Today I posted a musical tribute to a dear friend who provides her acoustically divine living room for my weekly teaching journeys in El Cerrito, California. The space soars with resonance and complements a vintage Baldwin 1929 grand that lavishes its home in the Hills. Irma happens to be a student of mine for 4… Continue reading Happy Birthday, IRMA!
Month: March 2014
Piano Technique Tips: Leaning toward the piano in contrary motion
One of my wise colleagues tipped me off about moving toward the piano when playing scales and arpeggios in contrary motion. After trying it, I integrated the leaning forward motion into my own practicing and naturally, it trickled down to my students in the lesson environment. Here's a demonstration using the E minor arpeggio in… Continue reading Piano Technique Tips: Leaning toward the piano in contrary motion
In Perfect Harmony: Steinway grand and Yamaha Arius digital
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDersM94DbE These two music-makers are currently close companions. I moved Arius out of isolation to a more socially and musically compatible locale well after Steinway Upright 1098 was sold. The space-saving that accrued was particularly beneficial. Now that both grand and electronic live in side-by-side harmony (A 440-wise), I can slip under my acoustic and… Continue reading In Perfect Harmony: Steinway grand and Yamaha Arius digital
Building a piano lesson around J.S. Bach Invention 4 (d minor)
The scale of D minor (Harmonic form) feeds nicely into the study of Bach's Invention 4, BWV 775, and within this Baroque inspired universe, Alton, (Life Begins at 77) continued his musical journey. First my play through of the Two-Part Invention http://youtu.be/jZ5jbiLUhHQ A capsulized compositional analysis http://youtu.be/LTtM2DsJsk8 And a Summary of lesson goals for the… Continue reading Building a piano lesson around J.S. Bach Invention 4 (d minor)
Chopin’s Nocturne in E minor, Op. 72, No. 1: Rotation, voicing, phrasing
Many students believe their hands are too small to navigate the E minor Nocturne. Seeing awkward intervals inside of broken chords that often span beyond an octave, they have a fixed mindset that the Left Hand (in this composition) must pre-stretch the distance between the lower and upper most note to insure ACCURACY, at least.… Continue reading Chopin’s Nocturne in E minor, Op. 72, No. 1: Rotation, voicing, phrasing
Adoption in the old piano universe
Today's good deed was my hands on effort to place a gorgeous sounding old upright in a deserving home. And judging by the attention this Emerson vintage piano eventually received after I played it for well past an hour at a Berkeley thrift store, there may be hope that an old veteran like this, can… Continue reading Adoption in the old piano universe
