When I was at College I chose to study Hector Berlioz. I know this has nothing to do with the piano, but at College we were given a rounded musical education. I attained my Piano Teacher's L.R.A.M. at the Royal Acadamy of Music, and afterwards went to a Teacher's Training College so that I could teach general music in schools.
Have you heard Berlioz' Roman Carnival Overture? I'm surprised how many people haven't. It's not long, but it is brilliant. The orchestration is wonderful - as Berlioz' orchestration always is, and it has momentum. It illustrates the great atmosphere of a Roman Carnival.
A CD with Berlioz' Roman Carnival would be a great Christmas present for someone. Even if they aren't really 'into' classical music they should enjoy this!
Sunday, 17 December 2006
Friday, 8 December 2006
Beethoven
I once loved to play my Piano - especially when I had my Grand Piano. I did indeed leave my Piano open - and when I passed it I felt a compulsion to play if only to run my hands over the keys in a chromatic scale.
My all time favourite 'sit down and play the piano because it's an open invitation' was Beethoven's Sonata Pathetique.
The Electric Roland piano I now have does not have this effect on me - this pull towards it and compulsion to play. In fact I never leave it open at all. It may be able to mimic a grand piano, a church organ or even a human voice, but these are just gimmicks. Even with good the amplifiers it just can't anywhere approach the richness and tone of the real Grand Piano.
My all time favourite 'sit down and play the piano because it's an open invitation' was Beethoven's Sonata Pathetique.
The Electric Roland piano I now have does not have this effect on me - this pull towards it and compulsion to play. In fact I never leave it open at all. It may be able to mimic a grand piano, a church organ or even a human voice, but these are just gimmicks. Even with good the amplifiers it just can't anywhere approach the richness and tone of the real Grand Piano.
Sunday, 3 December 2006
Look After Your Piano
Well, by the time I had finished trying to Tune my Piano it sounded like a bar Honky Tonk in a Western. The longer I tried the worse it became. My REAL Piano Tuner had to come and sort it out - and I had to come clean about what I had done
Why did I feel so guilty? It was my Piano, and I was paying him to put it right.
I was a Piano Teacher at the time. I think Piano owners had the same sort of respect for their Tuners as we do for our Doctor (or did back in those days anyway). We did what we were told.
It's Important to Look After Your Piano.
One Tuner even told me I should never shut the lid on my piano else it might feel neglected! I was to leave the ivories on display so that they would be an invitation to play.
Why did I feel so guilty? It was my Piano, and I was paying him to put it right.
I was a Piano Teacher at the time. I think Piano owners had the same sort of respect for their Tuners as we do for our Doctor (or did back in those days anyway). We did what we were told.
It's Important to Look After Your Piano.
One Tuner even told me I should never shut the lid on my piano else it might feel neglected! I was to leave the ivories on display so that they would be an invitation to play.
Friday, 1 December 2006
Piano Tuner
I have needed a Piano Tuner for several different Pianos over the years - including a Goodwood Piano, a Grand Piano and a Pianola.
I eventually deserted Pianos with Strings and bought a Yamaha Clavinova. I now have a Roland Electric Piano.
Why have I abandoned the traditional piano with all those strings - those low wide slowly vibrating strings and the high fast vibrating strings? It's because these strings need constant TUNING.
It's not like a guitar which has just six strings, or a violin with only four. It has hundreds of strings - some notes have two or three strings each. The Piano needs Tuning at least twice a year. The Piano Tuner becomes a friend but he (it's usually 'he') may one day stop tuning pianos. Then what do you do?
Is it easy still to find a new Pinao Tuner? A good Piano tuner? This is a traditional craft and few young school leavers nowadays are interested in becoming a Piano Tuner.
Today is an age of automation. A Piano Tuner has to use just his Ear and a Tuning Fork to get the 'correct' Pitch. Even with electronic pitch machines a Piano has to be tuned manually - by a Piano tuner - a person, not a machine. The Piano Tuner has to visit the Piano. The Piano can't go to the tuner!
But to complicate things, the Pitch isn't really correct. The intervals are adjusted - untuned - just a little and that is skillful.
This is Very Difficult, believe me. I have tried it.
The first problem is to get hold of some Piano Tuning tools. This was more difficult than you would expect as at the time suppliers were unwilling to let just any old person have them. A sort of closed shop.
Having eventually got hold of the tools - the tuning fork, the levers, the spare felts and so on, I set about 'tuning' a Piano! Well, I knew I had a Good Ear......
Oh dear!
I eventually deserted Pianos with Strings and bought a Yamaha Clavinova. I now have a Roland Electric Piano.
Why have I abandoned the traditional piano with all those strings - those low wide slowly vibrating strings and the high fast vibrating strings? It's because these strings need constant TUNING.
It's not like a guitar which has just six strings, or a violin with only four. It has hundreds of strings - some notes have two or three strings each. The Piano needs Tuning at least twice a year. The Piano Tuner becomes a friend but he (it's usually 'he') may one day stop tuning pianos. Then what do you do?
Is it easy still to find a new Pinao Tuner? A good Piano tuner? This is a traditional craft and few young school leavers nowadays are interested in becoming a Piano Tuner.
Today is an age of automation. A Piano Tuner has to use just his Ear and a Tuning Fork to get the 'correct' Pitch. Even with electronic pitch machines a Piano has to be tuned manually - by a Piano tuner - a person, not a machine. The Piano Tuner has to visit the Piano. The Piano can't go to the tuner!
But to complicate things, the Pitch isn't really correct. The intervals are adjusted - untuned - just a little and that is skillful.
This is Very Difficult, believe me. I have tried it.
The first problem is to get hold of some Piano Tuning tools. This was more difficult than you would expect as at the time suppliers were unwilling to let just any old person have them. A sort of closed shop.
Having eventually got hold of the tools - the tuning fork, the levers, the spare felts and so on, I set about 'tuning' a Piano! Well, I knew I had a Good Ear......
Oh dear!
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