A keyboard instrument which uses felt-tipped hammers to strike at strings.
-4
votes
1answer
101 views
What are the best books to learn music theory? [closed]
I haven't been able to find anything that particularly relates to this, and I'm sorry if this is a duplicate, but what are the best books to learn about music theory? I honestly have no idea about ...
11
votes
4answers
213 views
How to relax my wrists?
I began learning the piano recently. When I begin playing, my hands form nice 70-80 degree curves with the wrists relaxed. I can maintain this for trivial pieces with no significant hand motion. But ...
1
vote
4answers
727 views
How many keys should I require for a keyboard for ABRSM piano exams?
I looked at some related questions about piano key numbers but I was wondering how many keys would be required specifically for piano exams.
I have previously trained to grade 4 in ABRSM but that was ...
5
votes
4answers
122 views
Is there a program that can show a score bar by bar in realtime playing?
I am trying to improve my sight reading and a good exercise is to play a music score seeing only the next bar. I do this with my teacher covering the bar that I'm playing, but I can't do it at home, ...
6
votes
1answer
541 views
How can I learn Cuban/AfroCuban and Latin Jazz piano?
I'm wondering if some people can point me towards some learning material that they may have enjoyed for learning Cuban style Latin Jazz.
Ideally I'd like something I can learn on my own time -- ...
0
votes
1answer
67 views
How do I play harp-like licks on a piano?
Many R&B songs I listen to have a similar sort of sequence of notes which flow in a manner similar to that of a harp. A good example is Beni's song 'Last Lie', in which the first chord is done in ...
1
vote
5answers
93 views
Did any player pianos use card decks?
Wikipedia doesn't mention any. But since Jacquard cards developed from Bouchon tapes in the eighteenth century; and then Hollerith cards evolved back into tapes and then into magnetic tapes (merging ...
5
votes
4answers
218 views
Why do F#6 and higher notes ring more than F6 and lower notes?
I learned Overworld Theme 2 from Super Mario Bros. 3 a few years ago, which features the nice bright high notes of A6, G6, and F6:
I noticed on my 80 year old upright piano that the A and G rang ...
3
votes
1answer
62 views
Is there any repertoire that makes explicit use of the Sostenuto pedal?
Often when I've used the sostenuto pedal (in fact, whenever I've used it thus far) it's as a "helping hand" to sustain various notes individually that would be much more difficult to hold otherwise.
...
3
votes
1answer
103 views
Whose idea was it to put three pedals on a piano?
Who ever decided to put foot pedals on a piano? Do we know who did it, or do we only know the general period that this happened? I would like to know who did this and when did it happen?
4
votes
2answers
285 views
How can I play Für Elise well?
I've always heard that Für Elise is an extremely difficult piece to play well, despite being relatively easy in a technical sense. An added challenge is that it's been extremely over-played (I'm just ...
10
votes
4answers
839 views
Can people really sight-read advanced pieces?
I find it hard to read a staff and play it on the keyboard fluently.
The most common scene for me is that I read one note on the paper and then lower my head and find out the location of that note ...
2
votes
3answers
878 views
Starting piano - which instrument to choose?
I've been playing guitar for a couple of years now, and I want to try my hand at piano - so to speak.
I'm a little stumped as to what the best instrument for me to choose is, as I've been looking at ...
2
votes
1answer
161 views
How to learn chords for piano?
I am starting to learn some music theory and improving other things in my piano playing, and I've decided I will begin by learning chords. I've read a bit about them and I know, more or less, how they ...
2
votes
1answer
102 views
How do I go about practicing this arpeggio?
I'm an experienced guitar player, and I'm finally getting around to spending some time self-studying the piano. I've been learning a few songs by ear, and I'm wondering how to go about properly ...
0
votes
0answers
22 views
Getting back to the piano after 5 years - restart with lessons or just play? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Get back into piano after long break?
How to get back on track after long absence
Before I went to university I spent quite some time playing the piano after several ...
3
votes
6answers
1k views
Is Hanon's “Virtuoso Pianist” good for self-taught musician?
