<p>Using Kimiko’s performance of Bach’s Prelude in C Major, Stephen Malinowski, the inventor of the Harmonic Colouring Method, created animated graphical scores that became a visual representation of this well-known piece. This was done by assigning colours to the various music pitches and rendering them in their visual forms on a computer.</p>
<p>Everyone at the event was absolutely captivated by the pieces played by all the registered players. Not surprisingly, the event lasted well into the night. We even witnessed a whopping 8-hand improvisation across two pianos! It was a complete joy to see all the pianists thoroughly engrossed in their art, making up tunes as they went along.</p>
<p>We thought the <span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Pianovers Meetup</span> would be a good way for pianists to share good music, budding musicians to gain confidence in performing for bigger audiences, and generally for anyone to make new friends within the piano community.</p>
<p>The most recent piano outing was greeted with a cozy enthusiasm as familiar faces gathered at Maxwell Food Centre for a pre-outing catch-up and dinner. Food were shared and laughter was spread as Yong Meng and the teachers discussed the topic of the day – sight reading, firmly agreeing on the importance of the skill in any piano students’ life.</p>
<p>Our fellow Singaporean, Wang Huang Hao Jia, aged only 15 managed to clinch Third place in the Regional Finals while Dohyun Lee from South Korea and Chia-Ying Shen from Taiwan came in Second and First respectively. Being the winner of this Regional Finals, Chia-Ying Shen will go on to participate in the International Steinway Festival in Hamburg, Germany in September 2016.</p>
<p>It is shocking that one of music’s most brilliant minds was also one who penned letters with obscenities. One particular individual was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a prolific German composer, who seemed to have a thing for scatology, as evidenced in some of his letters and compositions.</p>
<p>For the first time since the inception of the Associate Board of the Royal Schools of Music ("ABRSM") examinations in 1889, budding musicians will get to play their favourite pieces at a performance-focused examination that is examined under the ABRSM. Like a mini recital, the new examination encourages candidates to select pieces that when put together, creates an enjoyable 30-minute programme.</p>
<p>In the 1999 President’s Star Charity show, Mr Ong Teng Cheong stepped up to the stage to personally give a piano performance, accompanied by MediaCorp artistes Kym Ng and Evelyn Tan. It was truly a memorable performance to be remembered for a lifetime.</p>
<p>Have you ever stared in amusement at how big the piano seemed in comparison to a young child who was playing it? It may be surprising for the common folks to know that the keyboard of a piano actually has a standard measurement. One may then question the absurdity of a one-size-fits-all piano when we know that many other instruments like the violin or guitar are customisable in size to fit the needs of different people.</p>
<p>Newly-weds Skylar and Daniel received a totally unexpected surprise during their wedding when the emcees handed their microphones to members of the families and erupted into a dance. Soon, these two ladies were joined by the entire wedding party.</p>
<p>Given <em>Mariage d’Amour</em> is generally assumed to be associated with a wedding, it seems somewhat puzzling that this piece was written in a minor key, often suggestive of sadness. In addition, its Chinese title, <<梦中的婚礼>>, literally translated to <em>Wedding in the Dream</em>, seems to hint at the non-occurance of the wedding. Perhaps there is more than meets the eye?</p>
<p>The blend of music into daily objects transforms the abstract to the tangible. The metamorphosis of the piano from an intricate musical instrument for the privileged few to something manageable for the common man might just enthuse more to take up the challenge of discovering the pleasure of playing the piano.</p>
<p>I’m Zhivko Girginov and I voluntarily tuned for free all the 25 pianos for the Singapore edition of the International music & arts community project “Play Me, I’m Yours”. I managed to tune all the 25 pianos for 13 days, spending 3 hours for each piano with additional traveling time of 2 hours.</p>
<p>A baton is a short stick or anything resembling one. In the hands of a conductor however, it transforms into an instrument of meaning, its movement becoming a form of sign language that conveys musical ideas. Through this language, a conductor, and a conductor’s baton, have an important influence on the way an orchestra sounds.</p>
<p>There are 5 core features on uprights that we use to quickly gauge value. In most product lines, these features are added or improved as the price rises. Essex pianos, by Steinway, have all 5 features in every model.</p>
<p>Tango composer, Astor Piazzolla, composed Libertango, which was published and recorded in 1974. Libertango is a portmanteau merging the Spanish word, Libertad and Tango that symbolized Piazzolla’s break from Classic Tango music to Nuevo Tango music.</p>
<p>Way before conductors used batons as conducting tools, staffs were used instead. The method of conducting using a staff was vastly different as compared to the usage of a baton: a conductor indicated the time of a piece by banging a large staff on the floor, while with a baton, as it is used today, it is done by drawing patterns in the air.</p>
<p>In history or present, music has been an attempted mechanism to connect with animals. We need dreams in order to push our limits and achieve more than what we already have. What Optus did in the commercial might seem to be an naive dream to many now but one never knows. With this ignition, someone may be inspired to achieve this dream of communicating with whales through music in the future.</p>
<p>ThePiano.SG held its second teachers’ gathering on 6 June 2016 at The Esplanade. Chasing away the Monday blues with music and laughter were Sng Yong Meng, Pauline Tan, Serene Chew and Liew Hui Jie.</p>
<p>Returning to the Esplanade for the third time this summer for their upcoming concert <span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">“The Forte Awakens”</span>, Anderson and Roe will be bringing their exhilarating rendition of pieces from the Star Wars fantasies to delighted fans, and ThePiano.SG had snagged an exclusive interview with The Piano Duo to understand their inspiration and vision for their music.</p>
<p>Many would recognise the melody of one of Beethoven’s most famous piano piece, Für Elise. Not many, however, would know the controversies behind it, that it was not published till 40 years after Beethoven’s death, that the title could be wrong all along, or that the version we are all so familiar with was not the last edited version by Beethoven.</p>
<p>One of the best-known musical events of the world, the renowned biennial International Steinway Festival, is now well underway with various countries concurrently running national-level auditions to determine their representatives for the International Steinway Festival 2016. </p>
<p style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">When you think of starting piano lessons for yourself or your family, one of the first questions that come to mind might be: What are the piano lesson rates in Singapore? Although indeed, price might seem like an important and practical consideration, there is frequently a lack of understanding that aside from budgeting purposes, there is precious little value in considering the monetary obligation that lessons will cost. </p>
<p>A Masterclass, much as the name suggests, can be broadly defined as a class led by one who possesses mastery in any specific discipline. More commonly practiced within the arts, and on musical subjects in particular, Masterclasses have been a staple learning methodology since 1869. Their invention is attributed to the virtuosic Hungarian pianist, Franz Liszt. Since then, Masterclasses have been held by professionals ranging from experienced instructors to legendary performers, for aspiring pianists all over the world.</p>