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Rebecca Bogart

Her fingers weren’t the problem

Published 4 days ago • 3 min read
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Hi Reader,

Yesterday I worked with a brand new student named Monica. When I asked her, “If you had a magic wand and three piano wishes, what would they be?” her first wish was simple: I want my music to flow and sound beautiful.

She’d been practicing a piece carefully for months, measure by measure (Yay!!) but she didn't like how the right hand triplets sounded - they were uneven.
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I explained that to create the sense and sound of flow, you let your arm shift behind each finger so the arm helps the finger play. That’s what creates evenness of sound and regular spacing.

To help the idea really click fast I showed her my “tennis ball trick.” First I explained the movement then we actually rolled a ball to feel how the arm shifts its weight from one finger to the next. You can check out the tennis ball trick here (12:13): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRbCgZ1-SkU&t=733s​
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She also wanted help with one leap passage that felt chaotic. To fix it, I showed her how to practice each leap with her eyes closed.
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👉 Check out this playlist if you’d like to learn more about how to practice leaps this way

At first this might sound odd — but closing your eyes actually frees up your brain to focus on the distances between keys and the tactile feel of the keyboard. By touching the groups of two and three black keys, you orient yourself quickly and organize the leap with confidence, instead of “aiming” like a carnival shooting gallery.
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Monica said, “I love this. I can tell this is going to make it better.”
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(🎶that comment was music to my ears...)

By the end of the lesson, Monica said, “Now I have concrete things to practice. I’m not just repeating and hoping. I actually know what to do, and I’m excited to practice.”

She also said something that really struck me: “I didn’t realize that playing piano was about the body. I always thought it was just about hitting the right notes.”

If you’d like this kind of support, come join me inside Piano with Rebecca B. It's just $12 per month right now, and you’ll get my direct input through live sessions and community posts, connect with other pianists, and access to resources I’ve personally developed — filled with my own insights and ideas you won’t find anywhere else.

👉Start your 7-day free trial here:
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​https://www.skool.com/pianowithrebeccab​

Talk soon,
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Rebecca

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Contact info@RebeccaBogartPiano.com

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Rebecca Bogart

I performed in Carnegie Hall!

I help passionate adult classical pianists realize their musical dreams through artistic intuition, actionable, specific feedback and transformative practice strategies.

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