What age does a pianist peak?

However, most pianists do not make it past the age of 40 in terms of concert level playing. The reason is that they develop a lot repertoire specific technique when they are in school, which does not translate all that well when you are out in the real world.

pianostreet.com - From what age does the technical ability of an average pianist start ...

Why is Adele's voice so deep?

In 2011, Adele suffered vocal damage from a live performance on a radio show, which caused her to get vocal cord surgery. This was before many of...

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Are fingers important in piano?

Fingerings Stabilize Muscle Memory The earlier on you set fingerings, the easier it will be to learn the music. If your fingers are constantly...

Last updated Nov 10, 2020

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I agree about trying to fulfil our full potential. For me personally, in my mid fifties, I find that setting aside enough time to practise is difficult with work committments, but I do make the time. Also, trying to maximise the efficiency of practice is crucial as well. For example, not wasting time just playing the same difficult passage over and over, tripping up at same places, physically or mentally or both; rather, drilling down to the problem, identifying it, then working hard to fix it through very focussed and intensive practice. This sometimes involves adjusting the fingerings as well as slow practice, gradually building up to the required speed and then placing back into the whole context of the passage or movement. This approach is nothing new of course, but I am very rigid with it given the limited time I can find to practise properly.

In terms of declining, I think a large part of it is to do with memory as well as physical. I still find I can play the same physically demanding music I did thirty and forty years ago (long may my stamina last, hopefully, I do try to keep fit generally), but it is my memory that I feel is declining a little. I just wonder what we can do to sharpen this up, particularly in longer pieces. For example, I have nearly completed learning Chopin's Fantasie in F minor Op.49, but am finding memorising difficult at this stage, the same themes coming back in two or three different keys with many accidentals and consequent fingering adjustments. I am nowhere near ready to perform this publicly yet. Any thoughts from anyone regarding maintaining or even improving memory in a specifically musical context?

I remember watching an ageing Sydney Harrison performing as part of a Beethoven masterclass, and he had a memory lapse towards the end of the finale of Op.13, forgetting the changes that take you into the coda, instead ending the theme as previously on a perfect cadence. I could really empathise with that, and I was only 17. Sydney was a great teacher and performer, but I can't help but think his memory was sadly beginning to go. He used to teach my teacher who was also taught by Fanny Waterman. I remember discussing this memory lapse with my teacher, and she said, these things happen, largely due to nerves, the equivalent of actors occasionally forgetting their lines. Which opens up another can of worms for discussion, how to control performance nerves! Does the ability to control nerves decline with age too? For example, in later years, Richter was famous for cancelling concerts due to nerves.

Why do I play piano better at night?

You get better after a night of sleep, study finds. According to researchers at the University of Montreal, the regions of the brain below the...

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Is LilyPond open source?

LilyPond is cross-platform, and is available for several common operating systems; released under the terms of the GNU General Public License,...

Last updated Sep 2, 2021

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What is the least used key on a piano?

A-sharp minor is likely the least used minor key in music as it is not generally considered a practical key for composition. The enharmonic equivalent B-flat minor, which only contains five flats as opposed to A-sharp minor's seven sharps, is preferable to use.

en.wikipedia.org - A-sharp minor - Wikipedia

Tonality

A-sharp minor is a minor musical scale based on A♯, consisting of the pitches A♯, B♯, C♯, D♯, E♯, F♯, and G♯. Its key signature has seven sharps, while the direct enharmonic equivalent, B-flat minor, has five flats. Its relative major is C-sharp major (or enharmonically D-flat major), and its parallel major is A-sharp major, usually replaced by B-flat major, since A-sharp major's three double-sharps make it impractical to use. A-sharp minor is likely the least used minor key in music as it is not generally considered a practical key for composition. The enharmonic equivalent B-flat minor, which only contains five flats as opposed to A-sharp minor's seven sharps, is preferable to use.

The A-sharp natural minor scale is:

Audio playback is not supported in your browser. You can download the audio file Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with accidentals as necessary. The A-sharp harmonic minor and melodic minor scales are: Audio playback is not supported in your browser. You can download the audio file Audio playback is not supported in your browser. You can download the audio file In Christian Heinrich Rinck's 30 Preludes and Exercises in all major and minor keys, Op. 67, the 16th Prelude and Exercise is in A-sharp minor. In Bach's Prelude and Fugue in C-sharp major, BWV 848, a brief section near the beginning of the piece modulates to A-sharp minor.

What is the most commonly played note?

C (and its relative minor, A) are the most common by far. After that there is a general trend favoring key signatures with less sharps and flats...

Last updated Apr 21, 2021

What color piano is best?

As a general rule, black is the best colour for a piano since black is a versatile neutral colour that can fit in with different looks and styles...

Last updated Oct 26, 2018

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What did Dr Dre play on the piano?

Just feet away, Dre sat down at a white grand piano and played a brief snippet of the DeBarge sample he'd used in Tupac's I Ain't Atcha” before...

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What is the quickest instrument to learn?

1. Piano or Keyboard. The piano is arguably the easiest musical instrument for kids to learn and there's a ton of easy songs to learn. It's a great...

Last updated May 18, 2019