Duke Ellington used the piano to set the mood or rhythm of some of his songs.…
This capacity for machines to run themselves all through time without the requirement for human resourcefulness and human bodies to go with it is the hopeless tragic center of Player Piano. The title of the novel Player Piano symbolizes the master plan of machines assuming control over…
4. The three examples in forms of music are concerto, sonata, and symphony. A concerto is a musical piece in which one solo instrument (such as a piano or violin) is accompanied by an orchestra. A sonata is a musical composition for a solo instrument (often piano or other keyboard instruments). A symphony is a musical piece that has been scored for a full orchestra; it is often an extended composition.…
I have always been interested in piano. However, it has never been terribly easy. I can play piano by memorizing the notes or playing by ear, but I always have had problems reading notes.…
I feel badly for Boy Willie. As much as I can understand why Berniece didn't want to let Boy Willie sell that piano, I don't think she even for a second thought about how beneficial it would be to go through with such a sale. That piano would undoubtedly be just what Boy Willie needed to get his life on track. He has plans to buy land and with the money from that piano, Boy Willie could get just the land he needed. All right, he should've at least been a little more respectful toward Berniece; he was actually rather rude. But at the same time, that piano was just as much his as it was hers, and the least she could've done was talk to him about it and try to settle on something. Berniece values the family's past a little too much in my opinion. In valuing her family's past so much, she's holding back what could be of the family's future. In not putting this piano up for sale, she's passing up golden opportunities for this family. And in her attitude toward it all, it's like she won't even think twice. I would have liked to see Berniece at least think about some of the positive sides of selling this piano. Her ignorance shines as we watch her stubbornness grow. And on top of all of this, there is one thing that absolutely outrages me! When she pulls the gun on Boy Willie in front of her own daughter, it blew me to pieces. As frustrated as I'm sure she was with Boy Willie, I still believe that she was out of her mind when she did that. Something like that is not for a child's eyes, not at that age. A good mother would never allow her own daughter to witness something like that. It truly bothered me.…
All of my days on this planet, I have dreamed of being a professional musician. I’ve been taking piano lessons for about ten years now and I see it as the only route to satisfaction in my life. Teachers, fellow musicians, and professionals constantly stimulate this dire need to create for the rest of my life. I play drums, piano, guitar, xylophone, and I also strum the vocal chords.…
The Piano Lesson, written by August Wilson and directed by Lou Bellamy is placed in the 1930’s and is about an African American family haunted by American slavery. The play mainly focuses on a piano that has been in this African American family for decades. The piano represents strength and courage. During the production not every single scene and line in the playwright was included in the production. It was not actually needed because the actors were really able to get the meaning across through other aspects. It is his escape from the burden of having to work for someone else. Although he does want to make something of himself, it does not mean he has good or bad intentions. To Bernice the piano holds the will of her family. To some characters in the play particularly one, Boy Willie the piano represents his key to freedom. Although he does want to make something of himself, it does not mean he has just good or just bad intentions.…
"For the respect his works have commanded of musicians, and the popularity they have enjoyed among wider audiences, he is probably the most admired composer in the history of Western music." With this appraisal the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, published in 1980, begins its magisterial article on Beethoven. More than a decade later one might not apply this statement to the Teutonic Goliath but to the David of Mozart. Not only is this year (1991) the bicentennial of Mozart's death, it also comes at a time when his pristine classical image has become the preferred taste over Beethoven's more extroverted expression.…
Nevertheless, I hadn’t resolved to actually learn it yet. I could read sheet music thanks to middle school band practice and a short dabble at playing the guitar; a pursuit that ended for the same reason I feared delving into the ordeal of learning the piano. I was overwhelmed by the endeavor of trying to become the nameless pianist in my fantasies. Pieces like Chopin’s “Winter Wind” Etude started to distort in my mind, becoming walls that discouraged me in lieu of the music that once inspired me. One day, however, I decided to start with something small. “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” will forever be the cornerstone of my lifelong pursuit at the piano, which was followed by many other songs as I continued to improve and hone my technique. It wasn’t long ago, now, that I finished Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata,” and began practicing Mozart’s formidable “Rondo alla…
Conclusion: Playing an Instrument can have many benefits. Hopefully this will help motivate you to start learning an instrument. I can guarantee that learning and playing an instrument is a remarkable experience. I encourage all of you to at least think about playing. French poet Victor Hugo once said “Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be…
My piano is important to me because it has helped me learn to appreciate all music. Before I started playing I only listened to cheesy pop music. While I was learning how to play, I became obsessed with classical music and I only played classical pieces. As the years went by, I started to play different genres of music, until I was completely immersed in all types of music. I have learned that there are more genres of music worth playing than just classical and that they are all beautiful. Whether I enjoy listening or playing that particular song or not, all music has become important to me.…
Today I will be covering the main benefits that playing an instrument yields: improving of the memory, hearing, motor skills, time management skills, stress relief, and happiness. (preview)…
From the 1880s to the 1930s, the lives of African Americans had developed drastically. The Civil War, Reconstruction, and Great Migration happened during this time period. The development of civil rights did not come along easily. New laws were made for the improvement of civil rights such as the 13th and 14th Amendment. Unfortunately Black Codes and Jim Crow Laws were also apparent during this time period. This restricted many African Americans from gaining more equality and they had many struggles in their lives because White Americans generally did not accept for them to be on the same level. These changes were seen through the perspectives of characters in the play, “The Piano Lesson”, written by August Wilson. Although there was social…
March 6, 2009 Copyright © 2009, copy permitted if author’s name, Chuan C. Chang, and this copyright statement are included. ISBN: 1-4196-7859-0 ISBN-13: 978-419678592 Library of Congress Control Number: 2007907498 Order this book at www.booksurge.com or Amazon.com This entire book can be downloaded free at: http://www.pianopractice.org/ 1…
I used to have two art classes in elementary school, painting and keyboard. I have been in love with drawing since I was able to grab a pencil, and my keyboard tutor suggested trying piano…