Piano and Music Videos

Welcome to LivingPianos.com. I’m Robert Estrin. You might have clicked on this thinking, is this just clickbait? I assure you, it is not. What I am about to share with you is very real, and if you embrace it, it can transform your piano playing in ways you might not believe, all in just ten minutes a day.

Why Ten Minutes Can Make Such a Difference

How can ten minutes possibly change your playing? It sounds almost impossible. There are plenty of piano teachers who have students grind away at endless exercises, studies, and technical drills. I actually take a very different approach. I believe the most important thing to work on at the piano is repertoire. There is so much great piano music that already addresses technical challenges that most standalone exercises are unnecessary.

The One Big Exception

Here is the exception, and this is the key to everything. Scales and arpeggios. You have all seen books like Hanon, The Virtuoso Pianist. You might wonder who can possibly sit down and just rip through all of that. The truth is, you should be able to play all your scales and arpeggios under control. Maybe not at lightning speed at first, but comfortably and securely. The idea of spending hours on this sounds daunting. Here is the secret. You only need five to ten minutes a day.

One Scale a Week Is Enough

Take just one scale per week. That’s it. I am not a fan of endless technical work, but this is the one thing you absolutely need if you want to take your piano playing to the next level. Start with the C major scale. You will notice it is written in four octaves in Hanon. That is intentional. You need to be comfortable playing across the entire keyboard. Piano music does not live only in the middle. It uses the full range, so you must be at ease everywhere on the instrument.

Proper Seating and Position

Before you even play a note, make sure you are seated correctly. Sit far enough away from the keyboard so you are not cramped. If you are too close, you cannot reach the high and low ends comfortably, and your arm angles will be all wrong. Make sure you are centered. Keep in mind, the center of the piano is not middle C. It is closer to the name on the fallboard. Sit there so you can easily reach both extremes of the keyboard.

The Mystery of Scale Fingerings Simplified

When you look at scale fingerings, it can feel overwhelming. The good news is there are really only eight fingerings you need to learn. Once you learn them, you can apply them to many different scales. Even better, once you learn the C major scale, there are many other scales that use exactly the same fingering. This is why slow, careful practice is where all the value lies.

Slow Practice With a Metronome

Start with your metronome set to 60 and play one note per beat. Slow practice builds strength, control, and independence of the fingers. High, raised fingers help develop this control, and I have many videos that go deeper into this topic. Here, I am giving you the condensed version so you can get started right away. In just a year, doing one scale or arpeggio per week, you can learn all your major scales, minor scales, harmonic and melodic minors, and arpeggios. That is about 60 total. This slow work is like stretching for an athlete or dancer. It wakes everything up and builds clarity, so you know exactly which keys are down and which are up.

How to Play the Scale Correctly

As you play, keep your shoulders relaxed. Avoid any up and down motion of the arms. This is finger work. The thumb tucks under smoothly, staying close to the keys so it is ready for the next note in the right hand going up and the left hand coming down. Memorize where the thumb crossings happen. Once you do, everything feels natural. This kind of practice feels good because you really get to dig into the keys, with rounded fingers and unused fingers lifted and relaxed.

Building Speed the Right Way

After playing one note to the beat, move to two notes per beat. Go all the way up and down several times. Then move to four notes per beat. At this point, lighten up and stay close to the keys. Listen carefully for evenness. Make sure each note is articulated cleanly and that notes do not overlap unevenly. This listening is just as important as the physical motion.

When and How to Use This Practice

You can do this as a warm-up, or you can do it when your mind is tired of learning repertoire. Five to ten minutes a day is all it takes, and the results are profound. Do exactly the same thing with arpeggios. Remember, this technique comes from the fingers, not the arms. You cannot play fast or accurately by flailing your arms. Fingers are the key.

Why This Works

About 90 percent of piano music is made up of scales, arpeggios, and broken chords. This work not only gives you technique, but also a deeper understanding of keys and harmonic relationships. It ties together technique, theory, and musical understanding. All of this, in just ten minutes a day, can truly transform your piano playing. If you have questions, feel free to leave them in the comments on LivingPianos.com or on YouTube.

