Music History
[Tutorial] How to Play Arietta by Clementi (Prep B)
It’s tutorial time! In today’s episode, I’ll share some tips for playing Clementi’s Arietta, a Prep B-level piece. As always, the sheet music is available to download for free here. Put it on your tablet or print it out, and follow along! Clementi: Backstory We’ve talked about Clementi before – in fact, we’ve done an…
Read MoreMendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Op. 61
In today’s video we’re going to be having a look at Mendelssohn’s incidental music for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, op. 61. It contains fourteen movements (including an overture and ending), and was created to be the background music to the famous Shakespeare play. Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”: Backstory Mendelssohn composed the incidental music for…
Read MoreThe Music of Mendelssohn: Five Favorites
In today’s video, we’ll be looking at the music of Mendelssohn. I’ve chosen five selections that should give you a good taste of his range and style. We’ll start by talking a little about Mendelssohn’s style, and then jump right into the five different compositions, talking about each, and – as always – listening to…
Read MoreThe Hardest Piano Music Ever: Beethoven Edition
Hi friends! We’re back with another edition of “The Hardest Piano Music Ever”, which spotlights fiendishly difficult piano music. This is as complicated as it gets, the pinnacle of achievement. 99.99% of all piano players will not play this music. Some might try, but most will fail. And on that depressing note, let’s have a…
Read MoreA Brief History of Felix Mendelssohn
A Brief History of Felix Mendelssohn Felix Mendelssohn was a Romantic-era composer who lived a short but productive life. He tends to be lesser-known than giants like Chopin or Liszt, but composed some beautiful music well-worth learning as a pianist, or listening to as a music enthusiast. In the next month or two, we’ll be…
Read MoreThe Easiest Mendelssohn Pieces for Piano (Intermediate/Advanced)
Like we’ve done with so many other composers, we’re going to discuss the easiest Mendelssohn pieces today. We’re going to look at the first of his piano compositions you can get into if you’re looking to get into his music. Mendelssohn’s piano music starts at an intermediate level, so beginners might want to look elsewhere.…
Read MoreHow to Ace your RCM History Exams
Today’s episode of PianoTV is all about how to ace your RCM history exams. I’ve personally aced them, so I’ll walk you through my study process. I’m not a piano whiz. I used to do well in competitions as a child, but my playing marks have generally been average, and I’ve needed to clock a…
Read MoreGrieg’s Arietta Tutorial: An Intermediate Step to Liszt
In today’s episode of PianoTV, we’re going to work on an intermediate-level piece called Arietta composed by Edvard Grieg. I love teaching this piece for a few reasons – it’s beautiful, but it’s also a good stepping stone to Liszt’s material. Today we’re going to discuss this piece in more depth, I’ll play through it,…
Read MoreBach’s Air on the G String (Suite no. 3 in D, BWV 1068)
In today’s video I want to explore Bach’s famous and beautiful Air on the G String, which was one piece played during my wedding ceremony. As such, it’s near and dear to my heart. This video was requested by Malav on Patreon. If you’d like to see some of the perks we offer on Patreon,…
Read More5 Modern Songs Directly Inspired by Classical Music
Hi and welcome to today’s episode of PianoTV, where we’re going to look at 5 modern songs that were directly inspired by Classical music. Some of these songs are a bit of a stretch, while others are overt inspirations. In this video we’re going to have fun, listen through some examples and try to spot…
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