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Posts Tagged ‘piano’
14 Dec

Fantasies Regarding Piano Learning

Like politics and religion, piano learning is also an important subject. There is a difference of opinion about both these subjects even though most of the people do not carry ample amount of knowledge regarding it. Some common illusions about learning piano lessons are as under:

1. People need inborn flair to become master of something

Most of the people assume that in order to excel in a particular field, a man must be born a genius. Some believe that the Mozart has always been meant to become a great musician. But, the truth is that there is no need to have any kind of inborn talent to become master of something.
All you need is the practice and the motivation that make you master. In other words, it is a ground reality that practice makes a man perfect! There is no doubt that daily routine practice of piano lessons can bring perfection in your work.

2. You’re unable to learn piano lessons swiftly because you are not giving proper time and efforts to your work

This common myth is kept by a large number of people. Sometimes, people try a lot and give more than enough time for learning piano lessons. But unluckily, they’re yet miles away from the level of success they desire for.
They consider that spending huge amount of time is a big factor for being a perfect pianist. To some extent, it’s not wrong as you need to give enough time and efforts. However there must be a change of learning patterns with proper utilization of time that can give you success.

3. Mastering Piano Needs 10 Hours’ Practice a Day

This point can be related to the one given above. Most of the people believe that thinking as well as practicing piano during each waking hour is the key to become a great pianist all the way. Taking this obsession as a model will come up with fruitful results.
Playing of one skill on piano for about 10 hours will make you stick to just one level. Majority of the pianists recommend that playing piano for just one hour with the right piano lessons is more fruitful rather than playing it for ten hours.

4. Everybody is not that smart to learn quickly

Most of the people are of the view that they cannot learn piano quickly. It is a human instinct to attribute their accomplishments to the stuff they usually administer. Whereas, we accredit out failures to the stuff we usually do not administer. So, whenever we struggle learning piano lessons, we should not think like this. Bear in mind that these are the myths that can ruin the process rather than to give you success.

5. Changing the pace of learning is hard for everybody

Many people think like this because they believe that all of them carry a certain innate IQ, which determines their rate of learning. In fact, everything is possible with the use of right learning methods. Right techniques and methodology are the best ways to accelerate your learning tenfold. Bear in mind that practicing right piano lessons can make you learn piano rapidly and effectively.

Stay away from myths regarding piano learning, follow quality lessons on the piano and become master of it.

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22 Nov

How to Easily Learn Piano

It’s not always wise to include easy and piano in the same sentence. Overnight accomplishment in piano progress, is obviously the stuff of dreams. However there are a couple of easy piano lessons that you can keep in mind when you are first beginning to play. So let’s talk for just a little while about developing feel when playing the piano.

Having a feel for where your hands are on the keyboard means that you’re not looking at your hands all the time to know where to place them. If you can master feel you will be able to read pieces of music and play them without having any idea what the song is supposed to sound like when you play it. Playing piano by ear is a valuable asset to your piano skills, but it’s not a replacement for learning to read music. Concentrating on the music, and not where your hands are on the keyboard, is valuable training. Most piano teachers will have you begin your lessons by finding middle C. The majority of piano professors will insist that you locate, and start from middle C when you begin your instruction. They do this because middle C. is the easiest note to find on the keyboard and the C. major scale is the easiest to play. By learning the C. major scale you can learn a little bit about reading music, a little bit about fingering, and a touch of music theory when it comes to scales and octaves.

But since the C. major scale doesn’t contain any of the black keys it’s a terrible place to start .Because using the black keys on the piano it’s much easier to find major scales, such as C major in particular. They are the least valuable places to begin your instruction. The reason being – the black keys are much easier to find. There are five in every octave. One arrangement of three and another collection of two. Each of the black keys has two white keys on either side of it. If you begin with a scale that uses the black keys instead of C. major you develop a much better feel for where your hands are on the piano. It won’t take very long before you will be able to feel all of the notes by knowing where your fingers are in relation to the black keys.

