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I'm trying to sight read them as best as I can as I can't afford the CDs. When I got this years pieces however abt 8 months ago I had to use Youtube to get some idea of how the pieces should be played. If I was Dictator of the World, I would ban CDs of exam pieces. I am sure that, in an ideal world...

Two more quotes from the CD cover: "Horowitz can make the piano sing as no other pianist can." (Suddeutsche Zeitung) - on a sticker on the cover. "Horowitz had the magic, and that cannot be learned." (Harold C Schonberg, Horowitz's biographer) - on the inner sleeve. I never saw h...

I've just bought a CD of the last concert given by Horowitz, described in the CD notes as " this most celebrated pianist of the 20th century". I could not disagree with that! What really drew my attention was a quotation from him which sums up what playing the piano is all about: "The...

I've been working on the Prelude from Bach's English Suite No3 and a really lovely Impromptu by Glazunov. My fingers are itching to get started on my next projects - the Gavotte from the same English Suite, Ravel's Sonatine and one of the Brahms' Rhapsodies but they are going to have to wait until ...

well there is only one steinway and sons that is true! They don't have their reputation as the best pianos in the world for nothing! I find that Steinways make you play better because they are so sensitive and unforgiving in a way, they show up all the nasty little bumps in the sound etc. This mean...

. . . if i was spending 26k i'd buy the kemble and get a new bathroom, kitchen, holiday and pay off some more of the mortgage (credit crunch and all. . .) Fair point, but, for me, one kitchen or bathroom is much like another, the mortgage will get paid eventually and holidays can be had at bargain ...

Gill the Piano wrote:I preferred the Bosendorfer, although there wasn't a lot of volume to it.

I like to make lots of noise! Hence my love of Steinways; though they can be magically delicate too!!

This is a very difficult area in which to give advice, but I will make two points, one of which, I'm afraid, will be no use to Susan Elizabeth: 1 With child-beginners, try to play in public ASAP. I find that children who have played in a relaxed atmosphere in public before the age of about 10/11 nev...

Some months ago this question came up in relation to grand pianos: http://www.uk-piano.org/piano-forums/viewtopic.php?t=5458 The suggestion that the answer is undoubtedly Steinway was not disputed! I know that the question with uprights is more controversial, since there are competitors to Steinway ...

Hey Silvermist, I remember when I was at school in music lessons ( not that I was bothered with learing music then, regrettably :x ) to remember the AGBDF notes my teacher said: All Good Boys Deserve Females!!! Why would you need to remember AGBDF? Is that I clef I've never come across? Or does Moo...

silvermist wrote:Hi!
and for the lines GBDFA -Great Big Dogs Fart Alot!
I wonder if this might help?

]

My own favourite is: Good Boys Don't Frighten Auntie

I can remember, as a child, finding the bass clef notes difficult. I agree with dave brum that trying to remember a couple of milestone notes was a big help. I think I found it most useful to always have it in mind that the lowest line was G and to quickly calculate everything from that. Gradually t...

My reaction is still that you have NOT made an unwise purchase. New Yamahas have everything working perfectly; all you need is to get the exact sound you want, and an expert will be able to do that. There's nothing worse than regretting a purchase when it's too late. I am sure that this should not b...

Phew!! That's a relief: Barrie has confirmed what I thought!

Thank you Openwood for your reply. It occurs to me that 'tweaking' the hammer felts like that might affect the resale value or the guarantee? I'm rather between a rock and a hard place about the Yamaha - if the sound is going to be drastically improved I might decide to keep it, but otherwise I don...

If you want to take the piano seriously and you want to be a real pianist, get a real piano.

A well-motivated adult student will soon reach the stage where a 6 octave piano is a handicap. Unless you want to go through the business of looking for a piano all over again, I'd suggest going for a full-sized one now. The difference in size must be relatively small anyway. It sounds to me as if t...

Yes, I agree with markymark, sight-reading is invaluable outside an exam context. It's the basis of all playing really. When a pupil can sight-read the teacher can move on to the real business of teaching: interpretation and the more musical aspects of performing, rather than just note-reading. It's...

Paul Harris's various books for Faber, such as Improve your Sight-Reading are about the best. If you're working towards Associated Board exams, hang on for a while, because they are changing their requirements for sight reading and Paul is re-writing his books to fit in with the new syllabus. Otherw...

there are different silent systems out there so each is different with the setoff, genio is around 10-12 depending on how the rail fits, the pianodisc is around the same.Yamaha may say 5.5 to 8mm but on a few I've had to make it 10mm to stop the hammers blocking. This all sounds really interesting,...

The strings/hammers have been replaced said the restorer. I think you should ask three questions (if you haven't already): 1 When were they replaced? 2 Who did the work? 3 What strings/hammers were used? Genuine Steinway or other? This will give some indications of the state of the piano, but I don...

I would have thought that a 1938 Model V has the potential to be a tremendous instrument. How drastic was the tinkering with the outside of the piano? Perhaps more importantly, what is the state of the strings and action? If you were serious about it, you really need a Steinway expert to look it ove...

I think you were unlucky. I do lots of that sort of exam accompanying and I've never had a problem. I've never known a parent criticise my skills and I've certainly never had problems with payment. I agree that ISM membership is very useful and I have been a member for decades. However, I've a suspi...

As a teacher, my advice to William is simple. Your carefully-expressed thoughts make it very obvious that you have a deep feeling for music and that you really enjoy playing the piano and expanding your limits. Judging from what you have written, your teacher will have realised this too. You are one...

Hi, please tell if anyone knows the best brand of grand pianos maybe 6 feet long! Yours sincerly, Mr. Paul Carrell There can only be one answer to the question "what is the best brand of grand piano?" Anyone who thinks I'm biased should compare the opinions of some of the great pianists q...

I used to avoid Yamahas like the plague for exactly the same reasons, but honestly they don't have to sound like that. Ask the people in Leeds to show you a mellow-voiced one before you write them off! We have a Yam C7 at the school where I work and we got Jeff Shackell to voice it; it's beautiful ...

I'm surprised that no-one has mentioned the Incorporated Society of Musicians (in the UK). All the teachers in its register have met very stringent standards of qualifications and experience. I think that they also have to offer evidence of the criminal checks which all schools have to carry out. A ...