New Quiz! Test Yourself With the Rhythm & Tempo Quiz
It happens to the best of us: You're gliding through your sheet music when a string of cryptic notes sends you fast-forwarding through the song, desperate to make some sense of what's on the page.
It's easy to ignore rhythmic notation, because many pianists get into the habit of mimicking rhythm by ear; and while this is an excellent musical talent to possess, it can create a gap between your pitch-reading and rhythm-reading abilities. You should make it a goal to keep your reading balanced, and prevent this gap from widening.
See how well you're doing with rhythmic notation, time signatures, and tempo commands: Take the Rhythm & Tempo Quiz.
Piano Term of the Week: Generalpause
The musical term "Generalpause" almost looks English, but it's the German synonym of the musical command G.P.
Piano Term of the Week: 8va
What does the musical symbol 8va mean? It's actually quite common in piano music - even in some beginner pieces. Learn more:
Honens Competition Finals in Calgary Nov. 5-6
The finalists of the Honens International Piano Competition have been named, and will be competing at the ever-uppercase EPCOR CENTER's Jack Singer Concert Hall on November 5 & 6th at 7.30 PM. Tickets are available through the Honens website or ticketmaster.ca, and cost from 40-85$.
Piano Term of the Week: Attacca
The Italian musical term "attacca" can be seen in piano music having more than one movement:
Piano Cat Named ASPCA Cat of the Year
Nora the Piano Cat™ - the rescued feline whose piano-playing skills drew over 15 million YouTube views; inspired Lithuanian composer Mindaugas Piečaitis to write orchestral accompaniment to her famous piano bit, and earned her the noble trademark symbol at the end of her name - can now add "Cat of the Year" to her list of achievements.
The ASPCA gave Nora her Cat of the Year award yesterday in Manhattan, stating on their website:
"Though her talents are unrivaled, Nora has been named the ASPCA Cat of the Year as much for her musical abilities as for her pluck and drive to prove that shelter pets--far from being castoffs--often make the best animal companions."
Nora was rescued from an animal shelter in South Jersey by Betsy Alexander and Burnell Yow, and was brought to their Philadelphia home where she became enamored with the ivories. The Philadelphia Daily News writes:
"Nora learned to play the piano by observing [Betsy] and by watching her give lessons. An animal behaviorist posited that Nora wanted the attention Alexander was giving to her students."
- Read Nora's rags-to-riches story on her official website
- Watch the full "Catcerto" on its official website
Image © Burnell Yow
How to Enhance the Sound of Your Piano Room
A room either works with or against a piano's timbre. Your piano room might need some tweaking in order to complement the voice of your piano. Learn some easy ways to control the acoustics of your piano room, and help your piano's best qualities stand out.
Piano Term of the Week: Rinforzando
The Italian musical term "rinforzando" (or rfz) might remind you of another common musical command:
Piano Terms of the Week: All of Them!
I invite you to check out the freshly organized piano glossaries, which now have over 200 musical terms and phrases! Browse alphabetically, by language, or search categories such as volume & dynamics and tempo terms. New terms and helpful illustrations are constantly being added, so be sure to bookmark:
Is Your Piano Tuner Worth Your Money?
If tuning a piano were easy, we'd all save hundreds of dollars a year -- but it's not. It takes years to develop the skills necessary to become a successful piano tuner; and those who seek professional certification must be tested on a few key abilities to ensure competence and efficiency.
But what if your tuner isn't certified? A lack of certification doesn't always mean a lack of professionalism (or a cheaper bill), so you should weigh the pros and cons of hiring an uncertified piano tuner before inviting a new tuner into your home, instrument, and wallet!