Piano Guidance
Piano Guidance
Photo: Pixabay
Unlike violinists or trumpeters, piano players rarely get to perform on their own instruments and must be adaptable. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share.
The full version of Fur Elise is considered reasonably difficult, broadly an intermediate piece around grade 5, but a shorter arrangement of only...
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It's not impossible to learn the piano if you have no prior musical experience; just expect it to take you a little longer at the start to master...
Read More »Why are pianists at such a loss when it comes to understanding the mechanics of their own instrument? This lack of knowledge separates them from almost all other instrumentalists. Not only can violinists, clarinetists, harpists or flutists tune their instruments, and even bend pitches in performance, they also, by and large, know much more about how their instruments work. In music school, I used to marvel at oboe players who would sit at lunch talking about different kinds of cane wood and the various knives and such they used to make their own reeds. Most musicians own, maintain and perform on their own instruments. If you’re a gifted young violinist, you may not have a priceless 17th-century violin, but you likely have a good instrument you can bond and travel with. When serious pianists tour, though, they almost never bring their own instruments, which require professional movers to transport. From their student days, pianists are compelled to develop adaptability. After practicing a piece at home, a Conrad Tao or Jeremy Denk must perform on whatever instrument a hall has to offer. And some can be pretty bad. Young pianists at the Juilliard School have long traded battle stories of having to play on a “real PSO” — a “piano-shaped object.” Very fine pianos vary enormously in terms of sound, action and responsiveness to touch. Even a superb Steinway in a concert hall may take adjusting to, and may not suit a particular pianist’s preferences. “A lot of my job involves working with pianists on this very problem,” Joel Bernache, a technician with Steinway & Sons in New York, said in an interview. Steinway has long held a contract to provide and maintain concert grand pianos for Carnegie Hall. There are currently two at the ready at Stern Auditorium, Carnegie’s main stage: an American Steinway, from New York, and a German Steinway, from the company’s factory in Hamburg. Though Mr. Bernache said both are “clear and bright,” the New York piano is a bit louder and produces more of a fundamental tone, or “bottom.” The Hamburg one has “a cleaner and more transparent sound. You could say it’s more ‘direct.’” (These instruments, by the way, only last about five or six years, and in some cases 10; today’s pianists aren’t hitting the same keys Rubinstein touched.)
The short answer to that last question is: YES! It's perfectly acceptable and normal for a pianist to look at their hands while they play. An...
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Playing the piano wasn't just a fun hobby for Jewels; it helped improve his behavior and develop fine motor skills. Learning to play an instrument...
Read More »Wondering why dog is 1 syllable? Contact Us! We'll explain.
Syllables Synonyms Rhymes dog dog syllables How many syllables in dog? 2 5 8 6 7 4 1 9 3 syllable Divide dog into syllables: dog
This is caused by the fact that your whole face shakes when you practice specific vocal placements, and the vibrations that hit your eyes could be...
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Musicians, (especially pop musicians) are likely to compose music in easier keys. And since most Western music is composed on either piano or...
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The famous four chords used in many pop song progressions are the I, V, vi and IV chords of a major key. The roman numerals represent the numbers...
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We discovered that typing on a flat keyboard is better for your wrists and hands, but an even better typing position is with the keyboard angled at...
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