Here I am signing copies of my book Speaking the Piano this morning in Blackwell’s Edinburgh bookstore. Blackwell’s is my favourite bookshop in Edinburgh. I’m usually there as a customer browsing the latest novels, buying a greetings card or having a coffee, so it was a delightfully through-the-looking-glass kind of experience to be sitting in […]

My new book ‘Speaking the Piano‘ is noted as being of interest on the Bookshelf page of New Yorker music critic Alex Ross’s influential blog ‘The Rest is Noise’. Let’s hope this mention will bring the book to the attention of some American readers! Some of my best correspondents on this blog are readers in […]

My book ‘Speaking the Piano‘ was published last week, and by a happy coincidence on the same day it received a five-star review from Jessica Duchen in the July issue of BBC Music magazine. (see photo) ‘Susan Tomes’s insights as a performer and teacher are fully matched by her literary eloquence: at the piano or […]

My new book ‘Speaking the Piano‘ is due out from Boydell Press in about three weeks’ time. It’s about my experiences of learning and teaching music. In essence it’s a love letter to the joys and benefits of learning an instrument to a high level. Today I received my first pre-publication copy (see photo). It […]

Over the last few days I have been checking the proofs of my new book, Speaking the Piano, due out in June from Boydell Press (see photo). Before we got to this point, there have been several other stages of editing. Various friends read the manuscript and gave their advice. My editor at Boydell sent […]