I had nothing better to do at 1 a.m. and Aiden cat had settled down on the rug beside the piano. This time he had no energy reserves to leap to the window sill and make a racket. (Notice how Beethoven's strains sedated him, except for a transitory cat tag jiggle. But how rude for… Continue reading After midnight MOONLIGHT Sonata–why not another try, first movement (BEETHOVEN–video)
Tag: Beethoven Moonlight Sonata
Revisiting Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata, movement 1, “quasi una fantasia,” and comparing You Tube performances
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGJ_4CS_c4M I continuously revisit compositions for a new perspective and in this endeavor, I usually check out You Tube performances of celebrated pianists. The "Moonlight Sonata," first movement is a piece that many students set their sights to play. On the surface the composition appears to be within musical and technical reach, but it's a… Continue reading Revisiting Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata, movement 1, “quasi una fantasia,” and comparing You Tube performances
Piano Instruction: Teaching Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata, Movement 1 (VIDEO)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGJ_4CS_c4M Beethoven didn't attach "Moonlight" to this first movement of his very popular C# minor Sonata. (Music critics often invented these tags that stuck over centuries) The composer, himself, said his opening was like a fantasy, "quasi una fantasia," and he took particular care to compose his Adagio Sustenuto movement in alla breve, which meant… Continue reading Piano Instruction: Teaching Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata, Movement 1 (VIDEO)
From Chords to Gym and Back: You Tube Video
This video tells all. It was one of my hair brained ideas to embed a trip to Bally's Gym in my piano tutorial on the subject of playing blocks of robust chords using upper body weight transfer -- energy streaming down the arms, through supple wrists into the fingers. Naturally, warming up on the Gravitron… Continue reading From Chords to Gym and Back: You Tube Video
