My Father’s Steinway

This past year has brought many people and pianos together. But there is one that is set apart from the rest – my father’s Steinway. When my sister Coren and I were in high school, my father bought a new Baldwin 7-foot grand piano. So, my fat

Happy Holidays everyone! If you’re a pianist (or a musician of any sort) you may be called upon by either family or friends to perform something for them this season. It might be fun to be able to accompany as people sing holiday favorites! While you may not have time to practice Christmas music, I have a simple solution for you!

Find some of the easiest Christmas music you can and make it your own by improvising! This is both an easy and fun way to present some holiday cheer as well as a way to practice your improvisation skills. In the video attached to this article, I use a song you can find on Virtual Sheet Music. There is a wide selection of Christmas songs available on the site and they have different arrangements for each of them (ranging from very easy to very difficult).

When it comes to improvising, the most important thing is being intimately familiar with the song. The great thing about using Christmas music is that you’ve heard them so many times; it’s perfect to improvise with!

In the video, I use the song “Greensleeves” (commonly known as “What Child is This”). I chose the easiest possible arrangement so it’s easy to read. You will hear an example of the music played exactly as written first and then a few improvised versions to see what is possible.

But how can you improvise on the written music? The beauty is that you can embellish any way you like! Don’t be afraid to experiment adding notes and altering rhythms. Then you can try to use play the left hand descending harmonies and make up a totally new melody on top! Or have someone play the left-hand part while you make up a melody. The only rule when it comes to improvising with this type of music is to have fun. Everyone you’ll play for will appreciate your efforts, so enjoy!

Thanks again for joining me Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729

How to Improvise With Christmas Music

Happy Holidays everyone! If you’re a pianist (or a musician of any sort) you may be called upon by either family or friends to perform something for them this season. It might be fun to be able to accompany as people sing holiday favorites! While y

Welcome back to my ongoing series featuring the Chopin Preludes. In past lessons I’ve given tips on Chopin Prelude No. 4 (E Minor) and Chopin Prelude No. 6 (B Minor). Like these past lessons, I will be providing a few tips for this Prelude. If you want more advanced lessons, you are in luck as I will be producing some advanced courses on selected repertoire very soon; to get more information please email me directly at Robert@LivingPianos.com.

The thing that makes this particular Prelude so special is that it’s short in length but rich in depth. So what is the best way to approach this piece?

You might have noticed that this piece is broken into short sections with slur markings over each phrase. If you watch the video attached to this article you will notice that I utilize a lifting motion to begin each phrase. I also employ a technique which brings out the top notes for more expressive playing.

Lifting is a method you must employ that replicates how wind and string instruments begin playing phrases. I have played the French horn for many years and one of the most striking differences between playing the piano and playing wind instruments is how you start the first note of a phrase. When playing the French horn, you have to prepare yourself for the first note by taking a big breath and starting the note with the tongue. On the piano you can play a note simply by pushing the key down! How can you prepare yourself to produce the precise sound you are after?

Here is a lifting technique that is simple and effective for beginning a phrase with the exact sound you have in mind:

First, start with a limp wrist, then bring your arm down to the keys while straightening up your wrist. This creates backwards leverage which produces a slower release of the note giving you more control. If you use this technique you will soon notice that you have absolute control over the start of your phrases.

In addition, each one of the phrases in this piece should have a rise and a fall – just like a breath. It is vital that you avoid remaining static with your playing; you should always be either rising or falling.

Bringing out the top notes is another extremely valuable technique for expressive playing. When you are playing quietly it is necessary to delineate the top notes to make them stand out; otherwise the melody gets lost. The general rule is, the quieter you play, the more difference there must be between melody and accompaniment. When you play louder, this isn’t a problem since top notes will come through. However, when you are playing quietly, you need to reach with your fingers to delineate the top notes and make them sing.

Thanks again for joining me Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com. If you want more information on the upcoming advanced videos I have planned please email me.

