November 2012 Archives - DigitalPianoNews.co.uk

Play ‘Battle Of The Ads’ On Your Digital Piano

Hey how’s it going? … We’re on the countdown to Christmas from tomorrow and you should have four digital piano melodies up your sleeve. ’Jingle Bells’, ‘Ding Dong Merrily’, ‘Call Of Duty’ and the more recent ‘Power Of Love’ are all courtesy of TV Christmas adverts for 2012.

**Another One To ‘Asda’ Your Collection**

Thought I’d drop a controversial advert in today. As we know John Lewis topped the Christmas TV Ad Charts 2012 as Mr Snowman ‘bares all’ to buy a present for his snow lady. Continue reading “Play ‘Battle Of The Ads’ On Your Digital Piano”

The Digital Piano Reveals The Seventh Veil

This is yet another short summary of movies that are about talented piano players or the digital piano itself.

The Seventh Veil’ Film Plot(1945)

This is a fictional film about a talented digital piano player Francesca Cunningham. The title of the film refers to the number of veils that were removed as she recounts her life through ill-fated episodes. The seventh number may have an analogy with the seven layer of human skin and be a reference to Francesca’s deepest and most traumatic experiences.

Francesca’s family network is scant so her cousin and guardian Nicholas looks after her well fair. He is a crippled musician but nonetheless teaches his cousin to aspire to the heights on the digital piano. Continue reading “The Digital Piano Reveals The Seventh Veil”

Gabrielle Aplin on the digital piano -Get ready for Xmas

You have now three lots of chorus and/or verse material to practice in readiness for Christmas Day; ‘Jingle Bells’, ‘Ding Dong Merrily on High’ & ‘Call of Duty’. I hope you’ve managed to see the pieces in their setting on the television and then used your ears to transfer them to your digital piano.

John Lewis Advert – ‘The Journey’ Played on the digital piano

This music from this advert presently features as No. 7 in the ‘UK Singles Charts’. The advert itself is also No. 1 in the ‘Top Ten’ latest Christmas ads. In other words the materials you are practicing whilst perched on your piano stool are very current. More importantly – your audience will love them! Continue reading “Gabrielle Aplin on the digital piano -Get ready for Xmas”

The Digital Piano and The Movies – Part X

Delving into digital piano players lives (tongue in cheek) through alphabetical means. Today we will look at letter S:

September Affair (1950): This is a fictional story about David Lawrence, an architect and a digital piano player called Manina Stuart. As strangers they board a flight from New York to Rome but soon their destinies are entwined as the plane develops complications and has to divert to Naples. The two strangers soon get acquainted.

Whilst having lunch together the song ‘September Song’ is heard playing. This song is in the style of a gentle ballad accompanied by digital piano. The lyrics are reflective of their time together ‘’…September, November, these precious days I’ll spend with you’’. Their love affair begins… Continue reading “The Digital Piano and The Movies – Part X”

A Christmas Repertoire On Your New Digital Piano Part II

So how’s it going? If you’ve stuck to your daily practice program you should be familiar with the layout of the digital piano by now; how to select appropriate pre-set sounds e.g. electric piano. Hope you’ve managed to synchronise a ‘solid’ beat to keep you in time e.g. rock. I heard ‘Jingle Bells’ as a soundtrack on the ‘Homebase’ advert and thought of you!

Building A Christmas Repertoire on the Digital Piano

There are some ‘easy listening’ and recognisable Christmas songs on the TV at the moment. They’ve all been made into backing tracks for Christmas adverts and most are scored for digital piano or similar. So how about trying your hand (right hand) at one or two more! Continue reading “A Christmas Repertoire On Your New Digital Piano Part II”

The Digital Piano And It’s Role in Movies – Part IX

Delving into digital piano players lives (tongue in cheek) through alphabetical means. Today we look at letter S:

Scott Joplin (1977):

It is unclear when Scott Joplin was born but it was probably 1868. What is certain is that he was a young, gifted and black digital piano player who performed and composed.

