Piano's Black Keys Were White, and White Keys Were Black In The Past

Piano's Black Keys Were White, and White Keys Were Black In The Past
All of us who are acquainted with the piano know that the keyboard consists of a series of white and black keys. The naturals, which make up most of the keyboard, are white, while the sharps and flats, which make up the rest of the keys, are black. However, what is not commonly known is that centuries ago, the colours on the piano were reversed (black naturals, and white sharps).

What Is A Music Motif

What Is A Music Motif
Simply put, the motif is a musical fragment from which longer notes are put together. Regardless of how they appear in the music score, motifs are an integral part of the composition. Although it makes up only a very small part of the overall composition it appears in, it is symbolic of the entire piece.

Akiko’s Piano Helps Us Remember Hiroshima Bombing Victims

Akiko’s Piano Helps Us Remember Hiroshima Bombing Victims
Akiko’s piano had to bear the brunt of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The piano was badly damaged because of the bomb’s destructive heat and blast. Glass shreds can be seen still embedded in the woodwork of the piano. However, unlike Akiko, the piano was to survive the ordeal miraculously, and was finally restored.

Upgrading of Steinway Upright Pedals

Upgrading of Steinway Upright Pedals
Since 1853 when Steinway was founded, we always follow the principle “Build the best piano in the world” till today, we look heavy on the quality of our products and keep on innovating new products and upgrading the current instruments to fulfill different requirements from artists and music lovers. From January 1st, 2019 onwards, all Steinway Hamburg Uprights including model K-132 and V-125 will be equipped with three pedals.

Researcher Ordered To Play The Piano For Misappropriating Funds

Researcher Ordered To Play The Piano For Misappropriating Funds
Alexander Neumeister's high-flying career came to an end when he was arrested in 2017 for misappropriating funds. Rather being sentenced to a jail term, when the judge learned that he was a trained pianist, Neumeister was ordered to play the piano at least twice a week for the next three years in various elderly care facilities.

Cadenza Piano: The First All-Weather Music Instrument From Israel

Cadenza Piano: The First All-Weather Music Instrument From Israel
The Cadenza is made out of concrete which is known for its high durability. It is entirely street-safe and weather-friendly because concrete is resistant to water, wind and high temperatures, as well as attempted vandalism. The first official Cadenza piano was placed in the open to endure its first storm in February 2018.

Pianovers Meetup #109 Digest

Pianovers Meetup #109 Digest
Pianovers Talents is officially announced. This recital is about supporting our fellow aspiring musicians' progress and their pursuit of musical passion. Now, musicians can perform at our recitals through solo, duet or ensemble on a grand piano or any other instruments (e.g. violin, guzheng, vocals), in a formal recital environment, and gain authentic performance experience! Whether you're a music teacher, parent, or musician - your students, children, or even yourself can use this platform to boost confidence in public performances, dress rehearsals for upcoming exams and recitals as well as grow bigger performing portfolios.

Pianovers Meetup #108 Digest

Pianovers Meetup #108 Digest
Leow Hong Ee performed "Take Five" by Paul Desmond, which is one of the first jazz pieces that he learned to play. As a classical pianist, he has always wanted to pick up a new genre of music. He is also currently the president of SMU's very own piano ensemble Ivory Keys. They will be holding a recital this Friday, 18 Jan 2019, at the SMU Arts and Culture Centre at 7:30pm. All the best to you and all the performers! Wishing you all a successful recital!

Confessions of Piano Teachers #2 – Knock, Knock, Are You Home?

Confessions of Piano Teachers #2 – Knock, Knock, Are You Home?
Can you be more flexible? We did not intentionally make you waste your trip. We genuinely forgot about the lesson. Furthermore, this is the first time it happened. Noel has been learning under you for the past three years already. He just entered Sec 1, and there are lots of things we are still trying to figure out and getting used to. Can you take all these into account? Okay?

Pianovers Meetup #107 Digest

Pianovers Meetup #107 Digest
Amos Ko has been attending the Meetups for a few months; however, this is the first time he has decided to perform for us. Yong Meng shared about him being very thoughtful and caring towards the Pianovers community. During the time when we were preparing for Pianovers Recital 2018 to celebrate our 2nd anniversary of Pianovers Meetup, Amos went to Canada for a family reunion. He sent a picture of himself to Yong Meng from the Collingwood Ski Resort with a note - "Wishing all at PIANOVERS a Merry Christmas and Happy New 2019!! Best wishes from Amos Ko at Collingwood Ski Resort Canada and wishing everyone a successful and marvellous anniversary concert!"

Confessions of Piano Teachers #1 - The Missing Lessons

Confessions of Piano Teachers #1 - The Missing Lessons
Kathy’s replies shocked me! She requested that the payments be made monthly instead of quarterly, so that they would be easier to track. She would not honour 4 lessons out of the total of 24 conducted since the last payment, as she suspected I wasn't here for these lessons. The last reply really hit me straight in the face: "I didn't check the earlier months. I trusted you, you know. Now I check this month, and it's like this!"

