Great moments in pianistic history

And another below, a review by Kenneth Langbell for The English Language Bangkok Post

A Humid Recital Stirs Bangkok

by Kenneth Langbell

THE RECITAL, last evening in the chamber music room of the Erawan Hotel by US Pianist Myron Kropp, the first appearance of Mr. Kropp in Bangkok, can only be described by this reviewer and those who witnessed Mr. Kropp's performance asone of the most interesting experiences in a very long time.

A hush fell over the room as Mr Kropp appeared from the right of the stage, attired in black formal evening-wear with a small white poppy in his lapel. With sparse, sandy hair, a sallow complexion and a deceptively frail looking frame, the man who has repopularized Johann Sebastian Bach approached the Baldwin Concert Grand, bowed to the audience and placed himself upon the stool.

It might be appropriate to insert at this juncture that many pianists, including Mr. Kropp, prefer a bench, maintaining that on a screw-type stool they sometimes find themselves turning sideways during a particularly expressive strain. There was a slight delay, in fact, as Mr Kropp left the stage briefly, apparently in search of a bench, but returned when informed that there was none.

The History of the Piano

Let's take a look at the history of the piano.





When talking about the history of the piano mention must be made of theearly instrumentsthat paved its way.

The first historical mention of instruments is in Genesis 4:21. The King James Version reads as follows: "And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ". The first instrument in history to have a keyboard was the Hydraulis, the precursor of the modern organ. It was built in Greece about 220 B.C. By the Second Century A.D. the organ was commonly used at important festivities in Greece and the Roman Empire.

The earliest keyboards were played with the hands, wrists, fists, knees, or feet. Up to the 13th Century the scales were diatonic (as in GABCDEF) rather than the twelve tone chromatic scale we use today.

The piano is founded on earlier technological innovations. The 14th and 15th Centuries saw the development of different kinds of keyboard stringed instruments. Some came with hammers, including the chekker, dulce melos, and clavichord. Some were plucked instruments, including the virginal, spinet and harpsichord.

In this discussion of the history of the piano, let's now talk about its inventor. Who invented the piano? The modern piano was invented by Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655–1731) of Padua. He was an expert harpsichord maker, employed by Ferdinando de' Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany, as the Keeper of the Instruments. The first piano he built was about the year 1700 or 1698. Historians are not in total agreement as to the exact date. The keyboard looked different to today's piano keyboard layout; the natural keys were black while the accidentals were white. It was Sebastian LeBlanc who suggested that the black and white keys be switched. The three Cristofori pianos that survive today date from the 1720s.

History of the piano - the harpsichord and clavichord 

Piano - Role of the piano: Encyclopedia II - Piano - Role of the piano

The piano is a crucial instrument in Western classical music, jazz, film, television and electronic game music, and most other complex western musical genres. A large number of composers being proficient pianists, the piano is often used as a tool for composition. Pianos were, and are, extremely popular instruments for private household ownership, especially among the middle- and upper-classes. Hence pianos have gained a place in the popular consciousness, and are sometimes referred to by nicknames, including: "the ivories", "the joanna", "the eighty-eight", and "the black(s) and white(s)." Playing the piano is somet ...

Aphex Twin: Encyclopedia - Aphex Twin Aphex Twin Aphex Twin (born Richard David James, August 18, 1971, Ireland) is a UK-based electronic music artist, credited with pushing forward the genres of techno, ambient, acid, and drum and bass. He has been described as "the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music" ([1]). Aphex Twin - Biography Richard David James was born to Welsh parents Lorna and Derek James in 1971 in Limerick, Ireland. James spent his childhood in Cornwall, United Kingdom. As a teenager, he became a DJ and musician on the local rave scene, taking on the moniker "Aphex Twin". James formed the Rephlex Records label in 1991 with his friend Grant Wilson-Claridge and released his first records on this label, as well as Mighty Force and R&S Records of Belgium. After success with his early work, James relocated to London and released a slew of albums and EPs on the Warp Records label, under a bewildering set of aliases (from AFX and Polygon Window to the lesser known Gak and Power Pill).

