A keyboard instrument which uses felt-tipped hammers to strike at strings.
5
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2answers
84 views
How to practice endurance to be able to play boogie woogie pieces?
I'm practicing boogie woogie pieces like Pete Johnson's Dive Bomber. After some time my hands are getting stiff and tired while practicing. Especially the left hand. I can mitigate this by limiting ...
5
votes
3answers
117 views
Should I be grabbing piano key?
When I hit a piano key should I be grabbing the piano key with a slight inward tug kind of like a brushing motion? Or should I be pressing down with no inward motion?
5
votes
1answer
137 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 ...
5
votes
4answers
121 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, ...
5
votes
4answers
4k views
How can I make my keyboard sound like a Hammond organ?
I have a keyboard. It can play the basic MIDI sounds. I would like it to have a Hammond organ sound. Since I'm not sure if I can upload new sounds to its MIDI bank, I'm looking for a way to 'effect' ...
5
votes
3answers
175 views
Have a note outstand in a pianissimo chord (piano)
This is the last chord of Francis Poulenc's Mélancolie for piano. It occurs while a piano D♭ major chord is still resonating in the bass.
How would you have the B♭♭ be perceptible, surprising, and ...
5
votes
1answer
127 views
How to play repeating notes quickly in the left hand on the piano
I've been working on Fur Elise, and I came to one section repeating a single note staccato in the bass.
How do I play this? I've tried playing it normally, but I can't sustain it for more than a ...
5
votes
1answer
75 views
Learning standard notation without succombing to simply remembering songs?
I'm in a tricky position. I've been playing guitar for around ten years and am fairly good at improvising and tinkering around on a piano, too. I understand sheet music, I can decipher it, but I can't ...
5
votes
1answer
268 views
Which Bach toccata is more difficult- BWV910 or BWV911?
Which Bach toccata is more technically challenging? The Toccata in c minor (BWV 911) or the Toccata in f# minor (BWV 910)? I've heard that the c minor toccata is a monster but I can't find anything on ...
5
votes
2answers
276 views
Is there a way to guesstimate how long it will take me to play a specific piece?
I was wondering if there was somewhere a list of classical pieces along with the amount of "unit of time" usually needed to master it.
The "unit of time" being adjusted using where you are now and ...
5
votes
2answers
463 views
What is this chord (spelled 2nd, 4th, 5th) and how is it used?
For the piano/composers:
I compose music for the piano in my spare time, and one particular chord that has caught my attention (as one that I like a lot) is the D-F-G chord in C Major.
I have seen ...
5
votes
1answer
168 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? ...
5
votes
3answers
278 views
Mastering simple songs vs trying harder ones when learning to play the piano as a total beginner
I've had this question in my head for ages. Recently I got myself to start playing piano again after about 5 years, but I'm still total beginner.
Is it better if I stick with really simple songs and ...
5
votes
2answers
119 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 ...
5
votes
4answers
738 views
Should pedals be used when playing classical piano music?
I recently did some reading on the historical evolution of the piano. From my understanding, classical-era pianos did not have foot pedals. By classical-era I refer to the narrower meaning of ...
5
votes
2answers
288 views
How would you train for Chopin's Étude no. 2 op. 10?
This Étude is really painful for the right hand. Difficulty comes from medius, ring and little playing chromatic scales while thumb and index punctuating.
The thumb cannot be used as a pivot while ...
5
votes
2answers
91 views
What is the proper technique for a glissando on piano?
What is the proper technique to perform an upward and downward glissando on piano? In particular, how should you position your hand, and is it important which finger(s) you use?
5
votes
1answer
166 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 ...
4
votes
6answers
522 views
Are there any compositions for piano that are impossible to play without a full-range keyboard?
I’m wondering if there is a piano composition that uses notes from subcontra octave (C0) and five-lined octave (C8) at the same time?
In other words, is there any song there is no way to play without ...
4
votes
6answers
3k views
Digital Pianos vs Old Upright Pianos for classical music
What should I take in consideration to make my final decision on selecting a $500-600 price range digital piano or old upright piano for classical music (practicing at home).
Some part of me tells me ...
4
votes
4answers
124 views
Turning music on piano so it doesn't fold
My piano teacher lent me some books that are very old and expensive. My piano has a little dip down that holds the music, but when I turn the page, the bottom of the page drags along the top of the ...
4
votes
1answer
457 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 ...
4
votes
2answers
309 views
Causes of piano finger strain and ways to relieve it
After I practice for a few hours on the piano, I feel a strain in my hands (I don't know if strain is the right word, It doesn't hurt or anything. It actually feels good because I feel like I have ...
4
votes
5answers
513 views
Piano Exercices to go beyond John Thompson's Modern Course?
I've been playing the piano long enough now that I thought it might be helpful to learn a few exercises for improving dexterity and/or "warming up" when one first sits down at the piano. My level is ...
4
votes
2answers
281 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 ...
