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Song Without Words (Op. 19b, No. 1)

Mendelssohn’s first Song Without Words, a lovely Andante con moto in E major, is a highly enjoyable and rewarding piece to study at the early advanced level. This From the Ground Up edition begins with two reductions that lay the groundwork for an expressive understanding of the piece, and concludes... Read >>

Ken Johansen Learning pieces Mendelssohn

Advanced Sight-Reading Curriculum

The Advanced Sight-Reading Curriculum is derived from nearly twenty years of experience teaching the freshman sight-reading class for piano majors at the Peabody Conservatory. It consists of an extensive collection of annotated scores dealing with every aspect of sight-reading, together with detailed suggestions on how to practice. It covers everything... Read >>

Ken Johansen Practising Sight reading

Advanced Sight-Reading Curriculum - Part 3

Playing by Ear

Although playing by ear might seem to be the opposite of sight-reading, we read with our ears as much as with our eyes. The inner ear helps us to navigate a new score, predict what is coming and improvise when the eyes haven’t had enough time to absorb everything. The... Read >>

Ken Johansen Practising Sight reading

Advanced Sight-Reading Curriculum - Part 4

Rhythm

Rhythm is perhaps the most important element in sight-reading and is the subject of the fourth (next) part of our Advanced Sight-Reading Curriculum. Using simple, effective practice methods and carefully-selected pieces with annotations and guidelines, we work on keeping a regular pulse while tackling challenges such as recognising underlying rhythmic... Read >>

Ken Johansen Practising Sight reading

Advanced Sight-Reading Curriculum - Part 1

Eye Training

Sight-reading begins with sight. Before the inner ear can begin to imagine the sound of a score, before the mind can start to decode the patterns it detects, and before the body can translate these sounds and patterns into physical gestures that transform written notes into music, the eyes must... Read >>

Ken Johansen Practising Sight reading

Mozart Sonata in G, K283 (1st mvt)

The opening movement of Mozart’s lyrical and playful Sonata in G has long been a favourite of both students and professional pianists. Its relatively modest technical demands make it attractive to amateur pianists, yet its musical subtlety requires careful listening and focused practice. This From the Ground Up edition offers... Read >>

Ken Johansen Learning pieces WA Mozart

Advanced Sight-Reading Curriculum - Part 2

Flexibility

To give an interpretation of a piece we have never seen before requires flexibility and demands a willingness to accept wrong notes, technical stumbles, and botched details, in the greater interest of maintaining rhythmic cohesion, following the broad outlines of the score. The second part of our Advanced Sight-Reading Curriculum... Read >>

Ken Johansen Practising Sight reading

From the Ground Up

From the Ground Up is a series devoted to learning individual pieces using outlines and reduced scores that help you to practise more effectively, memorize more consciously, and interpret music more creatively.... Read >>

Ken Johansen Learning pieces

Waltz in E Minor (Op. Posth.)

Chopin’s brilliant Waltz in E minor is justly popular with pianists entering the advanced level. This From the Ground Up edition helps students to lay a solid musical and technical foundation for learning the piece efficiently and quickly, with particular attention given to using rhythmic practice to solve technical challenges.... Read >>

Ken Johansen Learning pieces Chopin

Nocturne in E-flat

Op. 9, no. 2

Frédéric Chopin’s Nocturne in E-flat Op. 9 No. 2, has long been a favourite of both pianists and audiences with it's richly-ornamented melody, supported by exquisite harmonies in the left hand. This From the Ground Up walk-through provides a detailed guide to learning this piece efficiently and with understanding and... Read >>

Ken Johansen Learning pieces Chopin

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