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To me he is more like a Melville than a Dostoevsky, the melodies and the emotions are undeniable but there will be some 'interludish' writing that, I think is almost completely absent in the music of Chopin or Scriabin. By 'interludish' I mean the development and new material gets introduced that isn't obvious transformations of an already introduced theme, and he is not always super melodic when new themes enter, and it gets harder to wrap your mind around the structure.
But I can see Dostoevsky as well. I think if we continue with the literary comparisons, what matters most is Schumann is one of the 19th century big writers, but I think the Chopin and Scriabin feel shockingly modern. Tons of people with the 21st century attention span love almost everything they wrote.
I have a theory that composers' popularity are dictated by the popularity of their sonatas. Schumann's and Brahms' concerti are iconically great and easier to immediately enjoy than their sonatas (I think) and pianists generally are more likely to go to Scriabin, Rach, Liszt, Prokofiev, Chopin, Beethoven as they mature to the point they can handle those bigger multi-movement works.
If you write amazing concerti, that's great, but the general population will not have much opportunity to actually perform those. So great concerti may not have help you with your general popularity as much, but accessibly enjoyable sonatas will.
Here is an example of what I am using this keyboard for. It's a song I wrote titled "By The Sea". I'm not a good singer, but I like writing songs. I did the vocal and guitar tracks with my guitar and a mic. I did the bass and drum tracks using the keyboard. It's my first (very sloppy) attempt at this so have mercy.
Newbie to MIDI here: Does anyone use a Bluetooth MIDI app on the FP-E50 that can display sheet music notation of what you just played? (Like record and then present it on sheet music annotation?)
I'm also looking for something like this. The most simple thing: Just to show the notes in the notation bar as I play them. I found the Chordie app does that, but it's Windows or Mac only. I haven't found anything similar for Android. Anyone knows about some Android Chordie-similar app?
Needs: ... Sub 30 lbs ... More physical knobs/sliders, to avoid menu diving ... Split into 3 zones ... I've narrowed down to a few: Juno ds-88 RD-88 (not great interface) Yamaha CK-88 (good UI, can it do the spacey synth sounds?) Casio PX-560 (will the touchscreen last?)
Juno DS doesn't meet your weight spec, at 35.75 lbs.
RD88 can play 3 sounds, but you can't do a 3-way split. It has a single split point, where you can layer 2 sounds above and have 1 sound below.
A bit like the RD88, the PX-560 basically gives you 4 sounds but only a single split point... except it also has the hexlayer function where you can assemble single sounds which, themselves, can have up to 6 sounds split/layered however you want, which gives you a way to break through that limit when necessary. The PX560 is lightest of the bunch in terms of knobs and sliders, though, instead relying more on menus via the touchscreen.
I think the CK88 is the one that most meets your specs.
Here's an impromptu recording of Scriabin's Op. 13 No. 1. My son filmed it, and then I added whatever commentary came to mind. I'm still polishing it...should probably make the dotted rhythms more snappy at the beginning, and do a bit more clean up on the part where things get more dramatic.
Other constructive feedback is welcome, as it's been 20 years since I've had a teacher to tell me when I'm doing dumb things, haha.
There were many, see the “Official Guide to Steinway Pianos” by Roy Kehl and David Kirkland a must have book for any tech/restorer., and as an aside I’m currently working on a 1912 model C .
I heard it was ‘piano in blue’ vst, but may just be a rumour.
He probably uses just a cheap Yamaha stage piano for the videos, the sample you’re hearing is not from the instrument itself, it’s 100% a vst.
The sound is similar indeed , but I think Rousseau probably uses a different VI to record than the uses to render the performances after meticulous editing, EQ, reverb ´piano in blue’ is used a lot of movies soundtrack but the midi capture are done with other much more responsive VIs ( pianoteq is widely used in that space)
Ad blockers can be malware as well. They can steal your information or phish you in various ways. Some of them are owned and operated by dubious entities.
Some may certainly be safe and reputable, but which ones?
open source well known ad blockers are extremely safe as the code is public and auditable by thousands of developers. It is even more secure than paid software even made by reputable software companies as one malicious developer could have introduced a specific piece of code which creates risk of stealing information. Unlock origin works like a charm and very safe as widely used and praised by many developers.
Hmmm, if the system is an old one, perhaps I understand your hesitancy. If it is a recent version of silent system, the piano speaks to you, and the instrument is priced right, then I am not sure I understand your hesitancy.
I measured the voltage of the ring to sleeve on my Roland fp-90x and it is nominally 3.3 volts.
It might be able to source enough current at that voltage to drive the f-10h.
It would be interesting if the FP-90X were able to drive this pedal. Only actual testing will tell.
3.3V is the correct voltage, but it is also a matter of enough current to provide the energy for the optical sensor and a little bit of electronics around it.
When I tested with my FP-10, the pedal sort-of worked but the response was veeeerrrryyyy ssssllloowwww.