Over the years I’ve made a lot of videos about pianos and practicing piano. Today I’m going to provide a concise list of some areas to focus on during your development as a pianist and give some examples of past lessons you can refer to. 1. Memorize, Memorize, Memorize! One of the most important aspects to practicing the piano and developing as a musician is to spend time on a regular basis memorizing music. I can’t stress enough how important this is and how it is often neglected. Any pianist specializing in solo classical music must spend a vast amounts of time memorizing music. The amount of music in the world is endless and nobody can memorize all of it. But if you spend time on a daily basis memorizing music, you will develop security and mastery of performance. Not only will you expand your repertoire, you’ll be giving your brain a workout and you will spend more time focusing on how to play your music rather than what you have to play.

2. Sight Reading Sight Reading is another crucial element to your development as a pianist and is another topic that is often overlooked. Wouldn’t it be great to explore new repertoire and try it out before you commit a significant amount of time learning it? That’s where sight reading becomes incredibly beneficial. Developing your sight reading is very important and if you work on it regularly, you will continually improve.

3. Playing With Other Musicians Playing music with other musicians is not only fun, it’s a necessary experience in developing your own skills. Even if your primary interest is playing solo piano, you should seek out opportunities to play with other musicians and do it as often as possible. There is no need to be intimidated by playing with musicians who are better than you are. In fact, this is one of the best ways to advance your scope as a musician. Even if they play other instruments, examining their sense of style, phrasing, timing and other aspects of their playing can help you develop a new depth of understanding to music. Sight reading might be incredibly difficult on your own as you will find yourself starting and stopping when you make mistakes. When you sight read with other musicians, you will be forced to recover and you won’t be able to stop playing. It forces you to become a better at sight reading!

4. Improvise Often and Don’t be Afraid to Explore New Styles of Music Improvising is so important to understanding your music and gaining a new depth of understanding about how it’s constructed. Many styles of music such as rock and jazz rely on improvisation as a key element to the music and encourages musicians to create something new and interesting every time they perform. Developing your improvisation skills (even with classical music) is a crucial element to becoming a better and more well-rounded musician. Exploring new styles of music enables you to experience and understand styles you might not have been aware of; it can also be a great deal of fun! I’m a classical pianist but when I’ve been at parties with other musicians and played blues music, it’s been a great deal of fun and an incredible learning experience to improvise with them and learn how they approach music. Improvising is also a universal language. If you learn how to read a lead sheet for jazz standards, you can take that anywhere in the world, to play with any musicians. Spoken language is not a barrier for musical performance!

5. Practice Mentally This is something that people might not ever think of. Practicing mentally away from your instrument can offer benefits not possible while playing your instrument. Playing music requires a thought process and there are tremendous benefits to thinking through your music. Let’s say you’re waiting in line at the grocery store. You can practice your music mentally by thinking through a piece with every nuance of performance without any physical restrictions. Going through your music when you are away from your instrument allows you to think about it in a different light. Naturally, practicing with your instrument is essential, but you may rely on motor memory rather than the music. Practicing mentally allows you to think through your music playing it exactly as you want. This can have tremendous benefits strengthening your memory. Just play through your music in your mind and see how far you get. You can always refer to the score to clarify the comprehension of the score.

HOW TO MEMORIZE MUSIC

This might sound like a silly question but sometimes you have a piece you can play with the music in front of you but you haven’t memorized it yet. You might be able to play the whole piece by barely glancing at the music but you still need it in parts. This can be cumbersome and is something you want to avoid. So how do you fix this? I have produced a video in the past on How to Memorize Music. If you haven’t watched it yet I highly recommend it as a companion piece to this article. My very first lesson as a child when I studied with my father Morton Estrin was how to memorize music. It’s a crucial skill that every musician should learn. Taking small sections of music and memorizing each hand separately, then putting them together helps you memorize even the most difficult passages of music. This is a great system to use but how do you account for a piece you almost have memorized? How can you push yourself over the edge and get the whole piece down? I actually have two methods for you. The first is the band-aid approach to practicing music. This technique is simple but very effective. Play through the piece as far as you can from memory. When you encounter a spot that you can’t go past without looking at the music, you stop. Then take this small section and study it intensely. Use the method I detailed above and learn each hand separately first to get the section memorized securely. If the band-aid approach doesn’t work for you don’t worry; you have other options. Rather than starting all over again and learning small chunks at a time, expand the amount of music you learn for each section. So where you might have been memorizing 3-4 measures at a time, try and work with 8-10 measures at a time. Make sure you learn the hands separately and then combine them together. I highly recommend that in the future you start by memorizing your piece as the first step and not the last step. Start by progressing through your music in small chunks and learn each hand separately; then combine them when you’re ready. Ultimately this is a much more efficient way to learn your music.

DO PIANISTS SLOW WITH AGE?

