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Welcome to LivingPianos.com. I’m Robert Estrin. Today I have a really provocative subject for you: Why You Must Learn to Fake at the Piano. Now, if you have ever had a teacher or studied seriously, you have probably been told that faking is the worst thing you can do. You want to play with integrity. You want to honor the score. So how could I possibly tell you that you absolutely must learn how to fake?

The Wall Between Practicing and Performing

I have talked before about the necessity of building a wall between practicing and performing. They are completely different experiences. If you are not clear which one you are doing, you are likely not accomplishing either one effectively.

When you are practicing and something goes wrong, you must stop immediately. Find the place in the score. Identify the correction. Cement the correction. Then go back a bit so you can pass that trouble spot successfully. Finally, return to the beginning of the piece or section and integrate the fix into the larger context. That is how you prevent mistakes from becoming ingrained. You nip them in the bud. But when you are performing, the situation is exactly the opposite. The last thing an audience wants to hear is you practicing while you are supposed to be playing for them.

Why You Must Keep Going in Performance

In performance, if something goes wrong, you must keep going no matter what. You might wonder how great concert pianists can play for hours and seem flawless. Of course, nobody is perfect. There are always finger slips or momentatry memory lapses. The difference is that seasoned artists know how to recover without disrupting the flow.

When I was a child, I had the opportunity to hear the great Arthur Rubinstein in concert for his 80th birthday. I was enthralled. We even got to meet him afterward, and he was incredibly gracious. After the concert, my father mentioned that in the Beethoven sonata Rubinstein had improvised his way through a memory slip. I was shocked. I had no idea anything had gone wrong, and I would guess that the vast majority of the audience did not notice either. Only someone who knew the piece intimately could have detected it. That is the art of faking. It is not about being careless. It is about preserving the musical experience for the listener.

The Danger of Stopping

Think of watching a movie. You are absorbed in the story. If there is a sudden jump cut or the film skips backward even briefly, it is jarring. It takes you out of the magic. The same thing happens in music. The moment you lose time or stop to fix something, even listeners who know nothing about music can feel it. Suddenly they cannot follow the pulse. Instead of enjoying the music, they start worrying about you. That tension replaces enjoyment. As much as you may want to fix the mistake, you must resist that temptation in performance.

Practice Performing

There is practicing. There is performing. And then there is practicing performing. Whenever you sit down at the piano, you should know which one you are doing.

To practice performing, take a piece you feel reasonably secure with and play it through as though you are in concert. Do not stop. No matter what happens, keep going. If you lose your place, keep one hand moving while the other finds its way. Stay in time. Do not go back. Do not skip ahead. Stay where you are in the music and reestablish control. It is far better to simplify or approximate for a moment than to derail the entire performance. You can even record yourself and make a rule that once you start, you cannot stop. This is tremendously valuable training.

Develop Your Ear to Support Recovery

One of the best ways to strengthen this skill is to sing your music. The piano is unique in that you can produce a sound simply by pressing a key. You do not have to hear it internally first. But when you sing, you must hear the pitch before you produce it. As a French horn player, I can tell you that you absolutely have to hear the notes before you play them. Singing builds that connection between your ear and your fingers. If you can sing a melody and have even modest ability to play by ear, you can often find your way through a rough patch without anyone realizing it. Keep counting. Keep the fingers moving. Stay in the moment. Over time, this even enhances your musicianship. I have had occasions where I experienced a brief memory lapse and played by ear to get through it, only to discover afterward, listening to the recording, that I had actually played the correct notes! That comes from improvising and developing a strong connection between what you hear and what you play.

The Secret to Confident Performing

Prepare thoroughly before any performance. Then practice performing. Play for friends. Play for small groups, then larger ones. Use those opportunities to experiment with keeping the flow no matter what happens. When you know you can recover smoothly, much of the fear of performance disappears. And your audience will appreciate a seamless musical experience far more than a technically perfect one interrupted by stops and restarts.

So remember, build that solid wall between practicing and performing. Know which one you are doing. And yes, learn how to fake. If you cultivate your ear, practice performing, and stay committed to the musical flow, your faking can become so seamless that, just like that Rubinstein concert, nobody will be the wiser. That is the lesson for today. Embrace it, and it can be a true game changer in your piano playing.

