-
It sure would be nice to have research-backed, evidence-based facts cited in lessons, with full research reference, for the many common claims made by instructors. "Practice your scales to get better" is probably one of the more common ones. I decided to attempt looking this up recently and found very little to back up this claim. "Try the Hanon exercises on a daily schedule" is a more specific technique-oriented claim, with also, absolutely no evidence to show whether Hanon (or any of the many other regimens) is effective, or less effective, or more effective, than anything else. This void of "legitimate" information astounds me especially for piano, where this many-hundred-year-old instrument has the most competitive nature, beyond almost any other instrument, and any typical piano instructor could easily design a double-blind trial with a group of students over a number of years to prove dozens of regimen theories either true or false, or completely neutral, to later results.
Playing an instrument with proper technique is often rightly compared to an Olympic sport, requiring precise, effective, and efficient athletic movement. The difference of course is that Kinesiology is a science with peer-reviewed research published on a regular basis, with results often viciously scrutinized, while instrument performance seems to have none of that studied rigor. The lack of information in the music realm leads to perpetuation of false myths, harmful practices (including body injury), or mediocre development which simply wastes a lot of time.
-
As a pianist with small hands (I can just reach a ninth on white keys only, but can't reach chords that extend a ninth), I'd like to see some examples of how to cope with repertoire that has large chords. I'm currently studying Chopin's F minor Ballade and other pieces with big chords and would love to see how pianists with smaller hands manage these. Imogen Cooper, the noted British pianist, gave a recital here in Australia and somehow managed this in such a way that it was barely noticeable; I want to learn how to do that!
-
I thought of another thing that would help. Is it possible to do the live workshops at another time, occasionally? I would love to participate and be able to ask questions, but these are always on at 4.00 a.m. in Melbourne, Australia. If I'm even awake at that time, I'm certainly not firing on all cylinders!
-
Not sure if this has been previously brought up yet or if I am not just finding it, but for upcoming live events, it would be nice to have the ability to add an upcoming event to my calendar. (I tend to forget events if they are not on my Google calendar where I can be automatically reminded!)
For example, today I got an email about Dominic's live stream event tomorrow about trills, it would be nice to have a clickable box for an option to add to a personal calendar, instead of just "Join LIVE". That way, I won't have to manually add the event to my calendar. Thanks. -
I can’t live without Tonebase. Huge thanks to everyone involved for making such high quality music education so accessible!
One thing I would really appreciate is a subtitle option on the videos. Since English is my second language, I sometimes struggle to understand certain words or musical terms, especially if the speaker has an accent.
-
When I rewind a video 10s using the option on the screen, or by sliding the “bar” back the score does not stay in step with the video.
Yesterday did this on The Girl with Flaxen Hair course and it got out of step. When I stopped and resumed I lost the score altogether. I was on my iPhone. It’s happened in other courses too.