The piano - an instrument that is capable of producing melodies as soft as silk and as majestic as The Taj Mahal. It is not an inexpensive instrument, yet several pianos in the world now have price tags that would astonish the common folks. Though they may serve the same purpose, expensive pianos awe the public and showcase the grandiose lifestyle of the rich and famous.
On 4 September 2016, piano lovers converged on the URA Centre for the sixth instalment of the Pianovers Meetup. Pianovers Meetups are intended to bring together a community of piano lovers, young and old, experienced and novice. It is heartening to see people with a common love for piano come together every week to play, to learn, to enjoy and to exchange tips with one another.
ThePiano.SG is proud to present the following interview with acclaimed performer Kevin Kern after his concert here in sunny Singapore on the 10th of September, 2016, at 8pm, at the Star Theatre. Kevin is an American pianist and composer, and is generally recognised as a representative of the new-age style of music.
As the evening turned into night, dusk became night and road traffic dwindled on this pleasant Sunday evening, the bodies became weary. The spirits, however, soared. Seeing a group of piano enthusiasts gathered around two pianos in downtown Singapore and pursuing their passion in the night was truly an interesting sight.
MOD files, or module files, are essentially music files that can be transferred between computers and shared with friends. Unknown to some, the humble MOD files of days past spawned a whole movement around the world that got people interested in digital music and created a demoscene subculture.
Play It Forward, Singapore is a community initiative that sees refurbished pianos placed in public places for the public’s enjoyment. It aims to give the public access to pianos, while also bringing people together by turning urban spaces into hubs for interaction.
The weekly Pianovers Meetup has established a warm and inviting atmosphere for the growth of a close-knit group of piano enthusiasts and music lovers, and continues to encourage a spirited bond within the piano community of Singapore.
The dress code for formal occasions like a piano recital or an orchestra performance has been somewhat fixed for years. However, as we move into modern times, should the dress code then be challenged to move along with the times?
The night was brought to a close with a group photo and ceremonious cake cutting, reflecting on the highlights of the social initiative so far and goals for future ones; to continue to build a strong and supportive piano community, encourage friendships with other musicians, as well as to provide a stage for budding young pianists to showcase their talents and be rewarded for their achievements.
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.
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.
We thought the Pianovers Meetup 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Given Mariage d’Amour 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 Wedding in the Dream, seems to hint at the non-occurance of the wedding. Perhaps there is more than meets the eye?
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.
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.
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.
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.