Dear Friends,

Before we get started: I have an upcoming live-streamed faculty performance this week. On Tuesday, April 15 I’ll be performing Clara Schumann's 3 Romances for Violin and Piano, along with a trio by Polina Nazaykinskaya, on my colleague Mélanie Clapiès' faculty recital. ​[More info and live stream link.]​​

Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about the term "precision" lately. It's a good word for what we strive for when we sit at the piano and practice. We aim for precision in notes and executing tricky passages. We intend to be precise in carrying out the composer's wishes. We strive for precision in determining what we want to communicate to the listener.

Earlier this week, I performed a trio by Polina Nazaykinskaya on a faculty recital. She came to our dress rehearsal and gave us feedback before the performance, making minor adjustments to the tempo, asking me to double some octaves in one section, and addressing the balance in a couple of spots. Having the chance to talk directly with a living composer and get precise feedback about interpretation is an incredibly rewarding experience, and one I would wish for every performer. Just imagine if you could ask Beethoven himself for clarification or feedback while practicing one of his sonatas!

“Precision” is a helpful word to use when approaching one's own practice. In my practice this week, I have been focusing on being as precise as possible in physical motions and in my inner imagining of the sound I want to create.

In your practice this week, try cultivating a precise mental image of exactly how you want your piece to sound, even if this feels challenging at first. When you practice, notice the precise place you make a mistake and then isolate and practice just that spot. Record yourself and listen back, paying close attention to how precisely you execute the dynamics and articulation markings printed in the score.

👋 Have a great week! Happy practicing! 🎹

-Kate

Practice TIP of the week:

Each month, I focus on a specific theme for practice tips.

Last month's theme was Rhythm and Meter. Here are the most recent practice tips I have covered:
🎵 March 9: Syncing with the Metronome​
​🎵 March 16: Subdividing the Beat​​
​🎵 March 23: Playing with Rubato​
🎵 April 6: Dynamic Contrast​

This month’s theme is Dynamics and Expression.

Today's Practice Tip: Pacing Hairpins

In my teaching, I’ve noticed a common misunderstanding about dynamics. Students often have the impression that dynamics represent specific, measurable volumes, i.e., forte corresponding to a particular loudness level and piano being softer by a specific, measurable amount.

However, dynamics are context-dependent. A forte in a classical-era piece will feel and sound different from a forte in a romantic-era one. Also, every composer uses dynamics in their unique compositional way, so developing an understanding of a composer’s style can greatly clarify how “loud” or “soft” your dynamics should actually be.

This concept extends to crescendo and diminuendo markings. These often-neglected markings serve as the transition between dynamic levels. Crescendo and diminuendo can either be indicated with words (like cresc. or dim.) or with symbols resembling hairpins, which is why we often just refer to them as “hairpins.”

Here are the four biggest mistakes I see students make with crescendo and diminuendo markings:

1. Anticipating dynamic changes. It’s easy to look ahead and accidentally start a crescendo before it’s printed or begin getting quieter before the diminuendo happens. Remember, the start of a crescendo should still feel quiet. In many cases, it should be the softest moment. Likewise, the diminuendo should begin at the loudest point.
2. Pacing. Sometimes students will forget about a crescendo or diminuendo until the very end, missing the gradual transition. Writing intermediate dynamics along the crescendo or diminuendo can help maintain a consistent pace. For instance, if you have a crescendo from piano to forte, clearly mark mezzo piano (mp) and mezzo forte (mf) at appropriate intervals to help you remember the pacing.
3. Artistry. That said, not every crescendo or diminuendo unfolds evenly. Sometimes a crescendo will start gradually and then “bloom” dramatically at the end. How you pace your crescendo or diminuendo depends entirely on the musical context and your expressive goals.
4. Tempo. Another frequent issue I encounter is when students unintentionally link changes in volume with changes in tempo: getting faster when growing louder and slowing down when growing softer. Practice maintaining a steady pulse as you vary dynamics to make sure tempo and volume changes remain independent.

This week’s exercises:

• Identify all crescendo and diminuendo markings in your music: both those that are explicitly marked and those that are implied but not written in. Write in clear starting and ending dynamics, then practice these passages carefully until you are satisfied with your pacing and dynamic contrast.
• Incorporate "hairpin" practice into your scale practice. First, grow louder as you ascend and get softer as you descend, using your metronome to maintain a steady tempo. Then reverse this: starting fortissimo, getting softer while ascending, reaching pianissimo at the top, and then growing louder while descending. This is much more difficult, but also an important skill to develop.

Have fun experimenting with your dynamics this week!

💜 Some of My Favorite Things

1. Performance 🎶: One of my students performed her Junior Recital the other night. Cécile Chaminade's Sonata in C minor was on the program. Not many people are familiar with it, but this piece is a beautiful large-scale Romantic work that is worthy of more attention. Here is a performance (with score) by Joanna Polk.​
2. Etudes 🎹: Ingrid Jacobson Clarfield's series Burgmüller, Czerny & Hanon -- Piano Studies Selected for Technique and Musicality is an excellent pedagogical series that has a mix of etudes by the composers Burgmüller, Czerny and Hanon. Each book is organized into units, and the exercises are arranged in progressive order of difficulty. Get Book 1 (late elementary to early intermediate), Book 2 (early intermediate to intermediate), Book 3 (intermediate to upper intermediate).
3. Book 📚: Grand Obsession: A Piano Odyssey - Perri Knize. If you enjoy books about the piano as an instrument, the history of pianos, and the history of piano builders, or if you enjoyed The Piano Shop on the Left Bank by Thad Carhart, you might really like this book! Knize is an amateur pianist who is shopping for a piano. The book chronicles her journey to finding the perfect piano, while in the process learning about how the sound of a piano is changed and manipulated through the work of piano technicians, voicing and regulation. Get Grand Obsession in paperback or Kindle.