Famous Piano Players

History is full of famous piano players in all musical genres. Since key-notes is dedicated primarily to classical music, this article focuses on the most famous and innovative piano players in classical music history. The are the "Big 5," those who had the most significant impact on piano playing.

Famous Piano Players Greatest Classical Pianists

• Ludwig van Beethoven (Germany, 1770-1827). He became well-known as a piano virtuoso in his day, with a powerful and direct playing style.
• Frederic Chopin (Poland, 1810-1849). Chopin played with a soft, elastic delicateness. Listeners said that he had the ability to create inky and subtle colors.

• Franz Liszt (Hungary, 1813-1886).One of the most famous piano players of all time! He had piano superpowers, and used to dazzle audiences with his extraordinary abilities.
  He was well-known (and mocked!) for acting dramatically while performing, contorting his face with passion and swaying his body.
• Anton Rubinstein (Russia, 1829-1894). A powerful pianistic force of nature. He used to give his audience headaches! Still, he had a wonderfully poetic and noble way of playing. Apparently he used to make loads of mistakes when he played, since he was focusing on expressing his personal idea of the music.
• Hans von Bulow (Germany, 1830-1984). A virtuoso, who performed the premieres of both Tchaikovsky and Liszt's first piano concertos. He had an incredible memory. He once learned an entire piece by reading the score on a train journey, then performed it the same evening at a concert!
• Sergei Rachmaninoff (Russia, 1873-1943). He was known as a famous piano player before a composer. His hands were ridiculously large, which allowed him to make huge stretches across the keyboard. His playing style was extremely clean and precise, and his tone was apparently golden and lyrical.
• Josef Hofmann (Poland, 1876-1957). A supreme virtuoso, with a calm and neat playing style. He had all sorts of inventive modifications to his piano to get the effects he wanted. For instance, some of his pianos had narrower keys than normal for his small hands!
• Arthur Rubinstein (Poland, 1887-1982). A charming old world personality combined with a well-traveled, well-read intellectual, and of course a master pianist.Rubinstein's powerful, golden interpretations are filled with the joy of music, and made him one of the most famous pianists of the 20th century.
  
  

Pianola information and resources

INTRODUCTION
For those who are not familiar with this instrument, it is best described simply as a self-playing piano. The notes to be played are represented by tiny perforations on interchangeable rolls of paper, while the player mechanism is powered entirely by suction, generated by the operation of two foot pedals. 

The operator, or 'pianolist', achieves dynamic shading of the music by varying the degree of pressure applied to the foot pedals. In addition, a set of hand-operated levers mounted just below the front of the keyboard provide accentuation, tempo control, activation of the sustain and soft pedals and selection of play and rewind modes. In the hands of an accomplished operator, a convincingly lifelike musical performance is achievable.

The player piano enjoyed its peak of popularity between 1900 and 1930, after which time the wireless, which was significantly cheaper and more versatile, became the main source of home entertainment. As the vast majority of player pianos are now at least seventy years old and many are sadly dilapidated, enthusiasts all over the world are devoting much time and effort to the restoration of these remarkable instruments.

Teach Children Piano:
Tips and Techniques

On this page, I’ll share with you some of the things I’ve learned that have helped me to teach children piano. Teaching piano can be really fun and rewarding. To help piano teaching to be as great for you, I’ll give both some practical advice and some general guidelines.

Individual Differences

First, to effectively teach children piano, remember that every child is different. I know that you know this but it’s easy to develop a method of teaching and focus on that instead of the individual student. 

I have found that students have different strengths and focusing on those creates a good lesson. When you build on a child’s strengths, they come to believe that they can do it – piano is not so difficult. Then, when introducing those things that they struggle with, they already have a feeling of accomplishment and success. 

Here’s a practical way to do this. Start and end the lesson with something they like or something not too difficult. If you know that they like scales and like to play them, end with playing some scales. They’ll leave feeling like they learned and can play something. 

