Piano Lesson on Using Transposition in Piano Practice

Graham Fitch explains why being able to transpose the pieces we are learning can provide extra security and help with memorisation.
The video lesson compliments his article inside the August/September issue of Pianist (No 121), which you can order here: bit.ly/pianist121.
◼️ For more on developing transposition skills for technical exercises, visit bit.ly/transpositionskills. For more about the art of practising, visit bit.ly/grahampracticetools.
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◼️ LESSON BY: GRAHAM FITCH - Pianist, teacher, writer and adjudicator gives masterclasses and workshops on piano playing internationally. He is also in high demand as a private teacher in London. Graham is a regular tutor at the Summer School for Pianists in Walsall and also a tutor for the Piano Teachers’ Course EPTA (UK). He writes a popular piano blog and has launched an online piano academy. practisingthepiano.com/​
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[@DojoOfCool]

LOL you said to transpose Hanon to other keys. I was on a very classical minded forum and said I was transposing Hanon and the classical students brought out their flamethrowers, you don't ever change was masters have written. I come from the Jazz world and you expect everything a Jazz teacher tells you to work on ends in "and do it in all 12 keys". Transposing teaches technique, ear training, and a great skill for making money rehearsing singers and others. transposing is great way to take something you already know and make it challenging again to keep progressing.

[@Pretzels722]

those types are all products of their teachers and very rigid institutions

[@maxxiong]

lol that's like saying you cannot transpose scales
And btw Lang Lang played part of La Campanella in D minor as an accompaniment for a canto pop song

[@man0sticks]

Any student of classical music who considers the works of Mr. Hanon to be inviolable masterpieces, and who does not understand the benefits of transposition, has had a very poor musical education indeed.

[@pepeperez91]

A close look at the preface to Hanon clearly states the pianist must try each of the exercises in various keys. The sacrilege is to only play them in C major. Makes no sense just practicing the exercises only in the white notes!

[@NotLegato]

composers are not gods, and our current tuning systems guarantee that the pieces won't fundamentally change when transposed.

[@hshlom]

I tried that last exercise and it's a cool brain teaser. Interesting as scales from 1-5, but much more difficult as thirds.

[@elisemcclintick9719]

You are good for my "piano soul"!

[@stephenkyambadde7393]

That warm up exercise right at the end, is soo rich! Thank you for sharing.

[@emmaatkinson4334]

I use Dohnanyi finger independence exercises teamed with Penelope Roskell's approach to reducing tension in a quest for playing at a faster tempo. I see that Dohnanyi suggests the appropriate transposing keys for his exercises and he too specifies the fingering. I have tried the other keys and they are a distinct challenge. Some are much harder than other transposition keys, finger independence-wise.

[@petergray453]

I miss the fancy shirts.
It's summer, Mr. Fitch!