This is a very interesting question. We know as people get older their mobility may suffer and their minds can potentially slow down. But how does this affect their ability to perform music? Today we are going to discuss this and the answer might surprise you! You might think that a performer would naturally slow down with age – but this isn’t always the case. When it comes to prodigies, they tend to play very quickly when they are young, but as they mature they begin to take more time with the music. This is not a case of slowing down due to physical limitations, but as a way to express the music on a deeper level. They learn to express themselves with every note instead of rushing through the music almost like a sporting event. The technical side is one thing, but there is a whole other aspect of why you might find yourself slowing down your playing as you get older. If you take a piece you know very well, you may have played it hundreds or even thousands of times – and to you it might seem slow because you know every single note of it inside out. While it might seem “slow” to you, for your audience, they must digest the music for the first time. They might be overwhelmed by the volume of music to digest. As you mature as a musician, you appreciate what it is like for people to listen to a piece they are not familiar with. Age is not always an indicator of the speed of a musical performance. I’ve heard older pianists who play very fast and younger pianists who play much slower. Sometimes personalities come into play. Often times the differences between professional musicians and talented students are the tempos they take – and this doesn’t mean that more accomplished artists play faster or slower than students. For example, many times, less experienced players will play slow movements much slower than what works, which bogs down the performance, losing the pulse which keeps the music alive. It takes experience to understand how to get these sections to flow and sound natural. Generally, older musicians tend to play slower. But I don’t believe it has anything to do with mobility and age, it’s much more a product of learning how to play expressively.

Welcome to LivingPianos.com. I’m Robert Estrin. Today I’m going to show you how to play Chopin’s most famous nocturne, the Nocturne in E-flat Major, with real expression. It’s one of the most beloved piano pieces ever written, and there are some special techniques that will help you bring out its beauty.

Balancing the Hands

One of the greatest challenges in this piece is achieving balance between the hands. The melody must always sing above the accompaniment. To do this, use the weight of your arm in the right hand while keeping your left hand very close to the keys. The left hand should use the smallest possible amount of arm weight. If you let the left hand move too much, it will become too loud no matter how softly you try to play. Staying close to the keys keeps the left hand subdued while allowing the right hand to project the melody. Even though the piece is quiet, the melody must still carry energy and intensity. Concert pianists use a surprising amount of controlled weight in the right hand to achieve a rich, expressive tone. If you simply press with your fingers, the sound will be thin and harsh. Transferring the weight of the arm smoothly from key to key lets you produce a full sound without losing the sweetness and lyricism that define this nocturne.

Practicing the Left Hand

After playing the initial low note in the left hand, get your hand positioned over both of the chords that follow. You can even practice this by playing the chords together, so your hand learns to stay close to the surface of the keys. Being directly over the chords means you can play with minimal effort and maintain control over the balance.
Shaping the Phrase

Balance isn’t just vertical between the hands; it’s also horizontal across time. The melody must have shape. Most phrases rise toward the middle, reach a peak, and then gently fall away. Think of how a singer or wind player shapes a line in one breath, letting the sound rise and fall naturally. If every note is played at the same volume, even with perfect balance, the music will sound flat and lifeless. Instead, let each phrase rise and fall naturally. Build up to the middle of the phrase, then relax as it resolves. This ebb and flow gives the music a natural breath and flow.

Using the Pedal

Take care in using the pedal. It’s really an art to bring out the bass line and the chords without blurring the harmonies together. As the harmonies change, you must adjust the pedal, capturing those deep bass notes while keeping the inner chords and melody distinct. Done well, this creates the effect of almost three separate voices: the bass notes, the accompanying chords, and the singing melody. Capturing the bass notes with the pedal adds depth and richness to the overall sound, giving the piece its characteristic warmth and resonance.

The Art of Rubato

Rubato, the slight flexibility of tempo, is central to Romantic-era music like Chopin’s. A little speeding up and slowing down gives life to the music. It isn’t appropriate for composers like Bach or Mozart, but in Chopin it’s essential!

The key to good rubato is that you never actually gain or lose time overall. You stretch a little here and give it back there, like breathing. If you play the nocturne strictly in time, it sounds mechanical and lifeless. A touch of rubato draws the listener in, like cresting a gentle hill and feeling gravity pull you down the other side. If someone listening can’t tap along with the beat, the rubato has gone too far. The pulse must always be felt, even as the tempo bends slightly. That balance between freedom and structure is what gives Chopin’s music its soul.

