Resources for piano students and parents
.Contains various articles helpful to piano students and parents.

March 1st 2010

Piano Care
Humidity

Humidity affects the tone of the piano. On damp, rainy days the piano will sound rather dull compared to the crisp, brilliant tone of clear days.

Every home needs to have a humidity controling device installed in the piano by the tuner. This can be as simple as a heating rod which is manually plugged in to dry out the wood, or a complete humidity control system that includes both a heating rod and a humidifier.

The ideal humidity level for a piano is 40-60%.   Basements with high humidity are not well suited for pianos.

Temperature

Fluctuations in temperature affect the tune of the piano. You have noticed, I am sure, that orchestra players arrive well before their performance time. This is to allow their instruments to come to room temperature before tuning them, as the exposure to different temperatures en route affects the tuning of their instrument.

Pianos hold their tune longer when placed out of drafts created by a frequently opened door.

Placing the Piano

The ideal place for a piano is on an inside wall where it is exposed to a minimum of humidity and temperature fluctuation. The instrument will sound better and hold its tune longer if so placed. If this is not possible, at least keep it away from a frequently opened door.

Another factor in deciding where to place a piano is the acoustic of the room. Sound absorbing material such as carpet, drapes and upholstered furniture deaden a room while hard surfaces reflect the sound and add a live quality which is very desirable for music.

If the room is too "dead," try moving the piano away from the wall 6 or 12 inches, or consider moving it to another room.

If the room is too "live," the addition of an area rug and a stuffed chair will help tremendously.

Tuning

When should your piano be tuned and how often?

Pianos maintain their tuning longer if tuned when the weather pattern is stable. In the Carolinas, that would be Nov/Dec or May/June.

Ideally, a piano would be tuned at both of these times of the year, but most families find a once a year tuning realistic. If ;you skip a year, you may find two tunings are needed because the strings have not been tightened in so long, they slip back more quickly.

Recommended tuners
Kris Brazzell                    803-417-9863
James Baker                  704-517-6674
Karen Hudson-Brown     704-567-8583

Recommended piano mover
Archie 442-0220

Interesting note:
When a piano "goes out of tune" it actually becomes out of tune with itself: the upper register goes sharp, the midline remains somewhat stable, and the bass usually falls flat. Tuners usually do not tune the piano to be exactly in tune with itself at the time of the tuning, but rather a little flat at the top and a little sharp at the bottom. As time passes, it comes into tune with itself, and then, of course, goes out again, much as a hair cut may be too short at first, just right, and then too long!

Some technicians use their ears to tune and others use what is called an electronic tuner called a "strobe." In either case, tuners prefer to have the house as quiet as possible during tuning.

January 29th 2010

View Baroque Dances on youtube

Definitions from wikipedia

MAZURKA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcNb6DpRBco

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR3oOmvx5ew

The mazurka (in Polish, mazurek) is a stylized Polish folk dance in triple meter, usually at a lively tempo that has a heavy accent on the third or second beat

MINUET

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiGgip6q0n4

A minuet, also spelled menuet, is a social dance of French origin for two persons, usually in 3/4 time. The word was adapted from Italian minuetto and French menuet, meaning small, pretty, delicate, a diminutive of menu, from the Latin minutus

The minuet and trio eventually became the standard third movement in the four-movement classical symphony and sonata.

ECOSSAISE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-qJ3f5xp_Y

The Écossaise is a variety of contredance in a Scottish style, especially popular in France and England at the end of the 18th century and at the beginning of the 19th. The ecossaise was usually danced in 2/4 time

LANDLER

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ba0h0KOcwGY

The lÄndler is a folk dance in 3/4 time which was popular in Austria, south Germany and German Switzerland at the end of the 18th century.

It is a dance for couples which strongly features hopping and stamping. It was sometimes purely instrumental and sometimes had a vocal part, sometimes featuring yodeling.

When dance halls became popular in Europe in the 19th century, the lÄndler was made quicker and more elegant, and the men shed the hobnail boots which they wore to dance it. Along with a number of other folk dances from Germany and Bohemia, it is thought to have contributed to the evolution of the waltz

GAVOTTE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9b6ldKKqu0

The gavotte (also gavot or gavote) originated as a French folk dance, taking its name from the Gavot people of the Pays de Gap region of DauphinÉ, where the dance originated. It is notated in 4/4 or 2/2 time and is of moderate tempo. The distinctive rhythmic feature of the original gavotte is that phrases begin in the middle of the bar; that is, in either 4/4 or 2/2 time, the phrases begin on the third quarter note of the bar, creating a half-measure upbeat.

SARABANDE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsbUt0T1Pw8

In music, the sarabande (It., sarabanda) is a dance in triple metre. The second and third beats of each measure are often tied, giving the dance a distinctive rhythm of crotchets and minims in alternation. The crotchets are said to have corresponded with dragging steps in the dance

March 28th 2007

The Book Trader
Here is an opportunity for you to buy and sell the piano books I use in the studio and save yourself some money!

