Dear Friends,

I am writing this the weekend before Thanksgiving, a major holiday here in the United States. We had our last official day of classes this past Friday, and for the coming week the university is on Thanksgiving break. This is typically a season to take stock and think about what we are grateful for.

As I contemplate this question, I find that I am grateful for the community that has been growing around The Piano Prof. My YouTube channel recently passed the 10,000 subscribers milestone, and the number of readers of this newsletter is growing every week.

When I started this project about two years ago, I thought to myself that if I could just help one additional piano student through my online teaching, I would be satisfied that my efforts were worthwhile. What I didn't anticipate was the feeling of purpose and meaning that would come from connecting with pianists and piano students around the world, who share a love for music and a fascination with the piano.

In celebration of reaching the 10,000 milestone, I have decided to do an "Ask Me Anything" video, where I answer questions submitted by readers and viewers. You can submit your question here.​

This Thanksgiving holiday, I am grateful for you, my reader. Thank you for being part of this community!

Happy Practicing! 🎹

-Kate

In every newsletter I share one practice tip based on that month’s practice theme. November’s theme is “Gaining Security.”

Today's Practice Tip: Notice the Relationship BETWEEN the Hands!

When you are playing a piece with counterpoint (where the hands move independently of each other, like a Bach invention), it can be tempting to think that if you just repeat it enough times, it will start to become easier. But sometimes it doesn't actually get easier just through repetition and determination - have you ever had that experience?

One way to help improve your ability to handle independent voices is to look carefully at the relationship between the hands.

A lot of our inability to play with good coordination between the hands is due to lack of anticipation of where the hand/fingers are going next.

A lot of issues happen while playing counterpoint, when you don’t anticipate what is about to happen. You could be playing along and then suddenly one hand changes direction, and this becomes the place where you slip up.

There are only 3 ways the hands can move in relation to each other: in parallel motion, in contrary motion, and in similar motion.

Parallel motion is when the hands play the same intervals in the same direction: for example, if your hands are a third or a tenth apart and the line is going up in each hand.

Similar motion is when the hands play different intervals in the same direction: for example, if you are going up a second in one hand and a seventh in the other hand.

Contrary motion is when the hands come toward or go away from each other; for example, when the right hand is ascending while the left hand is descending.

This week’s exercise: For a piece you’re playing where the hands are independent and not following predictable patterns, look at a place that has been giving you trouble. Go veeeery slowly, note by note through the spot and identify the relationship between the hands, and the direction that both hands are moving in.

I find it most helpful to verbalize this. As you play one note to the next, say out loud “Parallel, ascending; contrary, going out; similar, right hand up a fifth, left hand up a second.”

This exercise can help you anticipate the direction of the notes and create more security in those sections that feel the most precarious.

RESOURCES: If you don't understand what I mean when I talk about intervals, I recommend learning a bit of music theory. I like this series by Keith Snell, and I like this free website to drill and practice your interval recognition.

If you want to go deeper, I recommend Piano Marvel, which is a subscription program that has a terrific curriculum for music theory and has excellent sightreading exercises. You can use my affiliate link for a small discount.

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