The Persistent Pianist

The Persistent Pianist
Author: Eileen D. Robilliard
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 116
Release: 1967
Genre: Music
ISBN:

"This book is intended primarily as a guide for the adult beginner or re-starter. The author, who writes out of long experience of such pianists, shows a refreshing practical sympathy with their special problems. Any amateur pianist, however, will find in this book much to provoke and encourage him to new efforts. There is a long annotated list of books for further reading, and a particularly useful repertoire list of easier pieces suitable for adults to play." -- Back cover.

JAZZ RAGS & BLUES 3

JAZZ RAGS & BLUES 3
Author: Martha Mier
Publisher: Alfred Music
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2010-09
Genre: Music
ISBN: 9780739075302

Jazz, Rags & Blues, Books 1-5contain original solos for late elementary to early advanced-level pianists that reflect the various styles of the jazz idiom. An excellent way to introduce your students to this distinctive American contribution to 20th century music. The CD includes dynamic recordings of each song in the book.

Jazz, Rags & Blues, Book 1

Jazz, Rags & Blues, Book 1
Author: Martha Mier
Publisher: Alfred Music
Total Pages: 28
Release: 2005-05-03
Genre: Music
ISBN: 9781457444111

Jazz, Rags & Blues, Book 1 contains original solos for late elementary to early intermediate-level pianists that reflect the various styles of the jazz idiom. An excellent way to introduce your students to this distinctive American contribution to 20th century music.

Play It Again

Play It Again
Author: Alan Rusbridger
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
Total Pages: 271
Release: 2013-09-17
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0374710627

The Guardian editor and amateur pianist’s account of a remarkable musical challenge during an extraordinary year for news. As editor of the Guardian, one of the world’s foremost newspapers, Alan Rusbridger lives by the relentless twenty-four-hour news cycle. But increasingly in midlife, he feels the gravitational pull of music—especially the piano. He sets himself a formidable challenge: within a year, to fluently learn Chopin’s magnificent Ballade No. 1 in G minor, arguably one of the most difficult Romantic compositions in the repertory. With pyrotechnic passages that require feats of memory, dexterity, and power, the piece is one that causes alarm even in battle-hardened concert pianists. Under ideal circumstances, this would have been a daunting task. But the particular year Rusbridger chooses turns out to be one of frenetic intensity, beginning with WikiLeaks’ massive dump of state secrets and ending with the Guardian’s revelations about widespread phone hacking at News of the World. “In between, there were the Japanese tsunami, the Arab Spring, the English riots . . . and the death of Osama Bin Laden,” writes Rusbridger. The test would be to “nibble out” twenty minutes per day to do something totally unrelated to these events. Rusbridger’s subject is larger than any one piece of music: Play It Again deals with focus, discipline, and desire but is, above all, about the sanctity of one’s inner life in a world dominated by deadlines and distractions. Praise for Play It Again “An absorbing, adroitly crafted tale of humility, discipline and the sheer love of music . . . [Alan Rusbridger’s] triumph is an inspiration.” —Katie Hafner, The New York Times Book Review “A unique mélange of political and musical reportage . . . [Alan Rusbridger] illuminates not only print media in this digital age but also the changing role of the music within.” —Iain Burnside, The Observer (London)

A Dictionary for the Modern Pianist

A Dictionary for the Modern Pianist
Author: Stephen Siek
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 303
Release: 2016-11-10
Genre: Music
ISBN: 0810888807

