Piano Lessons- Music Theory Lessons

One of the most common questions we get here at the store pertains to ivory keys and whether or not they are worth money. Since ivory is scarce today – and also illegal to buy/sell in many instances – it seems that they might be valuable on the second-hand market. This is not exactly the case.

First of all, when we talk about the white piano keys, we are referring to the keytops and not the keys themselves. Most of the piano keys are made out of wood and a cover of ivory or plastic is placed on top and in front of the keys. The pieces of ivory or plastic that go over the wooden keys are very thin. So, as a source of raw ivory, you are not working with much material when it comes to a single key top.

The biggest problem you are going to face is that selling ivory is illegal. Ripping the key tops off a piano and trying to sell them by themselves is not a good idea. For example, if you even try to list a product with ivory on eBay the listing will be removed – they simply don’t allow it. You also can’t transport ivory overseas and in some cases even in the United States, you may be prevented from selling ivory across state lines. So the market for selling ivory keys tops is very limited.

So what can you do with ivory keys you don’t need?

The best thing you can do is give them to your piano technician. Many times a technician will keep some ivory key tops with them in case one needs to be replaced on a piano. No two ivories are the same. However, there is a possibility they can match a key to an existing piano when a key top needs to be replaced if they have a big enough collection of old ivories of different sizes and hues.

Before the laws tightened, a set of ivory keys could have been worth thousands of dollars. There is some today who still sell them. You should use caution when dealing with ivory since the laws can be complex.

Welcome to the first part in a multi-part series on chords. Today we are going to talk about how to identify the chords you are playing. I’ve had questions from people playing certain sonorities and wondering what exactly they are playing. In this lesson, we are going to talk about the basics of identifying chords.

The most basic thing to know about chords is that they are (almost always) built on the interval of a third. What is a third? A third is any notes that are on lines or spaces (not both) – they are two letter names apart. Here are some examples of thirds: A-C (leaving out B) or C-E (leaving out D).

Some chords are more sophisticated and they have what is called altered tones. This means that there might be an augmented or diminished chord that will have raised or lowered notes.

So knowing all this, how are you supposed to figure out what the chords are? It’s easier than you might think. Simply arrange the notes into thirds on the staff.

When you are reading your music, make sure that the notes are arranged in thirds. To do this, simply look at the notes that are on lines or spaces. Sometimes this can be tricky because there is something referred to as inversions. An inversion is done by taking the bottom note of a chord and placing it on the top (or the top note is placed on the bottom) – in the end, it will be exactly the same chord. So how do you know which chord it is? In an inversion, the notes will not be arranged in thirds, if you rearrange the notes until they form thirds (all lines or all spaces) you will find the root of the chord which is on the bottom. Take the bottom note and place it on top, or the top note on the bottom and the notes will arrange into thirds – all lines, or all spaces.

So how do you handle chords with more than three notes? The same principle applies to these chords. You can actually build chords all the way to the 13th utilizing only the interval of a third. Why is a 13 chord the limit? Because if you play one more third you will arrive back at the note you started on. This is because there are only seven possible notes within a scale and a 13 chord contains all of them!

This might sound confusing but once you start applying the basic principles in this lesson you will see that it makes perfect sense and is an easy way to identify chords. Next time we will be covering how to approach expanded chords.

We’ve had a lot of questions about this particular Mozart Sonata K 457 and today I’m going to address a very common question I receive about this piece. In the second movement, there is a section of very fast notes – some are 64th notes, some even go to 128th notes – and people are very interested in how to fit these notes in.

The simple answer is that you don’t need to fit these notes in perfectly as written – the final product should come out correctly but there is a certain level of freedom allowed. Here is an example of the section we are discussing:

That looks intimidating, doesn’t it? Well, there is a secret to playing this section and actually making it sound even better. Start the run a little bit early (just a hair before it’s supposed to actually start). Now is this going to affect the sound of the piece and make it lose its integrity? Not at all.

Mozart was known as a great improviser – as so many of the great composers of the past were – and they did their best to write down their music as accurately as they could. However, when it comes to cadenza-style passages, there is only so much you can do to write it down so that the music makes sense visually. So by experimenting with the timing, you can actually produce a better execution of the passage and not have to worry about having such a rapid string of notes. You are much better off not slowing down your tempo at all, but instead adjusting the timing to fit the notes in a musical way.

Today we are going to cover Double Sharps and Double Flats. You might think I made this up but it is an actual thing in music and it’s something that you should be aware of.

You’re probably familiar with sharps and flats and you might assume they are represented by the black keys on the piano. This, however, is not entirely true, sharps and flats are not just black keys on the piano.

Sharps and Flats simply raise or lower a note by a half step. A half step is represented by the closest interval. On a piano, this is a set of two keys next to each other with no keys between.

If you play C on a piano it is a white key. If you play a C sharp it is a black key. If you play a C flat it is a white key (the B key). The note that is sharp or flat is simply the next key to that note – whether it is white or black.

So what about double sharps and double flats?

Here is how you would see them in your musical scores:

So what does this mean and how do you interpret these notes. Well if a sharp or flat is simply a half step either higher or lower – then a double sharp or double flat is a whole step (or two half steps) higher or lower than the written note.

