The Heart of the Piano Podcast is back with a review of the new piano syllabuses from ABRSM and Trinity, which take you from an Initial Grade to Grade 8. Listen to the podcast to discover some reasons why me and many other piano teachers are now defecting from ABRSM to Trinity!               A brief summary of my review: ABRSM- Grade 8 seems much easier technically, but much harder musically than in previous years. Grade 8 book has less pieces than previous years, down to almost half the number of pages. Change of List A/B/C means its possible to avoid core Baroque/Classical pieces. Poor engraving means rhythms are often very difficult to read. Never been a fan of ABRSM's heavy handed editing in higher grades- especially of Baroque music. Not a fan of ABRSM's fingering and ornamentation suggestions. Less scales than before, many books to buy, some of these books now very insubstantial and poor value for money. Many books now less value for money- not just scales but also Grade 8 and the Teaching Notes book which is again down to almost half the amount of pages as previous years. New Initial Grade to match Trinity's. New online-only performance exam- no scales, sight reading or aural tests. Intended to be equal in value to the normal practical exam. Not a fan of this for many reasons, and feel it cheapens the ABRSM 'brand' with a loss of prestige and high standards. The debacle around the poorly implemented new online only Grade 5 Theory exam has sowed the seeds of extreme distrust amongst many music teachers, deepening the impression of a company overly driven by profit & PR rather than delivering core values to teachers and students and listening to their needs. Trinity- Excellent value for money- every grade book has 12 pieces up from the previous 9. The extended edition book includes all the scales for that grade and also provides access to a pdf with an extra 9 pieces from previous years than are included in the new syllabus. Only 2 scale books are needed to cover the whole range as opposed to having to buy one book per grade for ABRSM. Excellent selection of pieces- not only fun, rewarding and engaging, but also very well chosen in terms of developing technical skills at the appropriate levels. I like the idea to include one piece in every grade from a young composers' competition. Students encouraged to play their own (appropriate) composition as a grade piece. Excellently conceived tests of musicality which include the option to improvise. No singing required in aural tests. Every grade has a choice of technical exercises to develop various aspects of technique. An impression of a company that prioritises delivering value for money and cares about the holistic musical development of students rather than just making a good profit. Not entirely convinced that students are made to deliver a balanced programme, and that core skills in Baroque and Classical music are tested- but then this is no longer a part of the new ABRSM structure now! Higher grades are more like Urtext editions- leaving students (and teachers) free to decide how to interpret the composer's markings. Engraving easier to read than ABRSM, but fingerings are too small. Maybe because of using Sibelius default settings and fonts? The recordings made specially for this syllabus are generally more musical than the equivalent recordings made by ABRSM for their syllabus. I like that Trinity have made Spotify playlists as well that feature higher quality performances. Show Notes: An example of some truly atrocious music engraving from ABRSM- this one example comes from bar 2 of the Haydn in the Grade 8 book. Look at how counter-intuitively the right hand rhythm doesn't fit with the left hand rhythm... Apparently, this is the company that ABRSM chose to administer their new online Grade 5 Theory exams: https://www.sitejabber.

Heart of the Piano Podcast

E17: Why I’m moving my students from ABRSM to Trinity- reviews of their new 2021 piano syllabuses

An absorbing, enlightening and entertaining conversation with Karl Luthmayer- musical raconteur, international concert pianist, academic, rock star keyboardist & theremin player in a prog-rock band! As well as chatting about Karl's career and piano playing, we discuss his fascinating research on facial expressiveness in piano performers, the history and aesthetics of piano concert arrangements, the [...]

E16: Interview with Karl Lutchmayer- British-Indian Concert Pianist, Steinway Artist, Academic, and Rock Keyboardist!

An exciting and profound new episode that could transform the way you practice, learn and perform. It's a long episode, but worth listening through to the end for important tips on deep musicality, easy (well... easier!) learning, and performing with less nerves. Show Notes What is narcissism? (including a brief foray into individualist vs. collectivist [...]

Episode 15: Narcissism- the Master Key to Understand How to Unlock Musicality and Performance?

