Pianonet

Musicians as Entreprenuers

Richard — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 16:55:59 +0000

TETHERED to electronics, we forget that for centuries individuals were expected to read, write and perform for one another, in the flesh. Music enjoyed a particularly intimate history. Until the 17th century, secular music was played solely within one’s home (hence: “chamber music”). Read more…

Finding True Love: Helping Your Kid Choose the Right Instrument

Richard — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 16:45:41 +0000

Whether it’s learning saxophone in school band, taking Saturday piano lessons, or participating in a top-flight youth orchestra, there are tens of millions of kids in the United States learning to play instruments. Way back in 2003, Gallup pollsters figured that at least 84 million Americans play an instrument — and at least a third of those players were then between the ages of 5 and 17. Read more …

The Piano Guys: Waterfall (Jon Schmidt Original)

Richard — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 16:37:01 +0000

Hailing from Utah, The Piano Guys became an Internet sensation by way of their immensely successful series of strikingly original self-made music videos. They’ve made 35 since joining forces a little more than a year ago, including their most recent hit video, an innovative 10-handed version of One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful.” But it’s the Guys’ highly original blend of classical music with pop that has really been the cause of an Internet phenomenon that has now brought them to their major label debut album, The Piano Guys, to be released on Sony Masterworks on October 2nd, 2012. To hear one of their recent hits click here.

Improve Your Piano Playing While You Sleep

Richard — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 20:03:19 +0000

Playing music while you sleep can help improve your ability to play the same tune, new Northwestern University research suggests.

The research supports existing evidence that memories can be reactivated during sleep, and storage of them strengthened in the process.

“Our results extend prior research by showing that external stimulation during sleep can influence a complex skill,” says psychology professor Ken A Paller. Read more here.

Grand pianist: 12-year-old plays through blindness

Richard — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 20:00:46 +0000

Photo by Nick Krug. Enlarge photo.

Twelve-year-old Luther Fuller, a pianist who is blind, navigates his way around a grand piano that he will soon practice on during a tour of Murphy Hall, Monday, July 2, 2012. Fuller spent part of the day with his mother, Brendy Latare, learning the lay of the building in preparation for the upcoming International Institute for Young Musicians Summer Music Academy, which begins on July 8. Nick Krug/Photo. Read more here.

Top 10 Greatest Pianists of All Time

Richard — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 19:56:06 +0000

The most influential legendary pianists, as voted by modern day masters of the instrument.

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10. Artur Schnabel (1882-1951)

Who was he? An Austrian pianist who specialised in core German composers and made the first complete recording of the Beethoven sonatas.

What makes him great?
A commitment to plumbing the intellectual and spiritual depths of a work, while eschewing displays of technical bravura. Read more here.

Tell us your picks for the Top 10 Greatest Pianists of All Time!

Vibrating Glove Teaches Patients with Spinal Cord Injuries How to Play Piano

Richard — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 19:49:27 +0000

Mobile Music Touch is a novel treatment for people who have lost sensation in their hands from a spinal cord injury. Not only does it have therapeutic benefits, but it also teaches people to play the piano in the process.

Developed by Tanya Markow at Georgia Tech, the MMT is a device consisting of a glove, control box and five small vibrating motors. These have two functions. Firstly, it vibrates continuously and helps restore feeling and mobility to people suffering from spinal cord injuries. Previous studies have shown that vibrations can have a restorative effect, and a recent study with the MMT supports these results. Unlike other therapeutic devices, the MMT is small enough to be worn comfortably for extended periods of time. Read more here.

A Jazz Pianist Gets His Big Break – at 85

Richard — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:29:19 +0000

Back in the 1930s, Boyd Lee Dunlop taught himself to play music on a broken piano left out on the streets of Buffalo, N.Y. Only half the keys worked.

He also taught his little brother Frank to play the drums while they were growing up. Frankie Dunlop went on to record with Thelonious Monk and Charles Mingus, among other jazz greats. Boyd Lee Dunlop went to work in the steel mills and rail yards of Buffalo, occasionally playing piano at local clubs. Click here for the rest of the story.

Pianos to Plunk Down Around NYC

Richard — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 14:45:54 +0000

Consider them keys to the city: Anyone who gets a sudden itch to tickle the ivories will be able to play free public pianos in 50 places throughout New York City, from the Coney Island boardwalk to the Metropolitan Museum.

An art installation touring the world is making its first U.S. stop beginning Monday. For two weeks, players can play tunes on pianos all over New York City, at famous landmarks like the Lincoln Center, the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge, the Staten Island ferry terminal and Central Park’s bandshell.

The concept, devised by British artist Luke Jerram, has put more than 130 pianos in parks, squares and bus stations since 2008 in cities including London, Sydney and Sao Paulo. And now it’s New York City’s turn to play, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Thursday. Click HERE to read more…

‘Pianos on Parade’ lends music, quirkiness to streets

Richard — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 14:43:16 +0000

St. Paul, Minn. — Call it random quirkiness or a moment of spontaneous community, but on the streets of St. Paul it’s the summer of the upright piano.

Twenty artistically decorated pianos have been placed around the city, to lend a little music to the streets and bring its residents together.

“Pianos on Parade” is a collaboration between the city of St. Paul and the local non-profit “Keys 4/4 Kids.”

There’s a weathered mint green upright piano on the corner of Ford Parkway and Cleveland Avenue. It sits under a garden tree canopy with concrete benches on either side. Painted tropical birds are perched on its front panel. Click HERE to read more…