Player systems have become incredibly advanced – many can be programmed using a tablet or phone. They can play historic performances of some of the greatest pianists of all time preserved digitally from the original expressive player piano rolls from over 100 years ago! They can download new music over your home wireless network. Some have speakers that can play music to accompany the piano, and some will even record your performance for playback. It is a very exciting technology.

If you’ve considered getting one of these units for your piano you might wonder whether or not it will do any damage to the piano or if it will it play differently? These are good questions which require something more than a simple yes or no answers. The truth is, it can hurt the piano, but it doesn’t have to.

Many people are initially surprised when they find out how much it costs to install a player system on their piano. Typically it will cost thousands of dollars. The process to install a player system is quite complex and you will want to make sure you work with a technician who is experienced in installing them.

In order to install the system, the technician must cut into the key bed where the player system actuators come through to operate the keys from the bottom. Under the hands of a skilled technician, there is virtually no risk involved with installing a player system.

With the right technician, you will not be able to tell a difference in the action if a player system is installed. My technician has been installing player systems for over 30 years and I’ve played many pianos he has installed them on and can’t tell any difference in the feel or response of the pianos in any way.

Now, there is another side to player system installation that you should be aware of. If a technician is not skilled in installing player systems, there is some risk of damage to your piano. Incidentally, a large piano moving company started training its truck drivers to install player systems in pianos in response to a decline in piano sales and deliveries after the crash of the housing market. Many dealers are taking advantage of the low labor costs. So, when you consider having a player system installed in your piano, be sure to inquire who is doing the work.

Nelson asks if piano actions get easier to play as the piano ages. He noticed that over time his Yamaha piano became easier and easier to play. Do piano actions actually get lighter as you continue to play them? There is no absolute yes or no answer to this question, but there are certain fundamentals that are important to understand.

The first thing to be aware of is that when you buy a brand new piano, the felt bushing will eventually loosen up over time – and fairly quickly if you play a lot. Each key sets in motion nearly 100 parts. Wherever there is friction, there are felt bushings. Over time they will loosen up.

On the other hand, if you don’t play your piano much, the parts can actually get stiff and harden up over time. A humid environment can make the felt bushings swell slowing things down as well. A piano technician will typically lubricate parts of the piano action. If the piano isn’t played, dust can accumulate inside the piano and make the action gum up making it harder to play.

If you practice a lot or play your piano every day it will actually get easier to play the instrument over time. Why is this? Every time you hit a key on a piano there is a felt hammer that impacts the strings. As time goes by, the hammers will get grooves in the felt as they continue to strike the strings. This becomes compacted felt which is hard and produces a bright, brittle tone with little effort. So, even if the piano is physically no easier to play, you will get much more sound out of the instrument with the same effort making it seem easier to play. The way to deal with this phenomenon is to have a qualified piano technician reshape the hammers by filing them to create the original egg shape which produces a warm, projecting tone. Over time when the hammers have been filed a number of times, they will have less mass making the action lighter.

The only reason a piano action would get heavier is if you don’t play it a lot. Otherwise, with regular play and maintenance, your piano will generally become easier to play.

On some older Steinway pianos, they were using a paraffin solution that can cause a condition called verdigris where the action may become very sluggish and the piano might feel considerably heavier. However, this is generally not a problem to worry about except on certain vintages of Steinway pianos. The only real way to remedy this issue is to have a technician perform skilled work on it (which might only relieve your issue temporarily) or replace some action parts.

A dream for many music conservatory students is to become an orchestral musician. The industry has changed dramatically over the past few decades but there are still plenty of orchestras and possible job openings. But what is it like? What are the hours, the demands, and even the general lifestyle?

The sad thing is that there are very few jobs in North America that pay a living wage for an orchestral musician. The competition for these jobs is extremely fierce and you will often audition with hundreds of other possible candidates for a single position. Despite the dozens of orchestras around the country, most of them have become part-time jobs. In order to support themselves; a lot of orchestral musicians turn to teach or freelance performance to supplement their income.

As for the full-time positions in orchestras, you must be ready to compete against hundreds of other musicians at every single audition. It might sound discouraging but for a lot of musicians since just making it to the quarterfinals of an audition is a monumental achievement. A lot of success really relies on knowing how to audition. Just because you’re a great musician doesn’t make you great at taking auditions.

By and large, the people who end up getting jobs with orchestras have made a career out of auditioning. All of these musicians must be willing to travel to any available auditions and spend the majority of their time learning and being instructed by coaches on specific repertoire. This can be incredibly expensive and time-consuming; all of these musicians must have a system of support in order to work for their goals. Whether it’s teaching or performing freelance, these musicians must find a way to support their passion beyond just auditioning and practicing.

So what is the life of an orchestral musician like? Well even though it can be very glamorous and incredibly fulfilling, it’s a very demanding job. You have to remember that there are literally hundreds of other people that would jump at the opportunity to have your job; this means you have to keep yourself in top-notch condition. Even if you have time off from the orchestra you will have to practice every single day to stay in shape and learn your parts.

While it’s incredibly challenging to find and keep a job in an orchestra it can be richly rewarding. Many people spend their whole lives in pursuit of this and never actually achieve full-time success. Sometimes the freelance and part-time work are all they will achieve but it’s nothing to scoff at. Getting paid to play music is a complicated endeavor and it can truly take a lifetime to achieve success. But for a musician, it is the path to take.