He wrote numerous ‘rags’ for which he is regularly cited. His name as a composer remains in the standard piano repertoire listings of today as young digital piano students have to study the ‘Maple Leaf Rag’ for their lower grade exams. At first the coordination of such syncopated pieces causes the student some frustration but as soon as they can play ‘The Entertainer’ and music from ‘The Sting’ – Scott Joplin is suddenly a house-hold name!

Joplin travelled from state to state; from Texas to Louisiana to New Orleans to get work as a digital piano player as he didn’t wish to be a labourer, though as a young black man he soon realised that his options were restricted. Although his talent was in composing and teaching the digital piano, Joplin also excelled at guitar, violin, cornet and vocals.

The film is very much a journey through Scott Joplin’s life with his digital piano piece ‘Maple Leaf Rag’ being the hinge point of his success. The consequential sale of this work gives him notoriety as a publisher and record artist. He did reach the heights and enjoyed a privileged lifestyle during the depression. Joplin soon yearned for more and set out to compose a more prolific composition. But it was not to be…

Joplin’s life was short-lived as he became unwell and died at the young age of 49. In his lifetime Joplin made a great contribution to Afro-American music and the influence it would later have on European music would be marked. Such native material as work songs, gospel hymns, spirituals with their syncopated rhythms and rich harmonies paved the way for many new genres including jazz and a more commercial pop.

Joplin’s greatest legacy today would be to hear his digital piano rags being played in concert halls, classrooms and on home keyboards throughout the land. Long live ‘The Entertainer’!

A Christmas Repertoire On Your New Digital Piano

So you’ve read the manual of your new digital piano, you’re sitting comfortably on the new, plush piano stool, powered her up and she’s ready to go. The layout is unfamiliar – having not driven one like this before. It’s an automatic in that as soon as you press the key it will play! Find the white note middle C in the centre of the keyboard ‘to the left of the two black keys’. The keys are named alphabetically from A to G, starting with C etc. These ascend using their note names stepwise and likewise as they descend down the keyboard. Continue reading “A Christmas Repertoire On Your New Digital Piano”

Following A Star – On The Digital Piano

Santa’s little helpers tell me you’ve written your Christmas wish list and at the top is your ‘most wanted’ gift … a digital piano. That’s great news if you’ve thought it through otherwise ‘HO HO HO’ could become ‘oh Oh OH!’

So you’ve researched the brand; colour with matching piano stool; design; model; price; measured the space … and yes it will fit – just. Sounds like you’ve thought of everything including a ‘partridge in a pear tree’. All paid up and a date is set: Christmas Day. Continue reading “Following A Star – On The Digital Piano”

The ‘Soul Man’ Plays The Digital Piano

Continuing the alphabetical listings of the lives of digital piano players (tongue in cheek) exploring letter R:

Ray (2004):

Ray Charles died some time before he got the chance to see the premiere of this film. Jamie Foxx who played ‘Ray’; a talented digital piano player received an Academy Award for Best Actor.

Ray Charles is best known to our more senior generation for his repertoire of reminiscent songs about a by-gone era and the easy listening we all associate with Ray Charles. This ‘‘Father of Soul Music’’ would sit on his piano stool and baffle his fans with ability to find his way effortlessly around the digital piano keys. His blindness since a young age did not hinder him; instead he used his loss of sight and a feisty independence to heighten his senses and ‘tune’ himself to his music. In this way he was a talented musician who could later in life demand ‘top dollar’ for his digital piano tours due to the high musical standards produced by himself and his band. Continue reading “The ‘Soul Man’ Plays The Digital Piano”

The Digital Piano Plays It’s Part – VIII

Continuing the alphabetical listings of the lives of digital piano players (tongue in cheek) exploring letter M – P:

The Mephisto Waltz (1971):

Liszt wrote his four ‘Mesphisto Waltzes’ during the mid to late Romantic period. They were scored respectively for orchestra, some to be later arranged for digital piano and then later two digital pianos. The first Waltz has the greatest audience ‘pull’ and is recognisable for it’s dissonant quaver motif that dominates the manuscript like a heavily-patterned wallpaper. The scoring for digital piano is brash and unsentimental as Faust and Mephistopheles are drawn into the frenzied wedding celebrations. Continue reading “The Digital Piano Plays It’s Part – VIII”