Matthew CawoodPianist · Producer · Educator

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Monday Music Tips

One short, useful idea about practice, theory or musicality, every Monday. 116 issues and counting.

2026

Why The Simplest Pieces Are Often The Hardest

Why Beautiful Playing Isn’t About Accuracy

Why Good Phrasing Feels So Unnatural

Why You Can Play a Piece Better Some Days Than Others

Why One Mistake Can Ruin an Entire Performance

Why Quiet Playing Is So Difficult

Why Does the End of a Piece Always Fall Apart?

Why It Feels Like Nothing Is Improving (Even When It Is)

Why Most Pianists Don’t Know What to Practice

Why Fixing Mistakes Doesn’t Ruin Your Fluency

Why Some Notes Matter More Than Others

Why You Can’t Think and Play at the Same Time

Why Technique Isn’t What You Think It Is

Is It Better to Play for 30 Minutes…or Practice for 5?

Why Difficult Music Isn’t Always the Best Teacher

Why You Don’t Trust Your Playing Yet

Why You Only Notice Your Mistakes (And Not Your Improvements)

Why Playing Slowly Is a Skill (Not Just a Practice Tool)

Why Music Feels Harder the Better You Get

Why Your Little Finger Feels Weak at the Piano

Why Keys Are More Connected Than You Think

Why the Same Notes Can Mean Different Things

Why Practice Doesn’t Always Translate Into Better Playing

The Most Important Practice Habit No One Talks About

2025

Why Most Musical New Year’s Resolutions Fail (and What Actually Works)

Why Your Playing Sounds Better at Home Than in Lessons or Recordings

Why You Shouldn’t Leave the Ending of a Piece Until Last

Why You Forget Pieces You Used to Know

How Does Music Sound Scary?

How to Arrange Any Song for Piano

When Slow Practice Works Better Than Fast Practice

Why Rhythm is Harder to Learn Than Notes

The Truth About Your “Weaker” Hand at the Piano

Why Good Playing Breaks Down in Performance

Practice Planning Without Overthinking

Micro-Practicing: How to Make Progress in Just 5 Minutes

Mental Practice: Practicing Without the Keys

How to Learn Chords So You Can Use Them Freely

The Pivot Chord: The Easy Way to Change Key

Master Any Song Faster With These Tips

Why Some Chords Give You Goosebumps

What Are Related Keys and Why You Should Know Them!

Does Music Theory Limit Creativity?

Musical Terms you Should Know the Meaning Of!

Practice Tips for Better Piano Playing

How Roman Numerals Are Used in Music

Tips for Learning to Improvise on the Piano

How to Regain Motivation for the Piano

How to use Pedal Point to Learn Chords

Why Learn to Read Music?

What is Functional Harmony and Why is it Important?

Why You Don’t Need to Know Every Scale to be Creative

Why the Same Chord Can Sound Totally Different in a Song

How to Use the Sustain pedal Properly

The Key to Creating a Richer Sound

The Secret to Playing Fast Isn’t About Speed at All

How Learning Less Can Make You a Better Pianist

The Secret to Expressive Piano Playing

How Amateur Pianists Can Sound Like Professionals

5 Myths About Learning Piano

How to Conquer Stage Fright and Play with Confidence

The Best Warm-Up Routine for Pianists

Why Every Wrong Note is a Step Towards Mastering Music

Why Technical Skill Isn’t Enough in Music

10 Surprising Life Lessons You Can Learn from Playing the Piano

Playing Music with Flexible Dynamics

2024

The Myth of Coordination on the Piano

Playing For Your Family This Christmas

When and How to Memorise Music

How to Develop a Musical Idea

Methods For Improving Your Relative Pitch

Freeing Your Piano Playing From Inversions

Using Pedal Point and Ostinatos to Create Effective Music

How to Borrow Chords from Different Keys

The Difference Between Meter and Time Signatures

Why You Don’t Want to Practice (and what to do about it)

Improvisation: The Key to Becoming a True Musician

When Have You Finished Learning a Piece of Music?

How Long Does it Really Take to Learn an Instrument?

Why Great Piano Technique Starts with Musicality

Lessons from the Best Pianists of All Time

Why Tension and Release is So Important in Music!

The Importance of Repetition in Music

The Art of Modulating a Piece of Music

Does Playing One Instrument Help You Learn Another?

Why Do We Have Different Clefs in Music?

5 Concepts for a Better Understanding of Music

Tips for Better Sight-Reading Practice

How to Arrange Music for Different Instruments

When Have You Practiced Enough?

How to Know What to Learn and When to Learn It on the Piano

How to Break Through the Intermediate Pianist Plateau

Structuring the Perfect Practice Session

The Three Types of Minor

6 Tips for Learning to Improvise on the Piano

5 Interesting Ways to Play Chords on the Piano

Do You Need a Teacher to Learn Music Effectively?

Dealing With Performance Anxiety

6 Things I Wish I’d Known When Learning Music

The 4 Stages of Learning to Read Sheet Music

How to Approach Writing Original Music

Making Sense of Intervals in Music

Steps to Becoming a Great Sight Reader

How Musicians Can Benefit from Language Acquisition Techniques

A Complete Guide to Time Signatures

Navigating the Circle of Fifths

A Guide to the Relationship Between Chords and Scales

The Power of the Harmonic Series in Music

Managing Expectations of the Music Learning Process

Understanding Cadences in Music

Designing a Clear Roadmap for Your Self-Taught Piano Journey

A Beginner's Introduction to Playing Piano by Ear

Strategies to Infuse Your Music with Expression and Emotion

Optimising Your Practice to Achieve More in Less Time

How “Voice Leading” Can Revolutionise Your Piano Playing!

How To Finally Commit to Music Learning in 2024.

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