My name is Dotan Negrin and this is my space. Read stories from my travels across the World. Listen to my music. Look at photos of my beautiful dog, Brando. Lets have a discussion about the piano and music! Message me!
Recent posts
Song of the Day #108- Zach Gill - Watch them Grow
I like this song for its simplicity and the subject matter. It’s not my favorite style of music to listen to, but it caught my attention today when I heard it on the radio. Zach’s voice and style reminds me a little bit of Jack Johnson for his smooth qualities. Obviously, Zach is a soloist and really doesn’t need a full band because its the simplicity that makes him so great. The use of electric piano along with his vocal work is a really great combination.
Listening to the lyrics, I like how you can literally imagine the daughter growing up and its a nice journey from the beginning to end. This is a song you listen to on a lazy mellow Sunday afternoon. I’ll try it next week.
Song of the Day #107 - Phish - All Things Re-considered (NPR theme song)
Song of the Day #108- Zach Gill - Watch them Grow
I like this song for its simplicity and the subject matter. It’s not my favorite style of music to listen to, but it caught my attention today when I heard it on the radio. Zach’s voice and style reminds me a little bit of Jack Johnson for his smooth qualities. Obviously, Zach is a soloist and really doesn’t need a full band because its the simplicity that makes him so great. The use of electric piano along with his vocal work is a really great combination.
Listening to the lyrics, I like how you can literally imagine the daughter growing up and its a nice journey from the beginning to end. This is a song you listen to on a lazy mellow Sunday afternoon. I’ll try it next week.
Song of the Day #107 - Phish - All Things Re-considered (NPR theme song)
Amazing!
Amazing!
Piano Tip #4: Release the Tension!
This is something I have struggled and continue to struggle with for the past 2 years. There was once a period of about a year in my life where I wouldn’t be able to play piano because of too much tension. I was having problems with my wrists and forearms. The problem was that they had so much tension that playing piano began to hurt! I would stop for a week or so and then continue only to find that the tension came back. I wore wrist splints and stretched, i went to chiropractors, i thought it was Carpal Tunnel. Nothing worked!
Then, without anyone’s help, i realized where the tension was coming from. I realized that going to the gym a lot and working out my biceps and forearms was putting all this tension into my wrists! I stopped going to the gym and working those muscles. Since then I haven’t had those same problems. But occasionally when I’m playing very fast some tension creeps in.
Ever wonder how people can play very fast? It’s because their hands are very relaxed and they have no tension!
One of my teachers taught me a few stretches for the forearms that are definitely important. Just like going to the gym, you need to stretch after and before you work out. I still havent found a good video with hand stretches but this video shows us some important basic wrist motions.
A really well made animation titled: Piano. I liked it very much, even though it is pretty morbid. I especially loved the little violin birds. That made me chuckle.
Well this is disturbing…It makes you kinda understand why kids hate piano practice.
Piano.by Paul Rayment
Well this is disturbing…It makes you kinda understand why kids hate piano practice.
Piano.by Paul Rayment
A really well made animation titled: Piano. I liked it very much, even though it is pretty morbid. I especially loved the little violin birds. That made me chuckle.
Well this is disturbing…It makes you kinda understand why kids hate piano practice.
Piano.by Paul Rayment
Song of the Day #91: John Coltrane and McCoy Tyner- Summertime
Why is John Coltrane, the sax player, on this piano site, you ask…Well, listen to the piano player in this song. McCoy Tyner makes this track as good as it gets! I chose this piece because its a good lesson for jazz students who are just learning how to comp. What is comping? Comping is an abbreviated term for accompanying, which are countermelodies that are played to support the instrument that is soloing. Not to mention what Elvin Jones and Steve Davis are doing in the background, this song is so intense it makes me shiver. They way these players hold the tension and let it drop is phenomenal. You don’t hear tension like this in pop music! This is not the “normal” way you hear the song Summertime being played. But then again, there is no normal.
Song of the Day #91: John Coltrane and McCoy Tyner- Summertime
Why is John Coltrane, the sax player, on this piano site, you ask…Well, listen to the piano player in this song. McCoy Tyner makes this track as good as it gets! I chose this piece because its a good lesson for jazz students who are just learning how to comp. What is comping? Comping is an abbreviated term for accompanying, which are countermelodies that are played to support the instrument that is soloing. Not to mention what Elvin Jones and Steve Davis are doing in the background, this song is so intense it makes me shiver. They way these players hold the tension and let it drop is phenomenal. You don’t hear tension like this in pop music! This is not the “normal” way you hear the song Summertime being played. But then again, there is no normal.
Song of the Day # 90: Jennifer Thomas- A Beautiful Storm
…And it sure is a beautiful storm. Jennifer Thomas did a wonderful job capturing a beautiful storm within the keys of a piano. Mixing genre’s of Jazz, New Age, and Classical this song reminds me a little bit of George Winston and his instrumental pieces describing scenic views. Here is a song by George Winston.
The song begins with a grand entrance and then swiftly the wind begins. The wind picks up slowly until the rain starts to send little droplets down. It’s really very well thought out. If you like her music, check out some of her other songs, here.
Song of the Day # 90: Jennifer Thomas- A Beautiful Storm
…And it sure is a beautiful storm. Jennifer Thomas did a wonderful job capturing a beautiful storm within the keys of a piano. Mixing genre’s of Jazz, New Age, and Classical this song reminds me a little bit of George Winston and his instrumental pieces describing scenic views. Here is a song by George Winston.
The song begins with a grand entrance and then swiftly the wind begins. The wind picks up slowly until the rain starts to send little droplets down. It’s really very well thought out. If you like her music, check out some of her other songs, here.
History of the Piano (Part 3)
The piano was believed to be built to create a meeting point between the Clavichord who was too soft for large performances, and the Harpsichord who has little control over dynamics.
After Bartolomeo Cristofori had invented the piano, it wasnt until 1711 where Scipion Maffei, wrote an article about it with a diagram that it became popular. Once news of the first piano became widespread, everyone wanted to build one for themselves. In the late 18th century, piano making flourished in Vienna. There they built a piano that was made with 2 strings per note and leather covered hammers. The keys were even opposite colors where the natural keys were black and the accidentals were white. The sound of these pianos are said to be much softer and not as loud as modern day pianos.
This is the piano that Mozart used to compose his concerto’s and sonatas. I actually like this look better. I guess because its different.
Stay Tuned for Part 4……
(Source: Wikipedia)
A tourist from Spain took this picture of me when I was busking in NYC. Before I broke my fingers.
A tourist from Spain took this picture of me when I was busking in NYC. Before I broke my fingers.
…And here is another Comedy routine by Lee Evans using a piano. Enjoy!
…And here is another Comedy routine by Lee Evans using a piano. Enjoy!
Awesome story of Merton and how he was contacted by Ben Folds….I’m surprised that he didn’t take the deal!
Awesome story of Merton and how he was contacted by Ben Folds….I’m surprised that he didn’t take the deal!
