Piano music

Do you know what a guitar player has to spend to get a good quality acoustic instrument? Anywhere from $500 to $2000 depending on make and model. Do you know what a piano player looking for a grand piano has to spend to get a similar quality instrument? Anywhere from $5000 to $100,000 and up!

Who has this kind of money? Not the average Joe on the street. No. Grand pianos are beautiful and great sounding but are way out of the price range of the average family. What to do? Well there’s the baby grand. Here we have a nice instrument that can be bought used for as little as $2000.

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When I first began playing piano… now over 16 years ago, I thought the best way to begin was to read music and play simple finger exercises so I could get used to the instrument.

Turns out I was just a little right. Some of Czerny’s exercises are very good for developing finger strength and dexterity. When I have nothing better to do, I’ll practice five note finger patterns on the white keys.

But now, I don’t practice scales, exercises or any other kind of “technique” exercise. Why? Because I’ve discovered a better way to warm up and get the fingers going. Of course I’m speaking about improvisation. You know, the great thing about improvisation is that technique is invented when it

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We all want quick results. And fortunately for fans of the New Age piano style, quick results are easy enough to obtain.

One of my favorite techniques for creating a great sounding improvisation is to use something called an ostinato pattern. The reason I like this technique is because of the variety available. There are literally millions and millions of combinations.

For example, in the lesson “December Twilight,” (listen to it by clicking below) we have a left-hand ostinato pattern. The amazing thing about this is that it’s just 2-bar repeating pattern! And only 2 chords are used - A Major and D Major. With just this small amount of material, a few minutes of music is created.

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In a world that is increasingly based on technology, music has also become digital. Many people prefer to listen to music accentuated with modern methods and over mediums such as the Internet and CD. However, there are also some music lovers who believe that the real taste of music lies in the rendition of live pianos. Grand pianos are pieces of priceless treasure and for someone who owns them they are a matter of great pride. There are many ways to acquire grand pianos and the Internet is an invaluable tool to facilitate this effort.

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Are there really secrets to becoming a really good piano player? Or is it just a matter of practice, practice, practice?

Practice is necessary, of course, but you could practice until the cows come home without understanding what you re doing at the piano, and all you would end up with is fingers that behave obediently to whatever the sheet music or score tells them to do.

Understanding how music works in terms of form and content is the key to productive practice. Then you are not just playing mechanically by rote like a machine, but you can get inside the music and eventually let it flow out of your brain and heart as well as your hands.

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