There's York, piana tuna,' joining the crowd at Caroline's. He harbored doubts about Knight pianos until he inspected this one. You can see his time honored lamp with its twisted neck hanging down over the piano. Missing are his Filter Queen moth eradication machine and can of Decon. Read: The Little Knightingale https://arioso7.wordpress.com/2010/12/16/the-little-knightingale/
Month: December 2010
Piano Gym routines with my 10 year old student
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuAWQM4qK44 This is a fun romp through the keys of F# Major and minor with some diminished 7th and Dominant 7th arpeggios cruising across the keyboard in legato, followed by detached, "ping pong ball" rendered staccato. Parallel and contrary motion scales/arpeggios are a pianist's preliminary gymnastics. They're great for the warm-up phase of each practice… Continue reading Piano Gym routines with my 10 year old student
How to practice a G Major scale as a follow-up to C with an adult student example
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXx3SEW81ps The last instructional video covered the C Major scale in depth, and identified symmetries between the hands, when practicing beyond the one octave level. https://arioso7.wordpress.com/2010/12/15/how-to-practice-a-parallel-motion-c-major-scale-and-by-example-g-d-a-e/ I pointed to the bridge of the C Major scale as the crossover into the next octave. The fingerings at this junction were mirrors for B, C, an D:… Continue reading How to practice a G Major scale as a follow-up to C with an adult student example
The Little Knightingale
It sang like a nightingale the morning I stroked its keys, yet it has always been a relative unknown in the world of big name pianos such as Steinway, Baldwin, and Yamaha. From an innocuous three-line ad posted on Oodle.com, I discovered that this very Knight piano was for sale, housed in northwest Fresno just… Continue reading The Little Knightingale
A Player Piano Without a Name
"Alice," the owner of an unidentified player, is seen above. On a sultry Friday morning before a long Memorial Day weekend, I stumbled upon a Fresno Bee ad for a brand-less “piano,” sandwiched among “moving sale” items. The seller’s address traced to a working class neighborhood in south Fresno that probably wouldn’t house a pricey… Continue reading A Player Piano Without a Name
Favorite J.S. Bach Two Part Inventions
The J.S. Bach Inventions I posted on You Tube are definitely my favorites. (In the days ahead I will describe the way I teach these to my students) Inventions are dialogs or conversations between the hands that constitute the interweaving of independent voices (Counterpoint) Counterpoint was the hallmark of the Baroque period (1685-1750) My Favorite… Continue reading Favorite J.S. Bach Two Part Inventions
How to Practice a parallel motion C Major scale and by example, G, D, A, E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5HVmyDJFic I chose to group the following Major scales together (C, G,D, A,E) because they have parallel internal consistencies, and they stand apart from the black key pattern scales of B, F# and C#Major. (The flat equivalents of these pattern sharp scales are Cb, Gb and Db) The last three black key scales mentioned, are… Continue reading How to Practice a parallel motion C Major scale and by example, G, D, A, E
About Regulation and Tuning: My piano cried out for help!
This is such a sticky area, and the pun is intended. How frustrating to imagine a delicate pianissimo, want to produce it, and find that a note or notes won't spring forth with the beauty that a player had intended. For me, it had become painfully obvious that my Steinway M grand, 1917 which had… Continue reading About Regulation and Tuning: My piano cried out for help!
A-440 Pianos, Inc. Owner, Pascal Vieillard Guilty of Illegal Smuggling–Read on!
Pascal Vieillard, A-440 Pianos Inc. Guilty Of Illegally Smuggling Elephant Ivory Into U.S.|11/18/10 | Huffington Post: This was the man Rebecca McGregor had dealings with when she purchased the Proksch grand piano, 1905 from A-440 Pianos Inc. See my blog: Funeral for a Cracked Plate, Caveat Emptor! https://arioso7.wordpress.com/2010/12/10/funeral-for-a-cracked-plate-piano-caveat-emptor/ Read More: A-440 Pianos, Elephant Ivory, Illegal… Continue reading A-440 Pianos, Inc. Owner, Pascal Vieillard Guilty of Illegal Smuggling–Read on!
The Great Piano Auction
Photo of York, piano tuner, standing beside the Steinway auction piano Fresno Auction Company Public & Private Auctions Estate Liquidations Appraisals On an early Tuesday morning, in December, 2008, I spotted an eye-catching Fresno Bee Online ad for an estate auction that listed a “Steiney” (?) grand piano among an Allen theater harpsichord organ; rare,… Continue reading The Great Piano Auction
Arioso7's Blog (Shirley Kirsten) 