Blog for Students
Welcome to pianomz.com! I’m Dr. Mike Zachary, and I hope you will find a lot of useful information on this Web site. Be sure to contact me if you have questions!
WHY CAN A KEY SIGNATURE HAVE SIX FLATS?
March 8, 2008
Recently, someone asked me, "Why can a key signature have six or seven flats when there are only five flat keys on the piano?" This is my answer:
You are confusing a flat with a black key. You are correct that there are five black keys on the piano, but that doesn't mean there are only five flats. For example, really stretch your mind with this question: how many flats are on a trumpet since it doesn't have any black keys at all!
A flat simply means to lower a note a half step. Thus, F-flat on the piano looks the same as E. So The note E can be called F-flat.
Your real question is this: Why do we go to the bother of calling the same key on the piano by two different names. The answer is this: because of history. Several hundred years ago, it WAS NOT true, for example, that C-sharp and D-flat were the same key on the piano. Because of the system of tuning that was used, C-sharp was one pitch, and D-flat was another. E was one note, and F-flat was another. Because the traditions of music change slowly, there are still many reasons why we need to think about both C-sharp and D-flat.
Chord Symbols
I am very happy to tell you that I saw my hot-off-the-press book Chord Symbols for the first time this afternoon. This book isn’t really a book to read; instead, it’s a reference book. It deals with symbols like, E, Dm, D+7, and B7sus.
For music theory lovers like me, the first part of the book explains how each chord is constructed. For example, the details of major triads and sus chords are explained. In addition, the book shows the common abbreviations that are used.
The last part of the book has a convenient listing of the chords. If you want to know which notes are in Dm7 chord, just look at the chart. It’s a snap!
Because of the fact that chord symbols are based on traditional abbreviations instead of a perfectly logical system, it’s important to have a reference book that helps you understand these items for sure.
The book is available for $10 + shipping. If you’d like a copy, just send an email to me at info@pianomz.com, and include your shipping address. I’ll cheerfully mail you a copy with a bill.
Try Chinese!
February 7, 2008
Much native Chinese music is built on a scale that only has five notes, the pentatonic scale. Perhaps the easiest way to find a pentatonic scale is to play the black keys of the piano only.
Use your right hand to play two notes at the same time, perhaps beginning with Gb and Bb, moving to Ab and Db, and then to Bb and Eb. Play these tones very high on the piano. Randomly move around the black keys to create a Chinese sound.
Once you’ve done that, try a “low gong.” Very low on the piano, play an open fifth, perhaps Gb and Db. Leave the damper pedal down to this sound rings. As it continues ringing, play the high notes as described in the paragraph above.
Once you begin doing this, many ideas may come to your mind; and you can have fun improvising. When you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to impress your friends with how you can make the piano sound so Chinese!
January 28, 2008
If you're looking for a short piece to play that's not too hard but sounds great, be sure to download "From Foreign Lands and Peoples," a composition by Schumann that I've just added to my Web site. And if you want to treat yourself to a refreshing recording, download the recording of this piece played by Vladimir Horowitz.
On iTunes, the actual selection I purchased was Track #1 of Kinderszenen (Scenes from C...), one minute, thirty-two seconds long, played by Vladimir Horowitz on the album Vladimir Horowitz, In the Hands of the Master.
(click here to listen)
This composition is the first piece from a set of thirteen pieces titled Scenes from Childhood. Robert Schumann composed this music in 1838, yet it still maintains its original charm.
Play the piece at a moderate tempo, but not too slowly. As usual, make sure the melody is heard more clearly than anything else; and be sure the triplets glide effortlessly throughout the piece.
The piece is very short, and there is a good deal of repetition in it. This would be an easy piece to memorize, and it's well worth it!
GO AHEAD AND MEMORIZE IT
January 16, 2008
There are many selections that you will need to know for a lifetime. Every pianist is occasionally called on to play “Happy Birthday,” and even advanced pianists sometimes receive requests for simple pieces of music.
It is a wonderful idea to commit many pieces of music to memory. Church pianists will probably need to know how to play “Amazing Grace” for the rest of their lives, and classical audiences seldom tire of “Für Elise.”
I believe that playing by memory is related to the art of playing by ear, and good pianists can never build these skills too strongly. So if you have a chance, play it by memory!
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
January 11, 2008
It’s supposed to be easy!
Of course, playing the piano takes years and years of work. But after all the work is over, you should be able to play your pieces with ease and fluency.
Really, fluency at the piano is gained in three important ways.
1. Take the time to learn lots of relatively easy pieces. Avoid the idea that you should only play extremely difficult and showy pieces. You really improve your skills by playing music that you enjoy. Folk songs, church songs, and patriotic songs are great, just as are simple minuets and preludes.
2. When you practice a challenging piece, break it down into sections. Then work on those sections until they seem easy. When you struggle through a piece from beginning to end, you may only reinforce bad habits. Learn to break down your work into manageable sections.
3. Review! Just because you have “passed” a song doesn’t mean you should never play it again. Ease of playing is greatly enhanced as we continue to play pieces that we’ve worked on.
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