Category Archives: classissima.com

Should a piano student be a carbon copy of the teacher?

Posted on March 23, 2013 by

The whole universe of music teaching and learning became crystallized when I found myself bouncing ideas back and forth with two parents of Suzuki-trained children on a blog COMMENTS forum. First, I questioned the purist form of the Japanese imported … Continue reading →

Posted in classissima, classissima.com, Mozart Sonata in C K. 545, piano, piano instruction, piano lessons, Piano Street, Piano World, piano worldwide, W.A. Mozart, word press, wordpress.com, you tube.com, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Bach to nature: Pairing a Prelude with scenes from Tilden Regional Park (Berkeley CA)

Posted on March 19, 2013 by

I didn’t think twice about getting double mileage from re-playing J.S. Bach’s ethereal Prelude in C minor, BWV 847. It turned out to be nature-inspired. On a late afternoon trail trek to Tilden Park, I came equipped with a modest … Continue reading →

Posted in Bach Prelude in C minor BWV 847, classisima, classissima.com, Tilden Regional Park in Berkeley CA, word press, word press.com, wordpress, you tube video, you tube.com, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Piano playing at its most inspirational level

Posted on March 19, 2013 by

Divine music-making from a seasoned pianist in a memorable retrospective Continue reading →

Posted in classissima, classissima.com, Fantasia in C minor K.475 by Mozart, Mozart, piano, Seymour Bernstein, With your own Two Hands by Seymour Bernstein, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, wordpress, you tube, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Comparing Interpretations of Bach Prelude in C minor, BWV 847 (Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1)

Posted on March 13, 2013 by

Over a year ago, I posted a tutorial about the harmonic rhythm of Bach’s C minor Prelude (WTC I) to help myself and others navigate strings of 16th notes with an awareness of shape, direction, and resolution. This was my … Continue reading →

Posted in Bach Prelude BWV 847 in C minor, classissima, classissima.com, harmonic rhythm and Bach Prelude BWV 847, J.S. Bach, Johann Sebastian Bach, Jorunal of a Piano Teacher from New York to California, piano, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, word press, word press.com, you tube, you tube video, you tube.com, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Pianist, Martha Argerich waxes poetic about her career, old age, and more

Posted on March 12, 2013 by

I was entranced by an interview conducted with Maestra Argerich on the eve of the 2009 Nobel Prize ceremonies in Stockholm. She was to give a concert, playing the Ravel piano concerto, but graciously paused to share her deepest thoughts … Continue reading →

Posted in classissima, classissima.com, Interview with Martha Argerich, Martha Argerich, Nobel Prize in Stockholm, piano, Ravel Piano Concerto, wordpress, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video, you tube.com, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

I have to practice to keep up with my piano students

Posted on March 10, 2013 by

I have one particular adult pupil who’s pushed the envelope to its limit. He sends me demanding “new” pieces he wants to learn in short order. Not that I necessarily approve of the rapid turnover of compositions, but I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Bach Little Fugue in C BWV 952, classissima, classissima.com, J.S. Bach, Johann Sebastian Bach, piano, piano instruction, piano lessons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hand-switching and Chopin (making a piano duet out of a solo)

Posted on March 7, 2013 by

I did a double take watching footage of yesterday’s lesson in the El Cerrito Hills. Seeing two arms, one half-sleeved, and the other firmly wrapped in olive green, made me wonder if an alien from Mars had landed squarely at … Continue reading →

Posted in Chopin, Chopin Waltz in c# minor Op. 64 no.2, classissima.com, classsisima, duet playing in the piano lesson, swtiching piano parts in a collaboration, whole body listening, whole body music listening, word press, word press.com, wordpress, wordpress.com, you tube video, you tube.com, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Into the Hills with the Sound of Music –a Baldwin Acrosonic “acoustic” sings

Posted on March 5, 2013 by

The video attached to this writing validates the beauty of music-making on a well-maintained, though 1940s vintage era acoustic piano. Baldwin Acrosonics were the Cadillacs of the spinet and console variety pianos. They had a noticeable innovation compared to their … Continue reading →

Posted in Baldwin Acrosonic piano, Chopin, Chopin pedaling, Chopin Waltz in A minor no. 19, classissima, classissima.com, El Cerrito California, pedaling at the piano, phrasing at the piano, piano addict, piano blogging, piano blogs, piano instrruction, piano instruction, piano lesson, piano lessons, piano lessons in Berkeley California, piano lessons in El Cerrito California, piano studio, piano studio in El Cerrito, piano teachers, piano technique, piano technique and breathing, Piano World, piano world-wide, pianoaddict.com, pianoworld, pianoworld.com, playing piano, shirley kirsten pianist, shirley s kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, shirley smith kirsten blog, Shirley Smth Kirsten, slow mindful practicing, slow piano practicing, studying piano, The art of phrasing at the piano, the art of piano pedaling, The El Cerrito Hills, whole body listening, whole body music listening, word press, word press.com, wordpress, wordpress.com, you tube video, you tube.com, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The piano learning process at all levels of study

Posted on March 2, 2013 by

In spite of my having studied piano for decades, each learning experience is filled with challenges that I must approach with a glut of patience. A new composition has its own form, architecture, harmonic rhythm, fingering that requires a big … Continue reading →

Posted in "Tales of a Musical Journey" by Irina Gorin, Chopin Waltz in A minor no. 19, classissima, classissima.com, Irina Gorin, phrasing at the piano, pianist, piano, piano blogs, piano instrruction, piano lessons, piano lessons for adults, Piano Street, piano studio, piano studio in El Cerrito, piano study, piano teacher, piano teaching, piano technique and breathing, pianoaddict.com, Pianostreet.com, pianoworld, practicing piano, practicing piano in slow motion, practicing piano in slow tempo, practicing piano with relaxation, relaxed arms in piano playing, scales, scales and arpeggios, separate hand piano practicing, Shirley Kirsten blog, shirley s kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, shirley smith kirsten blog, Shirley Smth Kirsten, slow mindful practicing, slow piano practicing, teaching Beethoven Fur Elise, teaching Fur Elise, teaching piano scales, teaching piano to adult students, teaching piano to adults, teaching piano to young children, whole body listening, whole body music listening, word press, word press.com, wordpress, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube.com, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Piano Instruction: Can we over-analyze a Bach fugue?

Posted on February 25, 2013 by

Little Bach Fugue in C, BWV 952 required insights into its organized structure so I could better teach it. But how much analysis was required and could it be trusted? Continue reading →

Posted in Bach, Bach Little Fugue in C major BWV 952, Baroque form fugue, classissima, classissima.com, Elaine Comparone, fugue form analysis, J.S. Bach BWV 952 in C Major, J.S. Bach Fugue form, Jan Karman, Lance Walton, piano instruction, piano lessons, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, Theory, Theory and piano lessons, whole body listening, whole body music listening, word press, word press.com, wordpress, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video, you tube.com, yout tube, youtube.com | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment