Tip: Bringing Dynamics to Life 🎼

When you’re learning a piece, it’s easy to get caught up in the notes and rhythms and forget about the printed dynamics on the page. But dynamics add character and emotion to your performance, transforming a piece from mechanical to musical.

Because music notation about dynamics is open to interpretation, deciding how to interpret specific dynamic markings can be difficult. Even though there are (usually) six standard dynamic markings (pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff), the best musicians hear a full spectrum of volume levels, creating subtle variations of each dynamic marking. The style and character of the piece, composer, historical era, the performance space, and your instrument all influence what mf means in any particular context.

This week's Exercise:

1. Identify the Dynamics: Begin by reviewing a section of your piece and highlighting all the dynamic markings (e.g., piano, forte, crescendo, diminuendo). It can be helpful to use a different color for each dynamic marking (e.g., all fortes in pink, all pianos in green, all crescendos in yellow, etc.).
2. Zoom out: Look at the piece in the big picture. Is one dynamic more common? Where are the loudest and softest parts of the piece? Are there specific places (i.e., structural moments) where the dynamics change?
3. Zoom in: As you practice through your piece, focus carefully on each dynamic marking as you come to it. Given the context of the piece, what does this dynamic marking mean? Why do you think the composer may have decided to use this dynamic marking? For example, is a section marked piano supposed to be gentle, intimate, shy, mysterious, etc.? What do you want the volume level here to be, relative to the rest of the piece?
4. Exaggerate: As you practice with this focus, exaggerate the dynamics. Make the loud sections very powerful and the quiet sections barely audible. This helps your muscles start to remember how it feels to play at different dynamic levels, and your mind will start making the link between the dynamic markings in the music and the emotions behind them.

🎥 YouTube Video

This week I published my first new video in a while: 4 CREATIVE Ways to Practice Hanon Piano Exercises!​

I made this video because, even though I don't usually assign Hanon exercises to my students, I know a lot of piano students practice Hanon exercises and it can be an exercise that quickly becomes mechanical.

In this video, I share four fresh and creative ways to practice Hanon that will renew your practice and help you improve your musicianship and facility at the piano.

💜 Some of My Favorite Things

1. 🎹Performance: Franz Liszt: Grande Fantaisie Symphonique (S.120). To celebrate Liszt's recent birthday on October 22, I thought I'd highlight one of his lesser-known pieces. Grande Fantaisie Symphonique was composed in 1834, based on themes from Hector Berlioz's Lélio. After being lost for years, it was rediscovered at an auction in 1998. Here's a performance with score by Jena Jando and the Budapest Symphony Orchestra.​
2. 📚Book: Men, Women and Pianos: A Social History by Arthur Loesser is a thorough, detailed and surprising social history of the piano. It is a long, enjoyable read that I recommend to any lover of the piano. Find more of my book recommendations here.
3. 📲 App: Piano Marvel is a piano learning app for your laptop or tablet. With its self-paced lessons, sight reading practice, and technical exercises, Piano Marvel is a must-have tool for self-taught pianists. Save $3 per month with my affiliate link.​

🎹 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!