Category: Theory

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More piano teaching favorites: Burgmuller’s 25 Progressive Pieces, op. 100

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncr1BMTtvOQ Burgmuller, a German composer living in France during the Romantic era composed these delightful programmatic pieces in order of "progressive" difficulty; I've chosen 3 favorites to showcase: "Arabesque," "La Chasse" (The Chase) and "L'Harmonie des Anges" (Harmony of the Angels) Arabesque ("beautiful decoration") is a sprightly, fast paced miniature in "A" minor, that basically… Continue reading More piano teaching favorites: Burgmuller’s 25 Progressive Pieces, op. 100

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The Joy of Teaching Piano to Young Children (Videos)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyY3XSl5Wuc Starting a very young child on a musical journey is joyful, exciting and challenging. The first baby steps taken at the piano will be memorable for both teacher and student, so careful thought and preparation are needed. At the very outset, I believe in nurturing an awareness of the singing tone and how it… Continue reading The Joy of Teaching Piano to Young Children (Videos)

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Piano Instruction: Favorite Children’s Pieces (Video)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

I've highlighted three favorite children's pieces by Dimitri Kabalevsky and Robert Schumann that are very catchy, colorful and harmonically engaging. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suVPK_RDxM8 They fall into the category of programmatic music because the character of the compositions match the titles. Even though Schumann and Kabalevsky dedicated their compositions to a youthful generation, the music is quite sophisticated… Continue reading Piano Instruction: Favorite Children’s Pieces (Video)

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Piano Instruction: Playing Diminished 7th chords and arpeggios (Video)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVZyIhTXmag In order to understand how a diminished chord is formed a student needs to know the difference between a Major and minor third. A Major third has two consecutive whole steps from a starting note so for example, C to E creates a Major third. If a student sings C to D to E,… Continue reading Piano Instruction: Playing Diminished 7th chords and arpeggios (Video)

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DREAM PIANO: Overview and Acknowledgments

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

My two-year long romp on the piano finding trail with York as my professional companion and consultant had been worth all the time spent in, around and under pianos. How else would I have acquired knowledge about the piano’s harp, or cast iron plate were it not for his having the bravado to dismantle it… Continue reading DREAM PIANO: Overview and Acknowledgments

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Piano Instruction: Mozart Rondo: Allegretto, 3rd mvt. Sonata in C, K. 545

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6oSo-WC9OM http://youtu.be/Meb-yhioUIo In this instructional video I analyze the form and musical content of Mozart's Sonata in C Major, K. 545, Rondo: Allegretto, Third movement. (I play behind tempo to make the commentary and musical phrases more understandable) The Rondo, more often than not, is the form used in the last movement of a Classical… Continue reading Piano Instruction: Mozart Rondo: Allegretto, 3rd mvt. Sonata in C, K. 545

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Piano Lesson: My 10 year old student plays Mozart Sonata in C, K. 545 (Video)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

This ten year old student has been studying piano with me from age six. She is currently working on Bach Inventions 4, 8, and 13 along with the complete Mozart Sonata in C, K. 545 in C. In this video she is practicing the first movement of the Mozart composition behind tempo. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EODtPfT_ygQ The student… Continue reading Piano Lesson: My 10 year old student plays Mozart Sonata in C, K. 545 (Video)

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Everyone plays the Bach Prelude no. 1 in C (You Tube video embedded)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMwi6agdB1k Is this the latest hit among classically minded You Tubers? How many have flocked to upload Bach Prelude 1 from the Well- Tempered Clavier. Perhaps it's because playing this first one, and singing the "Ave Maria" over it elevate the player to new spiritual heights. Spun out broken chords between the hands lay a… Continue reading Everyone plays the Bach Prelude no. 1 in C (You Tube video embedded)

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How to practice a G Major scale as a follow-up to C with an adult student example

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXx3SEW81ps The last instructional video covered the C Major scale in depth, and  identified symmetries between the hands, when practicing beyond the one octave level. https://arioso7.wordpress.com/2010/12/15/how-to-practice-a-parallel-motion-c-major-scale-and-by-example-g-d-a-e/ I pointed to the bridge of the C Major scale as the crossover into the next octave. The fingerings at this junction were mirrors for B, C, an D:… Continue reading How to practice a G Major scale as a follow-up to C with an adult student example

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How to Practice a parallel motion C Major scale and by example, G, D, A, E

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5HVmyDJFic I chose to group the following Major scales together (C, G,D, A,E) because they have parallel internal consistencies, and they stand apart from the black key pattern scales of B, F# and C#Major. (The flat equivalents of these pattern sharp scales are Cb, Gb  and Db)  The last three black key scales mentioned, are… Continue reading How to Practice a parallel motion C Major scale and by example, G, D, A, E