Dear Friends,

Before we get started: here at Butler University, we are nearing the end of the academic year. Since I don't see my students over the summer, I like to give them a listening list to work through on their own.

The other day I realized this would be great to share with my wider community. So, I’m working on expanding it into a listening series called Piano Lit – a curated list delivered as a weekly email over six weeks. Each week will contain links to performances of 6-7 pieces, with "what to listen for" commentary, designed to help you get more familiar with a range of piano music, sharpen your listening, and deepen your listening habit. I plan to launch this in about a month, and it will cost $27 for the six-week series. If you’d like to be notified when it’s available, just click here.​

Anyway, here's what I'm thinking about today: if you were to ask pianists to name their favorite living pianist, many of them would mention Martha Argerich, sometimes called “the high priestess of the piano.” I had the good fortune to hear her play several times when I was living in Germany in the '90s, and each of those concerts is seared into my memory.

Argerich is famously publicity-shy, which made a recent profile on her in the New York Times all the more compelling to read. (You can read it here: this "gift article" link expires on May 20.)

One would think that a performer whom many call “the greatest living pianist” would have a supreme amount of confidence, but she says, “I have insecurities all the time — that it’s not good, that I’m not prepared.”

That sentence sent me straight back to the piano bench, to practice. Because if she can feel that way and still show up, maybe the rest of us should too.

But what really stayed with me after reading that article was her mysticism - she experiences present-day relationships with long-dead composers, and she is constantly discovering new colors and new ideas in pieces she has performed hundreds of times. Having the ability to approach each concert as a new and special experience, and not falling back into an old familiar way of playing an old familiar piece, is a talent in and of itself.

At the end of the article, Argerich expresses her amazement and bewilderment at how extraordinary we think virtuoso pianists are. She says, “I don’t ask anymore; I just play.”

There’s something liberating in reading that - to hear the “Goddess of the Piano” herself say that even she doesn’t fully see the point, while at the same time marveling at and acknowledging the extravagant beauty and mystical connections that come from playing this music and engaging with these composers, is a reminder that maybe “just playing” is enough.

We don’t need to wait until everything is perfectly aligned, and we don’t always need to understand why we do it. We can just play.

So, this week I humbly suggest: go to your piano and play - and know you are part of a worldwide community of people connecting through this mysterious, glorious, bewildering, beautiful instrument.

👋 Have a great week! Happy practicing! 🎹

-Kate

Practice TIP of the week:

Here are the most recent practice tips I have covered:​
​🎵 March 16: Subdividing the Beat​​
​🎵 March 23: Playing with Rubato​
🎵 April 6: Dynamic Contrast​
🎵 April 13: Pacing Hairpins​

Each month, I focus on a specific theme for practice tips. This month’s theme is Dynamics and Expression.

Today's Practice Tip: What is Phrasing?

Phrasing is something we talk a lot about as musicians and pianists. And yet, I encounter a lot of confusion among students about what the term “phrasing” actually means.

At its core, phrasing is about shaping a musical idea: it goes toward something or comes away from something.

Music is a language; it has syntax just like spoken language does. When you think about it that way, it’s easy to imagine a phrase as a musical sentence. A phrase is one musical idea that hangs together as a complete thought. If this is a new concept for you, have a look at the first movement of a Mozart sonata: often a phrase is eight bars long.

As in spoken language, within a phrase there are natural ups and downs that help reflect the meaning of what is being “said.” When we talk about “phrasing,” it is our attempt to show those ups and downs in sound.

When I work with students on phrasing, I notice that after they hear me demonstrate, they focus on the fact that I get louder and softer in order to shape a phrase. That’s understandable – the music does get slightly louder and softer, and it’s easy to assume that if you just get louder and softer, that’s all you have to do to phrase well.

Dynamics can help shape a phrase, but they’re just part of the story. If you think phrasing is only about the loudness or softness of each note, you’ll miss a lot of the nuance here.

Back to our speech analogy: when you speak, some syllables are louder than others, and that is partly why we are able to understand the syntax and meaning behind what somebody is saying. It would be possible, but very distracting, to primarily focus on speaking some syllables louder than others when you speak (rather than focusing on the content of what you are saying), and the result would sound mannered and stilted.

In order to improve your ability to phrase well at the piano, start thinking in terms of musical shapes. Look for the highest point and the lowest point in the phrase. And sing! Play the melody alone while singing along with yourself, then sing the melody away from the piano. Once you get over feeling self-conscious about the fact that you’re singing, sing expressively, at full volume. Don’t worry about your pitch; focus on the shape and rhythm of the melodic line.

(If you feel worried that somebody might overhear you, go sit in your car. Sing loudly; sing lustily; sing with your full heart.)

When you start to pay attention to the way you’re singing the line, you’ll notice that you naturally grow to certain notes in the melody and other notes are quieter. You do it without even thinking about it, because that is what the shape of the melody is “asking” you to do with your voice.

This is what phrasing is. This is what we try to imitate at the piano. Now go back to the piano, sing the phrase, and then imitate what you just sang, playing the melodic line alone. Notice where the peak is when you sing it and mark that spot in your music.

If you struggle to hear any differentiation while you play, take your phone out and record yourself playing the melody. Then listen back and notice the shape you played and compare it to what you sang. Phrasing is an iterative process, and with practice, it starts to become something that you automatically do when you play a melody on the piano.

Good luck with your phrasing this week!

💜 Some of My Favorite Things

1. Performance 🎶: No discussion about Martha Argerich would be complete without linking to her electrifying recording of the Prokofiev Toccata.
2. Bach ❤️: My friend Janna Williamson (check out her YouTube channel if you haven't already!) sent me this gorgeous performance of the St. Matthew Passion by the Netherlands Bach Society.
3. Equipment 👞: Firefly Bluetooth Pedal. If you use an iPad for sheet music, this wireless page-turning pedal is 100% worth it. There are many contenders on the market, but this one is my favorite. It’s reliable, easy to pair via Bluetooth, and works seamlessly with the note-reading app forScore. If you’ve ever struggled to turn pages during a performance (or just want to keep both hands on the keys), this is well worth it.