Happy Piano Day 2020!
Truth be told, I didn’t even know there was a Piano Day 2020 being celebrated around the world. After a little research I found out it’s quite a big deal and there are tons of events happening. There’s even a dedicated website for the celebration. It has a really cool graphic that you can press to hear piano notes. I definitely recommend checking it out. Visit the piano day website here.
It’s not secret that here at Color Me Mozart™ we love the piano. Our own Mozi has a piano on his head! The piano is really such a beautiful instrument. It spans over 300 years and it was invented in Italy by Bartolomeo Cristofori around the year 1700. The exact date is still uncertain but it’s been a long time.One Piano for Each Key
Many people, even musicians, don’t know that in the early start of the piano, there was a piano for each key. That is to say, one piano tuned to G Major, one to C Major, and so on. The idea of a piano, as we know today, that can be played in any key was impossible at the start.
It was in the late 1600’s that the idea of a ‘well tempered’ tuning was developed. Here’s a quick definition: “As the term was used in the 17th century, “Well tempered” meant that the twelve notes per octave of the standard keyboard were tuned in such a way that it was possible to play music in all major or minor keys that were commonly in use, and it would not sound perceptibly out of tune.”
If you want to delve deeper into this tuning rabbit hole, check this video out.What to Do on Piano Day?
So we have to ask ourselves, how do we celebrate Piano Day 2020? Although that answer will vary with each of us, I think a good place to start is to share our favorite piano music with each other. I’ll list a few of the pieces that changed my life and made me fall in love with the piano. What are some of you favorites?
- Frederic Chopin – Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor
- Franz Liszt – Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major
- Felix Mendelssohn – Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor
- Alexander Scriabin – Etude Op.8 No.12
- Robert Schumann – Kinderszenen, Op. 1
- Dave Brubeck – Take Five
- Oscar Peterson – Basin Street Blues
What Piano Do You Play On?
Another question I love to ask my fellow pianists is, what piano do you play? DO you have a baby grand? Keyboard? Upright? Feel free to share pics of your piano setup at home. I currently play a Korg Sp-250. It’s a full 88-key weighted keyboard and I like how Korg approaches their tuning. I live in an apartment in NYC so space is too tight for anything bigger. However, I do dream one day of owning a baby grand. There’s nothing better than playing a beautiful grand or baby grand.
Piano Lesson for Your Kids
If you missed this past week’s virtual piano lessons for kids, click here to watch Learning C, D, & E on the piano.
