Richard Meyrick, anyone heard of him?? Options

[DaisyChain]

Richard Meyrick playing the Concerto No 5 by Beethoven is to die for.... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wub.gif) I hope it's on the new CD!!!

Sorry (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

The Beethoven CD will be:-
Sonata #8 - "Pathetique"
Sonata # 14 - "Moonlight"
Sonata # 23 - "Appassionata"
Bagatelle in A minor - "Für Elise"
Bagatelle in C minor (1797)


I have not recorded this with Richard (yet) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)


But (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Beethoven's Concerto No.5 is on the 3-CD Beethoven CD set on Cirrus (CMS CD 902).

It's the third one down on THIS page on Richard's website. There is a link on the bottom to get it from Richard direct.

Thank you!!! I will make sure I get a copy!! The new CD sounds terrific too... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wub.gif)

[jacobpianofluteorgan]

Sorry to dig up an old post, but I'm doing a masterclass with Richard Meyrick on Friday, and i'm very excited! I've deliberately chosen a piece that isn't one of my grade 8 pieces, seeing as the masterclass is a few days before my exam, and i'll have a break down if he rips it apart!
I'm playing Debussy's "La Cathedrale Engloutie" which i've been learning for a bit and i'm trying to iron out a few of the bigger mistakes that worry me! I'm playing in a big room on a nice concert grand, which will make the piece sound a lot better, and I think this piece was intended to be played in a big place (like a cathedral!). I'm getting rather nervous reading of few of the comments on here about his remarks on the page turner etc!

Jacob. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Phoenix River Song]

Sorry to dig up an old post, but I'm doing a masterclass with Richard Meyrick on Friday, and i'm very excited! I've deliberately chosen a piece that isn't one of my grade 8 pieces, seeing as the masterclass is a few days before my exam, and i'll have a break down if he rips it apart!
I'm playing Debussy's "La Cathedrale Engloutie" which i've been learning for a bit and i'm trying to iron out a few of the bigger mistakes that worry me! I'm playing in a big room on a nice concert grand, which will make the piece sound a lot better, and I think this piece was intended to be played in a big place (like a cathedral!). I'm getting rather nervous reading of few of the comments on here about his remarks on the page turner etc!

Jacob. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Thank you for digging up an old post. It is a new one to me!

I have met Richard and he was lovely. Very professional, calm and focussed. His comments might have just been taken in a way they were not intended. He is very talented, but is not afraid to work hard. And regarding the tuning and things- well if you dont ask then you dont get- and aiming high is good.

Good luck with the masterclass and I hope you learn lots and are left with things to work on.

[DaisyChain]

I've never met Richard Meyrick personally, but I have seen him play in concert. You'll have a great day I'm sure. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[melody_maker]

Oh this is exciting news Jacob (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) I hope it goes well! Tell me all about it. No doubt you'll get something out of it at least!

[jacobpianofluteorgan]

The masterclass went really well! I could have played better, as always, but what he said was really helpful. I played "la Cathedrale Engloutie", and we talked about communication and painting a picture for the audience. He also had a lot to say to all of us about different techniques, and he talked a lot on staccato, and how to actually learn a piece effectively.

He was apparently going to award one of us a scholarship for lessons, but it wasn't even mentioned! So he can't have been that impressed with any of us, unless he writes to us formally, but I doubt it! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

His concert in the evening was amazing! He was playing a pretty good grand piano, but it's a shame he didn't have a better one. He somehow made that piano sound fantastic though! He played Clair de lune, two of the Chopin Scherzo's, the last two of the Op.90 Impromtu's by Schubert, and finished with Consolation in Db major no.3 by Liszt and the Mephisto Waltz. It was a shame it wasn't a very good turn out from the audience, but he played brilliantly!

Jacob. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[melody_maker]

Ooh, sounds goood! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Well when I got the scholarship thing, I didn't find out til about ten months later! And the school got a phonecall to tell me. So you never know! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[jacobpianofluteorgan]

Ooh, sounds goood! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Well when I got the scholarship thing, I didn't find out til about ten months later! And the school got a phonecall to tell me. So you never know! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Well maybe there's a chance then, It was just a little dissapointing because my music teacher said to me I could get it, and was already telling me when she thought I could fit it into having lessons with other teachers etc! I think she got a little excited, and shouldn't really of said that, because it got my hopes up!
I'm not too bothered that I didn't get it, because I didn't play brilliantly! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blush.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

How long did you study with him for? I know someone who got the scholarship who was with him for a year. It's incredibly generous of him and his company to pay for everything, he said he pays for someone to fly over from northern ireland to have lessons! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)

Jacob. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[AllZwell]

I brought/downloaded Richard meyricks 15 minute exercise routine (PDF format), and there is beginners, intermediate and advanced to choose from. Very hard though, as he tells you not to stop between exercises, and to play all note on tips of fingers. There's a video tutorial to show you how he does it. Took me 40 mins to start with, but got it down to 18 minutes now.

http://www.thepianostudio.co.uk/finger-workouts.php

Allzwell

[Solari]

I brought/downloaded Richard meyricks 15 minute exercise routine (PDF format), and there is beginners, intermediate and advanced to choose from. Very hard though, as he tells you not to stop between exercises, and to play all note on tips of fingers. There's a video tutorial to show you how he does it. Took me 40 mins to start with, but got it down to 18 minutes now.

http://www.thepianostudio.co.uk/finger-workouts.php

Allzwell

Is this actually worthwhile and proven or does it fall into the category of "yet more generic exercises"? Might make a nice break from Hanon but I'm not keen on buying/doing something unless I'm certain it will be beneficial (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[John Willett]

Congratulations on the Master-class Jacob and good luck for the scholarship.

