Look, Listen, and Learn

February 2017: 

What do you think of this instrument designed by Leonardo da Vinci? 

What musical era did da Vinci live in? 

1) Renaissance 

2) Baroque 

3) Classical 

4) Romantic

September 2016:

Sometimes things just seem hard. Learning the piano can be like that. We try... and we don't succeed. But before you think of giving up, watch this. Your perspective of persistence, courage, determination and stick-to-it-iveness just might change...  Yes, You Can!!

August 2016: 

What kind of music does an elephant like?  The blues of course!

November 2015: Let's Duet!

Let's do-it.... duet! Students will be paired in ensemble groups for the upcoming Christmas recital. We are going to have SO much fun! To get you in the mood... I'll share here a few ensemble performances. Enjoy!

This post wouldn't be complete without showcasing a few of our studio's own great ensemble players! Too bad we don't have videos of all our great ensemble performers!

June 2015:

Play Dynamic!

This guy can play! Listen for the great contrasts of dynamics. 

Jingle Mash Up:

A clever way to play the piano, for sure! How many of the 25 commercial jingles can you remember?

May 2015: 

What is a harpsichord?

April 2015:

I Knew You were Treble 

Fun music parodies of popular songs. Tap your feet and sing along while strengthening your note reading skills.

All About That Bass

January 2015: 

Chilly Gonzales Pop Masterclass Shake it off!

A great short video talking about compositions of catching pop tunes.

November 2014: 

Orange you glad you play piano?

Lang Lang is clever, don't you think?

Watch Lang Lang play with this song using nearly only black keys.  This many can p.l.ay.!

What about this talented little girl? Not only is she talented, she has a few fun tricks!

Music Makes Me Happy!

The new song "Happy" by Pharrell Williams, has become my current favorite! I love it's catchy melody, clapping rhythm, and fun harmonies. I love the creativity shown in these arrangements. They make me happy! To me, this is ear candy! Which one is your favorite?

Marching through the Pentatonic Scale:

Bobby McFerrin  is talking about expectations.  How is that the audience knew what notes to sing?  Head to your piano and play a group of two black keys and the next group of three black keys.  This is a pentatonic scale. It's most commonly heard in Eastern Music.

And for fun, here's Bobby McFerrin and his well known song "Don't Worry Be Happy".  Can you believe he makes every sound you hear in this recording?  Amazing, huh?!

Frozen February:  Let it Go!

Another great rendition of the music from Disney's Frozen in Midway Utah's Ice Castles. Talk about FROZEN!

Sheet music is available for purchase on line: http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtdFPE.asp?ppn=MN0129489  

Most of the studio would benefit from the 'easy piano' version.

December is for Duets!

If two hands can make amazing music together.... I wonder what 24 hands can do?!

Or how about what 4 hands can do on a glass harp?!

October 

Meet Johann Sebastian Bach!

He was born in Germany in 1685.  As a child he learned to play the violin and the harpsichord.  

His uncle, Johann Christoph Bach, taught him to play the organ.  

Bach was married in 1707 to Maria Barbara Bach (a 2nd cousin) and they had seven children.  

After Maria's death, Bach remarried (Anna Magdalena Wilcke) and they had 13 children.  

Bach had 20 children in all!

Bach served as a cantor, organist and music composer for the St. Thomas Lutheran Church, in Leipzig, Germany for 27 years.  In Bach's lifetime his music was not appreciated and he was considered an old -fashioned composer.  Yet today, Bach is consider one of the most influential composers of all time.

The Toccata in Fugue in D Minor is his most famous organ composition.

Here is a fun, colorful,visual as the notes are played.

It's fascinating to watch an organist play this piece!  There are so many keyboards that are set to play different kinds of sounds.  (See all the knobs around the sides of the organ?  These are used to set keyboards different sounds.) The organ's sounds come out of the beautiful pipes.   The organist even plays a keyboard (pedal board) with his feet (you can see this well at 6:48 and 7:14)!  Can you imagine moving your hands and feet so much when playing?  And all from memory?!

September

September 1st was Johann Pachelbel's birthday.   He was born in Germany in 1653.

Johann Pachelbel wrote many sacred and secular works in his lifetime as a composer, organist, and teacher.
At 24 years old, Pachelbel became the organ teacher for Johann Sebastian Bach.

 He is best remembered for his composition Canon in D.
Pachelbel is one of the most important composers of the baroque era.
Pachelbel's Canon in D is a often played at weddings.
The bass (or cello) line of the Canon in D is very repetitive.
Can you hear the pattern?
How many notes are played in the pattern before it begins again?

Trans-Siberian Orchestra has written a variation to the Canon in D,
called Christmas Canon.
The cello's repeating pattern is heard throughout the piece with a number of
variations in the treble voices/instruments.

  Steven Sharp Nelson of The Piano Guys has made a funny video of Canon in D
poking fun at the boring cello portion.
Those of you who are Jon Schmidt fans... can you find him in the video?!

August 

Claude Debussy was born August 22 1862 in France. 

He began taking piano lessons at the age of seven from and Italian violinist.  

His lessons were paid for by his aunt.  How old were you when you began piano lessons?  

At ten years old he began his studies at the Paris Conseratoire, when he studied for 11 years.  

Debussy was a brilliant pianist and an outstanding sight reader who could have had a professional career had he wished.  His love was composition.  He was born during a time when composers were searching for a new musical style.  Debussy was the composer credited with founding the style called Impressionism.  

Debussy's extraordinary mastery of fluid lines and intricate harmonies allowed him to paint beautiful pictures in sound.  One of his most known compositions is Clair de Lune (Moonlight).  As you listen to this performance of Clair de Lune, watch the pianist's technique and answer the following questions:

Where do his hands play on the keys?   Near the edge?  

What is the main dynamic level played in this piece?

Do you know what rubato means?  Can you hear rubato in this performance?

This song has an ABAB Coda pattern.  One passage is faster and one is slower.  Which is your favorite?

Below is an audio recording from 1913 of Debussy playing his famous ragtime-inspires "Golliwog's Cakewalk".  This is one of my favorites to play!