4
votes
2answers
83 views
Bars 32-37 in Moonlight sonata first movement
I am having trouble playing and memorizing the broken chords sequence:
Should I try and practice on each triplet individually? because when I try to think on it as a broken chord I often can not ...
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 ...
4
votes
2answers
822 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 ...
4
votes
1answer
206 views
Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 (Piano Solo) - Measure 306
In the picture below, there is a significant stretch where the melody in the upper staff is at a lower pitch than the accompaniment in the lower staff.
Does Liszt intend for me to cross my ...
4
votes
2answers
359 views
How do I play these broken chords on a piano?
I have attached the starting of a waltz (A Flat Major Op. 39 No. 15) by Brahms. As you can see, the left hand plays broken chords while the right hand plays the chords normally. There are two ...
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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
1answer
163 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 ...
4
votes
5answers
643 views
What are some good, intermediate-level pieces for piano left hand?
One of my piano students broke two fingers of his right hand, so we will be working with his left hand only for a few weeks while he recovers. He is an intermediate player, and I am looking for some ...
4
votes
4answers
79 views
Acoustic considerations for positioning an upright piano against the wall?
I know that upright pianos are usually positioned against the wall for aesthetic reasons, but I was wondering whether there are any sound quality considerations.
Searching the web it seemed like some ...
4
votes
4answers
837 views
What's a good book for learning how to play the piano?
I'm considering learning to play the piano by reading resources instead of taking up piano lessons. It would allow me to just a buy the piano and learn it by myself. What good books or other resources ...
4
votes
1answer
108 views
How does achieve a “distant” effect on piano?
I'm trying to teach myself some piano pieces by Joaquín Turina and he marks certain passages as "lointains" (French for "distant"). It occurred to me that I have no idea what this means in terms of ...
4
votes
2answers
151 views
Early-intermediate Ralph Vaughan Williams Piano?
I'm (perhaps) an 'early intermediate' pianist. Are there any Vaughan Williams pieces I could look at that I have a reasonable chance of being able to play? Wikipedia suggests that I may be out of luck ...
4
votes
2answers
538 views
My fingers are huge; how do I adjust on a piano?
I'm a big guy and my fingers are proportionately big. I've been a student of piano for a few months now. I'm told regularly that I should play "into the keyboard" so that my fingers are closer to the ...
4
votes
2answers
213 views
Learning the piano strictly by learning chords…and saving scales and complex fingerings for later…
I studied piano for a couple years as a young adult. I enjoyed it, but got busy with school/activities/other instruments and it fell by the wayside.
I've been interested in picking it up again and ...
4
votes
3answers
353 views
What kind of digital piano instrument should I look for when I like to play pop?
Currently I have an old simple Casio (touch-sensitive keys, awful synthesis) and now I'm looking for another digital piano instrument. I think that it's a good idea to have weighted keyboard (It's ...
4
votes
2answers
212 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 ...
4
votes
1answer
479 views
Fingering indication for double glissando (Ravel, Alborada del Gracioso)
In this piece, from the five Images by Maurice Ravel, there are three “double glissandi”, ascending then descending, over white keys of the piano. One of them uses a fourth interval, the next one uses ...
4
votes
1answer
81 views
Is there a name or common usage of this piano damper pedal effect?
I've noticed an effect that I use when playing acoustic piano. Play a note or chord staccato, and quite quickly after playing it, press the damper pedal. The effect is rather like an echo which ...
4
votes
2answers
633 views
Are tools to help improve finger dexterity, strength and speed really useful?
I don't have access to a piano every day of the week, but want to keep my flexibility. Searching on the Internet, I found many kinds of contraptions and devices that claim that they help keep and ...
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 ...
3
votes
5answers
4k views
Is there a computer program to transcribe songs to sheet music?
Is there a computer program that I can use where I upload a favourite song and it'll transcribe it to sheet music for me? I'd like to play Running up That Hill by Placebo but I don't want to buy the ...
3
votes
2answers
1k views
What notes on the piano do the Ukulele strings equate to?
If you highlighted the 4 strings of the Ukulele (default tuning) to notes on the piano, where would they come in relation to middle C?
3
votes
2answers
766 views
Why is it so hard to count beats and play at the same time?
I am just beginning to learn to play the piano on my own. I seem to have much difficulties keeping the beats and play the notes at the same time. For example, I have been practicing on this same ...
3
votes
3answers
236 views
Changing compound intervals into simple intervals to simplify a piano arrangement
I am learning to play "raindrop keep falling on my head".
In the sheet I have there are in the base line there are tenth interval that I simplified into thirds:
My questions are:
Is it very ...
3
votes
4answers
10k views
Yamaha vs Casio digital piano - is there an objective comparison?
I am looking to buy an entry-level digital piano for playing at home, and it seems that of the brands available locally, Yamaha and Casio provide an entry level range that suits me price-wise.
...