Attitude

To teach children piano, there is another thing I have found essential. This is not about the actual teaching or the piano student, but about me – the teacher. It’s important to have a sense of fun.

If you enjoy teaching, that comes across to the student. If you’re having fun, they’re much more likely to have fun. We need to get away from that image of the piano teacher with the ruler in her hands rapping the knuckles! Piano is fun!

Behaviour

There are times for fun but unfortunately, there are some times when you need to be strict. Try to do this with a smile and the attitude of helping (rather than punishing). Some parents will tell you to be stern or strict with their child. They know their child and it is good to follow their advice. 

Behaviour problems do happen in piano lessons although I have found not frequently. Children are usually respectful and nice. I usually find that if a student is not behaving well, they are bored. If this happens, I try to mix things up. For example, if we are sitting at the piano, I try to come up with an activity that is more active. Then after that is finished, we try to go back to what we were doing. 

If you have an issue you cannot handle in the lesson, talk to the parent. Find a way for the two of you to resolve it. If things are really a problem to the extent where you can’t get anything done in the lesson, I have one extreme solution. Ask the parent to come to the lesson. If the parent really wants the child to learn to play the piano, they will need to be there to help control the child. I’ve never had to do this. It’s just one option in extreme cases.

Helpful Tools of the Trade

To teach children piano, what I have found most helpful is awhiteboard. With a whiteboard, you can create lots of different activities. You can practise naming notes, rhythm, and other things. 

Along with a white board, I also used rhythm sticks and other rhythm instruments to practise rhythm. It’s good for kids to move around and I’ve found it especially helpful for the students playing. 

What Are the Piano Key Notes?

The piano keyboard is essentially a pattern. To learn piano key notes, you need to learn the pattern.

Want a video explanation? Here's a quick tutorial:

 

The first thing you see on the keyboard is that there are white keys and black keys. Look at the picture below and notice the sets of black keys.

There are groups of black keys. Groups of 2 and groups of 3. These groups will help you to know what every other piano key is.
Note that the piano key notes go from low to high. When sitting at a keyboard, the low notes are to your left and the high notes are to your right.

Let’s start learning the piano key notes. We’ll start by looking at the group of 2 black notes. There are 3 white notes surrounding this group of 2. They are C, D, and E.

Every white key is named after a letter. It’s the “musical alphabet.” The musical alphabet starts on A and ends on G. Then it repeats. For example: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A, B, etc. 

Look below at the picture of the group of 2 black notes. The note in the middle of the 2 is D. On the entire piano, you call the note in the middle of the group of 2 black notes “D”. 

Piano

Background

The piano may be the best known and loved of all musical instruments. It also has the broadest range of any instrument, so music for all other instruments can be composed on it. It can be played solo, but most other instruments, including the voice, use the piano for accompaniment. Technically, the piano may also be the most complicated musical instrument with over 2,500 parts.

The piano is a stringed instrument. Its many parts are organized into five general structural and mechanical areas of either grand or vertical pianos. These are: the case of the wing-shaped grand piano (or the cabinet of the vertical or upright piano); the soundboard and the ribs and bridges that are its components; the cast iron plate; the strings; and, collectively, the keys, hammers, and piano action or mechanism. The case has many structural parts for attaching legs and tuning pins, but perhaps the rim and the keybed or shelf where the keys and piano action will be installed are most important. The soundboard amplifies the vibrations of the strings, which are transmitted through bridges.

The cast iron plate is installed over the soundboard and pinblock (part of the case), and it provides the strength to anchor the strings under tension. Nose bolts and perimeter bolts anchor the plate to the braces and inner rim of the case. The 220 to 240 strings of the piano are attached to hitch pins along the curved edge of the cast iron plate and to tuning pins across the front of the piano, roughly parallel to the keyboard. The piano action is still more complicated and includes the keys, hammers, and mechanism or action.

