Piano

When it comes to pianos, cleaning and polishing are two different actions -- polishing should be kept to a bare minimum.

But, a regular cleaning is a good thing, and can help to prevent dust and oil (a dangerous combo for pianos) from building up in between keys or deeper inside the piano body. Learn good habits for cleaning your piano, and keep it looking its best:

• How to Clean Your Piano

You won't always be able to identify a chord by looking at its lowest note. Take the C major chord: C - E - G. Suppose you change just one of those note-letters (for example, let's use the notes C - E - A) -- could this still be a C major chord? The answer is no.*

Or, let's jumble up the notes of the real C major chord. Do the notes G - C - E still make a C major chord? Yes!

A triad chord has three building blocks: a root, a third, and a fifth; and the name of the chord itself does not change if its notes are merely ordered differently (continue reading)

* ^{_{(The notes C - E - A create the 1st inversion of the A minor chord).}}

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Sales tactics are used in every trade, but the piano's cost and complexity allows some people to take advantage of those not "in-the-know." Don't fall victim:

• Watch Out For These Sneaky Sales Tactics

 

If you've been to live shows, you've probably noticed a few pianists taking their merry time adjusting their piano benches ...some quite meticulously. This is perfectly acceptable, so don't feel self-conscious if you find yourself having to do so at your piano recital -- you want to be comfortable, flexible, and stable:

• Perfecting Your Piano Posture

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The left hand often plays rhythm in piano music. But, you will find yourself playing many left-handed melodies and arpeggios, particularly if you're into classical piano. Practice the following finger techniques to target dexterity in the left hand:

• Bass Piano Scale & Chord Fingering

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It's not always easy to tell when a tune-up is in order. Many piano owners delay costly tunings for as long as possible, so long as pitch doesn't stray too far from the norm.

But actually, piano tuning is about more than just pitch-adjustment, and an out-of-tune instrument can be the cause or a symptom of a larger problem -- learn more:

• Learn When to Tune Your Piano
• Problems Caused by Inconsistent Tuning

 

I've heard a lot of musicians agree with the idea that sixth chords are an acquired taste. What do you think? Test some out today and see if you can find a place for them in your playing:

• Major 6th Piano Chords
  Form maj6, 6/9, and 6sus4 chords.

 

• Minor 6th Chords
  Learn min6 & m6ADD9 chords.

_{Image © Brandy Kraemer}

Musical dynamics control the volume of a song, and may be signified by words, symbols, or both. Dynamics mark the relative changes in intensity, and do not express precise decibel levels; a song in mezzo-piano played by two different pianists may sound slightly louder or softer depending on the instruments as well as the players' interpretations:

• Dynamics Symbols & How to Interpret Them
• Musical Quiz: Dynamics Symbols & Terms

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Try this quick exercise: play the first couple measures of the Gb major and F# major scales ...déjà vu?

Both scales are played with the same exact piano keys, so why are they written using different notes and accidentals? Actually, these are two of the six musical keys with alter-egos known as the "enharmonic keys":

• What's the Point of Enharmonic Keys?
• Why Some Keys Don't Exist At All

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The Italian musical commands rinforzando and sforzando affect articulation (and, in a way, volume). Learn their meanings and pronunciation:

• (rfz) Rinforzando
• (sfz) Sforzando

_{Image © Brandy Kraemer}