This is Robert Estrin at LivingPianos.com, Your Online Piano Resource. Thanks so much for joining me.

Why You Must Learn to Fake At The Piano

Welcome to LivingPianos.com. I’m Robert Estrin. If you are completely satisfied with your piano playing and are getting exactly the results you want from your practice, then this article may not be for you. But if you are striving for a higher level of refinement, if there is music you have always wanted to play that still feels out of reach, or if you struggle with reading, memorization, or other fundamental skills, then it is time to take a fresh look at how you practice.

Are You Getting the Results You Want?

I have met so many people who are deeply attached to their practice routines. And to be fair, some aspects of routine are beneficial. Simply practicing regularly has tremendous physiological and mental benefits. Just sitting down at the piano consistently is an accomplishment in itself!

But here is the real question. Are you getting the results you want? If not, how will continuing the same routine change that? There is an old saying that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. The same can be true of practicing. If you are repeating the same process every day without meaningful change, you may simply be maintaining your current level rather than growing beyond it.

What Practicing Really Is

Practicing is discovery. It is a learning process. By the end of a practice session, you should have assimilated something you did not have before. If nothing new has been learned or clarified, then it was not truly productive practice. If you are doing exactly the same things every day, it is unrealistic to expect to reach a new level. Growth requires exploration.

Keep What Works, Question What Does Not

Analyze your routine carefully. Some elements may be extremely valuable. For example, starting with slow scales or arpeggios can warm up your hands, help prevent injury, and give you time to listen to the piano’s tone. It allows you to settle into your seat and establish proper position. These are excellent habits. But beyond that, examine what you are doing. If you typically warm up, then play through all your pieces to maintain them, and perhaps do some sight reading, ask yourself honestly: is playing through your pieces actually making them better? Or are you just keeping them at the same level? If it is not improving them, what could you do differently?

Experiment in Your Practice

Don’t be afraid to try things that may seem unusual. If you are accustomed to simply playing through your music, try practicing very slowly without pedal while carefully watching the score. Use a metronome. Change the tempo deliberately. Sometimes playing a piece slightly faster can reveal weak spots. You may find that most of it holds together, except for two or three key sections. Now you have identified exactly where to focus your time. Instead of practicing everything equally, you can zero in on the places that truly need attention. You could spend the same amount of time at the piano and accomplish exponentially more by targeting specific weaknesses.

Practice with Clear Intentions

Another common problem is practicing without a clear purpose. When you are playing through a piece, what exactly are you trying to accomplish? Are you refining details? Refreshing memory? Improving reading? Strengthening memorization? At every moment of practice, you should know the specific skill you are developing.

When learning a new piece, take very small sections and work phrase by phrase. Practice the right hand alone, mastering every detail. Then the left hand alone. Memorize each part. Put the hands together only after each is secure. Connect sections gradually as you go. This approach builds real security in your playing. For pieces you already know, reinforce them by slow practice, without pedal, with a metronome, and with the score. Slow practice is one of the greatest practice techniques you can use.

Listen with Fresh Ears

Listen for different lines in your music. If you always bring out the top melody, listen for a counter melody in the lower voices. Shift your attention to inner parts. Anything that helps you hear your music in a new way can deepen your interpretation.

If you have access to another piano, even a digital piano or a friend’s instrument, try playing your pieces there. A different sound can open new horizons. You may discover colors and balances you never noticed before, which will influence how you approach your own piano.

Play for Other People

One of the most powerful learning experiences is playing for others. When you think a piece is ready, invite friends to listen. Be brave enough to perform. The experience of playing for someone else is completely different from playing alone. Your mental focus changes. Your emotional response changes. You will learn things in that one performance that you could never learn by playing the piece a hundred times by yourself!

Make Practice a Process of Discovery

Do not become a prisoner of your routines. Keep the elements that truly serve you, but remain open to change. Try new approaches. Set clear intentions. Listen deeply. Make every practice session an opportunity for discovery. When you do that, growth becomes inevitable.

