Hi everyone! I adore the piano (which only makes sense) and this exerpt from the Clavier Magazine, July/August 2003, explains a few of the reasons! It is a wonderful instrument you are all learning to play!!!
"Experts tell us that a piano has over 10,000 working parts. It is, without a doubt, a machine, one of the most complex of musical instruments. Unlike the violin or the flute, which are held, even cradled by the performer, the piano sits obstinately on the floor, confronting its performer and outweighing him or her by a significant margin. From the point at which the player's finger touches the key to the point at which the hammer strikes the string, all kinds of wooden, metal, and felt pieces swing into motion, distancing the player from the actual sound. As soon as the sound is made, it is beyond the player's control, irretrievably decaying into silence.
Yet, if ten pianists in a row sit down at the same keyboard, the listener will hear ten different qualities of sound! If they were all to play the same piece, the listener will discriminate between ten sonic varieties that defy verbal analysis. The same piece somehow isn't the same piece, and against all odds this highly mechanical beast responds to ten unique artistic personalities. It's nothing short of a miracle!!"
The next time any of you struggle with an assignment, just remember this article and don't give up!! You are working on mastering the hardest instrument there is to learn and every week that you pass another assignment, you are one step closer!!!! :)
See you at the next lesson!
Diana
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