Luckily, I use the piano only to drive virtual pianos on my PC, so connecting the pedals through MidiExpression interfaces neatly solved the handicap. At first, those interfaces weren't able to power the pedal either, but I came up with a solution for that. The proprietor of Audiofront did too, we compared notes and solutions and since then the MidiExpression interfaces are nicely up to the task.
Looks like a Model B, maybe an A I can't work out the size from the picture. It could be very nice or it could be junk. I'm thinking that polyester isn't original. If you want it go check it out and get a technician. What's the price?
I thought I'd share with you that pianist Mark Westcott has just passed away. Among his many accomplishments, Mr. Westcott was a medalist in the Van Cliburn Piano Competition, Winner of the Kapell, and gave nine consecutive performances in the Sydney Opera House, including the Australian premiere of the Barber Piano Concerto. If you're not familiar with him, I'd encourage you to look him up and listen to his recordings, which can be found on YouTube. His Gaspard de la nuit is particularly good. There's also wonderful footage of him performing the Ravel Concerto in G with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. You can find them on his channel ( https://www.youtube.com/@mhwestcott ). He also wrote a terrific memoir, Playing With Love, that includes many stories involving his interactions with Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein, etc.
Here is his obituary:
Mark Westcott, a native of Portland, OR, legendary concert pianist, and master teacher, passed away peacefully in Edmonds, WA on March 30th, 2024, at the age of 75. A Crystal Medalist in the famed Van Cliburn Piano Competition in 1969, Westcott’s 20-year concert career spanned multiple continents, including Europe, Australia, South America, and Asia.
Westcott’s upbringing in Eastmoreland, a suburb of Portland, included studies with pianist Aurora Underwood, whom he credited profoundly for his early training. He also inherited a unique mix of traits from his parents; his father, Dr. Howard Westcott, received his doctorate in mathematics at Columbia and was a celebrated wrestling coach. His mother, Laina Aurora Lahti, was an accomplished musician as well; at the time the two met, she was a lead soprano at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in NYC.
After a stunning debut at the Young Musician’s Foundation event in Los Angeles at the age of 17, Westcott went on to study with some of the greatest pianists of the time including Frank Mannheimer, John Perry, Eugene List, and Cecile Genhardt. This tied him to a line of piano pedagogy that stretches back to Franz Liszt and Beethoven.
He had a special mastery of long forms and was praised in 1981 by the New York Times for his rendition of Beethoven’s “Diabelli” Variations; an hour-long work few pianists have navigated successfully. Reviewer Theodore W. Libbey Jr. described Westcott as “...a pianist who possesses not only an overwhelming talent but extraordinary musical sensitivity as well. At every point in every selection on his program, Mr. Westcott kept this rare combination of virtuosity and profundity in balance, so that when his performance was over one didn't know whether to be more awed by his command of the keyboard or moved by his interpretive vision.”
Westcott’s time in New York brought him into the same circles as Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, and Samuel Barber, who became a close friend. With his support, Westcott gave the Australia premiere of the Barber Piano Concerto. Westcott performed a total of nine consecutive times in the Sydney Opera House, including a 1981 World of Music recording of the Ravel Concerto in G.
In the early 1990s, Westcott suffered an injury to his left arm. Just as his rehabilitation was complete, he discovered a stubborn, dry patch of skin on the bridge of his nose. He spent the next ten years fighting skin cancer, enduring dozens of surgeries and intense chemotherapy. Just as recovery seemed within reach, he experienced the onset of focal dystonia, all but crippling his right hand for the remainder of his life.
Westcott sought comfort through his teaching, explorations of Oregon’s wilderness areas, and in gardening, eventually winning prizes instead for his chrysanthemums. In his later years, Westcott gave many master classes in his hometown of Portland, passing down his musical knowledge to many disciples. Those who studied with Westcott regularly during this time were treated as more than students and he took on a role more like that of a guru than a teacher, often spending hours away from the piano sharing life, stories, and artistic thought.
Westcott’s legacy lives on through numerous recordings, many of which are freely available on YouTube, as well as his memoir “Playing With Love” and the traditions of piano playing he passed on to his followers. He is survived by his sister as well as his dear friends and piano students.
I really like it a lot! The tone suits this particular piece. I really like how the melody is carried from one hand to the other with ease. It reminds me of dancing in the wind.. You did a really good job. I've been experimenting with this particular tone as well.
Fingering is all about common sense. I have been playing 15 years. I have some stock fingerings but many times I will use alternatives according to where I am going and where I have come from. Sure learn at least one standard fingering, but don't get too hung up. When you try a fingering, the point is to bring it to a comfortable relaxed state, from there speed can develop. Go S_L_O_W at first realy slow, get that relaxed then by increments bring it faster. Play all exercises ascending and descending.
Reviving this thread. Not so much an inspirational video (sorry Nightowl if that hijacks your thread a little), but I watched this today and thought it was thoroughly fascinating. I always loved The Girl from Ipanema and now even more! Music is just so very, very fascinating in all its aspects. And yes, there is a piano in there, somewhere