Perhaps you’ve observed professional pianists who have a technique for reaching the white notes on the keyboard, by playing with their fingers closer to the black keys. The reason for this is that it makes certain finger combinations and locating your hands on the keyboard much easier. Probably the best scale to begin with is B natural instead of C major. By learning a few major scales your fingers will begin to develop a feel for where they are on the piano. And as your hands develop their memory, each day will be easier than the one before.

20 Nov

Learn Piano – Two Best Ways

When you first begin learning to play the piano you’ll probably get a little overwhelmed. The challenges to becoming a truly competent pianist, are something that most people never consider. But that certainly doesn’t mean that it’s impossible. As a matter of fact, there are two very different ways of approaching piano learning. It all depends on what kind of pianist you want to be.

You best possibility for acheiving a good level of piano skill is by learning classical music. If you’d like to be able to play almost anything, then it’s essential you have an understanding of music theory, and the ability to read music. Moving to a foreign country has a lot in common with learning to play the piano. You’ll only be able to get so far without being able to speak the native language. You wouldn’t move to Paris without learning at least a few basic words and phrases in French, would you? It’s the same way with the piano or any other instrument on the face of the planet. Without knowing how to read music you’re really not going to get very far or get very much out of piano lessons of any kind.

There are certainly some prodigies in the world who are able to reproduce entire songs by ear and memory, but if you were a prodigy you would already know. If that’s not the case, and you want to be able to play classical music, learning to read music is mandatory

On the other hand, if all you want to do is play your favorite songs, there is a faster and easier way of going about learning to play piano. The other style is called chording. Every song ever written is based on a melody and rhythm. All music is made up of 12 major and 12 minor keys. Classical piano is built on running scales within each of these keys. The advantage of using chords is that it allows you play music without considering the scales.

Almost every piece of sheet music includes the specific notes required to play the song as it is written including the keys to the chords that the scales are built around. What this means is that you can make it sound like the song, just by learning to play all the chords. Without actually having to play the song precisely the way it was written.

Even though chording is much faster and easier to learn than classical piano, only by acquiring the ability to read music can you hope to advance to a level of decent piano skill. Again, it all depends on what kind of pianist you want to become. The main thing is to be consistent. Daily practice in a quiet well lit place will advance your piano skills far faster than several hours one or two days a week. Sometimes, practicing will be the last thing you feel like doing. But, remember, that old joke(“How do you get to Carnegie Hall?…..answer : Practice, Practice, Practice”) is true.

18 Nov

Best Way to Learn How to Play the Piano

The best way to learn the piano keyboard is to master the fundamentals that are unique to this type of instrument. Learning to play any instrument has it’s pitfalls that most will obviously encounter. Piano is certainly no exception to this rule. There are a few fundamentals that will save you loads of time and energy, and have you playing a keyboard better in a shorter amount of time. To arrive at an advanced level of playing will take longer if you ignore the fundamentals.

The fundamentals demand your complete attention. Such as, correct posture, developing a feel for where your hands should be on the keyboard without looking, acquiring muscle memory, finger placement, sight reading. If you take your piano education slowly and efficiently, although it may be a little difficult at first, you’ll find it quickly becoming easier and more comfortable. And, obviously, easier. It is very important that you began learning how to play keyboard by focusing on the fundamentals and good technique. Because initial mistakes will compound themselves over time. So, be sure you’re beginning correctly. The skill of being able to read music is an essential one, although it’s more mechanical than emotional when you first begin.

But while you are acquiring the skill of “sight reading”, you can also learn to play the piano with chords and scales. This will help you immensely in developing your ear, and the ability eventually to improvise, building on your knowledge of chords and scales. The ability to play by ear will develop naturally, and increase as you learn to read music.

And lastly, be sure to have fun. Obviously, you’ll enjoy the results of your daily practice, even though there will be days you won’t want to do it. You’re probably not trying to be a concert pianist, more than likely, you just want to be able to play for your own enjoyment. But, bottom line, whatever your reason for wanting to learn piano, if you’re not having fun, it’s not worth doing. So, by all means, have fun.

17 Nov

Three Essential Learning Piano Tips

The first time you sit down to survey those eighty eight keys, a little apprehension is certainly normal. To say the least. Your piano learning and understanding will advance faster than you think if you know how to use your practice time efficiently.

