Weaving threads of melody through W.A. Mozart, K. 545-Allegro

I've come full circle back to a "signature" piece that has grown over decades as I've worked with students discovering its many challenges. The so-called "facile" Sonata in C, K. 545, by W.A. Mozart that's quickly retrievable from my memory-labeled archive, is not "easily" dismissed as a thinly composed romp through C Major. With its…

Salvaging the remains of a Ravaged piano lesson

As I stepped out my front door to investigate what sounded like three lawn mower engines powered up at FULL BLAST, eviscerating an Online piano lesson to Arizona, I spotted a tree removal squad slashing a young Oak to smithereens just a few yards from the piano room. The tree, about 10 feet tall, not…

My Steinway M piano is back!

It took the awesome skills of a former Alabaman to resurrect my once beloved M from the dead. The keyboard had been an injury risk for months, plundered by too many technicians with pet regulation formulas and experimental impulses. After 6 months of rotating down weights and disappearing aftertouch, the black keys sat out of…

The saga of my Stagg Hydraulic Piano Bench (Videos)

I had reluctantly tossed two wooden piano benches into the garage of my apartment complex due to creaks, squeaks, and shaky legs that drove me up the walls during recording sessions. To add insult to injury, my next door neighbor's cleaning lady, dumped a week's worth of wine and beer bottles into the trash as…

Awe-inspiring playing at the Alaska International Piano-E-Competition

This is the first Internet channeled "e-competition" that features a crop of well-trained adult pianists. The preceding Yamaha Disklavier sponsored events were youth-based and originated in the Midwest--(Minnesota to be exact) With current Disklavier technology flying high, the newest venue for pianists to dish out their talent with satellite assistance, is the great state of…

Piano Maintenance– About hammers: all or partial replacement? (Video)

When my Baldwin Hamilton 1929 grand underwent exploratory surgery in the capable hands of Mark Schecter, RPT, I had some pointed questions. Given that the piano had a glassy-sounding upper treble due to worn down hammers, would installing a partial set of new ones be a reasonable route to take? Mark didn't think so, and…