How to Play Chopin Prelude No. 7 in A Major

Welcome back to my ongoing series featuring the Chopin Preludes. In past lessons I’ve given tips on Chopin Prelude No. 4 (E Minor) and Chopin Prelude No. 6 (B Minor). Like these past lessons, I will be providing a few tips for this Prelude. If you

This week we have a special presentation for you. I had the opportunity to interview Steinway artist: George Ko (www.georgeko.co) a professional pianist about how to select an instrument for a concert. We also discussed the piano industry in general. I hope you enjoy it. This is part of a continuing series of interviews with noted people in the piano world.

Interview with George Ko (Pianist): Selecting a Piano for a Performance

This week we have a special presentation for you. I had the opportunity to interview Steinway artist: George Ko (www.georgeko.co) a professional pianist about how to select an instrument for a concert. We also discussed the piano industry in general.

Welcome back to our ongoing series on technology and art. First we talked about Technology’s Impact on Music, next we discussed How Social Media and Technology Has Impacted Art and Music and today we are going to discuss the future of Music and Art in relation to advances in technology.

We can sit and wonder what music will sound like in the future but there is no definitive answer. All we can do is speculate based on past technological advances and how it impacted music through history. As instruments got louder, concert halls got bigger, ensembles got larger and music changed dramatically.

When recording and radio technologies were created, music continued to grow and expand. No longer would you have to be present for a performance – it could be re-created for you through recording and broadcast through radio signals into your home and eventually your car. Audiences could number in the millions – which was never possible before.

Multi-track recording would then change music again by offering new ways to record and collaborate. Now you didn’t even need musicians to be in the same room anymore for them to appear on a recording together – they could be in a different time and place and simply edit themselves into a track.

Despite all these advances, older music will never die. Throughout time there will still be people playing Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin and all the music we know and love as Classical musicians. There will always be people honoring and immortalizing their works and it’s something that will probably stay true for every era of music – as long as someone keeps playing it the spirit, the sound, and the inspiration will never die.

So what does the future hold? As we’ve seen in the past, art is a form of expression that always seems to find a unique voice. One day someone will present something that you’ve never seen or heard before and they will find a unique voice within popular culture. What they will say and present is impossible to guess.

With the widespread adoption of social media and the prevalence of accessible art, I imagine the future of music will evolve around this concept where musicians can contribute to one another’s projects and inspiration and unique ideas will come to the surface and inspire others. We have seen this type of work with remixes – which is just another word for arrangements or transcriptions. Popular beats and rhythms have been used to create new music and in the future, it could be used to create something that no single person could ever conceive of.

As time goes on, new sounds will be created and in the hands of a master musician or composer, we can hear something truly unique and interesting that has never been heard before. There is a lot to look forward to when it comes to the future of music in relation to technology.

Music will never be universally loved. You probably have some genres of music that don’t appeal to you and your tastes don’t appeal to others. This is one of the reasons that art is so incredible – it can speak to you individually and reach you personally like nobody else. I would love to hear your opinions on this subject and how you think technology will continue to affect art in both positive and negative ways.

Thanks again for joining us at Living Pianos. If you have any comments about this subject or any subject at all please contact us at: Info@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729

Has Technology Ruined Art? Part III: Future Music

Welcome back to our ongoing series on technology and art. First we talked about Technology’s Impact on Music, next we discussed How Social Media and Technology Has Impacted Art and Music and today we are going to discuss the future of Music and Art

Welcome back to our series on technology and art. If you missed Part 1, we discussed technology’s impact on art throughout history and how it has affected musicians in modern times. Today we are going to talk about the influence of social media, the internet, and the connected world’s impact on music and art.

At the end of the 19th century, the Vorsetzer was invented. It was the first of its kind, a player-piano type of technology that could record performances with technical and musical accuracy recreating the original artists’ interpretation. No longer would you have to see a performance to hear it. Now you could sit and listen to the performer as if you were there – by having it re-created on a player system! Suddenly, the world of music became more connected and global.

When I was growing up and studying a piece of music, I would go to the store and buy a couple different recordings of the piece by different artists. I would get a good sense of how other pianists would approach the same piece but I was limited to what was available at the store. Today, things are much more accessible. All you have to do is open your internet browser and you’ll have access to dozens of different pianists playing the same piece!

What does this accessibility do to our music and art? You would think that it would be a great benefit, right? Not necessarily.