My understanding is that Richard's exercises are excellent and well worth going for.

I recorded Richard's last four CDs (the top four HERE - and I also recorded the Chopin and "Personal Reflections - Chelsea" CDs for him. He is an excellent pianist and a superb teacher.

[frumpybabes]

My son played Debussy Arabesque in a masterclass with Richard last year. He didn't benefit from the experience and was made to look quite silly in front of the school audience. I wished he had never taken part in it tbh.

He received quite a few complimentary CDs for the experience which he does enjoy listening too but it did knock his confidence for weeks after.

He much prefers Harry the piano man

http://harrythepiano.com/index.php?option=...ge&Itemid=1

This guy is amazing and we are attending his masterclass in November (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Check him out on youtube

[Michael Harvey]

Richard Meyrick came to my school on a masterclass thing, he was soooo unpleasant and rude to everyone. In the middle of ssomeone playing a piece, he would be walking around and talking to others, and he would suddenly stop the pianist to tell them they played a wrong note. There was one guy who was playing a piece and it just wouldn't go right, so Meyrick told the page turner in a very loud voice, "Go and sit down, it doesn't look like we'll be needing you." He was horrible!

What a wonderful man. He set up a teaching practice in London and is now targeting all of the schools in order to find the best students to make his teaching experience that much more pleasurable! The teachers who have trained their students to enjoy playing like child prodigies don't need to work so hard anymore. Their job is done and now Richard Meyrick can take their students and put his name behind them (or their name behind his...)

Just look at how freely he is sitting in his videos on youtube and his website! He doesn't seem hunched over at all. The tame speeds he takes when playing Horowitz transcriptions shows that you don't have to be a virtuoso to enjoy playing the music and that if you play it at these speeds you open up and demonstrate the possibility of these works being performed by even amateur pianists.

He offers scholarships to students who are very good. He will pay for the student to come for lessons and for someone to accompany them on the train. When a teacher pays the student to come to them instead of the student paying the teacher, then this could ONLY mean one thing. Let me not insult anyone's intelligence by stating the obvious...

When will his next student (which he brought from beginners level) win the next international competition? I'm sorry, the word, "next" does tend to presuppose something that may or may not be. I wouldn't like to be dogmatic as Richard Meyrick could only mean the best.

I have a tip for all of you who are really interested in developing your piano technique. Just like Richard Meyrick, I am here to help you all. Here is the tip. Making your fingers independent of each other will slow you down as you stop the possibility of them helping each other by natural passive movements. Also, you will be working against natural rotation of the forearm. This is the main reason for pianists gaining serious life limiting injuries! Thank you, Richard Meyrick for bringing this question to mind on your website! Please consult a physicist for the weight behind these words. Physiotherapists do not all have the ability to play virtuoso works on the piano but physicists can at least explain the science behind it all.

May all teachers strive to have the knowledge and attitude to help their students become better than they are!

[Solari]

Making your fingers independent of each other will slow you down as you stop the possibility of them helping each other by natural passive movements. Also, you will be working against natural rotation of the forearm. This is the main reason for pianists gaining serious life limiting injuries! Thank you, Richard Meyrick for bringing this question to mind on your website! Please consult a physicist for the weight behind these words. Physiotherapists do not all have the ability to play virtuoso works on the piano but physicists can at least explain the science behind it all.

If this is true, then why is finger independence touted as all-important, especially for playing complex pieces such as 3 voice fuges etc? Richard also seems to think that independence is very important, so what you say is contradicting his methods?

How does finger independence mean you work against natural rotation? Watching a pianist such as Lisitsa playing Chopin's Op.10 No.1, you can plainly see the natural undulation, and I'm sure she has independence of fingers! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

[Mad Tom]

Mr Harvey. Would you mind explaining to us the point of your previous post on this thread, and explain in simple English just what you do or do not like about Mr. Meyrick's teaching.


For those who do not know Richard Meyrick is a successful professional concert pianist, with a teaching practice in the city of London where he offers rather expensive lessons ... presumably for city workers that can afford them, and also has an educational mission where he visits schools to encourage interest in the piano.

I have no direct experience of his lessons or his school events, so I can say nothing about the truth of the mixuture of mostly positive but occasionally adverse comments in earlier posts, but I have heard him play and he is a very good pianist, if not exactly in the Argerich, Perahiah, Gavrylyuk, Hamelin league.