My first few very nervous steps on piano
My piano story started late in 1995. I didn't play in childhood. In fact, I couldn't play a note before my 16th birthday. It was decided that I would have a piano teacher to help me with my harmony at Ipswich School in Suffolk in England.
The Jenny Lawford era
My first lessons took place at school with Trinity College London graduate Jenny Lawford. It wasn't very promising at first. I was told to give up because I found it hard just to play both hands in contrary motion five fingers up and down and play little pieces with both hands going independently. It took me six months to master my first piece German Dance by Michael Praetorius. She chose the Classics to Moderns Book 1 textbook for me. I still play some form there and record them.
Enter Judith Inge : Grade 2 and Junior Competition Success
Judith Inge was my second RNCM educated piano teacher from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. She was a really nice woman. She got my some interesting music including my book of Waltzes which I still treasure and some light hearted compilation called the Joy of Piano Entertainment. I just about scraped Grade 2 ABRSM with 109 pts in 1995 and that was my last grade for a while after school.
I was also very lucky to win the school junior competition a day after I won the school singing cup at senior level. There were only 2 entries and he tried to play bohemian rhapsody but made a catastrophic amount of mistakes and I won by default even though I only played a Johann Krieger Minuet in A with one mistake in. Judith said I was very charismatic when I played it though and it sounded good. I played it with ornamentation she devised for me. I felt very lucky indeed to get that third school title but I admit to not having been technically advanced at the time. He should have chosen his piece better. It was a dead cert if he hadn't tried to blow me away I was shrapnel at playing at that stage. I still consider it a bit of a booby prize for wining the singing. that win really has helped my playing though long term as I never though I'd win a piano competition starting at 17, and I've never taken my playing seriously ever since which has helped at crucial times. I now enjoy playing every bit as much as singing.
After the Break : Cologne Conservatoire Wuppertal Campus 2002 - 2004 Second Study Course and Exam with Jan Ehnes
A Great Teacher : Cometh the hour cometh the Jan!
Jan Ehnes was the best music teacher I ever had. He was the brother or half brother of violin legend James Ehnes. He was only allowed to teach me as a second study. So it's remarkable that he has that reputation with me. It's just that he had such an understanding of me personally and my strengths and weaknesses. He was so unlucky and so underrated because they chose his brother as a world star. He was like Prince Harry to me. he was always seen as the spare as well, but he is such a clever pianist. If I play the above again I'll play it even better I'm sure.
He hardly ever makes a mistake, in fact I've never noticed him make one. He has an immaculate clean lined Finnish piano technique and he does play with passion. He also has a background in the military, so he really knew how to get it out of male underdogs like me that are perhaps accused of being a bit lazy. He was also capable of understanding and compassion for my illnesses. He instilled it in my to really practise for my final exam. In spite of a very shaky start in a class I had no right to pass with my background in piano he got me a C- in second study piano from a top German conservatoire. That is totally unreal because I fully admit I totally lacked confidence at it and I was crap. Form that position of being a bit of a character he alone made me into a serious musical contender. Mr Stevenson my voice teacher encouraged me to be innovative and contributed that, but he got me the musical skills to be a musician if Stevenson got me the voice Jan got me the musicianship it can be learned. A lot of people think it's impossible but he did teach me the psychology to win by playing a piece with zero defects and he said that's all you have to do in the sense that a golf pro is a pro because he has a handicap of zero it was kinda his thing to play without a single defect. He got me to win a perfect performance and playing of a piece of music (and later it happened with my voice as well singing baritone) simply by no longer tolerating any mistakes in my work. Most teachers in my country aren't that brave they are too accepting of ambiguity in their pupil's playing and the never gain the joy and sensation of that immaculate performance and sense that any piece however hard, is ultimately playable if you can but unlock that level in your playing even by yourself. When I first playing really well later on I played Für Elise by Beethoven and it's started to play itself I wasn't thinking about what I was doing I was in this alpha state with the feeling of electricity like Billy Elliot no long actively playing me work but listening to it. It that feeling of being in harmony and at one with oneself that he imparted. If you feel you can't play it play it anyway innovate a solution per aspera ad astra. Hugh, you are the worst pianist I've ever seen he said but if you really want to play Bach Prelude BWV 902a at Grade 6 in your exam you CAN do it! They say you can't; just play it anyway! Saying that really worked with me. It's just you and the keys; you let your hands and fingers do the talking; everything else is just hot air!