A Dictionary for the Modern Pianist combines nearly four hundred entries covering classical and popular pianists, noted teachers, terminology germane to the piano’s construction, and major manufacturers—both familiar firms and outstanding, independent builders who have risen to the forefront in recent years. Speaking to the needs of the modern performer, it also includes entries on jazz and pop artists, digital pianos, and period instruments. As a resource for professionals and students, A Dictionary for the Modern Pianist is also accessible to more general readers, as all of its topics are presented in clear, readable expositions. Drawing on the most recent research of numerous specialists, author Stephen Siek emphasizes the piano's uniquely rich heritage, giving pianists a renewed appreciation for the famous artists and teachers who have shaped their art. Transcending simple alphabetical definitions, the dictionary’s careful attention both to legacy and detail make it an invaluable addition to any pianist’s library. Titles in the Dictionaries for the Modern Musician series offer novice and advanced musicians key information on the field of study and performance of a major instrument or instrument class. Unlike other encyclopedic works, contributions to this series focus primarily on the knowledge required by the contemporary musical student or performer. From quick definitions of confusing terms to in-depth overviews of history and tradition, the dictionaries are ideal references for students, professionals, and music lovers of all kinds.

The Perfect Wrong Note

The Perfect Wrong Note
Author: William Westney
Publisher: Hal Leonard Corporation
Total Pages: 244
Release: 2006
Genre: Music
ISBN: 9781574671452

(Amadeus). In this groundbreaking book, prize-winning pianist and noted educator William Westney helps readers discover their own path to the natural, transcendent fulfillment of making music. Drawing on experience, psychological insight, and wisdom ancient and modern, Westney shows how to trust yourself and set your own musicality free. He offers healthy alternatives for lifelong learning and suggests significant change in the way music is taught. For example, playing a wrong note can be constructive, useful, even enlightening. The creator of the acclaimed Un-Master Class workshop also explores the special potential of group work, outlining the basics of his revelatory workshop that has transformed the music experience for participants the world over. Practicing, in Westney's view, is a lively, honest, adventurous, and spiritually rewarding enterprise, and it can (and should) meet with daily success, which empowers us to grow even more. Teachers, professionals, and students of any instrument will benefit from this unique guide, which brings artistic vitality, freedom, and confidence within everyone's reach.

The Pianist's Craft

The Pianist's Craft
Author: Richard Paul Anderson
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2011-12-21
Genre: Music
ISBN: 081088206X

No pianist can experience the full flowering of her art without eventually grappling with those great musical minds who composed specifically for piano. In The Pianist's Craft, Richard Anderson collects from his fellow pianist-scholars 19 articles on the teaching, preparation, and performance of works by the greatest composers in the standard piano repertoire. This collection ranges in subject matter from Inge Rosar's meditation on playing Bach on the modern keyboard to Gary Amato's assessment of Haydn's sonatas, from Christie Skousen's review of tone production in Chopin to GwenolynMok's foray into recreating Ravel's works on an Erard piano, the same used by Ravel himself. Readers will find essays as well on Mozart's piano compositions, Beethoven's sonatas, the influence of Schubert's lieder on his piano works, and works by Schumann, Liszt, Brahms, Debussy, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Bartók, Gershwin, and Crumb. The contributors—all recognized nationally and internationally for their contributions as performing artists, teachers, recording artists, and clinicians—write thoughtfully about the composers whose work they have studied and played for years. Each author addresses issues unique to the individual composer they have chosen to explore, examining questions of phrasing, tempo, articulation, dynamics, rhythm, color, gesture, lyricism, instrumentation, and genre. Valuable insight is provided into teaching, performing, and preparing these great works. In The Pianist's Craft these great artists and teachers answer questions for readers that are otherwise only addressed in conferences, master classes, and private lessons. In this collection of essays, key points of information and instruction are offered with over 200 musical examples included as illustration. The Pianist's Craft is intended for teachers and students of the intermediate and advanced levels of piano, instructors and performers at the university level, and those who love piano and piano music generally.

Members Only

Members Only
Author: Julie Tibbott
Publisher: Zest Books
Total Pages: 226
Release: 2015-02-03
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1936976528

No need for secret handshakes or passwords - Members Only is your all-access guide to the secret societies, clandestine cults, and exclusive associations that you've always wondered about. Profiling fifty groups, from the centuries-old Freemasons to the snooty Skull and Bones Society to a club just for magicians, this book reveals the secrets of these mysterious organizations - and even tells you how to join up. Get ready to go underground and explore secret worlds that are sometimes shocking, sometimes frightening, and always fascinating.