Ornamentation and Trills

The nocturne includes trills, mordents, and small ornamental figures that sound spontaneous but should be practiced rhythmically to ensure consistency. Even though they sound free, the underlying rhythm must be solid. For example, in the second measure, there is a turn that can be easily facilitated as five equal notes. You might choose a slightly different way of executing it, but the key is to make it reliable. The same principle applies to trills later in the piece. Decide how many notes you are playing, and make sure you can perform them cleanly each time. Being consistent and secure is more important than trying to play a lot of notes.

Bringing It All Together

To summarize: keep the right hand supported by arm weight and the left hand close to the keys for control. Shape each phrase with a natural rise and fall. Capture the bass notes with the pedal while keeping the harmony clear. Use rubato tastefully to give life and motion to the music. And treat ornaments as measured, expressive decorations rather than random flourishes. These techniques will not only help you play Chopin’s E-flat Nocturne with true expression, but they will also enhance your playing in other Romantic works. With careful attention to balance, phrasing, pedaling, rubato, and ornamentation, you can bring a new level of beauty and depth to your performances.

If you have questions or insights about playing Chopin’s nocturnes, share them in the comments here at LivingPianos.com—Your Online Piano Resource. Thanks for joining me.

Welcome to LivingPianos.com. I’m Robert Estrin. Today we’re continuing our multi-part series on How to learn and play Clementi’s Sonatina in C Major, Opus 36, No. 1. This article focuses on the second movement, a lyrical contrast to the vibrant first and third movements. More than just learning the notes, we’ll explore how to elevate your performance to a high expressive level.

This is the second in a four-part series, which includes an in-depth look at each of the three movements, as well as a complete performance of the work.

A Stark Contrast from the First Movement

The second movement is a complete departure from the bright energy of the first. Where the first movement features crisp staccato, lively fingerwork, and dynamic contrasts, the second movement introduces a gentler, more introspective mood and tonal palette.

An important tip when performing this piece: between movements, don’t lift your hands from the keyboard. If you do, audiences may mistakenly think the piece has ended and applaud prematurely. The three movements together create a greater artistic impact than each one alone. So keep your hands on the keys, transition directly, and let the music flow seamlessly.

The Hidden Challenge of the Second Movement

Though slower and more lyrical, this movement is arguably the most difficult of the three. Why? Primarily because of the balance between the hands. Here’s the issue: high notes on the piano fade more quickly than low notes. On top of that, the left hand often plays two or three times more notes than the right. If you play both hands at equal volume, the melody in the right hand will be lost under the busier bass. To correct this, the left hand must be extremely light, almost feather-like. Keep your fingers close to the keys and use minimal effort. In contrast, the right hand melody requires more weight from the arm to sustain notes and create a singing line.

The Importance of Tempo

The movement is marked Andante, which means ‘a walking pace.’ It should feel relaxed but not drag. Playing it too slowly causes the melody to lose shape and energy. A slightly quicker tempo helps the melody connect more naturally, especially given the fading quality of the higher notes.

Breathing Life Into the Phrases

All the phrases in this movement — and in most lyrical classical music — need to rise and fall dynamically, just like the natural inflection of speech or breathing. Without this shaping, the music sounds robotic. Think of each phrase as a musical breath: a gentle swell followed by a natural relaxation. This gives your playing vitality and emotional impact. To achieve this, use your arm weight in the right hand and transfer it smoothly from note to note. Don’t try to calculate the volume of each finger. Instead, feel the line as a whole and let it breathe.

Simplifying the Trill

There is a trill early in the movement, and it’s a common stumbling block. Don’t feel compelled to play a large number of notes. Instead, simply play two notes for each triplet eighth in the left hand. This sounds elegant and musical without overcomplicating your technique. Later, if you gain confidence, you can embellish further by playing more notes. But keep it simple at first. Trills offer creative license. They don’t require a set number of notes. What matters is musicality and flow and to decide how many notes you will play.

Connecting Repeated Notes

A particularly challenging aspect of this movement is dealing with repeated notes, which are hard to play legato since the same key must fully release before being played again. To solve this, you must change fingers on repeated notes and lift previously played fingers high. For example, going from finger 5 to 4 on the same note, the 5th finger must lift high above the key before repeating the note. If the previous finger doesn’t lift sufficiently, the connection will be broken and sound detached. This technique allows you to create a smooth, singing line, which is crucial for expressive playing.

