I think the best definition of polyphony that I ever heard was from Arthur Jacobs, who defined it as “the simultaneous combination of two or more melodies to make musical sense.”
Profiles with videos
Visualization for Carnegie Hall
For my performance at Carnegie Hall, I wanted to infuse my music with the same emotion I experienced at home.
Expression Is the Need of My Soul
I have often walked by my piano, even though I know that when I play I solve problems better, I am more peaceful, and I have a sense of positive fullness.
Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 10 K. 330 Amplified
The systems architect Gorden Cheng took an unconventional path to winning the 2012 Chicago Amateur Piano Competition by playing the Mozart Piano Sonata No.10 in C major, K.330/300h.
An Amateur Pianist Creates a Concert Series
When Glenn Kramer visited London in 1999, the noontime classical piano concerts enchanted him. In London for six weeks while on a summer sabbatical, he checked TimeOut London in the mornings and attended the concerts, usually free to the public, during lunchtime. At Wigmore Hall, he heard Liszt’s “Benediction de Dieu dans la Solitude” for the first time.
A Piano Teacher Takes Adult Piano Lessons
In his early 30s, Matthew Harre felt disenchanted with his piano technique. So this graduate of composition from American University and a teacher of adult pianists enrolled himself in adult piano lessons.
When You Need a Quiet Piano
Ricker Choi is an accomplished amateur pianist from Toronto, Ontario. In the last five years, he has placed in amateur piano competitions from Boston to Berlin.
Ensembles and Adult Piano Lessons
Alberto De Salas believes that playing in an ensemble is crucial to a pianist’s development.
Why Students of Adult Piano Lessons Should Perform
Matthew Harre believes that performing on the piano is a different art than simply playing the piano. “I think performance is terribly important for adults,” Harre declares.
Burgmüller’s Opus 109 Amplified
In this practice video, I play the first section of The Pearls, Burgmüller Opus 109. Unfortunately, my extended pinky problem made an unwelcome appearance.
Losing Control in Adult Piano Lessons
Matthew Harre, one of the most well-known teachers of adult piano lessons in the Washington DC area, prescribes scales, patience, and practice like many of his music-teaching brethren.
Body over Mind When Performing
For over a year, while studying Chopin’s Raindrop Prelude in my adult piano lessons, I often stumbled into an A-flat trap. In the expansion of the dreamy, opening melody, I launched off a bass A-flat into nowhere, flummoxed on which notes I should strike next.
No Pedal Please: A New Approach in Adult Piano Lessons
My grandfather, Harold, who lived to 91, could navigate routes through Pittsburgh even after he became legally blind. Harold advocated finesse behind the wheel.
Pianists Show Up in the Most Unexpected Places
The neon sign in the dark, second-floor window at the corner of 61st and Lexington simply read “Eyebrows.” Getting my eyebrows done had never failed to lift my spirits, and on that particular rainy Tuesday evening my spirits needed lifting.
Adult Piano Student Strangles Burgmuller’s Pastorale
I recently experienced, in my study of Burgmuller’s Pastorale, the hazards of excessive practice.