Tag Archives: Advent calendar 2014a

Confessions of an anxious pianist #26: Same or different music on the other side?

Posted on May 14, 2016 4:21 pm by Jonathan Still

Although the “anxious ballet pianist” series is officially over, I’m adding one more post now, because I realised today that after thirty years of playing for class, I still often ask myself the same question: shall I play the same or different … Continue reading →

Happy 2015: A new year’s ramble about Black Swan and other ballet anomalies

Posted on January 1, 2015 12:03 pm by Jonathan Still

As it’s the first day of a new year, I’ve decided to do something about one of the greatest annoyances in my list of ballet-pianist anxieties: the Black Swan female variation from Swan Lake (see earlier post for the full version of why it’s annoying). … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, Music, Playing for ballet class | Tagged Advent calendar 2014a, Black Swan, Personal, Tchaikovsky, ballet accompaniment, ballet music, free downloads, piano reductions | 3 Comments

Confessions of an anxious ballet pianist day #25: 9/8

Posted on December 25, 2014 4:59 am by Jonathan Still

I was tempted to put the ballet-class equivalent of the Holy Family on the 25th of this advent calendar, to finish off the series with a heart-warming sentimental twist that starts “… in spite of all these things that make me anxious, I love playing for ballet, … Continue reading →

Posted in Advent calendar, Dance, Music, Playing for ballet class | Tagged Advent calendar 2014a, Music, ballet, ballet accompaniment, ballet class accompaniment, ballet class music, meter, metre, triple jig, triple metre | Leave a comment

Confessions of an anxious ballet pianist day #24: Happy birthday

Posted on December 24, 2014 12:07 pm by Jonathan Still

Special occasions make me nervous. Take birthdays, for example. It’s someone’s birthday, and so one of the dancers comes up before class and says “Can you play happy birthday for so-and-so, please?” Sure I can. But the question is, when? … Continue reading →

Posted in Advent calendar, Dance, Music, Playing for ballet class | Tagged Advent calendar 2014a, Dance, Music, ballet, ballet accompaniment, ballet class, ballet class accompaniment, ballet music | 1 Comment

Confessions of an anxious ballet pianist day #23: Metre-less counts

Posted on December 23, 2014 2:15 pm by Jonathan Still

An absence of metre is kind of cool. It’s like decorating a room white, having no books or furniture, and hanging Malevich’s White on White on the wall. You have no history, and you give nothing away when you mark an exercise with counts, … Continue reading →

Posted in Advent calendar, Dance, Music, Playing for ballet class | Tagged Advent calendar 2014a, Music, Personal, ballet, ballet class, ballet class accompaniment, ballet music, counts | Leave a comment

Confessions of an anxious ballet pianist day #22: Inappropriate music choices

Posted on December 22, 2014 10:39 pm by Jonathan Still

When I say inappropriate, I don’t mean in 4/4 rather than 3/4, or a barcarole instead of a mazurka. I mean inappropriate in the sense of “Oh no. Let the earth swallow me up. Get me out of this tune … Continue reading →

Posted in Advent calendar, Dance, Music, Playing for ballet class | Tagged Advent calendar 2014a, Music, Personal, ballet, ballet accompaniment, ballet class, ballet class accompaniment, ballet repertoire | Leave a comment