All of us listen to music. The healing effects on the music creator go far beyond that on the passive listener. For those who can pick up a musical instrument, do so today and you will reap the far-sounding benefits of the music you play. For others who are hesitant to pick up a musical instrument, the piano is a kind and gentle friend.
Most interesting was the number of teenagers that were present, most being 15 – 19 years of age, including Alex, Zafri and his small group of friends. Apart from the teens, it is always heartwarming to see the Pianovers Meetups attended by people from such differing backgrounds and ages. From the young to the wise, the Pianovers Meetup is certainly a space where one can come to enjoy the pleasures of musical entertainment.
It is a myth that only serious musicians needs to have their pianos voiced. In reality, all pianos need to be voiced periodically, even those used by novice pianists. When a pianist is just starting to learn to play, it is important that a properly-voiced instrument is used so that she is able to discern between notes based purely on her playing. This reduces the number of variables that she has to handle in her learning journey.
Vanessa and Mitch played the theme song from Bubble Bobble (the arcade game by Taito) and scored a first in the Meetups by performing on a Pianica, before switching back to the piano! They also shared the wonderful piece of news that they are planning to get married in May 2017. The sincerest congratulations to the lovely couple from everyone at ThePiano.SG!
Lego markets a set of game kits known as Lego Mindstorm that consists of their well-loved bricks, sensors and motors, as well as built-in computers. The idea is to allow creative players to build robots customised to their desires and limited only by their imagination. One player created a robotic metronome that moves like a real metronome and that has a wheel for a tempo adjuster!
Jerome, who is an avid contributor to the Pianovers Meetup and had met an accident a couple of weeks back, showed up in crutches. He is still due to be in a wheelchair for a couple more months, yet showed up to support the Meetup's vision for an inclusive piano community. His charisma and generosity was clear to see that evening when he bought five polo shirts as prizes for a guessing game he incorporated into his performance.
Someone once said "Music is the purest embodiment of love. Even when there are no lyrics, the melody alone expresses so much more than words can ever express." And music does wonders to babies. It has amazed many at various occasions, when music changes the entire mood in the room and babies fall asleep so sweetly with a gentle lullaby.
Love was in the air and all around during the recent Pianovers Meetup. With the theme of the night being Valentine’s Day, everyone was in the mood for love. But more importantly, they were in the mood for some romantic tunes. To spruce up The URA Centre, Vanessa Yu brought two heart-shaped balloons and Elyn brought two lovely heart-shaped cakes.
Some people say “Life is like a song, with music being the voice of love”. Regardless of how the piano is engaged and how well the music is played, we say “There can be no life without music, because music forms the foundation of life”. To quote Oscar Wilde, “Women fall in love through their ears, men fall in love through their eyes”.
A piano is often lamented as an expensive piece of equipment, easily costing thousands of dollars. However, did you know that there is such an act as Piano Burning? That’s crazy, some may think, maybe the person is absolutely insane- or just really hates the piano. However, that is not so. Piano Burning is an action of setting an acoustic piano on fire. It is usually ceremonial or for visual entertainment.
To welcome the Lunar New Year, we had a special themed Pianovers Meetup planned this week, complete with an explosion of the colour red, delicious Chinese New Year goodies, Mandarin oranges and an array of Chinese New Year-themed music. Many of the Pianovers also indulged in the Chinese New Year snacks and goodies that were brought and contributed while they chatted with others.
Here are some points to take note and look out for when you are hiring a piano teacher, and they will be important and helpful in cases where you are changing a teacher or looking for a suitable teacher for your child to start music lessons.
When we first met Matthew with his children at Meetup #21, we didn't think he is the one learning the piano. He took to the stage with “Silent Night”, because he had wanted to inspire his children to pick up the piano. It proved to be successful as his kids have since picked up the piano and were here this week, performing alongside their father; a true inspiration indeed.
Piano-playing reached new heights at the 31st Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, where the visitors were treated to a huge ice piano keyboard of 21 keys with LED lights that actually produced music. Probably the first such piano ever seen anywhere in the world, this magical ice piano quickly became a hit with locals and tourists alike.
After taking some time off for the holidays, The Pianovers Meetup is back! The night began as how Pianovers Meetups would begin, with an intimate dinner between a couple of Piano lovers and delicious local food. Once a chef, JC even treated the gang to an in-depth and insightful analysis of the famous Michelin-Award winning Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice.
Just a few years ago, in the beginning of the 2010s, I felt that Singapore remained largely as a cultural desert (as far as music is concerned) despite the large or growing number of performances we had per day. Why? It is fallacious to associate music vibrancy with the number of performance items alone.
The 22nd Pianovers Meetup this week came earlier than anticipated. With a generous offer of a complimentary Western-style buffet, original plans for the 8 January 2017 were brought forward to the 22 December 2016, at an exciting new location at The Sail @ Marina Bay!
Seldom does a piano performance simultaneously take place in a stunningly beautiful outdoor location and take on a grim, urgent environmental message. Greenpeace, the environmental group, commissioned a special video that carried its message of environmental protection. Probably the most unusual piano performance ever filmed, this short performance featured well-known Italian composer and pianist Ludovico Einaudi playing in the frozen Arctic.
Following the series of the Pianovers Meetups and other events such as the Pianovers Sailaway and most recently, the Piano Jamming Party, organised by Casio, at Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Pianovers who are regulars at the Meetups and have become close friends, organised an exciting new event of their own – Pianovers Jammers Night!
It’s the festive time of year and ThePiano.SG had a lot in store during the week’s Pianovers Meetup. From matching outfits to themed music, it was a night packed with joy, cheer, laughter and of course, wonderful music! Though it was not actually Christmas day, the spirit of the season was certainly present, everyone had a wonderful time.
According to the "Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians", we discover there are two types of piano duets: "four hands" and the "piano duo". These are the two main ways by which two players can perform together. When both use the same piano, we term the duet "four hands". When each performs on a separate piano, they form a "piano duo".
ThePiano.SG and Casio came hand in hand to bring to piano lovers all over the island an exciting weekend called The Piano Jamming Party! Held over 2 days on the 10 and 11 Dec, the usual weekly Pianovers Meetup at The URA Centre was at Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Level 3. This Meetup saw a record number of 20 registered players, and a total of 23 pieces performed!
What an exciting 19th Pianovers Meetup we had this week indeed! With an extra special location and two exclusive pianos to dabble with, Pianovers were more than delighted to be a part of the incredible evening. In conjunction with Casio’s two-day Piano Jamming Party that took place on 10 and 11 December, we had the honour of hosting our Meetup at Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Level 3.
After months of anticipation, ThePiano.SG’s inaugural yacht event, Pianovers Sailaway, finally arrived. On 4 December 2016, Pianovers, along with support crew, descended upon the ONE°15 Marina Club at Sentosa Cove for the yacht outing that would bring them out into the open sea. What would transpire in the next four hours would turn out to be the event that would become the occasion of a lifetime.