Let me know what routines work for you and share them with others here at LivingPianos.com Your Online Piano Resource. – Robert Estrin

Why Your Practice Routine Is Wrong!

Welcome to LivingPianos.com. I’m Robert Estrin. How many of you have played that famous C major sonata of Mozart, or always wanted to play it? If that sounds like you, you’re in the right place. We’re going to take a complete deep dive into how to learn and master this ubiquitous Mozart sonata, starting right from the beginning.

A Section-by-Section Approach

We’re going to start at the very beginning and work through the piece section by section. By the end of this video series, you’ll be able to truly master this wonderful sonata. Have your score ready. There’s a link in the description so you can follow along with the music, and I’ll be here to guide you every step of the way. As we go, I’ll explain sonata allegro form so you can understand the structure, but more importantly, learn how to execute it cleanly and get that sparkle you’ve always wanted in this piece.

Exposition

Sonata form begins with the exposition, where the main themes are introduced. The opening theme is in C major, and from there the music moves into the second subject. It’s helpful to slow down here and focus on just this section so everything is completely clear before moving on.

How to Learn a Piece Like This

How do you actually learn something like this? I always recommend reading through the entire movement a couple of times first, just to get acquainted and understand the overall shape of the music. Then get right down to work in very small sections. You can learn four measures at a time, or even just two. Many people think learning two measures at a time will take forever, but it’s exactly the opposite. The smaller the sections, the longer and more productive your practice sessions will be. You won’t feel overwhelmed, and you can really digest the score. Two measures at a time is more than enough to make solid progress.

Learn the Right Hand First

At the very beginning, take just the right hand. Follow all the markings in the score, including the notes, rhythm, phrasing, expression, and fingering. If you’re using an Urtext edition, you’ll notice it contains only what Mozart wrote, which means there’s no fingering included. In that case, you may want to reference another edition that includes fingering, such as editions available from Virtual Sheet Music or IMSLP.

Learn just the first two measures with the right hand. This won’t take long. Play it several times until it’s memorized, checking back and forth with the score. Once it feels comfortable, bring it up to an easy tempo.

Then Learn the Left Hand

Next, learn the left hand. Because it’s built on broken chords, start by learning the chords as solid blocks. This helps you understand the underlying harmony and naturally leads to good fingering. Memorize those chords first, then break them up and play them as written.

You may find that using the pedal creates a beautiful sound. While Mozart’s piano didn’t have a modern sustain pedal, it did have a knee lever that served a similar function. Still, too much pedal can blur the texture. Instead, you can use what I call a phantom pedal by holding the first note of each chord. It’s not essential, but it produces a lovely effect. This enables you to use the pedal to enhance the melody instead of using it to make the chords smooth.

Once the left hand is secure, make sure the right hand is still correct. Check all the details. For example, notice the slur in the second measure and be sure to shape it properly. You never save time by learning something incorrectly, even if it seems minor.

Put the Hands Together

The hardest part of piano playing is putting the hands together. Once each hand is securely memorized, slow the tempo way down and try playing hands together from memory. And check your work. Make sure, for example, that the C in the right hand releases exactly when the E plays at the quarter rest at the end of the second measure. Be fastidious with the details, because you will spend ten times longer fixing anything you didn’t pay attention to initially. If you’ve ever learned something wrong, you know how hard it is to eradicate it. Don’t be in a rush to get it halfway there or even 95 percent there, because that last 5 percent will take far longer than learning the whole thing correctly the first time. Get it right from the start by breaking it down carefully.

Trills Without Stress

In the fourth measure, there is a trill. Trills must be measured, but they don’t have to be fancy. A simple trill using steady 16th notes is perfectly effective. You can always embellish later if you want, but first learn a clean, basic trill so you can move forward confidently.

This same principle applies throughout the movement. Don’t get stuck trying to execute elaborate ornamentation. Learn the movement first. Mozart gives you artistic license with trills, and simplicity can be just as beautiful.

Scale Passages and Technique

Now, in terms of the scale passages that follow, you can practice them just like scales. I’ve got a detailed scale tutorial video that I highly recommend, which shows how to practice these passages with proper technique using the metronome at a slow tempo. Use a slow tempo and focus on raised, rounded fingers. Articulate not only the attack of each note, but also the release, so everything stays clean and even.

