Searching for beautiful melodies, I suddenly remembered that Chopin believed that his theme for Étude Op. 10, No. 3 was his most...

Scott Joplin was one of the most innovative composers in the history of western music. Credited with inventing ragtime music in the...

Now more than ever it feels important to play beautiful music, to calm and elevate the spirit. The theme from Swan Lake has a gorgeous,...

When scoring a film I am constrained not only by the emotion and action of the scene, but also by its length, which could be anywhere...

Although we think of Chopsticks as a quirky beginner’s tune, it is actually not that easy to play! Chopsticks is most fun when we play it...

I first fell in love with Irving Berlin’s What’ll I Do when I heard Alison Krauss sing it in the 2003 movie Mona Lisa Smile starring...

With all of the extra time you now have, it is a great time for you to stick your toe into the pool of songwriting. Ok don’t scream,...

In the last month I have seen the 2020 film adaptation of the Jane Austen novel Emma twice; once in the theater, and a second time last...

“Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise” – Victor Hugo, Les Miserables. For many of us, it has been difficult to focus on...

One of my favorite pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach is his Cello Suite No. 1. It was popularized in the 2009 film, The Soloist, about a...

A thousand apologies for my tardiness in posting my April free sheet music. March is a busy month for me- I start the month practicing...

Blog.UpperHandsPiano.com One of the primary differences between experienced pianists and beginners is in the fluidity of the hand moving...

To reawaken love and beauty when life feels overwhelmingly painful, we can turn to our music. This gorgeous theme from the 2nd movement...

Arc de Triumph In these troubled times, listening to and playing beautiful music helps us stay positive, empathetic and receptive. One of...

blog.UpperHandsPiano.com My dear student Joan requested the beautiful and melodic Pavane by the French composer Gabriel Fauré so I wrote...

In light of the fact that we’re having some pretty strange spring weather on both the east and west coasts, and because I have been...

Kylemore Abbey It’s March, and I’m enjoying practicing Irish tunes for a few upcoming St. Patrick’s Day gigs. Though I already have two...

Resolve! blog.UpperHandsPiano.com If you’re like me, you love making new year’s resolutions. The year ahead is a clean slate, filled with...

Piano Brain! UpperHandsPiano.com/blog I am studying the effects of piano lessons on the brain at the University of Washington, and have...

blog.UpperHandsPiano.com Venezuelan virtuoso pianist/composer Teresa Carreño (1853-1917) believed that pedaling is like mixing paints on...