Category: pianoaddict.com

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The voices of piano technicians around the country

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

I had the invaluable opportunity to interview various Registered Piano Technicians around the country about various aspects of their profession. First, to become a RPT, the candidate takes an exam that's administered through the Piano Technician's Guild (PTG) which has branches in cities all over the country. Since piano tuning is not a licensed profession,… Continue reading The voices of piano technicians around the country

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SKYPING Chopin: sculpting phrases with relaxed arms and supple wrists in the Waltz no. 19 in A minor, Op. Posthum. (Videos)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Aside from the prelude to this transmission having been launched by Aiden Cat, most of yesterday's lesson was noteworthy for its focus on phrasing the Chopin Waltz No. 19 in A minor, Op. Posthumous. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epBXjDqFVaA Between California and Australia A new Logitech camera provided an astonishing over the shoulder view of "Daniel" seated at his… Continue reading SKYPING Chopin: sculpting phrases with relaxed arms and supple wrists in the Waltz no. 19 in A minor, Op. Posthum. (Videos)

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Piano Lesson: Rina, 4, climbs the musical staircase of letter names after playing 8 notes at the piano (Videos)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Rina continued her exploration of Melody by playing the seven notes, C through B on the piano, capping her step-wise ascent with a high C. I embellished her scale-wise journey with chordal accompaniment. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35SFPzGAk6k Following this activity, Rina climbed up and down my staircase after she had placed musical alphabet flashcards on each step. We… Continue reading Piano Lesson: Rina, 4, climbs the musical staircase of letter names after playing 8 notes at the piano (Videos)

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Piano Technique: Braving the slippery slope of black keys, practicing the F# Major Arpeggio (VIDEO)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Why all the prejudice against black notes? I, for one, avoided them like the plague for years. And my teachers were enablers, keeping me and other students contentedly in C Major to avoid widespread unrest. Their benign neglect of the blacks, in the the end, came at great cost. We teetered on the edge when… Continue reading Piano Technique: Braving the slippery slope of black keys, practicing the F# Major Arpeggio (VIDEO)

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Highlights of the MTAC Fall Festival, Oct. 29, 2011 (Princess Rina, 4, wins a best costume prize!) VIDEO

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Five of my students participated in this morning's gala Fall Festival sponsored by the Music Teachers Association of California. The first of many theme recitals took place beginning at 10 a.m. with a colorful Halloween spread of costumes and music. Princess Rina walked the royal Carpet before things got underway. A parade of students followed.… Continue reading Highlights of the MTAC Fall Festival, Oct. 29, 2011 (Princess Rina, 4, wins a best costume prize!) VIDEO

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A Skyped Piano Lesson between Fresno, California and Sydney, Australia (VIDEO)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Here's the gig as it unfolded today, with a few sprinkled photos of my technology driven living room prior to the California/Australia Skyped transmission: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOjNWOVJy38 First segment: Building technique with scales and arpeggios

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Piano Lesson: Teaching and playing “Galop” by Kabalevsky from the Op. 39 Children’s Pieces (Videos)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Don't do a double take on the spelling of "Galop" because every edition I've seen up close and personal, does not have the expected double l. If it were as simple to play this piece as spelling its name correctly or incorrectly, I wouldn't have a problem. But in truth, a miniature like this is… Continue reading Piano Lesson: Teaching and playing “Galop” by Kabalevsky from the Op. 39 Children’s Pieces (Videos)

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Piano Technique: Forearm and finger emphasized staccato (Videos)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

More often than not, pianists acquire insights about piano technique through self-exploration and analysis. (trial and error attempts) Others have had mentors who demonstrated physical approaches to the piano that paved a learning path for the next generation of students. And finally, pupils, themselves have always provided a window for teachers to clarify their own… Continue reading Piano Technique: Forearm and finger emphasized staccato (Videos)

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Piano Lesson: Working with Rina, age 4, on the supple wrist, singing tone approach to individual notes (Video)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Today was Rina's 11th piano lesson. To date we've identified and played the seven notes of the musical alphabet using fingers, 2, 3, and 4 of each hand in various registers. Our follow-up practice focused on how to produce a singing tone in non legato (dropping individual notes one finger at a time) without yet… Continue reading Piano Lesson: Working with Rina, age 4, on the supple wrist, singing tone approach to individual notes (Video)

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Teaching a young beginning piano student how to play expressively (Video)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

I'm a firm believer in teaching beautiful phrasing and musical expression from the very start of piano lessons. Taking individual notes, and producing a singing tone is a goal in itself which requires attentive listening, as well as sensitivity to the physical and mental aspects of playing. In this video, that unfortunately has some video/audio… Continue reading Teaching a young beginning piano student how to play expressively (Video)