While music is much more accessible now, a somewhat vanilla approach has evolved. If you listen to recordings of performers from the 1930’s, you will hear a lot of differences in individual performances. The same piece played by Rachmaninoff is incredibly different from Hoffmann, Lhévinne, Horowitz or Rubinstein. The differences in each of their performances are drastic and very apparent. Today’s differences between artists don’t exhibit the same type of individuality in their performances. Why is this?

With the advent of technology and the availability of content and recording capabilities so accessible, we have experienced a deluge of content. With the quantity of content has come a homogenized approach to music – performances tend to sound more the same. This is because when there are countless examples of particular pieces, people will tend to emulate influences in their playing. Dramatically different interpretations may be considered “wrong” by some people accustomed to the norm created by the massive number of established performances.

On the other hand, music from other countries and cultures is more accessible and able to be heard by a global audience that has never been accessible before. Suddenly, we are able to experience music we have never heard before! This helps to develop musicians from different cultures with unique influences. Some of the most interesting new music being written today is a hybrid of different styles from around the world – much like culinary artists creating fusions of Asian, French, Spanish or other elements in their creations.

So the social reach and accessibility of music has both good and bad qualities. On one hand, everyone can hear new music and have access to new sounds and influences. On the other hand, we have somewhat of a simplification of style for musical performances as a new “normal” is established through recordings, and people tend to be somewhat fearful to stray from the established standard.

I’m very interested to hear your opinions on this topic and how it’s affected your own music and performances. Thanks again for joining us here at Living Pianos, if you have any questions or comments about this topic or any topic at all please contact us directly Info@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729.

Has Technology Ruined Art? Part II: The Connected World

Welcome back to our series on technology and art. If you missed Part 1, we discussed technology’s impact on art throughout history and how it has affected musicians in modern times. Today we are going to talk about the influence of social media, th

Welcome to the first in our three part series on technology’s impact on music. There are going to be people with very strong emotions on both sides of this discussion and I’m going to do my best to provide a neutral presentation. Today we are going to discuss the impact that technology has had on art and music.

It’s simple to point to current technologies and see how they have impacted musicians and music as a whole. Where there used to be live bands we now have DJs and sound systems – which in certain circumstances has put musicians out of work. Electronic music has been popular for decades and some people might not even consider some of it to be music in instances where there are no actual performances – just recordings. As we delve into the controversy between technology and music you can envision the arguments of each side start to form.

Let’s take a moment and put ourselves at the time before the piano existed and even before the harpsichord came to be. There was a point in time when these were considered new inventions and something that would change music – either for the better or for the worse depending on who you asked. We could go all the way back to the origins of music – the human voice – and probably find conflicting opinions as new instruments were slowly integrated into music; there was probably never a time without controversy.

Societies eventually move on and the technologies of each age will inevitably replace the technologies of old and it will have an impact on art. Take a look at the architecture of today and compare it to the architecture of a thousands years ago, or 100 years ago; the differences are striking. Some people will revere the older styles of art and architecture while others will embrace the new – but this phenomenon is timeless.

When it comes to art, it’s ultimately about the people making music, not just the technology utilized. The inventions and instruments are merely the tools employed by the artists – what they create is a product of their environment and the tools available to them. You might not personally enjoy the work that an artist creates with newer tools, but you shouldn’t discount the tools they use – they are merely vehicles of expression.

There can be a level of resentment from people who studied their whole lives to be skilled in particular instruments that are upstaged by people using newer technologies to replicate what they do in new ways.

The best thing we can do is simply create the music we want in the ways we are familiar with. There will always be audiences for great music – no matter what tools are used to create it. Reaching people and creating a sense of emotion is the goal of art and no particular method will limit you from doing this.

I would love to hear everyone’s opinions on this topic. Please contact us directly if you have any questions or comments about this subject or any musical subject at all: Info@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729

Has Technology Ruined Art? Part I: Technology’s Impact

Welcome to the first in our three part series on technology’s impact on music. There are going to be people with very strong emotions on both sides of this discussion and I’m going to do my best to provide a neutral presentation. Today we are goi