Tchaikovsky’s life was turbulent and complex.
He was homosexual at a time when it could cost you everything in Russia - exile, shame, destruction. He fell in love with his own students, knowing it was something he couldn’t act on. So he did what society expected: he married. It was a disaster.
He spent his whole life at war with himself.
He died at 53. Officially, it was cholera. But even today, historians aren’t sure - it may have been su***de. We may never know.
What we do know is that all of that pain went straight into his music.
Part 8 of my Love Notes series is live on Patreon - where I explore the real love lives of the composers behind the music.
Only $5 - the price of a cup of coffee ☕
Link in bio 🔗
Learn Piano with Zuzana Lenartova
Her work brings together piano lovers both in person and online.
European trained pianist Zuzana Lenartova, author of “Do Re Mi To You”, creator of AI teaching assistant specialising in adult piano instruction is dedicated to making piano accessible and enjoyable at any stage and age!
Learning a new piece isn’t just about knowing how it should sound - it’s about knowing how to get there.
I see so many adult students stuck in the gap between vision and reality. They can hear the destination in their heads… but they don’t have the road map.
In my latest Patreon post, I share the 5 stages I teach every student - from learning the notes all the way to making the music truly yours. Each stage builds on the last, and you really can’t skip one.
(Heinrich Neuhaus, teacher of Richter and Gilels, knew this too - vision without structure is just dreaming.)
Link to my Patreon bio 🔗
The step most piano learners skip.
Two hands need to be practised separately first. Why? Because each hand deserves its own attention, confidence and independence.
Think of it like a relationship - when two people are truly secure within themselves, they come together as equals. That’s when something harmonious is created.
The same goes for the piano.
New piece? Hands separately first.
Know it well? Go back to hands separately again.
It will surprise you.
This is my second from three S’s - and it works hand in hand with the first: play slowly.
Full article on Patreon. Link in bio.
Zuzana 😉
Why do I tell every single one of my students to slow down? Because real mastery of the piano is not built by playing fast. It is built by playing slowly. Full article on Patreon - link in bio.
12/04/2026
Why learning piano is harder than climbing Mount Everest ❓
When you climb Everest, you know the moment you have reached the top. You made it - and it is definite.
But in learning classical piano - in reaching true mastery of this instrument - even when you think you are so close to the top, you realise you are not.
Because there is no top.
So, what makes becoming an accomplished pianist so hard to achieve?
Playing piano well goes beyond simply reading notes and striking keys. It is about absorbing knowledge built over hundreds of years - theory, history, musical styles, rules, techniques, and more. Piano playing is a deeply complex skill, not simply a hobby, as it may seem at the beginning.
And this is exactly what my students discover around year two or three of learning. That breakthrough moment arrives - and I see it so often - when, in the middle of their piece, they stop and ask me:
“Will I ever be able to play well?”
My answer is always the same…
Read more on my Patreon. Link in bio.
Zuzana
06/04/2026
In these uncertain, unsettling times - when the noise of the world feels heavy with battles, confusion, and discomfort - sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is sit down at the piano.
As a piano teacher working with adults, I observe my students week after week. I see where they struggle, where they doubt themselves, and where they quietly surprise themselves. And I notice something important: those who sit at the piano find something the world outside cannot easily offer right now.
Because learning piano is about so much more than the notes on the page.
• It is about Patience - in a world of instant everything, patience has become almost forgotten. The piano gently brings it back. Patience is actually the great teacher itself, the one who shows us that mastery arrives not through force but steady repetition over time.
•It is about Presence - being fully in this moment, which is where our inner peace actually lives.
•It is about Progress - however small, you are always moving forward, even when you think you aren’t. Doubt is a natural part of the journey to a piano mastery.
•It is about Purpose - because every time you sit down to practice, you are choosing yourself. You are investing in your own growth.
•It is about Power - the harmless kind. It’s about building your resilience and proving to yourself that you are still capable of learning.
•It is about Pleasure - those unexpected moments when something suddenly clicks, when a phrase starts to flow, when you get excited that you finally can play your favourite tune.
The piano doesn’t care about the chaos outside.
Piano is our reminder of something essential: that working on yourself is never wasted, no matter what the world is doing around you. Keep learning or start if you have not done it yet! Zuzana 👌
03/04/2026
Easter, 1838. Schumann is heartbroken - separated from the woman he loves.
Her father - the famous piano teacher Friedrich Wieck - blocked their relationship, stopped their letters, moved Clara across Germany, and took them to court to legally end it.
But love won.
Clara and Robert’s story is a reminder that love, passion, and devotion to each other cannot be destroyed by noise, battles, and lies.
This Easter - when the world needs it most - I hope their story brings you a little peace and warmth.
My full post is live on Patreon - free this Easter, my gift to you 🐣
Link in bio.
16/03/2026
Chopin’s love life is one of classical music’s best secrets - and I am trying to uncover it - part 5 of my series of “Love Notes” is live on Patreon.
Written by me. No AI, no shortcuts.
Link in Bio - only $5 on Patreon.
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Suite 1/81 Old South Head Road, Bondi Junction
Sydney, NSW
2025