No Pedal Required

It’s possible — and preferable — to play this entire movement without using the pedal. This forces you to develop finger control and clarity. The pedal can easily muddy the texture and mask weaknesses in legato technique. By learning to control your phrasing and legato with your hands alone, you’ll develop a much more refined touch, and a deeper connection to the music.

Phrasing and Rhythmic Nuance

When you encounter dotted rhythms, be mindful of their precise placement. For instance, a sixteenth note following a dotted eighth should not fall exactly halfway between the beat. It should come slightly earlier. Getting this rhythmic placement correct adds grace and authenticity to your playing. Incorrect placement can make the phrase sound awkward or stiff.

Playing Repeated Notes in Thirds Smoothly

In one passage, you encounter repeated notes in thirds, making finger changes impossible. Instead, make sure you stay close to the keys and let the keys return fully between repetitions. This technique is subtle but essential. It allows you to maintain smoothness even when technical options are limited.

Shaping the Final Phrases

Toward the end of the movement, you’ll find phrases that taper off dynamically. Don’t rush these just because the measure “looks” shorter. Each measure takes the same amount of time, regardless of how many notes it contains. Also, don’t let the final notes stick out. Begin with enough sound on the longer notes so you can naturally decrescendo into the phrase ending. If the long note is too soft to start with, you won’t be able to taper off, and the last note will pop out unnaturally.

Thumb Repetition and Legato

At one point, you’ll have to play a sixth interval with the thumb on two consecutive notes. Since it’s impossible to connect a thumb to itself, don’t try to force a legato between those bottom notes. Instead, connect the top notes and let the bottom be slightly detached. That way, the melody still flows. This is a common technique in piano playing — connecting what you can, and releasing what you must, while maintaining the illusion of complete legato of all notes.

Dynamics: It’s About Tone, Not Volume

Even in soft passages, you can use generous arm weight to produce a full, projecting tone. Piano doesn’t mean lifeless or weak. If you’ve ever heard a flute or oboe solo marked piano in an orchestra, you know it still carries throughout the hall. The same applies to piano playing: dynamics are relative and expressive, not measured by a decibel meter. So don’t be afraid to use more sound than you think you need. A rich tone is essential to communicating the line, especially in a performance space.

Repeated Techniques Throughout the Movement

Throughout the movement, you’ll encounter repeated note patterns again. Apply the same techniques. Change fingers when possible, lift previously played fingers, and shape the phrase with rise and fall. Eventually, the first theme returns, giving the movement a sense of unity and closure.

Skills You Can Use Across Classical Music

This lyrical second movement offers a wonderful opportunity to develop your expressive playing and technical control. Everything you learn here applies not only to the other movements of this sonatina, but also to a wide range of classical repertoire — from other Clementi works to Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, and beyond. The principles of balance, phrase shaping, and touch are universal. I hope you find these insights helpful in your own practice. I’m Robert Estrin and this is LivingPianos.com, Your Online Piano Resource.

Sonata-Allegro Form Overview

The first movement is in sonata-allegro form, which is the most prevalent structure in Western classical music. It’s used in countless sonatas, symphonies, string quartets, piano trios, and more by composers like Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, Shostakovich, and Brahms.

Here’s a quick overview: it’s essentially an ABC structure.

• A – Exposition: This introduces two contrasting themes. The first is in the tonic key, C major. Then comes the second theme in the dominant key, which is five notes above the tonic — in this case, G major. You’ll know the exposition ends because it repeats.
• B – Development: Here, the two themes are developed and transformed. In Beethoven’s works, development sections can become epic, but in Clementi, and even in Mozart and Haydn, they are generally more concise.
• C – Recapitulation: The original themes return, but this time both are in the tonic key so it ends where it began.

In this piece, both the development and recapitulation also repeat. This was common practice in Mozart’s sonatas, though Beethoven later moved away from this, often repeating only the exposition.

How to Interpret the Score

I’m working from an urtext edition, which means the only markings are those that Clementi himself wrote. There are fingerings, some dynamics, but no slurs or staccatos. Does that mean everything should be played evenly with no articulations? Absolutely not.

In Clementi’s time, composers didn’t include every articulation or expressive marking the way Romantic and later composers did. Instead, performers were expected to interpret based on style and context.

Without any articulations, it would lose its spark. Classical music relies on clarity of line, which is achieved through articulation.

Technique: Articulation and Tone

To get that crisp classical sound, you’ll want to use staccato from the wrist, not the arm. The arm is too heavy and awkward, while the wrist provides the right amount of bounce and clarity.

