Graham Fitch Masterclass: Organising Practice Time

In part one of a two-part series, Pianist contributor Graham Fitch shows you how to successfully manage your practice time. The video lesson compliments his article inside the August/September issue of Pianist (No 115). www.pianistmagazine.com/store/back-issues/pianist/pianist-115-aug20-issue-147-1/
View Graham's website for further information, resources and videos on this and many other topics relating to practising and playing the piano: online-academy.informance.biz/
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◼️ LESSON BY: GRAHAM FITCH - Pianist, teacher, writer and adjudicator gives masterclasses and workshops on piano playing internationally. He is also in high demand as a private teacher in London. Graham is a regular tutor at the Summer School for Pianists in Walsall and also a tutor for the Piano Teachers’ Course EPTA (UK). He writes a popular piano blog and has launched an online piano academy. practisingthepiano.com/
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◼️ PIANIST MAGAZINE www.pianistmagazine.com/store... This video is created by Pianist magazine, which is adored internationally by those who have a passion for playing the piano. This is the definitive magazine for piano players of all levels, from beginners to advanced. Each issue comes packed with professional advice on topics such as technique, pedalling and interpretation, plus sheet music reviews, Q&As, teaching tips, in-depth ‘How to Play’ masterclasses, readers’ letters, piano news, interviews with top concert pianists and so much more. Every issue features 40 pages of pull out sheet music and a free tutorial CD, featuring all the scores played by a professional pianist.
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[@miffywang7635]

Things I learnt from this video in dot points: - Plan the practice. The feedback loop, know which specific part you are working on and How. Left hand alone/without pedal to feel the balance between voices. -20/30 minutes short sessions -Extract the cue spots and prioritise them. Practice with various methods such as outside notes, rhythmical variations, etc. -Textures. Such as a fugue, play one voice forte and the rest piano. -Counting beats aloud.

[@vanhoai6349]

thanks

[@gothamelliott]

Graham, I just finished watching this video AGAIN for the ???th time, and I must say you REALLY are MARVELOUS!! I just LOVE you !!!!!

[@tritone3284]

Speechless! This pure gold! Woooooooo! Out of this world lesson!

[@hollyavillella554]

Thank you so much! Invaluable! 🧡💐🙏🕊️

[@RaghunathIyer]

Amazing inputs. So many teachers that I have come across have not made any one of these suggestions on how to practice, even during class hours.

[@richsw]

Graham's videos always inspire me to go to the piano and practice. Great advice, as always. 👍

[@notgoodenough6161]

once you are able to organize your time, you can practice 40hrs every day

[@ShizuruPianoCovers]

Emi Igawa is that you? O.o

[@mrsam2026]

2set is everywhere!

[@ShizuruPianoCovers]

@@mrsam2026 true xD

[@nathangrant1824]

i thought this was a safe space.

[@benjaminlara5055]

Ling Ling challenge!!!

[@DenZhdanovPianist]

Fantastic tutorials and a true inspiration source not only for students, but also for every piano teacher/blogger! Thanks!

[@PeterHontaru]

What a fantastic resource!

[@tianyiz.9361]

I appreciated Graham's lecture so much. He really opened my eyes.

[@MusicLover-oe3ig]

This is just a superb channel in demystifying piano playing techniques from a PRO! What a treasure trove! When I took piano lessons, I had never heard a single line of music demonstrated by my teacher. Thank you so very much!!

[@gothamelliott]

May, you are right. Graham is a magnificent instructor!

[@MusicLover-oe3ig]

@@gothamelliott From the date stamp, I have been watching KZbin for a year. I was blown away for the free masterclass offered by Mr Graham and many other theory and harmony topics!

[@gothamelliott]

@@MusicLover-oe3ig As have I been. Another wonderful teacher is Jazer Lee, if you have a chance to look him up.

[@MusicLover-oe3ig]

@@gothamelliott Will look him up, thank you!