Pianovers Recital 2018 Digest

Pianovers Recital 2018 Digest
We celebrated our second anniversary of Pianovers Meetup on 28 Dec 2018. Known as Pianovers Recital 2018, this celebratory event brought all Pianovers together into an auditorium and watched performers go on stage and perform their pre-selected piece. Pianovers Recital 2018 also served to commemorate the success of our incredible Pianovers' musical journey with us since July 2016, and the milestones and achievements of ThePiano.SG in the past one year.

Pianovers Meetup #106 (Christmas Themed) Digest

Pianovers Meetup #106 (Christmas Themed) Digest
Today's meetup is a Christmas-themed meetup, and Pianovers are encouraged to perform Christmas-related pieces and dressed in red, green or white for a fantastic group picture. We are also very excited to share that not only did Pianovers Meetup #106 has a record-breaking attendance of 67 Pianovers, we also have a brand-new record for the highest number of registered piano players -- a total of 35 performers!

Menahem Pressler Gave His Solo Piano Concert At 90

Menahem Pressler Gave His Solo Piano Concert At 90
In December 2014, a stocky old man gave a piano concert in Germany. This musical event saw 90-year old Menahem Pressler playing the piano, along with the Berlin Philharmornic Orchestra and with Sir Simon Rattle as the conductor. This New Year’s Eve concert was televised “live” around the world.

Pianovers Meetup #105 Digest

Pianovers Meetup #105 Digest
Today is the second last Pianovers Meetup in 2018, while the last Meetup for 2018 will be held on 16th December 2018 and is a Christmas Themed. You are all encouraged to play Christmas related pieces, although; you can still choose to play your favourite tune pieces. Wear green, red, or white for a nice group photo!

Feature Your Favourite Performances In Your Pianover Profile Now

Feature Your Favourite Performances In Your Pianover Profile Now
One of the most important essence of being a pianist is to feel your music and believe in it. Music has connected thousands of people, and it is heartwarming to watch people performing on vast genres of music on the piano. It is with great delight that we announce that we have upgraded your Pianover Profile to showcase and feature your favourite performances as well as highlight your external accomplishments.

Pianovers Meetup #104 Digest

Pianovers Meetup #104 Digest
It is fascinating to see how a piano teacher can positively influence the repertoire of her students. Mentari and Desiree learned under a Russian piano teacher and therefore, are exposed to Russian culture-themed musical pieces. And we are fortunate to listen and be introduced to these pieces through Pianovers Meetup!

Pianovers Meetup #103 Digest

Pianovers Meetup #103 Digest
Yu Teik Lee played a musical game with the audience. He performed Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and invited the audience to shout an emotion during the performance. Immediately, the audience took part, and someone shouted "Happy", and he played it in the style that matched "Happy". Next, someone else shouted "Angry" and his notes became forceful. Someone even shouted, "Sad"! What a fun and interactive performance!

Pianovers Meetup #102 Digest

Pianovers Meetup #102 Digest
We all were excited to have Benyamin Nuss to be here -- connecting and chatting with many Pianovers!. Not only did he perform "Paraphrase de concert sur Rigoletto, S.434" by Franz Liszt, he also showed us a few pieces from Final Fantasy! We hope to have more concert celebrities mingling and engaging with our local piano community!

Pianovers Meetup #101 Digest

Pianovers Meetup #101 Digest
From Pianovers Meetup #101, we will explore the versatility of the piano with additional instruments with Ensemble Performances. And we had two ensemble performances tonight! The first was a vocal performance by Kendrick Ong (piano), and Siew Tin (vocals). The second was by Rei Tan (piano), and his piano teacher Fion Teo (flute). We even heard from Peter Prem, that his son, Joshua Peter, might bringing along his bass guitar for an ensemble performance with piano soon!

Pianovers Meetup #100 (Celebratory Themed) Digest

Pianovers Meetup #100 (Celebratory Themed) Digest
You're surrounded by family, and friends here today at Pianovers Meetup. Not only has the piano brought all of you here at the same place, it has given all of us the chance to get to know each other, to celebrate music together, to be proponents of piano music, to appreciate each other, to discover the local talents among you, to support each other, to stand together, to create wonderful memories together, and to create miracles together!

Pianovers Meetup #99 (Halloween Themed) Digest

Pianovers Meetup #99 (Halloween Themed) Digest
Let's take a moment to thank Kendrick for helping out with the Halloween decorations at Piano Park today! Together with Xin Hui, he started to decorate the place for the occasion at 5pm. Everyone applauded passionately for Kendrick in recognition of his enthusiasm, hard work, and professionalism. With this in mind, it is incredible to see many passionate Pianovers in our community, doing their part to make every Meetup as cheerful and merry for all of us and we all are very proud to be part of Pianovers.

Pianovers Meetup #98 Digest

Pianovers Meetup #98 Digest
The new Pianovers T-shirts is now available for purchase at ThePiano.SG, and it features the Pianovers’ metronome logo on the front, and the hashtag “#pianovers” at the back. Pianovers can now be ambassadors for piano music! And, did you already know about the new format to the weekly Meetups, starting from Meetup #101? Read all about the new format and related FAQs.

Pianovers Meetup #97 Digest

Pianovers Meetup #97 Digest
Pianovers who had watched John perform before would have remembered his unique way of playing: Leaving his handphone on the piano’s book stand as it played the music video of the piece he was playing, listening to the video with earphones, and playing by simply watching the video and not relying on any music score!