Month: March 2012

Journal of a Piano Teacher from New York to California, Mark Schecter, piano maintenance, piano regulation, piano repair, piano technician, piano technician's guild, rebuilding pianos, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, word press, you tube

Piano Maintenance: The elements of Regulation (Videos)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Mark Schecter, RPT, demonstrated a phase of the Regulation process as it pertained to smoothing out the note-to-note feel of my Baldwin Hamilton 1929 grand. In the course of a thorough assessment, the instrument was found to have worn out hammers, (though refiled) and problems related to their balance and alignment (as revealed in prior… Continue reading Piano Maintenance: The elements of Regulation (Videos)

cleaning ivory keys on a piano, Journal of a Piano Teacher from New York to California, Mark Schecter piano technician, pianist, piano, piano maintenance, Piano Street, piano technician, piano tuner, Piano World, playing piano, regulating a piano, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, using Windex to clean ivory keys, voicing a piano

My Baldwin grand piano gets its first diagnostic, tune-up, and regulation

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

It sounds like I'm talking about a used car. For Mark Schecter, Registered piano technician it might as well be. He emphasizes that the piano has thousands of parts that must work harmoniously to make playing a smooth and pleasurable journey over the 88s. In the case of my blind date Baldwin, "the old car… Continue reading My Baldwin grand piano gets its first diagnostic, tune-up, and regulation

Journal of a Piano Teacher from New York to California, Mark Schecter Registered Piano Technician, piano, piano maintenance, piano maintenance and repair, Piano Street, piano technician, piano technician's guild, Piano World, piano world-wide, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, Uncategorized, word press, you tube

Piano Maintenance Teaser: Graying ivories and a squeaky note

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

This is a video preview of what will follow later today when several uploads related to my Baldwin piano's weekend "regulation" are lined up on You Tube. As a start, one of the problems plaguing my recently acquired Hamilton grand 1929, a.k.a "blind date piano," was a grayish discoloration on every ivory key. In my… Continue reading Piano Maintenance Teaser: Graying ivories and a squeaky note

Mozart Piano concerto no. 21 in C Major, Murray Perahia, New York City High School of Performing Arts, pianist, piano, word press.com, wordpress, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video, Zellerbach in Berkeley California

Coming Attractions: A music packed weekend and even more to come

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Today, in the company of two adult students, I'll be heading over to Zellerbach in Berkeley, California to hear Murray Perahia's piano recital. Last year at about this time, he was curbed by injury, but apparently he's now in peak condition and ready to go. If his recent Berlin concert is an indication of what's… Continue reading Coming Attractions: A music packed weekend and even more to come

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Development of Piano Technique all bundled into one collection

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Instead of pumping out Hanon and Czerny exercises to build so-called finger dexterity, try Burgmuller's Op. 100, Twenty-five Progressive Pieces. Here's a sample of the challenges posed by the composer in each of these showcased Romantic era tableaux: Harmony of the Angels: 1) Arpeggios, or broken chord patterns: for smooth execution and curvaceous lines. If… Continue reading Development of Piano Technique all bundled into one collection

Claudia Arrau, Ena Bronstein, Ena Bronstein Barton, Fresno California, Journal of a Piano Teacher from New York to California, Rafael de Silva, Rider University, Schumann Carnaval op. 9, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, Westminster Conservatory of Music in Princeton New Jersey, word press, word press.com, wordpress, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video

My neighborhood piano teacher will return to Fresno to give a benefit concert! (Video)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

It's been well over 20 years since I sauntered just a few blocks over to West San Madele, a quaint street with manicured lawns and California ranch-style homes. But one particular residence, with an adobe brick exterior, stood out because of its warm musical welcome mat. It promised entry into a magical space with a… Continue reading My neighborhood piano teacher will return to Fresno to give a benefit concert! (Video)

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Piano Technique: Burgmuller’s Tarentelle, Op. 100-Fueling and shaping fast passages with a dipping, supple wrist (Videos)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Most piano students will have been assigned a Burgmuller selection or two during their formative years of study. And most likely, these would have been snatched from the composer's Twenty-Five Progressive Pieces, Op. 100 that advance by steps in difficulty, though it can be argued that all contain unique technical challenges. Composed in the Romantic… Continue reading Piano Technique: Burgmuller’s Tarentelle, Op. 100-Fueling and shaping fast passages with a dipping, supple wrist (Videos)

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Piano Technique: Re-arranging hands for speed and agility in Burgmuller’s “La Chasse” (The Chase) Videos

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

I used Burgmuller's "La Chasse" (The Chase) as my springboard for this particular discussion. The opening section of this composition, at break neck speed, quickly builds to a forte dynamic with an ensuing spill of staccato broken octaves, against a chordal Left Hand carrying a melody. It's plainly a bummer! For some players, the only… Continue reading Piano Technique: Re-arranging hands for speed and agility in Burgmuller’s “La Chasse” (The Chase) Videos

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Lesson planning for a 5-year old piano student–(Video)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Rina who's into her sixth month of study, is ready to learn dotted-half notes. Up to now, she's been saturated with black and white cardboard circles included within a packet along with Irina Gorin's Tales of a Musical Journey instruction. The black notes (quarters) are known as "short" sounds, and the white ones (Half-notes), "long-sounds"… Continue reading Lesson planning for a 5-year old piano student–(Video)