[@barbarasmith6005]

So many ideas for practicing, I'm going to have to go through the video and pause it to write each idea down. These methods surely will take a lot of the drudgery out of practice.

[@bassmaiasa1312]

Rather than automatically hit the 'like' button for Graham's videos, I usually wait until he says something excellent, usually within minutes into the video. But in this case, I took one look at that shirt-jacket combo and hit 'like' after two seconds.

[@mehrsahamidi2001]

It was so helpful 🌹

[@JuliaPikalova]

Dear Graham, your advises are always helpful and motivating! Thank you (and the Pianist magazine)!

[@classicalmusiclover4029]

Thank you so much for these videos Graham! They are greatly appreciated!

[@wojtekdobrowolski8084]

Just what I needed

[@franzlisztish]

Fantastic Lesson! Thanks VERY much Graham.

[@velcroman11]

Listening to this fellow discussing technique is like having a wonderful fulsome meal. It is so full of knowledge and flavour to us improve our skill level.

[@rogercarroll2551]

Maestro Fitch is a superb teacher, one of the greatest.

[@evelynisgro-desplat7080]

Your control of the volume of different voices within a fugue is inspiring.

[@carmenl9280]

Excellent video full of useful tips. Lots of new ideas for practising. I always find myself doing the same (separarte hands, slow practise, review fingering and that's it).

[@RolandHuettmann]

I feel "at home" with Graham's insight and dedication. And I really like Bach fugues as they give a deep sense of beauty. I was taught to always practice each voice independently until I memorize them, then add two or more voices, then alternate them until finally all voices work together. And yes, it is a revolving process, or, as Graham suggests, one or the other voice is stressed to come to the foreground. I like 25 minutes sessions, five minutes break, another 25 minutes, five minutes break -- as time allows. Sometimes though I forget the time...

[@MusicLover-oe3ig]

I normally practise at least one to two hours before I take a break or stop when I am tired. If I learn a new piece, I might feel tired after 30 minutes.

[@taniacummings9207]

Always expert help from Graham, thank you.

[@demetriuspaschalides4622]

Unbelievable ! Thats the piece im working on right now . Its my favourite and i keep it close to my heart. Thank you for the invaluable information.

[@marcychristoff219]

This is my first time watching your Masterclass video. It was excellent and I will watch more.👏🎹🎶

[@mudswallow5074]

Self-taught amateur here fascinated by the level of detail and finesse that goes into his practicing and playing. I am becoming a much more educated listener too.

[@jazzjens]

Great worthy pro tips, thanks again, Master Fitch

[@gabrielpizzi2303]

Really love your masterclasses, so kind. Very gratheful. thxs

[@robsmith3464]

Fantastic video, full of advice I can go and apply right away. Thank you 👍

[@scottderrick8166]

Very well stated....excellent suggestions! Thank you.

[@OumiKapilaMusic]

Chaining is super super helpful. Immediate results in a Rachmaninov problem area. Thanks Graham!

[@midimike88]

Wonderful video, Mr. Fitch. Thank you, I'll get these suggestions into my practice routine!!!

[@nathangrant1824]

it such a joy and an inspiration to listen to your advice. thank you. i shall put your practice to practice.

[@deldridg]

Another excellent series from Mr Fitch. Coming from a piano playing family, a great place to develop a better understanding of how to make the best use of your practice time is to build some awareness of how your brain learns and retains knowledge - it's fascinating stuff. I recommend a couple of books: "Peak" by Anders Ericsson, and "The Talent Code" by Daniel Coyle. When people say "practice makes perfect" around my young kids, they respond with "almost... *deliberate practice* makes perfect". What Graham is teaching here aligns very much with the concept of "deliberate practice", coined by Anders Ericsson, perhaps the foremost expert on developing expertise. Thank you for this lesson and cheers from Sydney, Aust - David

[@alessiagemma1687]

I love you! Thanks 🤩

[@bernhardlindt7842]

Just great, thank you!