Keep your hand position secure so the thumb has room to move. Avoid playing too far out on the keys or flattening the fingers. Rounded fingers make them effectively the same length, allowing for ease and consistency. Start very slowly if necessary and gradually increase the tempo.

You need to use your wrists for staccatos. If you use your arms instead, it will sound like a wet noodle. This way of articulating is especially important at faster tempos. Although Mozart wrote very few dynamics and phrasing markings, that doesn’t mean the music should be played without expression. Logical phrasing is always required.

Understanding Sonata Form

This movement follows sonata form, which consists of an exposition, a development, and a recapitulation. In the exposition, the first theme appears in C major, followed by a second theme in G major, the dominant. The entire exposition is repeated so the themes become firmly established.

In the development section, the music moves through a variety of keys, all derived from the original material. One of the fascinating aspects of this sonata is that the opening theme appears in F major, the subdominant, during the development. This is unexpected and shows how Mozart often bent the rules of form.

In the recapitulation, the second theme returns in C major and closes much like the exposition, but now everything resolves in the home key.

Repeats and Final Thoughts

It’s important to take the first repeat of the exposition, as this helps the themes become fully absorbed by both the player and the listener. In the recapitulation, the ornamentation can be exactly the same as in the exposition. There is no need to add extra notes or play elaborate trills; a simple execution is entirely appropriate and still captures the musical character.

That covers the first movement of this Mozart sonata. With careful practice and attention to detail, it becomes not only manageable, but deeply rewarding to play. In the next part of the series, we move on to the second movement, which is a true gem and a beautiful study in lyrical playing and tonal control. Thanks for joining me here at LivingPianos.com, Your Online Piano Resource.

How to Learn Mozart’s Famous C Major Sonata: A Step-by-Step Guide

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.

Scales and Arpeggios ULTIMATE Master Class Watch Video
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10 Minutes That Will Transform Your Piano Playing

Welcome to LivingPianos.com. I’m Robert Estrin. Today, I’m going to show you how you can change your piano playing and your life. You may have heard the old saying: “One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” There’s real truth to that. In piano playing, just like in life, it’s the daily habits that make all the difference.

Choose Realistic Repertoire

A key element to meaningful progress is selecting music that’s within your reach. It’s tempting to latch onto that one dream piece, but you may struggle for months or even years without ever getting it to the level you want. There’s nothing wrong with having long-term goals, but if you’re dedicating most of your practice time to a piece that’s beyond your current capabilities, it can be discouraging. Instead, focus on building a repertoire of pieces you can master. As you play more music successfully, you’ll grow technically and musically, eventually reaching that dream piece much sooner than if you tried to tackle it prematurely. Take it step by step with progressively more challenging repertoire.

Focused Practice Yields Greater Results

Another important concept is how you structure your practice. Trying to cover as much music as possible in one sitting can be counterproductive. By working on smaller sections, you give yourself the chance to really concentrate and improve. It’s much easier to focus your ears and your mind on manageable chunks of music rather than on an entire movement or long section.

Practice Consistently

This is one of the most critical aspects of piano playing: consistency. People often ask how much time they should spend practicing. The truth is, it’s not about how much time, but how often. Practicing every day, even if only for short periods, can make a huge difference. In fact, breaking up your practice into multiple short sessions can be even more effective.

Take breaks. Go for a walk. Let your mind process what you’ve worked on. You’ll find that the music continues to sink in even when you’re not at the keyboard. Cramming hours of practice into one day and skipping several days afterward not only leads to forgetting what you’ve learned, but it can also kill your motivation.

Don’t Abandon Old Pieces

Here’s another trap to avoid: learning a piece and immediately moving on to something new. If you never revisit what you’ve already learned, you’ll end up with a bunch of pieces that are half-baked and nothing you can play confidently. You should aim to maintain pieces you can play well at any time. How do you keep them fresh? By playing them every day and occasionally practicing them just like new pieces. Take out the score, play slowly without the pedal, and use a metronome. This kind of maintenance can really solidify your repertoire.