The first consideration in effective piano rehearsal is having a space free of noise and distractions that is also well lit. Unlike some people, I can’t read a book with noise and distractions around me. I like to have a little peace and a little space before I read or practice the piano. So make sure that your piano practicing spot is a haven for you. It’ll make your practice sessions much more fun and enjoyable.

Be sure that you practice even a little bit every single day. Like most instruments, successful piano playing requires some muscle memory. In the case of a piano we’re concerned with raising the dexterity of your fingers. Your mind is going to be able to process the information faster than your fingers are going to be able to duplicate.. By exercising them every day at the piano they will learn that dexterity in a much shorter time.

Finally, it would be wise to take a tip from the method most professional pianists use to learn new music. The way professionals practice is to take the piece and chop it up into smaller parts. Their method is to rehearse each part of the music on it’s own, then combine it with the rest. You’ll be able to advance your new piano skills more rapidly if you break your music learning into smaller pieces. You’ll save yourself a great deal of time and effort if you follow these three tips. You’ll be able to learn how to play the piano much faster if you have a little peace and quiet, practice every day and learn new pieces of music one section at a time. Instead of trying to learn an entire score in one sitting.

12 Oct

History Of Clothing From Leaves To Fleece

The fabric and textilemanufacturing is the most leadingindustryaround the globenowadays. The demand of cloth in current times is more than ever. At present, we use cloth for all the things, ranging from bed sheets to grand piano covers. however, before we started covering our piano with a grand piano cover, it was the human body itself which was concealed and draped with fabric.

It is assumed that the pre-historic humans used to drape themselves with plants and animal skin. Yet in those times, fabric greatly showed a social standing, as the bravest and most powerfulmen wore the skin of the wildest beasts. Historicalevidences show that humans used clothing and wearable stuff as early as 170,000 years ago. The clothes at that age were wrapped and tied around the body instead of stitched in an appropriate way. However, the very first sewing needles known are of about 40,000 years ago. This suggests that people had began to stitch their clothes by that time, and this fact also takes to an assumption that some sort of fiber was already known.

The date of the oldest fiber use and discovery is disputedright now, but archaeologists have dug a thread of dyed flax fabric in a cave in Georgia. This thread of dyed fiber dates back to 36,000BP. A 25,000 years old statue of Venus is the very firststatue of anyone shown with clothing.Clothing comprises all the accessoriessuch as hat and belts.Well made sewing needles and weaving sticks belonging to the same timeswere also found in Eastern and Western Europe.

It is said that the very first fabric to be used was felt, but it was not as smooth as today’s felt. The woven textilethough, is Flax. It was produced in the Near East around 8000 BC. The usage of cotton as a cloth was popular in the Asian sub continent civilization in around 4000BC. during the same time, linen was also made in ancient Egypt. Many weaving techniques and tools were invented in Egypt in the same times. Usage of linen was so popular in Egypt that ancient Egyptians even used it in mummification of their dead. All of these points are very prominent from the paintings and murals of those times.

The Chinese are famous to have invented the silk fiber around 3000BC. Traces of silk are found from different historic sites in China. Because of the invention of Silk in China and the cultivation of cotton on the Indus River, the market of textile and fabric was very popular on the Silk Road. This quickly made clothing sewed out of weaved fabric an increasing need around the world.

During the classical ages, the most stylishtype of clothing in the west was tunics and togas worn by Greeks and Romans. However, it was in the medieval times that fashion became an important element of society and class. People started to wear different attirewith respect to their social ranks and standing. The best and expensive fashion was for the lords and socialites, while lower class used to wear simple clothes.

Then there was the Middle Ages when fashion was a trend that the whole world or nation was following, and the fact is still the same. Attire is not only an obligation now, but a lot more than that. It well defines a person’s overall persona and it is quite enough to change that as well.

24 Sep

Going Against the Norm: Dave Frank on the Marx Brothers

In my line of work I came across a number of people who can’t wait and learn a few essential skills, and hit the ground running. They believe that doing their idea quickly is far more important than leaning the skills to even execute that idea properly.

People like this wants immediate gratification and pass over things that are “childish” or “time consuming”. There are even some musicians that I know who are too excited and skipped over the basic chord patterns and progressions that were supposed to be necessary for them to grow as an artist, in the hopes of becoming the “rock icon of tomorrow”.

