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Honens Competition Finals in Calgary Nov. 5-6

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:04:37 +0000

The finalists of the Honens International Piano Competition have been named, and will be competing at the ever-uppercase EPCOR CENTER's Jack Singer Concert Hall on November 5 & 6th at 7.30 PM. Tickets are available through the Honens website or ticketmaster.ca, and cost from 40-85$.

Get to Know the top 5 finalists

Honens Competition Finals in Calgary Nov. 5-6 originally appeared on About.com Piano on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 15:04:37.

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Piano Term of the Week: Attacca

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:53:06 +0000

The Italian musical term "attacca" can be seen in piano music having more than one movement:

Learn the meaning of attacca

Piano Term of the Week: Attacca originally appeared on About.com Piano on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 13:53:06.

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Piano Cat Named ASPCA Cat of the Year

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:44:04 +0000

Nora the Piano Cat� - the rescued feline whose piano-playing skills drew over 15 million YouTube views; inspired Lithuanian composer Mindaugas Piečaitis to write orchestral accompaniment to her famous piano bit, and earned her the noble trademark symbol at the end of her name - can now add "Cat of the Year" to her list of achievements.

The ASPCA gave Nora her Cat of the Year award yesterday in Manhattan, stating on their website:

"Though her talents are unrivaled, Nora has been named the ASPCA Cat of the Year as much for her musical abilities as for her pluck and drive to prove that shelter pets--far from being castoffs--often make the best animal companions."

Nora was rescued from an animal shelter in South Jersey by Betsy Alexander and Burnell Yow, and was brought to their Philadelphia home where she became enamored with the ivories. The Philadelphia Daily News writes:

"Nora learned to play the piano by observing [Betsy] and by watching her give lessons. An animal behaviorist posited that Nora wanted the attention Alexander was giving to her students."

Image � Burnell Yow

Piano Cat Named ASPCA Cat of the Year originally appeared on About.com Piano on Friday, October 30th, 2009 at 17:44:04.

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How to Enhance the Sound of Your Piano Room

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 01:46:02 +0000

A room either works with or against a piano's timbre. Your piano room might need some tweaking in order to complement the voice of your piano. Learn some easy ways to control the acoustics of your piano room, and help your piano's best qualities stand out.

How to Enhance the Sound of Your Piano Room originally appeared on About.com Piano on Saturday, October 24th, 2009 at 01:46:02.

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Piano Term of the Week: Rinforzando

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 04:53:07 +0000

The Italian musical term "rinforzando" (or rfz) might remind you of another common musical command:

Learn the meaning and pronunciation of rinforzando

Piano Term of the Week: Rinforzando originally appeared on About.com Piano on Sunday, October 18th, 2009 at 04:53:07.

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Piano Terms of the Week: All of Them!

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 06:01:38 +0000

I invite you to check out the freshly organized piano glossaries, which now have over 200 musical terms and phrases! Browse alphabetically, by language, or search categories such as volume & dynamics and tempo terms. New terms and helpful illustrations are constantly being added, so be sure to bookmark:

View All Musical Terms A-Z

Piano Terms of the Week: All of Them! originally appeared on About.com Piano on Saturday, October 10th, 2009 at 06:01:38.

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Is Your Piano Tuner Worth Your Money?

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 09:05:56 +0000

If tuning a piano were easy, we'd all save hundreds of dollars a year -- but it's not. It takes years to develop the skills necessary to become a successful piano tuner; and those who seek professional certification must be tested on a few key abilities to ensure competence and efficiency.

But what if your tuner isn't certified? A lack of certification doesn't always mean a lack of professionalism (or a cheaper bill), so you should weigh the pros and cons of hiring an uncertified piano tuner before inviting a new tuner into your home, instrument, and wallet!

Is Your Piano Tuner Worth Your Money? originally appeared on About.com Piano on Sunday, October 4th, 2009 at 09:05:56.

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Piano Term of the Week: Cut Time

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 21:59:37 +0000

Cut time is one of those musical terms whose meaning can change with context. It also goes by a few different names, and can be expressed with one of two time signatures.

Learn more about cut time, and how it's written in sheet music

Image � Brandy Kraemer

Piano Term of the Week: Cut Time originally appeared on About.com Piano on Saturday, October 3rd, 2009 at 21:59:37.

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Dame of Piano de Larrocha Passes On After 75-Year Career

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 01:24:52 +0000

Spanish pianist Alicia de Larrocha, one of the greatest and most renowned pianists of our time, has died at the age of 86.

De Larrocha began playing piano at age 3, and was performing publicly at age 5. She went on to win countless awards, including four Grammys and the prestigious title of Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France.

But, ironically, the most impressive part of de Larrocha's art was that she was not an original composer. She focused her disciplines on technique, and by the end of her career had mastered (very truthfully so) nearly every playing style imaginable. Her use of dynamics is something I personally find breathtaking (and genious in her performance of Liszt's "La Campanella.") If you haven't already had the pleasure, I highly suggest listening to her interpretations of some of your favorite composers.

Read more about Alicia de Larrocha at CBC News

D.E.P. Alicia de Larrocha, y gracias.

Dame of Piano de Larrocha Passes On After 75-Year Career originally appeared on About.com Piano on Sunday, September 27th, 2009 at 01:24:52.

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How to Read Musical Repeats

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:09:12 +0000

If it weren't for musical repeats, we'd have pages and pages of redundant musical notes and commands; and when you begin reading piano music, you'll notice repeats signs decorating even the simplest piano songs.

Repeats are written in different ways depending on the complexity of the piece:

Standard repeat signs, which are attached to staff barlines
Segno and coda marks, which work in conjunction with phrases such as D.S. al fine

Image � Brandy Kraemer

How to Read Musical Repeats originally appeared on About.com Piano on Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009 at 00:09:12.

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