Deborah Siepmann

Imagine stepping into one of these beautiful rooms and sitting down at the piano…  The next best thing would be having such a picture on the wall for inspiration!  These are available from Allposters.co.uk 

 

 

 

Have you ever heard François Couperin’s haunting ‘Les Barricades Mystérieuses’, from Deuxième Livre de Pièces de Clavecin, Sixième Ordre?  The origin of the intriguing title is indeed mysterious, though it has been suggested that the barricades refer to emotional barriers, which exist between people.  The piece is written to be played entirely in the lower register of the harpsichord, which gives it a warmth that one might not associate with that instrument. The soulful, sublime harmonic progression and simple melodic lines are full of yearning and poignancy, and yet strangely meditative at the same time.  I’ve found that the piece appeals to

piano pupils of all ages, and so I made two simplified arrangements for those who find the original a little tricky.  You can download and print them here.
barricades-simplified.pdf
barricades-super-simplified.pdf

 

© Deborah Siepmann

I wonder how many of us feel a certain buzz when autumn approaches?   Along with looking forward to the crisp air and changing colours, I always find myself full of energy for clearing things out and reorganising, to give me a new perspective and make room for something fresh. 
I’ve found that a good sort out of music can spark enthusiasm for practising.  Uncovering forgotten books and rediscovering old pieces that now feel easy to play can be very invigorating  – whether it’s to help your children or pupils feel the same excitement that they did when they first started the piano, or to give yourself a boost.   And if your goal is to re-fire enthusiasm, don’t worry if this rediscovery means your children or pupils – or you – now feel reluctant to practise current pieces.  For now, enjoy looking back a little – it will shore up confidence and pave the way to move on. 
Music storage is an age-old problem.  In 1866 a certain Mr. Milward designed a piano which included a bureau with drawers, a closet, work box and writing desk, not to mention a wash basin and couch!  He patented this extraordinary piece of furniture, but alas it was never made.  But failing that kind of efficient use of space, cardboard magazine files make excellent music holders.  You can buy plain ones to decorate and label (duets, collections, Christmas carols, etc.) Or you can treat yourself, like I did, to some pretty ones from Laura Ashley or W.H. Smith. 

They can look lovely sitting on top of the piano or on a nearby table, and they make it easy to keep music tidy.

                                 

And here’s a set that someone very clever covered with beautiful handmade paper:

 Enjoy your clearing and reorganizing!  As Karen Kingston wisely writes in her book Clear your Clutter with Feng Shui,  ”Being clear of clutter is one of the greatest aids I know to discovering and manifesting the life you want.”

 

© Deborah Siepmann

Learning a tricky piece with the help of scissors and glue …

I would guess that, at some time or other, nearly every pianist has experienced that sinking feeling of being overwhelmed by the prospect of learning a particularly challenging or very long piece. And we all know the answer – to learn it a little at a time … mark it off into sections … we’ve all said it, either to our pupils or to ourselves. But although we may have set our goal to extend only to the end of that second line, or just to the repeat sign, or wherever the stopping point for that week happens to be, seeing the rest of the piece looming there can distract us. We know it’s waiting for us – seeing it makes us feel we’ll never get to the end, and then we’re tempted to go beyond the goal for the week. Invariably one ends up feeling discouraged again. There seems to be something in human nature that makes it difficult to restrict oneself to one specific task.  Many of us are tempted to go beyond before being ready, and in doing this we deny ourselves the step by step rewards, and ultimate feeling of accomplishment.

I tried a new idea recently that’s worked beautifully for a number of my pupils. You’ll need a photocopier and a pair of scissors… It takes a little time and trouble, but I promise it’s well worth it for the wonderful results.  First divide the piece into sections. Then photocopy it as many times as there are sections, times 2. (Four sections – 8 photocopies). Now slice it up. First cut it into the sections, so that you have a copy of each section, hands together. Then take another copy and slice it up so that you have a copy of each hand of each section. So altogether, you’ll have 3 bits for each section – a right hand, a left hand and hands together. Now glue these bits onto additional sheets of paper. It’s nice to then photocopy the pasted paper again – I photocopied it onto pastel coloured paper. So the right hand of Section 1 was copied onto pink paper, the left hand onto blue, and hands together onto yellow. Each week, give your pupil ONLY the three sheets needed to learn one section – right hand, left hand and hands together. Remind your pupil – or yourself -not to even open the original music.  You might consider withholding or hiding  it away, so there’s not even the possibility of looking beyond and getting discouraged! This way, the assignment for the week is absolutely clear-cut, with a week to  week feeling of reward and delight in having reached the goal. Then onto Section 2… It really works! Building up a series of triumphs does wonders for confidence and a postive outlook generally.  And I must admit – I did have fun with the scissors and glue!

© Deborah Siepmann