I was so excited about interviewing Karen Bulmer that it only very recently occurred to me after recording the interview that Karen is not actually a pianist! But every musician will get so much from listening to this episode, and I think particularly us pianists who often have to juggle so many things happening at [...]

E14: Interview with Karen Bulmer of the Music, Mind, and Movement Podcast

The Leeds International Piano Competition is one of the top 3 most important and prestigious piano competitions in the world, with previous finalists such as Murray Perahia, Mitsuko Uchida, András Schiff... and dozens more names that anybody familiar with classical pianists will recognise instantly as being in the top row of the best, most important, [...]

E13: Interview with Adam Gatehouse, Artistic Director of the Leeds International Piano Competition

Olga is not only a superb pianist- her CD shows off her deep soulful & expressive playing with a highly refined ear for counterpoint, layers and structure- but her concert transcription of the Vitali Chaconne for solo piano is an absolute masterpiece, and she has also done a PhD on polyphony in Rachmaninov's music... I [...]

E12: Interview with Olga Georgievskaya, Russian Concert Pianist

An inspirational look at some of the most common mental habits that stop us all from realising our highest potential as musicians, with practical steps and strategies on how to dramatically improve our playing by being attentive to how we use our minds as we practise. I'm really proud of this one, I'm very passionate [...]

E11: Most common mistakes made by non-professional pianists- Part 3

Erica is the editor of UK-based Pianist Magazine, an internationally renowned magazine for people who love to play the piano. It features interviews with top concert pianists, full-length features on current issues, how-to piano lessons, CD and sheet music reviews, Questions and Answers, teaching tips and concert highlights. I thought, who better to chat with [...]

E10: Interview with Erica Worth, editor of Pianist Magazine

This time, my friend Andy Cole did the interviewing, chatting with Melvin Besbrode, owner of one of the biggest piano stores in the UK- situated in Leeds. It's well worth listening to even if you're not buying a piano- very interesting topics are covered such as the monumental popularity of the piano in China & [...]

E09: Interview with Melvin Besbrode of Besbrode Pianos- one of the biggest piano stores in the UK

Ben Richards organises 8(!) regular piano meetup groups all across the UK. We talk about what makes his groups particularly fun and inviting for amateurs and beginners (although advanced players also play), some of the history of piano groups and the piano, and the various benefits and attractions of taking part. We also talk about [...]

E08: Interview with Ben Richards, organiser of piano meetups across the UK

A free guided visualisation to help people get passionate and motivated to practise their piano and achieve their goals! You don't need to be sat at the piano for this meditation, and you can use headphones if you'd like. The meditation starts at 4:45 if you want to listen to it after the first time [...]

Guided Visualisation- Getting Motivated!

A free guided audio meditation to use while practising the piano- this meditation uses a slightly more selective selection of techniques from the previous meditation, 'Further Down the Road'. However, the plan is to make many guided meditations that will guide people over a longer period of time to gradually and gently build up these [...]

Guided Piano Meditation- Listening and Posture

A free guided audio meditation to use while practising the piano- this meditation gives a taster of many different techniques that can be used to deepen piano practice. However, the plan is to make many guided meditations that will guide people over a longer period of time to gradually and gently build up these techniques, [...]

Guided Piano Meditation- Further Down the Road

A free guided audio meditation to use while sat at the piano- this meditation explores the ability to really listen to your piano- one of the most important skills for any pianist. It's better to use speakers (or just use the speaker on your phone or computer) and not use headphones for this meditation so [...]

Guided Piano Meditation- Introduction to Meditating at the Piano

All about the powerful effects of mindfulness and meditation and how we can practise these skills to dramatically improve our piano playing through far more effective practice, dealing with performance anxiety, and finding the right state of mind to learn and make music more effectively and at a much higher level. Also about the guided [...]

E07: Meditation and Mindfulness- and how they can dramatically improve your piano playing

Passionate, irreverent and often opinionated discussions on all things piano related as well as interviews, news, tips and reviews.

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Heart of the Piano Podcast

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