Category: piano room

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Rina, 5, performs at our Spring Recital (after 8 months of piano lessons) Video

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Rina is moving right along. She can spin a legato phrase with finesse after having practiced her detached-note playing for months. Now she's working on using featherlight thumbs to craft smoother lines. Notice her supple wrist approach to the piano: *** Here's a sample of Rina's offerings at the May 5th evening recital held at… Continue reading Rina, 5, performs at our Spring Recital (after 8 months of piano lessons) Video

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A Piano Room Photo Portrait, like a Painting

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

As I prowled around my home at 3 a.m. looking down from my staircase, I beheld my Steinway grand piano draped in special lighting that spilled into a portion of my living room. Aiden, my cat, slept peacefully amidst the dim glow, and overall I experienced what I saw as a painting worth capturing on… Continue reading A Piano Room Photo Portrait, like a Painting

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An 8-year old’s playing BEFORE and AFTER Skyped piano lessons plus video supplementation (Chopin Waltz in A minor, No. 19-Videos)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

This very gifted 8-year old from Oregon started her long distance learning with me in early July, 2011 after her father sent me a playing sample of the Chopin Waltz in A minor, Op. Posthumous, no. 19. I had actually videotaped one of our Skyped lessons following a brief exchange of videos on a common… Continue reading An 8-year old’s playing BEFORE and AFTER Skyped piano lessons plus video supplementation (Chopin Waltz in A minor, No. 19-Videos)

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Piano Instruction: A Beautiful Mozart Minuet in F Major, K. 5 that enlists the dipping wrist (Videos)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

I stumbled upon this musical gem when I purchased Mozart, 14 of his Easiest Pieces (Alfred, publisher) Not at all deceived by the description "easiest," I read through the collection knowing the challenge of interpreting the master's music with expression and refinement. It should be noted that this Minuet was composed by Mozart at the… Continue reading Piano Instruction: A Beautiful Mozart Minuet in F Major, K. 5 that enlists the dipping wrist (Videos)

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Piano Instruction: Chopin Prelude No. 4 in E minor, Op. 28, Teacher, Shirley Kirsten

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

http://youtu.be/By2h_rr9JSM http://youtu.be/TIWxLbW3Z38 Chopin composed 24 Preludes in Op. 28 exploring 24 different keys (Major and minor) with each Prelude having its own mood and character. In my step-by-step practicing of the E minor Prelude, I start with the Left Hand with its chordal mosaic, and listen attentively for descending chromatic movement between chords. In the… Continue reading Piano Instruction: Chopin Prelude No. 4 in E minor, Op. 28, Teacher, Shirley Kirsten

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Piano Instruction: Attentive listening to the end of a note before playing the next (E minor arpeggio in TENTHS) Video

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

In the course of practicing an E minor Arpeggio, (E, G, B, E) in TENTHS (Right hand begins on G, finger no. 1) I reinforced the idea that listening attentively to the very end of a note before the next is played is an essential ingredient of beautiful phrasing and fluid playing. The video expands:… Continue reading Piano Instruction: Attentive listening to the end of a note before playing the next (E minor arpeggio in TENTHS) Video

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Piano Lesson: Fritz, Age 7, performs his composed piece, “FINDING GOLD” (Video)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFObHOAwNV0 Over a period of three weeks, seven year old Fritz, who'd been taking piano lessons for about 7 months, composed a piece that he titled, "Finding Gold." The student has been using Faber Primer Piano Adventures, with my inserted modifications. He warmed up this past Monday with Lesson Book p. 24, C-D-E-F-G March transposed… Continue reading Piano Lesson: Fritz, Age 7, performs his composed piece, “FINDING GOLD” (Video)

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A Piano Room with a View

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

I thought of E.M. Forster's novel as an inspiration for this blog, but "The Hills are alive with the Sound of Music" would have more aptly described what I was writing about. Every week, a breathtaking view of the El Cerrito Hills streams into my piano room through an open, maple-paneled door. Depending on the… Continue reading A Piano Room with a View

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Piano Technique: Big Leaps, Crossed Hands, and shifty eyeballs (with slow motion video replay)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZxNy1VeOjk up tempo: http://youtu.be/t-3D6-s5qok Be prepared to exercise your eyeballs minus head movements when tackling large leaps, especially those hand-over-hand acrobatics that are intrinsic to many of Domenico Scarlatti's sonatas. In the first video I've isolated a few of these jumps from Sonata K. 113 in A Major, demonstrating what I've found to be the… Continue reading Piano Technique: Big Leaps, Crossed Hands, and shifty eyeballs (with slow motion video replay)

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The Big Baroque Festival!

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

I cleared most of my Saturday morning lessons so I could be on time for a special rehearsal at Fresno State. I took no chances given the steady rain these past few days that caused dangerously deep puddles along Shaw Avenue. The inevitable flow of traffic to crowd-jamming Bulldog games would also be a time… Continue reading The Big Baroque Festival!