Juilliard alum, pianist, and founder of the Piano Ninja Tricksters Club, helping serious adult musicians develop intelligent practice strategies and perform with confidence under pressure.
🎹 What I focused on after the memory slip
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I performed the Chopin Polonaise-Fantasie live Sunday. I was deeply inside the music, listening phrase by phrase, letting the space between the notes speak, enjoying every moment. Even the double-thirds felt easy. Then, at the height of the coda, I had a memory slip. I got close to the end, but it was improvised from that point on. Probably no one noticed except my student in the room who is also working on this transcending work. And then I did exactly what I tell you not to do. 🤦♀️ When he congratulated me and said how beautiful it was, I immediately said, “I don’t know what happened at the end.” With a little distance, I can see it clearly. What carried me through wasn’t perfect recall. It was my understanding of the music. The phrasing. The architecture. The way technique becomes music instead of something you cling to. That’s what I demonstrate in my new YouTube video When technique becomes music. And if you’re curious about going deeper, reply and let me know you’re interested in a live CELEBRATION OF CHOPIN MASTERCLASS: From Technical to Musical at the end of the month. pps These weekly newsletters are now public here. Thanks for sharing with other pianists who will benefit. |
Lisa Spector, Piano Ninja
Juilliard alum, pianist, and founder of the Piano Ninja Tricksters Club, helping serious adult musicians develop intelligent practice strategies and perform with confidence under pressure.
It’s 1972, and I’m walking into Hogwarts. Okay, not Hogwarts exactly. But something like it... Crouse College, a building that belongs in another century. I’m 10 and enchanted by the bell tower ringing throughout the Syracuse University campus. It’s my first real concert. I’m here to see David Mulfinger perform all 24 Chopin Études. From the very first C Major bass octave of Op. 10 No. 1, I was mesmerized. While my hands could barely reach an octave, I knew in every ounce of my body that I...
As Chopin’s birthday approaches, I’ll admit it... I’m in a full-blown love affair. 💕 This week I’m recording the Polonaise-Fantaisie.After decades with this music, here’s what I’ve learned…You can’t decorate it.You can’t “add” to it. The moment you force it, the music resists. So how much rubato is too much? I recorded a short video exploring exactly that. 👀 Watch ⬇️How Much Rubato Is Too Much? If you want your Chopin to sound passionate but not messy, join me this Thursday.FROM TECHNICAL TO...
If you heard my Rachmaninoff on Valentine's Day, you know that I love schmalz in my music. 🥰 But I cringe when it’s added at the wrong time, especially in Chopin. 🙃 You're probably not lacking in expression. You may just be adding it in the wrong place. 🎼 A tiny practice experiment for you:Before you add rubato this week... Play the phrase completely without flexibility. Build the harmonic tension. Identify the exact point where the phrase can support rubato. Only then allow the rubato to...