Holiday piano courses

Combine Learning about how a pianos works and its relationship with the Technique of piano playing.

The holiday part will be spent seeing some of those special hide away places usually only known to the locals.

This piano course has been designed at the request of Piano Teachers and people who have said they would like to develop a greater understanding of the Technique of Piano Playing in relationship to the how the Piano Mechanism works; and the enormous importance of how it should be adjusted if we are to produce the sound we require.

We would like your Holiday Course to be enjoyable and a happy memory. The courses are not ridged and can be tailored to suite you.

Some of the Subjects covered will include:
The meaning of technique.
How to get the brain to control your limbs and muscles to produce the sound you require.
The Three Phases in Playing a Note.
What is the technique required from the pianist to produce a singing tone, and what do we require from the piano to allow us to achieve that sound.
Arm weight and six different ways to use it.
Accuracy of tone and the link between, music, technique and the mechanical piano.
How to use your finger, hand, arm and body.
The use and misunderstandings of forearm and hand rotation.
Preparation of groups of notes.
Fingering.
How to play staccato and legato.
50 Individual technical details you should be perfecting when you play a scale.
The use and misuse of forearm rotation.
The lateral movement of the thumb.
The Phrase; the shape of a note; and its relationship to the front and back of the beat.
What causes tension and how to eliminate it.
Practising.
Pedalling.
Interpretation.
Performance.

The Piano

How will damper spring tension and damper lift timing influence the sound we require and how should it be adjusted.

Twenty different details that need to be right in the making of a piano key if the piano is to produce the sound we have instructed.
How the different types of nickel plate effect key pins in relationship to the technique of piano playing.
The effect of replacing the lead weights in a piano key by magnets.
What is the affect of tarnished piano pins, when the piano is played and what can be done to solve this natural accruing Problem to transform the way a piano plays?
How does a longer or shorter hammer shank length influence how the piano plays?
What is set off and how the adjustment influences the sound we require and how it should be adjusted.
What is the relationship between the capstan position the jack the depth of touch and the technique of piano playing?
Why is a grand piano the shape that it is and what influence does the curved shape have on the sound?
What other alterations do we have to make to the keys when key depth of touch is made Deeper or More Shallow? If not made how do these changes affect the Response of the piano.
How the dumb bar in a piano influences the sound of a piano in a room.
The curve support floating soundboard in a piano and what affect it has on the Piano Sound.
How does the position of the hammer check influence the speed of Repetition and how should it be adjusted.
How does a Flange Lever Spring influence the way a piano sounds and plays?

Course cost

A one day course including morning coffee, lunch and afternoon tea. Price £80.

Longer courses include bed and breakfast, morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea and an evening meal. Price £100 for each day and night.

Holiday, days spent without tuition, bed and breakfast only £25.

Weekend course: Arrive Friday evening for dinner. Finish at the end of Sunday afternoon. Price £200.

If you are interested in any of the Holiday Courses or have any ideas or questions you would like to discuss, we would be delighted to hear from you.