31 Days to Better Practicing: A New Location and Why It Will Always Be Free

In the summer of 2011, I published 31 Days to Better Practicing, a free ebook about how to practice. Since the ebook went live, I'm glad to say that it has received over 7600 downloads to date, has been read and shared by students and teachers alike, and has become standard reading for numerous piano pedagogy classes across North America.

Nevertheless, the internet is a changing place, and Posterous, the platform on which 31 Days was originally published, will be shutting down at the end of April. The move has been made and I'm now glad to announce its new location on the Scribd platform:

31 Days to Better Practicing by Dr. Chris Foley

Many of you have asked why I never opted to publish the book through a traditional publisher, or why I don't sell it on the Amazon store, even for a small amount. If you read closely, you'll see that the book is peppered with clever links both to the Collaborative Piano Blog and my home studio. Of the thousands of people who read the book, a certain percentage will be readers with access to my Oakville or Toronto studios. From that group, a certain percentage will opt to study with me.

Quite simply, I'm making more money by giving away the book for free and recruiting students than if I were to make money selling the book. I'm sure I could sell a couple of dozen copies a month in music stores or perhaps a couple hundred copies a month on Amazon. But the amount of income I can make by giving away the book to thousands of readers and recruiting students as a result of it is considerably greater.

Since the book's publication, my studio has ballooned to nearly 60 students from beginner to professional. I have a waiting list that extends into the summer.

In other words, I gave away something for free in order to generate income elsewhere.

Below is an embedded copy of the ebook in case you haven't read it yet. Enjoy!

Meme of the Day: Rep Worth Avoiding

Take a C. Bechstein Piano Quiz and Win a Free Hoffman Upright Piano

The venerable piano company C. Bechstein has just announced a sweepstakes on their Facebook Page: complete a short quiz and enter to win one of several prizes, including a Hoffman upright piano. To enter, all you have to do is go to the quiz's page and answer six skill-testing questions about Bechstein pianos. Yes, you'll need to be a Facebook member in order to enter. Entries will be accepted until May 20. Good luck and I hope a CPB reader wins this one!

In case you had forgotten what Bechstein pianos can sound like, here's a video of Lucas Blondeel playing a model D concert grand with clarinettist Annelien Van Wauwe:



(Thanks Isabella W!)

Meme of the Day: Austin Powers on Repeated Notes

This slipped out the other day...

Jorel Rocks his Bar Mitzvah....with his Piano Teacher

Although it's not the usual practice on the Collaborative Piano Blog to show Bar Mitzvah videos, this one by Jorel is notable not just for his ingenious lyrics, various singing and rapping styles, nor for the awesome piano shots. Nor is the video merely notable for its mention by various major media outlets in the last few days on its way to becoming one of the most viewed Bar Mitzvah videos of all time.

No, Jorel's video is most notable for the special cameo at 2:45 of longtime CPB reader, advisor, and friend Liz Parker, who as Jorel's piano teacher, makes an unforgettable appearance as dancing partner in the Gangman style segment. My goodness, Liz can dance.

Beatriz Boizán Plays the Lecuona Malagueña

This October 2012 performance of Ernesto Lecuona's Malagueña is by Beatriz Boizán, who is quickly becoming a noted interpreter of Spanish music. If you want to take a look at more of Beatriz's work, check out her debut CD Pasión.

Student Performs New York State of Mind....with Billy Joel

In a Q&A session at Vanderbilt University, an audacious question leads to a magnificent impromptu performance - Michael Pollack gets the awesome privilege of accompanying Billy Joel in New York State of Mind. At 3:30, listen for the bridge passage sung in the style of Frank Sinatra.




Unfortunately, Michael reportedly flunked his calculus exam the next day.