Names for pianos usually indicate their sizes. Grand (wing-shaped) pianos range in length from 4 ft 7 in-9 ft 6 in (1.4-2.9 m) from the front of the keyboard to end of the bend. The "baby" grand is 5 ft-S ft 2 in (1.52-1.57 m) in length; smaller grand pianos are called "apartment size." The larger sizes are the medium grand and concert grand. Modern vertical piano design has changed little since 1935. Verticals range in height from 36-52 in (91-132 cm) with small variations in width and depth. The five standard sizes from smallest to tallest are the spinet, consolette, console, studio, and professional pianos. Pianos are frequently chosen for appearance, and cabinets are available in most furniture styles and finishes.

Here is an Upright Piano Grading Guide for your information.

GRADE I

Plain piano in every aspect. Square legs, usually tapered. Sides of piano are flat, edges are square. Relatively little molding, simple and uncluttered appearance. Some considered mission period. Circa 1913 to 1927.

GRADE II

Nicely styled cabinet. Stylish round legs but sometimes square and fluted. Molding is often stylish. Sometimes piano side front edges are curved but usually square. Molding around lid or glass [optional] may he carved. Always stylish some mission style cabinets fall into this Grade when they are augmented by legs that rise above the key bed and cheek blocks to be capped with small pyramid shapes. 

GRADE III

Possesses all the qualities of grade II but contains carving on the front around the [optional] stained glass area. Grade III pianos usually have marked elegance and style with carving on top sides of leg portions. They may have nice molding on the side of the piano with carved pieces at the top of the molding. Usually will have a 3" molding skirt around the bottom of the piano but not always. Circa 1893 - 1908 

*GRADE IV

All the qualities of grade III but much more pronounced and extensive carving. Excellent Condition - Sometimes carved on all surfaces of the piano. A very rare cabinet usually custom built by famous furniture manufacturers for very wealthy customers who actually took them a new piano and had them construct a new cabinet. Gustav Stickly was one furniture maker who did this. Only about one of 1000 pianos will be like this. Carved ladies, lions, faces and extensive flowers will elevate a would be grade III to this level. These cabinets are usually Mahogany since that was the choice wood of the day. Circa 1875 to 1905. 

GRADE V

 
Weber Upright Piano, New York 1876

This piano's case features elaborate carving, inlay, and Marquetry created by the famous New York cabinetmakers, Herter Brothers. Albert Weber emerged as a new rival of Steinway in the 1870s and created this piano especially for the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.

How to play piano: Lesson

In this lesson I cover, Sharps, Flats, and also introduce the circle of fifths. REMEMBER “Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle” for sharps and “Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles Father” for flats. If you need a picture of a circle of fifths you can get it at this link. www.carolinaclassical.com Please go check out my website and sign up on my forum. Join the music community! www.howtoplaypiano.ca

Piano Lessons – Piano Teacher Versus Online Lessons

I have been asked many times whether it is ok to have piano lessons online or if you should spend more money and get a proper piano tutor to visit your home or even pay to attend a music school. I think you should always look at the advantages and disadvantages and decide what is best for you. The aim of this article is to take you through the various teaching methods and guide you to making a decision that is right for you.

Online piano lessons

There are many websites offering online piano lessons. The trouble is that you don’t really know if the advice you are being given is good or the not. Some websites claim to offer free piano lessons, but when you try to find these free piano lessons, you realize that they are only offering very basic information and you will need to pay to get to the real stuff.

Online piano lessons are ok if you just want to learn the basics without the commitment of a regular piano teacher. Once you have mastered the online piano lessons then you will definitely need to get yourself a qualified piano teacher or sign up for piano lessons in your local music school if you want to progress any further.

Lessons with a piano teacher

Providing you can find a qualified piano teacher that has a lot of experience and you can justify the expense of this when you are starting out (they don’t come cheap!), then this is a good way to start learning.

There are some disadvantages of having one-on-one lessons with a private piano tutor. Children tend to find individual piano lessons too serious and boring and there are no other children in the lesson to compare progress with.