I am a self-taught painist (or keyboardist, whatever you prefer). Some time ago I came across The Virtuoso Pianist but, because I never played under an eye of a professional, I was turned away by the ...
2
votes
3answers
95 views
Zedd - Spectrum arpeggio fingering help?
I am having real trouble working out the optimal fingering for an arpeggio in this piano piece:
(Note that lower G should be on the right hand stave. The piece is 104 bpm)
I have tried a few ...
8
votes
2answers
291 views
On the piano, how should you play staccato with the pedal?
In some pieces, there is a pedal designation along with staccato. How should this be played?
5
votes
1answer
169 views
How can I improve my piano accompaniments?
When I play piano or keyboards, I've noticed that I keep slipping into playing the same chords (and variations thereof, such as very simple bass lines) with my left hand while I use my right hand to ...
9
votes
4answers
3k views
Is there any midi software that can display in real-time the notes I play next to the “real” score?
I'm pretty new to the Piano, and pretty bad at sight-reading (but getting better:))
Still, sight-reading a new score takes me an awfull lot of time, especially when I don't "hear" the thing I'm ...
19
votes
3answers
6k views
What to look for when buying a digital piano for a beginner?
My wife has recently started learning to play the piano and needs something at home on which to practise. I'm inclined towards a digital piano as it is more practical (Mainly space but also no tuning ...
1
vote
4answers
233 views
How Can I Replicate The Sound Of An Instrument?
I have experience of basic music theory, guitar and piano. My current project involves creating a computer program that can replicate the sounds of any given instrument (starting with piano).
I can ...
3
votes
2answers
392 views
Riders on the storm fingering for piano
I'm talking about this little run:
I can't think of a proper fingering of this, so it sounds very smooth.
Its basically in the Dmajor scale starting on b.
Can anyone help me getting the ...
4
votes
3answers
177 views
Do the hands' sizes affect piano learning/performance?
I don't really know anything about pianos, but since I just got a digital one I guess I should give it a go.
The first thing I noticed is that it is difficult for me to press multiple keys that are a ...
0
votes
0answers
43 views
What should I do next to improve and expand my musical knowledge? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Where can I get started with my improvisation?
How to develop soloing vocabulary
What are good resources for learning music theory?
How does one start learning music ...
3
votes
4answers
310 views
Developing a good practice routine for piano improvisation with a band
I have been playing the piano for 2 years now and I can play some of my favorite pieces through sheet music and a lot of time. I have also been singing in a band for quite some years and want to ...
5
votes
2answers
144 views
Chopin op. 28 no. 2 - bar 16 symbols
There are two symbols I do not recognise below the stretto in this excerpt:
What are these symbols?
And also, form what I read the stretto here should be interpreted as an accelerando, am I ...
4
votes
1answer
462 views
What can I do about my problems with piano scales which manifest in just one direction?
I've been practicing scales for some time now, and I found them mostly easy and fun to play. The problems begin when I have to play them faster, but oddly enough my problem manifests only when playing ...
5
votes
1answer
169 views
Piano mordent with two notes
I'm trying to play Brahms' Hungarian dance №11 and there is a technical question.
How do I play a mordent from the 4th measure? Whether both notes should be played with mordent or just the upper one? ...
6
votes
1answer
99 views
How is this piano chord fingered in “Graceful Ghost”?
From the first page of the sheet music for "Graceful Ghost" (preview available from Sheet Music Plus), you can see that in the third measure (the first chord the right hand plays after the repeat ...
5
votes
2answers
120 views
Goldberg Variation 28, right hand 4/5 trills [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Learning 4/5 trills on the piano?
At a fast tempo, the 32-notes in the right hand (all marked as 4/5 in my Henle edition), are the first time in the Variations where my ...
0
votes
3answers
176 views
Piano Concerto Evolution
So I'm currently studying piano concerti, and I'm kind of stuck on a certain aspect of it.
How has the piano CONCERTO evolved from the classical period to the romantic period?
I always find ...