Everything takes time to grow and nurture. You can’t really plan the seeds in your garden and expect to harvest apples the next day. This rule of nature applies to almost everything in the world. However, that basic law of nature can simply be overlooked because our modern society pushes the idea of “do THIS instantly!”

If join this bandwagon, you might just rid yourself a few pounds after a week, do Yoga in three days, and earn your Master’s degree in a couple of weeks. When you look at these things in a slower pace, what is the quality going to be like? Thinking at a slower pace, what is the quality that you will have? How many moves can you readily memorize in 7 days? Can you do a Head-stand without killing yourself if you rush Yoga?

There are a number of musicians out there who does not have the time to learn to play the bass guitar and form a rock band right there and then. They get all the cool gadgets, starts pounding things up, and realize that they are up against a brick wall.

After attending Dave Frank’s workshop last week when he featured the hilarious and very talented Marx Brothers, I realized that it is very important to learn the rules first before you can break them. Although the techniques and the exhibitions that Chico Marx did was definitely beyond any formal piano lesson, I am certain that he knew the basics at the very least. Although Chico fired the wrong notes for laughs, it still sounded great – they were the “perfect wrong notes”. And of course, how would he know which notes to miss if he did not know which ones to hit?

You have to learn he rules first, before you can break them. As a musician, it is important that you learn that you know the proper scales and chords before you can improvise.

In case you have not heard the name before he is not just any jazz piano teacher and performer.. Dave is one of the hottest solo jazz pianists music educators on the scene today, author of Hal Leonard’s best-selling book series Joy of Improv.

The Dave Frank feature on the Marx Brothers is available on Youtube. To watch it just check out that link.

Part 1 can be viewed below.

22 Sep

Surprising Ways To Bring Color Into Your Living Space

It can be tough entering your home at day’s end if you do not love it. It may be familiar or comfortable, but if you do not walk in a feel peaceful and happy, it will drain you over time and you may end up wanting to move whether you can afford a new home or not. It can be a challenge remembering what it was about your home that made you want to buy it in the first place and because tastes change, those same qualities may not even appeal to you any more. One of the fastest, most affordable ways for updating a tired old space is with fresh new color. People usually think that painting is the only way to alter the color of a room. There are plenty of ways to brighten a space, and if you are renting and not allowed to paint, many of these will work for you too. Fabrics and materials are a great way to change the color of a space. If you have something in a room you can protect with fabric, consider a brightly colored piece of fabric like a grand piano cover. grand piano covers takes a major aspect of the room, protect it, and add a lot of color to the space.

Another option is to swap out your faded old curtains for newer, stylish ones. Curtains are offered in varieties of color and pattern, and they are a great way to bring color to the walls without having to repaint the entire space. High quality curtains provide protection from the sun so fading will be reduced in the space.

A variety of accessories may offer a punch of color without having to make a long-term commitment to color. If you love the look of bright, bold colors but you think an orange sofa or red walls may be a bit too much, you can add these colors in pops with accessories. A red vase or electric blue painting may be just the thing to liven up a space.

Specific accessories like pillows help to change the feeling and spirit of the space. Not only will the color be altered, you can change its feel with a fabric. If you want a cozy comfortable space, or a refined elegant space, both can be achieved through different fabrics.

Finally, take lighting into consideration. Your colors will be affected by your lighting, so test drive the colors before committing. A bright, cheery orange can come off dingy and dark in a darkened room. Blues and greens are going to reflect the light in unexpected ways and a subdued color may be striking once it is in a well-lit area.

20 Sep

Keyboards and Accessories Review: Ultimate Support APEX AX-48

Playing with stability and style is now possible, thanks to Ultimate Support’s newest baby, the APEX AX-48 Keyboard Stand.

The Ultimate Support APEX AX-48 was just released by Ultimate Support, adding to their APEX line of keyboard accessories that boast of the streamlined functionality to the classic column-style keyboard stand design. This youngest APEX has piano hinges that flip up, providing more room for its tri-bar arms during transport. Not only that, it also has cable channels that will keep your keyboard cords neatly tucked away during use. With that alone, you know that this baby means business.

