Tag Archives: pianist

Capturing the first sunrise in our practicing and performing

Posted on May 18, 2013 by arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

I always ponder the process of learning a new piece and how I want to experience and re-experience a freshness that seems to come with my earliest exposure to the printed page. As I set out my fingering, isolate lines … Continue reading →

Posted in classissima, Jeremy Denk, Mildred Portney Chase, piano, word press, word press.com, wordpress, wordpress.com, you tube.com, youtube.com | Tagged classissima, classissima.com, Jeremy Denk, Just Being at the Piano by Mildred Portey Chase, Ligeti, Mildred Portney Chase, pianist, piano, piano addict, piano learning, piano performance, piano street, piano teaching, Piano World, practicing piano, Robert Schumann, Schumann Album for the Young, Word Press, wordpress.com, You Tube, you tube.com | Leave a comment

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

Posted on March 13, 2013 by arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

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 Andras Schiff, Angela Hewitt, Bach Prelude in C minor BWV 847, Baroque keyboard music, classissima, classissima.com, comparing performances of Bach Prelude in C minor BWV 847, Glenn Gould, J.S. Bach, Johann Sebastian Bach, Journal of a Piano Teacher from New York to California, Nairi Grigorian, pianist, piano, piano addict, piano street, Piano World, pianoworldwide, playing piano, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, Well Tempered Clavier, Word Press, wordpress.com, You Tube, you tube.com | 3 Comments

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

Posted on March 12, 2013 by arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

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 classissima, classissima.com, interview with Martha Argerich, Journal of a Piano Teacher from New York to California, Martha Argerich, Maurice Ravel, Nobel Prize Ceremonies in Stockholm, pianist, piano, piano addict, piano street, Piano World, piano worldwide, playing piano, Ravel piano concerto, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, Wordpress, wordpress.com, You Tube, you tube.com | 2 Comments

The piano learning process at all levels of study

Posted on March 2, 2013 by arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

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 "Tales of a Musical Journey", Beethoven Fur Elise, Berkeley piano studio, classissima, classissima.com, El Cerrito piano studio, Fur Elise, Irina Gorin, mindful slow piano practicing, pianist, piano, piano instruction, piano street, Piano World, piano worldwide, playing piano, practicing piano in baby steps, practicing piano with separate hands, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, teaching piano to adults | 9 Comments

Film art and great pianism fuse in a Richter documentary (The Enigma – Bruno Monsaingeon -1998- Parts I and 2)

Posted on February 1, 2013 by arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

A tribute to Richter in his own words, interspersed with examples of his great artistry Continue reading →

Posted in Bruno Monsaingeon, classissima, classissima.com, Documentary on Richter pianist, Heinrich Neuhaus, Journal of a Piano Teacher from New York to California, Moscow Conservatory, piano addict, Piano World, piano world-wide, Sviatoslav Richter, The Enigma - Bruno Monsaingeon -1998- Parts I and 2, Uncategorized, word press, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube.com | Tagged Heinrich Neuhaus, Journal of a Piano Teacher from New York to California, Moscow Conservatory, Odessa, pianist, pianist Richter, piano, playing piano, Russia, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, Soviet Union, Sviatoslav Richter, Ukraine | 2 Comments

The Haydn Piano Sonata in C, UNPINNED, and matters of Memorization

Posted on January 26, 2013 by arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Pianists are expected to perform on stage without music. It’s a controversial area worth probing. Continue reading →

Posted in "Tales of a Musical Journey" by Irina Gorin, classissima, classissima.com, Elaine Comparone, Harpsichord.org, how to improve memorization at the piano, Irina Gorin, piano, piano addict.com, Seymour Bernstein, Uncategorized | Tagged "Tales of a Musical Journey" by Irina Gorin, classissima, classissima.com, Elaine Comparone, Harpsichord.org, how to improve memorization at the piano, Irina Gorin, Journal of a Piano Teacher from New York to California, memorization at the piano, memorizing music, performing without music at the piano, pianist, piano, piano addict, piano instruction, piano lessons, piano street, Piano World, piano worldwide, Seymour Bernstein author, Seymour Bernstein pianist, Seymour Bernstein With Your Own Two Hands, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, Word Press, wordpress.com, you tube video, youtube, youtube.com | 4 Comments

The C Major Scale universe: metric and muscle memory; shaping and tapering

Posted on January 25, 2013 by arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

The C Major scale is more than meets the “I,” if you’re the one practicing it! Continue reading →

Posted in C Major Scale, C major scale at the piano, classissima, classissima.com, Journal of a Piano Teacher from New York to California, piano instruction, piano instruction by Skype, piano lessons, piano lessons for adults, piano lessons in Berkeley California, piano lessons in El Cerrito California, piano teachers, piano teaching, piano technique, Piano World, pianoaddict.com, playing staccato at the piano, playing the piano, playing the piano with a singing tone, POWHOW, POWHOW instruction, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, shirley s kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, shirley smith kirsten blog, skype piano lesson, Skype piano lessons, skyped piano lessons, Skyping piano lessons, teaching piano online, teaching piano to adults, the breath and phrasing in piano playing, 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 Berkeley piano studio, classissima, classissima.com, El Cerrito piano studio, Journal of a Piano Teacher from New York to California, metric memory at the piano, muscle memory at the piano, online webcam piano lessons, pianist, piano, piano addict, piano instruction, piano lessons, piano lessons by Skype, piano street, piano teaching, piano technique, Piano World, practicing a C Major scale at the piano, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, skyping piano lessons | Leave a comment

No Skimming the surface in piano warm-ups and a Chopin exchange with a sixth-grader

Posted on January 24, 2013 by arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Lucy started piano about four years ago in El Cerrito, a short Bart ride from Berkeley, my current residence. A transfer student, she’d been immersed in Bastien primers and hand-outs of various patriotic pieces. Note-reading skills were minimal. Over time, … Continue reading →