Left Hand: Hover slightly over the keys with a gently bent wrist. Drop down and bounce right back up, using only the wrist.

Right Hand: Here, you’ll encounter slurs leading into staccatos. The technique is down on the first note of the slur, then up on the staccato note. When combined at tempo, it creates brilliance and contrast.

Interpreting Dynamics

This piece does include dynamics, which is helpful because many earlier works (such as Bach’s) generally didn’t have any written dynamics.

When learning the piece, exaggerate the phrasing and dynamics while playing slowly. As you speed up, dynamics tend to diminish, so over-exaggerating early on helps lock in the musical intention and supports memorization through muscle memory.

I recommend using a metronome and learning all phrasing and dynamics from the very beginning. Once your fingers are used to playing a certain way, it’s incredibly hard to undo later.

Practice Tips for Tricky Passages

One of the more challenging spots is the passage in thirds at the end of measure six. The first part is a simple G major scale, but the thirds require solid fingering.

• Practice in two-note groups to internalize the fingering.
• Then do hands together the same way.
• Add a crescendo leading up to the forte for musical shape and energy.

Once you’ve isolated the difficulty and achieved fluency, you’ll be able to bring it up to tempo smoothly.

Tremolos and the Development Section

The second section has a tremolo around the fifth measure of the development. The key to tremolo is rotation of the hand, not finger movement alone. Rotation is efficient and effortless, while using just the fingers causes tension and fatigue.

Apply the same techniques throughout the second half of the movement: wrist staccato, strong finger legato, and careful dynamic shaping. As you gain speed, lighten your touch, stay close to the keys, and let the arms guide motion rather than pressing down on each note.

Gaining Speed with Metronome Practice

If you’re struggling with speed, first get your playing completely secure at a slower tempo. Then increase the tempo one notch at a time.

You don’t need to move the entire piece notch by notch. Instead, focus on the challenging passages. This targeted approach makes metronome practice far more efficient.

Solidify your foundation and everything else will fall into place. Slow, methodical work upfront pays off tremendously in the long run.

Coming Up Next…

Stay tuned for Part Two, where I’ll cover how to approach the second movement, which presents a whole new set of technical challenges.

Introduction

Welcome to LivingPianos.com. I’m Robert Estrin, and today I am excited to share one of my favorite pieces to teach: “The Farewell” by Burgmuller. This piece is part of a collection I have previously covered in detail. You can find the links in the video description if you want to explore more of Burgmuller’s works.

Performance and Breakdown

Before diving into the tutorial, I will perform the piece to give you an idea of what it sounds like. “The Farewell” is a beautiful piece that doesn’t require a virtuoso technique, making it great for many players.

Detailed Tutorial

Introduction Section

The first measures are distinct, featuring a warm, melancholy tone that transitions into rousing triplets. The key to this section is to play extremely legato, especially on repeated notes by changing fingers.

Right-Hand Technique

Pay attention to the rise and fall of the phrase, which mimics natural speech patterns. This brings life to your music. Change fingers to maintain legato, especially on repeated notes. One finger should rise as the other descends, with no arm or hand movement to achieve a smooth legato.

Practice Tips

-Use a metronome to find a secure tempo, even if it’s slow.
-Raise previously played fingers high enough to avoid overlapping notes.
-Focus on accents, slurs, and crescendos from the beginning.
-Reduce complex passages to chords for easier learning.

Memorization

I recommend memorizing the piece early in the learning process. This approach saves time and ensures accuracy from the start. Refer to my videos on memorization methods linked in the description.

Key Changes and Sections

The piece follows an A-B-A form with an introduction and a coda. The middle section shifts to C major, with triplets in the left hand instead of the right. Practice each section methodically using metronome speeds. You can also use techniques like accents, rhythms, and note groupings to build fluency.

Middle Section

Focus on maintaining balance between the melody in the right hand and the accompaniment in the left hand. Use the weight of the arm in the right hand to get the melody to break through, while using minimal finger motion in the left hand to avoid overpowering the melody. By using the weight of the arm, you get the power you need to bring the melody to the front, and you can achieve a flowing line that rises and falls.

Coda

The coda features new material, distinct from the previous sections. Practice legato thirds in the left hand and ensure smooth transitions.

Final Tips

-Use the wrist for forte dynamics and decrescendos.
-Practice small sections with metronome speeds.
-Employ different techniques to ensure evenness and fluency.

I hope you find these tips helpful in learning “The Farewell” by Burgmuller. Feel free to leave any questions in the comments.