Daily Choices Shape Your Progress

Everything you do at the piano—what you practice, how you practice, how often you practice—adds up over time. So choose wisely each day. Work on the right pieces, focus your efforts, keep your older pieces alive, and above all, be consistent. And it’s not just true for piano. Regular exercise will make you feel better and keep you in shape. Contrarily, if you eat donuts every night, you are likely to put on a few pounds. It’s the things you do every day that make the difference, both in your piano playing and in your life.

I hope this is helpful for you! Share your thoughts in the comments here at LivingPianos.com and on YouTube.

How to Change Your Piano Playing and Your Life

Welcome to LivingPianos.com. I’m Robert Estrin. Have you ever heard someone play the piano and every chord just sounds beautiful? Whether they’re reading written music or improvising, the chords seem rich and perfectly balanced. Yet when you try to do the same, the chords might sound cluttered or harsh. Why is that? It turns out, the secret to beautiful-sounding chords lies in something deeply rooted in nature: the overtone series.

What Is the Overtone Series?

The overtone series is the natural phenomenon that gives sound its color and character. Any musical sound—whether from a piano, another instrument, or even a non-musical source—contains more than just its fundamental pitch. Overtones are additional pitches that naturally occur above the fundamental note. They’re what give sound its richness, just like how a color is often made up of many different shades. A pure sine wave with no overtones sounds flat, lifeless, and boring. When overtones are present, the sound becomes full and musical.

You can even observe overtones on the piano. By silently pressing a high C key (lifting the damper without making sound), and then firmly playing a lower C, the higher string will begin to vibrate sympathetically. This demonstrates that the higher C is part of the overtone series of the lower C.

The Pattern of Overtones

The overtone series begins with notes that are far apart and gradually get closer together. Starting from the fundamental tone, each successive overtone comes closer in pitch to the next. After a certain point, the overtones are separated only by half steps. This pattern is crucial because it explains why some chords sound better than others. When chords are constructed in a way that aligns with the spacing of the overtone series, they naturally sound pleasing to the ear.

Spacing Is Everything

Here’s where this becomes especially practical for piano players. Chords voiced with wide spacing between the bass and the upper notes tend to sound much better than chords that are clustered closely in the lower registers. For example, if you play a chord in the left hand using tightly packed notes, the result is often muddy and unpleasant. But if you space the bass note well below and place the rest of the chord in the right hand, the result is far more pleasing. This principle isn’t just for improvisation or modern styles. It has deep roots in Western classical music.

The Influence of Bach and Western Harmony

Western harmony, as we know it, evolved from vocal writing, particularly in the chorales of Johann Sebastian Bach. These chorales consistently show that the bass note (the lowest note) is spaced significantly below the upper voices. This spacing mirrors the overtone series and results in a resonant, clear sound. Even in simple tunes like “Happy Birthday,” when chords are voiced with space between the bass and the upper notes, the result is much more satisfying.

Beethoven and Beyond

This approach to chord voicing is not limited to Baroque music. Take, for example, the second movement of Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata. When the arpeggios in the left hand are reduced to block chords, you can see how Beethoven employs the same concept. The bass notes are separated from the other tones, allowing the chords to breathe. This is a continuation of the harmonic principles established through centuries of musical development, rooted in the overtone series.

Applying This to Your Playing

Whenever you play chord progressions, remember to space your chords so that the bass note stands apart from the upper notes. Let the right hand handle most of the chord tones, especially when supporting a melody. Whether you’re playing simple triads or complex harmonies, this approach creates a much more rewarding and musical sound. Compare this to playing everything close together in your left hand and it usually results in a cluttered mess. Giving your chords room to resonate in line with the overtone series is key to making your playing sound professional and beautiful.

A Universal Principle

This concept of voicing chords according to the overtone series isn’t limited to classical music. From Bach to Beethoven and into contemporary styles, it’s a universal principle of good voice leading and harmonic balance. By understanding and applying this natural spacing, you can dramatically improve the sound of your chords. I encourage classical players to study their scores and observe how often composers use this technique. It’s everywhere, once you start to notice it. Thanks for joining me. I’m Robert Estrin, and this is LivingPianos.com, Your Online Piano Resource.