Category: Baroque music

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Down to the wire: An 11-year old piano student prepares for a competitive Baroque event (VIDEO) with a tender flashback

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Claudia has made significant gains this year. She's shaping her phrases more, and becoming ear-attentive and physically responsive to the music she plays. Today, she made additional headway with J.S. Bach's Prelude in C minor, BWV 847. Coming into her lesson with two introductory readings, she was bobbing her head up and down, reinforcing beats… Continue reading Down to the wire: An 11-year old piano student prepares for a competitive Baroque event (VIDEO) with a tender flashback

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Tutorial: Shared ideas about practicing J.S. Bach Invention 13 in A minor (BWV 784) Videos

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

As I observed an 11-year old student work on this Invention at lessons, I came up with some ideas to improve the performance landscape. These included an awareness of the dualism of rolling arpeggiated 16ths and detached 8th notes in the opening. More often than not, the arpeggios can sound too flat if the whole… Continue reading Tutorial: Shared ideas about practicing J.S. Bach Invention 13 in A minor (BWV 784) Videos

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Piano Lesson in progress: Fugue in C Minor, BWV 847 (Video)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Claudia S., age 11, identified and practiced the Subject, Tonal Answer, and Counter-subject 1 and 2 of the Fugue BWV 847. She learned how to make a difference between portato and staccato as she examined form, structure, and phrasing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvXZKI6HLIY

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Bach to basics, Bach to nature, and Bach forever! (Videos)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

When it comes right down to it, I'm always drawn back to Bach for solace, counsel, wisdom, insight, and more. He was the Father of our Western music in all its infinite forms. In the composer's ingenious 2 volume, Well-Tempered Clavier, Bach explored all keys around the Circle of Fifths in impeccable counterpoint. It's the… Continue reading Bach to basics, Bach to nature, and Bach forever! (Videos)

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Parts one and two, Piano Lesson in progress: Parceling voices in J. S. Bach’s C minor Fugue, BWV 847

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Claudia, 11, practiced piecing out the Fugue form today in BWV 847 (three voices). We played through the subject, tonal answer, and counter-subject 1, continuing with a transition that led to statements of the subject and counter-subject. I had her singing and playing various combinations of voices, also noting an inversion of counter-subject I. The… Continue reading Parts one and two, Piano Lesson in progress: Parceling voices in J. S. Bach’s C minor Fugue, BWV 847

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Piano Lesson Excerpts: Practicing the Bach Invention 13 in A minor (Videos)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

This morning, Claudia, 11, practiced the J.S. Bach A minor Invention behind tempo, (in slow motion) to improve her musical/technical understanding of the composition. She worked on "weaving"/shaping the main idea or subject, which is a broken chord figure. The interaction between hands or voices (there are two them) was a particular focus, as it… Continue reading Piano Lesson Excerpts: Practicing the Bach Invention 13 in A minor (Videos)

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When piano playing soars to spiritual heights: The artistry of Cyprien Katsaris

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Words fail me when trying to describe this performance of Cyprien Katsaris over You Tube. Stage setting: A majestic church with big resonance, and while the soundtrack is scratchy, what emanates from the piano makes the listener forget any mechanical distraction. The playing is so ethereal, one senses an immortality channeled through a mortal. So… Continue reading When piano playing soars to spiritual heights: The artistry of Cyprien Katsaris

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Piano Technique: Teaching a 9-year old Staccato and weight application–Think bouncing a basketball vs. ping pong ball tapping (Videos)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Ilyana has been studying piano for two years. Currently, she's working on various weight applications for staccato. I found that imaging a basketball being bounced vs. a ping pong ball being tapped, helped the student with her overall physical approach. The short video below illustrates. We ended up playing 8th notes, not being overly ambitious… Continue reading Piano Technique: Teaching a 9-year old Staccato and weight application–Think bouncing a basketball vs. ping pong ball tapping (Videos)

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Revisiting J.S. Bach’s Invention 1 in C, BWV 772 (Video)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Yesterday I had the novel experience of working on Bach's Invention 1 in C Major, via long distance transmission. Beamed to Sydney, Australia, by way of SKYPE, I found myself having gained new insights about a piece I had temporarily tabled. While I had always been aware that the Subject, or main idea, had been… Continue reading Revisiting J.S. Bach’s Invention 1 in C, BWV 772 (Video)

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Pianists and Injuries

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

You can't avoid it. Athletics are part of piano playing so if you abuse your hands, arms, wrists, let alone your fingers, you'll end up benched, like an overused relief pitcher. Yesterday, I pushed the envelope, practicing rapid fire repeated notes in Domenico Scarlatti's Toccata in D minor, well into the night. Ample streams of… Continue reading Pianists and Injuries