Category: shirley smith kirsten blog

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Scenes from Manhattan

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

First day in the Big Apple: These are popular picture postcard themes yet worth memorializing. I took this photo set as I trekked from 34th Street and Penn station to the West Side 'Y' gym at 63rd off Central Park. Bogged down with luggage, I approached Columbus Circle at W. 59th Street (off Central Park)… Continue reading Scenes from Manhattan

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Sequences and Phrase contouring in J. S. Bach’s French Suite No. 5, BWV 816

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

An adult student and I explored sequences in the Allemande opener of Bach's French Suite in G as we parceled out the treble and bass lines. (Still another voice that danced from the alto to tenor range, was separately identified and practiced) To craft beautiful phrases in the opening movement that limpidly flows in legato,… Continue reading Sequences and Phrase contouring in J. S. Bach’s French Suite No. 5, BWV 816

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Husband and wife pianists I have known and their legacy

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

This week's practicing and You Tubing hearkened back to my student days in New York City. Lillian Lefkofsky Freundlich was my Rosina Lhevinne. She, like her Russian counterpart, was married to a high profile husband, Irwin Freundlich who doubled as her 4-hand piano partner. When Irwin passed away in his late 60s quite suddenly, as… Continue reading Husband and wife pianists I have known and their legacy

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Piano Practicing: Breathing into phrases and blocking out passages (Mozart Sonata, example)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

I've picked the first two pages of Mozart's Sonata in Bb Major, K. 281, last movement, Rondeau, Allegro to explore breathing and blocking techniques in the learning process. (These principles can be applied to practicing music from a variety of eras) Starting a composition is often taken for granted. Sometimes students will land on a… Continue reading Piano Practicing: Breathing into phrases and blocking out passages (Mozart Sonata, example)

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Photo memories of my December 2012 trip to NYC

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

A native New Yorker, I rarely found myself at the Statue of Liberty, but yes, to Central Park, and gentle walks though Fall and Spring paths. My last visit to the home land, was this past December when I sauntered with my daughter, Aviva, along the periphery, taking favorite photos of the lake, and surrounding… Continue reading Photo memories of my December 2012 trip to NYC

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Into the Hills with the Sound of Music –a Baldwin Acrosonic “acoustic” sings

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

The video attached to this writing validates the beauty of music-making on a well-maintained, though 1940s vintage era acoustic piano. Baldwin Acrosonics were the Cadillacs of the spinet and console variety pianos. They had a noticeable innovation compared to their sister-size instruments. (A deeper sound chamber, especially noted in the consoles that measured 40" or… Continue reading Into the Hills with the Sound of Music –a Baldwin Acrosonic “acoustic” sings

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The piano learning process at all levels of study

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

In spite of my having studied piano for decades, each learning experience is filled with challenges that I must approach with a glut of patience. A new composition has its own form, architecture, harmonic rhythm, fingering that requires a big reserve of self-acceptance in a deadline-free frame. To the contrary, many of my students, who… Continue reading The piano learning process at all levels of study

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Revisiting an old piano piece learned years earlier

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

I find my current musical journey down memory lane to be joyful and challenging--especially as I cut and paste the Mozart Rondo: Allegro, K. 311 pages to fit comfortably on the piano rack. (Deja Vu, Haydn C Major Hoboken XVI35--Haydn pinned and unpinned) I wrote to a musician friend during the height of my frustration.… Continue reading Revisiting an old piano piece learned years earlier

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The C Major Scale universe: metric and muscle memory; shaping and tapering

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

The C Major scale is more than meets the "I," if you're the one practicing it!

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The business of copying the piano teacher: Who has the final say or PLAY?

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

The latest provocative teacher exchange is taking place on Facebook at the "Art of Piano Pedagogy" which has now become a private forum. When it comes to teaching philosophies, many are intensely opinionated. From my perspective, I passionately believe in sharing my ground-up musical insights with students to justify my presence at the lesson in… Continue reading The business of copying the piano teacher: Who has the final say or PLAY?