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Liszt - Notturno No. 3 (Liebestraum)

Liszt’s Notturno No. 3 (Liebestraum) blends soaring lyricism with virtuosic brilliance. This From the Ground Up edition clarifies its harmonic structure through practical reductions and sectional study, offering focused strategies to master technical challenges and shape a richly coloured, naturally flowing interpretation.... Read >>

Mendelssohn - 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 >>

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 >>

Brahms - Intermezzo in B-Flat Minor (Op. 117 No. 2)

Brahms’s Intermezzo in B-flat Minor, Op. 117 No. 2, is a deeply expressive late work that combines lyrical intensity with subtle harmonic shifts. This From the Ground Up edition highlights the piece’s essential structure through clear reductions and offers focused practice strategies to support confident, musical performance.... Read >>

WA 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 >>

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 >>

Chopin - Nocturne in E-flat (Op. 9 No. 2)

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 >>

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 >>

Chopin - 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 >>