Unique Pianos
Pianos don’t all have to look the same!
liz
About liz
Posts by Liz Thomasson:
Crazy Fast Piece by Turkish Composer
I’m going to be visiting Turkey soon to visit my youngest son, which inspired me to look up some Turkish piano music.
This piece was written by Turkish composer Ahmed Adnan Saygun (1907-1991) using aksak, which means “limping” or “stumbling.” It’s very fast with irregular rhythms. (Strictly speaking, in Turkish music theory the term refers only to the grouping of nine pulses into a pattern of 2 + 2 + 2 + 3.) For you math and computer experts, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aksak
If you want to see a close-up of a pianist’s hands, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=wi0vF7HG7gU This video is a bit wavy and slightly blurry, but you can see more of the fast repeated notes, the glissandi, and the fast octaves in both hands.
Believe it or not, after all the dissonance, this piece has a C major chord in it towards the end. See if you can hear it. Then match the last note of the piece to the piano and see what it is.
Beethoven’s Ode to Joy Flashmob Performance
Here’s a performance of one of our favorite pieces. You’ll be surprised at how it all works out. This performance took place this spring in Sabadell, Spain.
Beatboxing Cellist
Here’s a fun video of a cellist who accompanies himself with drumbeat sounds he makes with his mouth.
Blog, Improvisation, Jazz, Piano, Videos
Video Animations of Improvisational Music
I found some neat video animations of two improvisational pieces. It’s very interesting to see how the animators represented the music visually…
Here’s a video of a piano and bass improvisation:
And here’s a video for the song Giant Steps by famous jazz saxophonist, John Coltrane.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV4Iwh6Kl1c
Disassembled Upright Piano
This is a picture of an upright piano disassembled by Tom Fotheringham on the blog Things Organized Neatly. It’s amazing how many different pieces go into making a piano!
Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Pentatonic Scale
Here’s a video of the singer Bobby McFerrin using audience participation to demonstrate the pentatonic scale.
http://vimeo.com/5732745
New Website, Blog, and Video!
Hi everyone! Welcome to my new website and blog. I’m excited to have a place where I can post fun things I find in the world of music, piano performance, accompaniment, teaching, and lessons.
For my first post, I want to share a video we just finished about my piano studio. I worked with the Boston video production company Extraneous Noise to produce the video. Hope you enjoy it!
Studio Video
Welcome to Thomasson Piano Studio! I’ve had the wonderful privilege of spending the past 40 years teaching piano lessons, accompanying, and performing. I love working with beginners to advanced students of all ages. My personalized approach and supportive teaching style will help you reach your musical goals. You can learn more about my teaching approach and philosophy in the above video. Please call or email if you have questions or to arrange a trial lesson in my Albuquerque studio. I look forward to making music with you!