Exercises For Your Fingers (Basic Piano Drills)Written by Ismael D. Tabije
Upon hearing word piano, very first thing that pops into your mind is set of black and white keys. Anybody can play piano believe me. You don't necessarily need to go to music schools or hire certified music instructors to tell you how to pound those keys and play a song. You can be your own teacher as long as you have interest and eagerness to learn then it wouldn't be so difficult.All you need is a piano, song lyrics with chords and a piano chord chart. Play any of your favorite songs on piano just like you do on a guitar. Learning to play piano through chords is not traditional learning procedure. You will still meet musical terms, read notes and other symbols but not through hectic musical lessons. Playing piano through chords is easy and fun. But how do you really start pressing those keys? First, of course, you must know and familiarize piano. This is because you need to acquaint yourself with middle "C" or middle "do" which is main key on keyboard. The middle "C" is white key located before two black keys in middle of keyboard. Note that every white key on left side of every two black keys is called "C" or "do", but you have to look for middle "C" or "do". Now that you know about middle "C" or middle "do", you have to know names of rest of keys. No, don't worry, you won't have a hard time naming all keys. As mentioned earlier, every white key on left side of every two black keys is called "C" or "do". A group is composed of a of two black keys, three black keys and seven white keys. It will then depend on length of your keyboard on how many groups it would have. Try dividing keys of your keyboards according to keys. Then you are now ready to get to know each key on each group. Remember that each group would start with "C" or "do". Then succeeding white keys take letters D, E, F, G, A and B or re, mi, fa, sol, la and ti. You have now named all of white keys. The black keys are flats and sharps. The technique to determine flats and sharps is to know their position. If black key is found at left of every white key, then it is a flat. If black key is found at right side of every white key, it is a sharp. For example, black key nearest to middle C is at its right side, black key then is named as C sharp or do #. The C# then could take another name since it is also found at left side of D or "re" key. The same goes for other black keys. There's "D" or "re" sharp which is same key for "E" or "mi" flat. The "F" or "fa" sharp is same as "G" or "so" flat. The "G" or "so" sharp is also "A" or "la" flat. And "A" or "la" sharp is also "B" or "ti" flat.
| | Humor Under The KeyboardsWritten by Ismael D. Tabije
For me, piano is symbol of what is stiff, proper and elegant. It doesn't have faults, it is perfect. Pianists are most perfectionist people in world. They should not and can not make mistakes especially when performing. That is how I viewed piano and pianists. But then, I just found out I was wrong. A few researches and I have once again proven that appearances can be deceiving. The pianists we see play appear to be most formal and respectable stars on stage. They hold power and breath of audiences. They could look intimidating in their formal suits not to mention authority and air of arrogance they exude while on stage. They can be captivating. But before we forget, these pianists are also human. And humans do make mistakes. Most of these mistakes can be frustrating and depressing. But then, there are also mistakes that are amusing and could also be totally hilarious. It shows how fun could be inserted even in most seemingly stuffy and proper event. Here are some examples: When asked for their definition of a piano, some famous musicians and musical enthusiasts have some famous replies: •For David W. Barber (The Musician's Dictionary), a piano is a cumbersome piece of furniture found in many homes, where playing it ensures early departure of unwanted guests. •Piano (n.) is a parlor utensil for subduing impertinent visitor. It is operated by depressing keys of machine and spirits of audience, according to Ambrose Bierce, an American journalist (The Devil's Dictionary). •A piano tuner is a person employed to come into home, rearrange furniture, and annoy cat. The tuner's chief purpose is to ascertain breaking point of piano's strings. Though these definitions may sound humorous, you can never miss ironies in it. Coming from people who live and breathe piano, these definitions seem odd. Here's more - when asked about their secrets in playing, you would certainly be surprised at how simple their secrets can be, and definitely applicable. •Australian pianist Artur Schnabel said, "I always make sure that lid over keyboard is open before I start to play". •"Nothing soothes me more after a long and maddening course of pianoforte recitals than to sit and have my teeth drilled", said George Bernard Shaw, a writer and a music critic.
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