[@AndersChanTidemann]

Fantastic - thank U so much!

[@BellyDanceDojo]

Loads of useful tips, thanks a lot! I wish I could go the piano right now and practice :-) (unfortunately it's busy)

[@mauriceam]

Thank you so much. Your videos are fascinating. Just working on the Pathetique. Maybe will you cover one of these days Chopin's prélude in f sharp minor.

[@hk4672]

I have always counted out loud and I thought it was the noobest thing ever but now I feel validated by this video lol

[@metteholm4833]

Another thing: The printed fingerings can be confusing and do not necessarily fit any hand. Give time to write your own! Part of my plan today!

[@radic888]

This is interesting. Won't playing the pieces differently from the way they're intended play havoc with muscle memory?

[@santamariajorge]

Thank you Graham for your dedication. Great video, but I wonder if there are advises for those of us not really up to this level. I mean, beginers trying to organize time struggling up just with bare notes. Thank you again

[@taniacummings9207]

I might spend several practice sessions just working and reworking fingering. It has to feel natural and intuitive then we learn it more easily and make less mistakes. Especially with ageing and/or arthritic hands.

[@rambob5939]

👍

[@JeremyTaylorPianoProgress]

What is the piece being played at the beginning? Thanks

[@alexandrasoroca8868]

Not to sound uncultured, but what is the piece that plays in the very beginning of the video?

[@paperEATER101]

"Dance of the Blessed Spirits" from "Orfeo ed Euridice" by Gluck

[@newyorkfilharmonik110]

@@paperEATER101 I've been listening to music for 59 years and I didn't know it either. There is no shame in not knowing a musical piece. Who knows every piece by every composer in ISMLP?

[@wolfie8748]

“The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life.”

[@newyorkfilharmonik110]

@@wolfie8748 Thank you!

[@mauriziomussurici7007]

What's the name of the first song of the video? Thanks.

[@TheMarmite09]

What is the name of song was playing at the start?

[@fruitcupsandorangejuice]

Can you please do a video on how to play as melody by ear and clap it? I have to do it for RCM and I am tonedeaf, I'm afraid I'll fail because of it. Please help!

[@dominicaha]

Have you resolved tone deaf complex? It's a belief not an unalterable reality. Play C, E, G (one by one) on the piano, then play C, Eb, G. Can you hear it is different? So you're not tone deaf. Exercise 1. Try humming a note; listen to the note as you humming, & try to stabilize it. Let your mouth open & continue the same note. Being insistent & stubborn go to the piano & play any single ramdom note whilst keeping your humming or singing note constant. Then play more single random notes keeping 'your note' going. Then try to find the piano note that corresponds to your note. Exercise 2 With 'your note' as the starting point sing do re mi (ie the first three notes of a scale). Sing it two different ways: 1st as people who can sing and who are not tone deaf would sing it 2nd: sing it how you or people who are tone deaf tend to sing it. Reoeat this & exaggerate the difference. Work carefully and diligently at these two simple exercises really listening as best as you can to what's going on. Don't worry about getting it right or wrong full stop instead just to focus on listening to what you observe

[@DonswatchingtheTube]

Good stuff. The content, sound, script, Just needs to be filmed overhead.

[@arashabed9801]

What's the name of the piece playing at first of video?

[@JaySuryavanshiMusic]

(repetition legitimizes)

[@NimeuMusic]

(repetition legitimizes)

[@qwadratix]

I'm supposed to be practising piano. Instead I am watching a video on how to organise piano practice time. I need help!

[@maximilianwilson8790]

Fitch suggests short practice sessions. So, these days I practice, watch Fitch, then practice, Fitch, practice...

[@velcroman11]

Yes, and after a few days you will be able to fly through it……. Wait …. wait …. Look!!! Pigs flying past in the formation of the notes I STILL have not learnt. 🤣🤣🤣

[@man0sticks]

I need more bandwidth.

[@taniacummings9207]

I need more handwidth 😁