Unlike typical keyboard stands, the APEX AX-48 Pro gets rid of the ugly wires and cords during performance. And since the AX-48 can support two keyboards at once and has features that makes set up a breeze, you are not only guaranteed of style, you are also assured that you have made a practical choice. The APEX-AX 48 Pro will give you and your keyboard both a rugged and a reliable look, all ready for your spotlight moment.

The Ax-48 Pro is patterned after its older brother, the AX-90. But its sleek and fresh look readily brings out the star in every performer. Its sleek and fresh design will surely bring the star in every performer. This new addition to the APEX family has maintained the quality and the aesthetics but with an updated column design features.

If you are familiar with the APEX keyboard stands, you will be delighted to see a few familiar essentials in the AX-48 Pro – the same style of a standard column type keyboard stand is maintained as well as the same tri-bar arms system and its adjustable height. It still ha the same support and flexibility as well.

But perhaps what makes the APEX AX-48 Pro the favorite among all other keyboard stands is that, it is very easy to set up and is very easy to tear down. You can easily break it down into a single, slim piece making it very easy to carry from one gig to another. It does not even require a huge amount of space because its hollow column readily becomes its own carrying case. There will be no legs or any parts that dangling around during transport. Its legs will stay connected and slide in and out of the base while thee arms that support the keyboard are kept at the top of the column.

The Ultimate Support APEX AX-48 Pro Keyboard Stand represents more than two decades of research and development. So why trust your precious instruments for something less? Get the Ultimate Support APEX AX-48 Pro Keyboard Stand and see the difference today!

Read another review of the Ultimate Support APEX AX-48 Pro Keyboard Stand.

12 Sep

A Closer Look at Native Instruments’ Alicia’s Keys

Native Instrument has released the latest music software that will definitely change the way you see computer audio and music software, giving you both worlds of soul and R&B.

Created together with award winning artist Alicia Key, Native Instruments’ Alicia’s Keys Piano brings Alicia Keys’ very own sound much closer. This software recreates Key’s signature Yamaha C3 Neo grand piano. The music software is a joint project shared by the renowned keyboard software developer Thomas Scarbee and Alicia Keys herself. . Finishing the project within two years, Native Instrument has finally captured the unique Alicia Keys sound.

Alicia’s Keys uses nothing but only the best vintage microphones as well as high-end outbound studio gear, which make this new sampled grand beyond your everyday piano. But despite that, it has several strong features as well as a great tone with everything at a very affordable price.

This new music software utilizes 17GB of high resolution samples paired with 12 discrete velocity layers per note. It sophistically emulates sensitive sonic aspects like key releases, pedal sustain, and sympathetic resonance.

Alicia’s Keys’ user interface also provides complete control over the sound in order to further adjust it to the particular musical preference and personal playing style of the user. On top of that, it also includes studio-quality convolution reverb that gives you several authentic room ambience from small piano chamber to a large concert hall.

The actual Alicia Keys piano is a Yamaha C3, a member of the Neo limited edition series. It is a six-foot grand making its lower register less full and deep compared to a nine-inch concert grand. Yamaha pianos are widely respected for their bright, in-your-face sound, and that the same characteristic is preserved in this music software.

The first time you try it, you will be greatly impressed with the realistic features of this particular music software. The velocity response makes it extremely playable even when you are not as good as Alicia Keys and every range of the keyboard responds well just as it should.

It also has a standard DSP reverb that allows you to run it smoothly on a slower computer. But even without the reverb, the pianos’ natural ambience is remarkable. Perhaps because it had meticulous tuning every unison has exactly the right amount of microscopic tuning, that is why the tone of the choruses are almost perfect, just like an actual piano.

Alicia’s Keys will give you the pop ballad feel that you are looking for richer and more up-front than the Yamaha C7 or the German Steinway. It is by far the most inviting to play and the most flexible to use compared to any other piano samples and virtual pianos.

Make music out of sheer inspiration. You will be able to evoke emotions with every note. Why wait? Try Native Instrument’s Alicia’s Keys Virtual Piano today!

Learn more about Native Instruments’ Alicia’s Keys