profile

Rebecca Bogart

Still leaking. Still learning.

Published about 1 month ago • 1 min read

Hello Reader,

My drip irrigation lines started getting chewed, so I went full on detective. First guess from the guy at the drip store: gophers. A student helped me set a gopher trap. Nothing.
​
I called exterminators. I sent them photos and they said, “rats.” I went to the drip store and bought better connectors because fixing each tiny leak was taking me 45 minutes a pop — and I had fixed 10–12 of them. Also bought the gear for armoring my lines with metal mesh.
​
Today I tried patching a particularly battered section, then decided to yank that whole bit out because it kept getting attacked (eight of the ten leaks came from the same stretch).
​
I haven’t put the metal mesh on yet. So: not solved, but lots of quick experiments, a few useless detours, and one practical hold-onto-this solution so far.

That mess is exactly the deliberate-practicing cycle. Make a plan. Try one focused fix. Observe closely. Check and adjust. Keep what helps, ditch what doesn’t. The faster you iterate, the faster you stop spinning your wheels — or get your garden to grow again.
​
​

Apply that to a passage you’re not happy with. Pick one small bit, decide on one tiny, testable change. Could be a fingering, a focused rhythm, new pedaling, the possibilities are endless.
​
Try one change once. Then stop and listen. Ask: did the sound or the feel move in the direction I wanted? If yes, keep that tweak and do short, focused repeats to lock it in.
​
If no, stop repeating and try something else! (probably not metal mesh though).
​
This is the opposite of blind repetition. Playing it ten times and hoping is me setting 400 gopher traps and praying one works.
​
This is one of the ideas in this week’s video (out Thursday or Friday), but it’s so useful I wanted to give it its own email.
​
If you’re stuck on a passage and would like my direct feedback, come check Piano with Rebecca B free for 7 days. You can post your question or clip and we'll troubleshoot together: https://www.skool.com/pianowithrebeccab

Quick experiment. Quick check. Keep what helps, ditch what doesn’t.
​

—Rebecca

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.

Read more from Rebecca Bogart

Hello Reader, This Sunday I had piano workshop for my in real life students. We've been meeting together every month since 2020. A milestone: one performer said they loved how another made the silences part of the music. That one comment opened a whole conversation — about how actors use silence to further the drama, about concerts that teach you to listen differently (Víkingur Ólafsson), and about how Chopin Nocturnes we played in high school feel completely different now that we’ve lived...

1 day ago • 1 min read

Hi Reader,If learning new pieces takes months, you’re not broken—you’re sight-reading-deprived. Today’s video shows a simple 10-minute routine to rebuild the skill, stop staring at your hands, and speed up everything you learn. Watch here: Quick invite if you're not already a member!In honor of the new video I’m reopening Piano with Rebecca B for a short window—join now and get 7 days free. Weeks 1–2 of my 4-week Memory Challenge mini course are ready, and a new lesson drops each week. Try...

7 days ago • 1 min read

Hello Reader, Last week’s question ("if you could fix one thing in your piano playing overnight, what would it be?") really lit up my inbox. I was excited because it felt like a real two way conversation, not me shouting into a void. Clear themes jumped out. The most frequent one (which surprised me) was sightreading. I'm releasing a video on that this week, so watch your inbox.And here's some help for the most popular wishes. Click the link to see my video on each one. 1. Practicing that...

9 days ago • 1 min read