Have you decided to start playing the piano and are trying to figure out which piano to buy? Are you undecided between an acoustic piano and a keyboard or between different digital piano models? Here are some tips to help you decide which instrument is right for you.Continue readingDigital or acoustic? How to choose your first piano
[Monday Notes No. 171] Blue In Green is a track from Miles Davis’ famous album Kind Of Blue, released in 1959 and considered the most successful jazz album ever. Miles Davis wanted to explore modal jazz with this work, and helped to spread it among musicians and audiences alike. I tried to analyse the melody,…Continue readingBlue In Green, the Impressionists’ painting… in jazz
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Why do jazz musicians like Bach so much?
Of all European classical composers, the one who enjoys the greatest popularity among jazz musicians is certainly Johann Sebastian Bach. Let us try to answer this question: why do jazz musicians like Bach so much?Continue readingWhy do jazz musicians like Bach so much?
[Monday Notes n.170] In the Wee Small Hours is a 1955 Frank Sinatra album, with arrangements by Nelson Riddle. This work anticipates the concept albums of the 1960s and 1970s. It is in fact not a simple collection of songs, but a coherent and well-structured work, dealing with themes such as the end of a…Continue readingIn the Wee Small Hours, a concept album by Frank Sinatra
On Piano Playing is a book by Hungarian pianist Gyorgy Sandor, published in 1981. Born in Budapest on Sept. 21, 1912, the pianist was a pupil of Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály and went on to become a concert pianist of international standing. Let us try to analyze his book and draw some useful lessons…Continue readingOn Piano Playing, Gyorgy Sandor and piano technique
Hanon yes or no? Is it useful to study the 60 exercises of Hanon, The Virtuoso Pianist? In this lesson we will see when is the right time to start Hanon and how to study it correctly, avoiding wasting time but also working wrongly and risking injury.Continue readingHanon, The Virtuoso Pianist. When and how to study it
[Monday Notes n.169] Chopin’s Waltz in A minor, Opus B.150, is one of the easiest pieces to play in the great composer’s repertoire. It is very simple and clear even in its harmony, so it lends itself to being used as an example to understand four fundamental concepts of music: the cadence, the modulation, the…Continue readingChopin waltz in A minor, four simple harmony lessons
[Monday Notes no.168] Vasco Rossi is one of the Italian singer-songwriters who most divides the audience: many love him, just as many dislike him. In fact, his music has characteristic features, unique in some respects, which can support opposing opinions and reviews. I have tried to analyze his song Va bene, va bene così, highlighting…Continue readingVasco Rossi, Va bene, va bene così. Giving space to the band… it pays off
[Monday Notes no.167] A Whiter Shade of Pale is a classic Procol Harum song, the song that launched the band in 1967. While American rock is mainly inspired by the blues, British rock has always maintained a close relationship with classical music. No wonder, then, that A Whiter Shade of Pale is largely derived from…Continue readingA Whiter Shade of Pale, all in one scale, like Bach
[Monday Notes no.166] Napule è is part of Pino Daniele’s first album Terra mia, released in 1977. The Neapolitan composer was inspired by the blues and jazz repertoire but did not deny his origins, which he proudly claimed by singing in Neapolitan dialect. It is therefore not surprising that Pino Daniele dedicated the first track…Continue readingNapule è, Pino Daniele sings of his home town