Listed below are books for sale.
        If you want to post a book for sale, send me an email with the information.

        If you want to buy a book, send me an email with the book title and composer.

       If you want to buy a book listed here, contact that person directly. I will be glad for you to drop the book off with me to give to the new owner but I will ask you to take care of the money with that person directly.

       I am going to ask the buyer to contact me when a sale is made so I can take it off the website.

Items to Sell:

Erica Roach
Religious Favorites arr. Bastien
$12 (retail $15) Exc. cond.
545-4465

Erica Roach
Student's Hymnal arr.Kowalchyk

$4.00 (retail $7) Gently used

545-4465

Wanted:

August 22nd 2006

Memorizing & Performing

Recital Memorization & Performance Preparation

1. Utilize all levels of memory
Visual - the way it looks on the page

Aural - the way you remember it sounds

Kinesthetic - your fingers "know" where to go

Analytical - the analysis, done at the lesson

2. Plan "jump ahead" spots, i.e., places you can move ahead to, should you encounter a memory lapse.

3. Practice having a memory lapse and jumping ahead to your "jump ahead" spots.

4. Play memorized pieces for
Yourself 4 weeks before performance time

For family 3-4 weeks before

For teacher at the lesson beginning 3 weeks before

For other students and friends 1-2 weeks before

5. Remember - a wrong note does not a failure make! Neither does a memory lapse. If you have a lapse,

              Immediately move ahead in the music to your next "jump ahead" spot - DO NOT GO BACK!

              Immediately move ahead in your thinking - forget about it. Stewing about it will jeopardize the rest of the performance and you may very well have an unnecessary disaster because you didn't discipline your mind. It takes a decided act of the will at that point to move on, but this provides you with the opportunity to finish well. In fact, a performer may well finish better than ever because he/she is determined to put that slip up out of the minds of the

November 19th 2005

Recommended Recordings

Music Recordings for Children

Recommended by Hilda Ryan

Title Composer Sources

Nutcracker Suite Tschaikowsky 2,4,6

Carnival of the Animals Saint-Saens 2,4,6

Multi-movement work w/a descriptive piece for each animal�most famous is The Swan�cello solo

Peter & the Wolf Prokofieff ( or Prokofiev) 2,4,6

The Classical Kids series(superlative dramatized life of composer w/lots of music) 1,2,4,6

An Americat in Paris (Gershwin)

Mr. Beethoven Lives Upstairs

Mr. Bach Comes to Call

Tschaikowsky Discovers America

Hallelujah Handel

Vivaldi�s Ring of Mystery

Classic Stories with Great Classical Music�3 Russian Fairy Tales�a children�s gift set (Delos) 1,2

(Narrated by a Russian lady with an accent)

Prince Ivan and the Frog Princess (Prokofiev)

The Snow Queen (Tchaikovsky)

The Firebird (Stravinsky)

Hymns for a Kid�s Heart I & IIWolgemuth & Tada3, 5

Traditional hymns sung by a children�s choir w/full orchestral accompaniment

includes book w/hymn background& CD

So Many NamesChristian Home Music Library�Sacred Music Series3

Traditional hymns w/full orchestral accompaniment

Hide �em In Your HeartSteve Green 3

Softly contemporary with acoustic guitar; original songs from Scripture

Kids Sing Praise 1Brentwood Music

Softly contemporary setting of children�s songsw/guitar and orchestral accompaniment 3

**************************************************************************************

Sources

1.Music store (Music & Art 351-0000, Brodt 332-2177)

2.Record store (Media Play, Borders, etc.)

3.Bible bookstore

4.Music in Motion1-800-445-0649 or www.musicmotion.com

5.Ligonier Ministries (R.C.Sproul) 1-800-435-4343 or Ligonier.org.

6.Online (amazon, ebay, etc.)

November 4th 2005

Family Christmas Singalong
Here's an idea for your Christmas holidays. Plan a time with either your immediate family or extended family/friends to gather around the piano and sing some Christmas carols. Each student in the studio has several carols ready to play and nothing is more satisfying than being able to use your hard work to help others!

This could be as easy as an impromptu family gathering to sing a carol or two for memory or as fancy as a event with invitations, printed words and refreshments afterwards!

If others in the family play other instruments, this is an ideal time for some collaborative work! A violin or flute sounds wonderful playing the melody on one stanza and the alto up an octave on another. The trumpet is particularly suited for the festive carols like "Joy to the World." Even the guitar blends in well with the more contemplative carols such as "What Child is This?" or "Away in a Manger."

This is a terrific opportunity for a child with creative leadership skills to plan something special for the holidays--encourage them, be their cheerleader and enjoy making music together as a family this year!

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Hilda Ryan
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