Hi Reader, What are your Labor Day plans? Mine is to give presents to five family members. Every year around this time we have a “birthday marathon” because five of us have birthdays between late August and early September. It feels like Christmas with all the wrapping paper and gift bags flying around. My mom is turning 86 this year. She’s hard to shop for, but she does love books. Thankfully, members in Piano with Rebecca B recently shared their favorite piano books — and now I’ve got a...
10 days ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, Ever feel like your playing should sound better?You’re hitting all the right notes, doing your best to “feel” the musi …but it still sounds kind of flat. You hear a professional play the same piece and it suddenly comes alive.But what are they doing that you’re not? Here’s the truth: they’re not just feeling more.They’re reading expression right from the score — and making intentional choices with every phrase.In this week’s video, I walk you through exactly how that works. Check...
17 days ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader Your brain remembers better when you give it more to work with.The more senses you involve while practicing, the stronger the memory traces you create. Don’t just think about what the music sounds like—ask yourself: What does it look like on the page?What does it feel like in your hands?Does it remind you of a picture? A place? A friend? A vacation? An emotion? Even a smell? One of my students recently asked for help remembering the difference between the first and second endings in...
26 days ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, This time of year is prime vacation time, so a lot of people are away from their piano. I often get asked, "What can I do to practice when I'm not near a piano?" This question came up recently in Piano with Rebecca B, my community on Skool.com. One member asked what he could do during a trip abroad — he’d be away from his instrument but wanted to keep learning and growing. The answers were so good I had to share them with you too. One member mentioned practicing with just your...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, If playing still feels awkward or tense, the problem might not be tension itself — but something deeper. Many pianists try to connect every note physically, thinking that’s what legato means. That belief creates all kinds of strain. You might have been taught to interpret the score that way — or just taking legato marks as a suggestion for physical choreography rather than for how the music should sound. This video explains what’s really going on and how to let go — literally — for...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, Most people think fingering is annoying, tedious, and full of conflicting advice. And honestly? They're not wrong. One book says one thing. Another book says something else. Your teacher says a third thing. So you're stuck guessing — with no real way to tell what's right for you. In this video, I walk you through 8 principles about fingering so you can make choices that actually help you play fluidly and expressively. I’m also sending you the free PDF that goes with the video:Smart...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, A couple days ago, I shared how spaced repetition and interleaving can help you learn faster and play better. If you missed it, you can read it here. This follow-up is all about how to actually track it—because great strategies only work if you can stick with them. In class, we’re using different tools to manage our practice. I’ve been using a spreadsheet to track which sections I’ve played and when to revisit them. It doesn’t have to be fancy—I just list the parts I’m working on...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, This week was the third week of a class I’m taking with Dr. Molly Gebrian. She’s a professor at New England Conservatory who’s passionate about applying neuroscience to music practice. Since learning her methods, I’ve seen my own progress speed up—and my students’ too. We revisited a strategy I learned in my very first class with her about two years ago: spaced repetition. Here’s the basic idea: once you’ve played a section correctly a few times—usually just 3 to 7 reps—it’s in...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Hi there, The video I promised you is finally here! (Yes, it’s Sunday. It was supposed to go out Friday. Life had other plans. 😅) Learning to edit in DaVinci Resolve turned out to be another effing growth opportunity — or as I now call it: AFGO. I’ve now learned way more than I ever wanted to know about frame rates, audio effects, timeline nesting, and chasing audible audio issues that DaVinci insists aren’t there. 🎧🙃 But wait — it gets better. Halfway through, I realized the longest and most...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read