9
votes
4answers
1k views
Is it possible to find the correct chords from melody notes alone?
I'm caught up in this thought. My friend gave me just the melody notes of a song. Here it is,
So, Here is the problem: "without having the chords supplied, there is no way of knowing what the chords ...
4
votes
1answer
164 views
Is there any algorithmic way to split a piano MIDI into left and right hand parts?
Equivalently, how can I split notes across a staff in the most "correct" way?
Something simple would be to just split the parts across a particular note (i.e., middle C), but this would be much less ...
14
votes
3answers
1k views
How to identify the root note of a chord
I struggle with chords on the staff because I'm not sure which note is the root note. Is it the top note with the rest of the notes falling below it? E.g., The top note is C, and bundled below it are ...
3
votes
5answers
440 views
Technique for octaves on piano without pain?
So I'm a decently experienced pianist, but I never had formal training. And now I've got this absolutely amazing arrangement of Bohemian Rhapsody, and it's killing me.
The first two parts were so ...
5
votes
2answers
480 views
Learning 4/5 trills on the piano?
This has got to be one of the hardest technical things to teach your hands. I'm looking for advice from someone who's already surmounted this particular obstacle.
To be clear, I'm talking about ...
8
votes
3answers
162 views
Why are some measures separated by double lines?
I play piano. Sometimes, measures in pieces are separated by a double vertical line instead of a single one. What does this signify?
5
votes
1answer
141 views
Does weight lifting affect finger dexterity?
I play the piano for around 8 years now but I also work out 3-4 times a week.
Does this affect my finger dexterity since I see people playing for 2 years only and they are more virtuosso than me. Or ...
32
votes
13answers
3k views
Quickly flip a page of sheet music while playing
This seems like such a silly question, but! When playing the piano, I sometimes struggle to turn the pages of my music without noticeably sacrificing the sound of the piece or making the book / ...
6
votes
1answer
704 views
Exercises for quickly identifying intervals on the staff
In order to improve my piano sight-reading, I want to practice recognizing intervals on the staff faster. If possible I'd like to combine the interval-recognition with a training for my finger memory, ...
4
votes
2answers
216 views
Software for practicing the reading of jazz chord changes?
There are now a lot of good programs out for sight-reading, simple chord progression recognition, and for jazz, even some backing track creators. But is there a program that generates chord changes ...
9
votes
5answers
2k views
What are the objective differences between the guitar and the piano?
The guitar and the piano are two of the most popular instruments which allow multiple notes to be played simultaneously.
The acoustic quality of the two instruments are, of course, different, but ...
4
votes
5answers
2k views
Realistic Virtual Piano
I recently started playing around with my MIDI keyboard and Garageband. However, I noticed the default "Grand Piano" etc. in Garageband have very poor sound and expression capability.
Is there a free ...
4
votes
2answers
835 views
Do weighted keys on a keyboard lead to more expressive playing?
I use an acoustic piano to learn/play classical music. I use a midi keyboard to record/produce own music. My piano has weighted keys while my midi keyboard has a very light touch. I find that I am ...
6
votes
4answers
644 views
How can I learn to sing and play an instrument (like Piano) at the same time?
I find this a very difficult thing to do, and also not easy to put as much energy into singing, while playing piano.
I have started off by just trying the chords on the piano, though it is still ...
0
votes
0answers
72 views
adult piano for musicians: ideas for music pieces [closed]
I bought a piano almost a year ago and I really enjoy playing it. The problem for the moment is that I have no clue what pieces I should try. I bought 'Alfred's Basic Adult Piano Course: Lesson Book, ...
2
votes
2answers
254 views
Recommended seating in a concert hall during Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2
I want to book a ticket to Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2. Where in the concert hall should I prefer to sit?
The concert hall is structured as many others: A relatively large seating area in ...
12
votes
3answers
2k views
What is the importance of practicing scales on piano, and the proper fingering of them?
First of all I want to point out that I practice scales a lot and even enjoy it.
I just don't know why they are so important, as this site says for example:
"Proper fingering of the scales on the ...
