Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Piano Sheet Music - Notes On Improvising

It is a fact that genuine gifts for composing music is given to very few of us. However, that doesn't mean that an average person can't try composing his or her own pieces. Also, consider, that many songs are not planned to become sheet music ever. Finally, your amateur composing skills can grow, mature, and become a source of profit for you.

Earning royalties is an obvious way to make your compositions generate a profit for you. A nice piece of piano sheet music can earn you several types of royalties. For example, you may charge a percentage from a performer, who produces records with your music piece being used.

A similar method is to get money for your music sheet which is used as a soundtrack for commercial or motion picture. You should keep in mind that songs are not usually written as a plain piano sheet. In most cases, it goes as a combination of various instruments, and this score is presented to an orchestra conductor.

A particular instrumentalist doesn't have to know the part for another instrument. Piano sheet music, as an example, does not need to include a part played by the violin or flute.

What's the difference of piano sheet music from other sheet music?
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The range of available notes for the instrument is the primary factor that distinguishes the music of piano sheet from any other one. A pianoforte is capable of playing from low C to high E, making 41 notes total. Natural notes are played by white or "ivory" keys. Each black key (also known as "ebony") invokes a flat note of the white key to it's right and a sharp one for white key on the left.

Is piano sheet music difficult to understand?

Not at all! All you generally have to do is to study a number of conventions required to understand any sort of sheet music. A note, required to be played, is determined by it's symbol position on the score. The duration of the note is determined by symbol's shape and shade.

These seem to be really tough things to master, but they also are essential basics of piano sheet music. In addition, you may rest assured that after mastering these basics, your piano experience will be much more pleasant. Playing notes can be conducted in several styles - together, quickly one after another, or even practically blended together. The scope of styles and techniques you'll be required to use depends on the piece complexity.

Is it possible to study piano sheet music online?

Sure. There are plenty of online resources providing distinct tutorials on piano sheet music symbols and conventions. They can lead you through the essentials to perform rather complicated tunes. Most of these websites are available free. After mastering the basics, you are free to purchase more advanced piano sheet of your choice.

Summary:

A fact that genuine gifts for composing music is given to very few, doesn't mean that an average person can't try composing his or her own pieces. Your amateur composing skills can grow, mature, and become a source of profit for you. On the Web, there are plenty of resources providing distinct tutorials on piano sheet music symbols and conventions.
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About the Author:
Brooke Hayles
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Saturday, December 6, 2008

Baldwin Pianos: A History of Strength and Perseverance

Baldwin Pianos: A History of Strength and Perseverance

Author: A. Nutt

The majority of piano companies began in foreign countries, such as Japan or Germany. Baldwin Pianos, however is a 100% American company, founded right here in the US.



From Humble Beginnings



In 1862, a music teacher named Dwight Hamilton Baldwin began a small retail company in Cincinnati. The Baldwin company sold pianos and organs, but at the outset, was only for retail. However, all that changed in 1973 when Baldwin formed a partnership with one of his employees, Lucien Wulsin. Together, the two men expanded the company, setting up little shops in various cities.



By 1980, the partners weren`t satisfied with simply selling other manufacturers` instruments and began to design and plan their own. A year later, the first Baldwin upright piano appeared on the market and four short years later, they had also come out with a grand piano.



Moving On



In 1899, both Baldwin and his wife died. They left their share of the company, 80%, to a church, but it was quickly bought up by Baldwin`s business partner, Lucien Wulsin. Under his leadership, the Baldwin Piano Company thrived and a year later, a Baldwin grand piano garnered the Grand Prix award.



Despite the fact that radio appeared and the Great Depression hit causing many piano companies to go bankrupt, Baldwin not only managed to continue on thanks to an emergency fund that had been gathering for years, the company actually began to do sound research. With the help of the University of Cincinnati, Baldwin worked on investigating new techniques for sound-production.



Pausing for the War



Like other factories, Baldwin stopped producing pianos and focused on aircraft production, instead. It was something that many businesses were forced into, doing their part for the American war effort. This wasn`t a bad thing, however, since the techniques used to make wooden wings for aircraft ended up teaching Baldwin better techniques that would later be used to improve the construction of their pianos.



Once World War II ended, the economy was robust and Baldwin found itself in the middle of a rush of orders for organs and pianos. Churches were looking for new musical instruments after years of frugality and people wanted pianos in their own homes. It was an excellent time to be one of the few piano manufacturers that had made it through the Depression.



As time progressed, the company moved production further south, establishing factories in Arkansas and Mississippi before moving down into Mexico where costs were cheaper. New electronic organs were being produced now, as well and the company was doing very well. But it wouldn`t last for long.



In 1961, Lucien`s grandson, Lucien Wulsin III, took over the company from his father, Lucien Wulsin II. It would mark the beginning of a rollercoaster ride for the small business that nearly ended in bankruptcy in 2001. Despite this, Baldwin pianos has bounced back and today is stronger than ever. They`ve produced over 1,000,000 vertical pianos over the years, established various patents, won awards for their fine piano construction and are bounding into the future with high hopes. Famous Baldwin Artists have included Liberace and composer Aaron Copland and it has been remarked that if Beethoven had the option of playing a piano, music would have changed drastically.


Music at Your Fingertips: Advice for the Artist & Amateur on Playing the Piano

Continuing to produce handmade pianos, Baldwin is proving that it can stand the test of time. An all American company that has worked hard to maintain its original standards of high quality and constantly improving and expanding, Baldwin Pianos is certainly not giving up any time soon.

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Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Memorizing Your Piano Lessons

People have been debating the pros and cons of the memory technique used in taking piano learning lessons. Some of the champions of this technique line up a long list of benefits those can be accrued from this technique. Their major claim for the suitability of this technique lies in the perception that the player doesn't need a book to turn to for taking the lessons or playing the piano. Once can simply memorize and start playing the instrument. Another advantage cited by these people is that the player doesn't need to divert his attention to book - one can concentrate solely on the fingers. This focused attention leads to better performance. Moreover, one need not spend time on turning the pages of the book. Add to that the benefit of ability of playing piano anywhere, even if the book is not available. The benefits can be stretched to an extent where the player can play the piano in dark and that it can also be done by closing eyes.

Those against the use of this technique for piano learning lessons assert that this technique is difficult for some people. People with limited memory retention are at a disadvantage to use this technique. Even if a student is good at it, he may forget some parts of the lessons while performing, and this may have detrimental effect on his overall capabilities of taking piano lessons and play at a pro level.

While you are taking piano lessons, it is important to know what to be memorized. In other words, which pieces must be memorized so that the performance is not at risk. One must be very good listener in order to have larger chunk of piece being memorized with ease. Further, you must try to memorize something which you have started practicing. It shouldn't be other way around - you first memorize and then memorize the same.

You or your tutor must be able to analyze the piece by splitting it into parts clearly identifying the rhythmic, melodic and harmonic units separately. This analysis must mandatorily precede memorizing. Experts also offer this piece of advice for those taking piano lessons - technique of verbal mediation. This technique employs simple procedure - student should speak out the lessons and practice it simultaneously. Memorizing process can be reinforced with the help of visual memory.



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Dave is the owner of www.learn-piano.info and www.play-piano.info websites providing information on playing the piano.