A Brief History of the Piano

What came before the PIANO?

CLAVICHORD

-strings hammered

-notes could be sustained

-vibrato created by wiggling keys

-quieter sound

-could control volume

-used in homes, small rooms

HARPSICHORD

-strings plucked

-notes could not be sustained

-no vibrato

-second keyboard on the single instrument could be added for more sound

-no volume control

-used in chamber ensembles

When and How did it become the PIANO?

Bartolomeo Cristofori invented the pianoforte (what we know as the piano) in 1700. This date is confirmed by “an inscription made by…a court musician in Florence…in a copy of Gioseffo Zarlino’s Le istitutioni harmoniche,” a major musical text of the time.

Cristofori improved upon the shortcomings of the harpsichord and clavichord. His piano was shaped like a harpsichord. Inside was system where the strings of the piano were struck by hammers that would immediately bounce back so as not to dampen the vibrations of the strings. This and thicker strings caused bigger and unhampered vibrations, making the piano a much more versatile instrument than its ancestors, especially in terms of dynamic control.

Why was it called the PIANOFORTE?

Cristofori’s new instrument allowed for both loud and soft dynamics, so its name reflected this ability.

Edwin M. Ripin, et al. "Pianoforte." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. 1 Apr. 2010. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/21631

Piano Genres

Piano can be found in many types of music.

Some examples are:

Classical





Jazz

Piano: Basic Techniques

Basic Piano Techniques










The video below shows how one must keep their hands while playing.








He remains relaxed and he never makes a great effort to reach the notes.

• Fingers should be naturally curved, playing on the tips of the fingers or fleshy part next to your .


• You should form a "paw". Knuckles should not be caved in or too high. Knuckles could be fairly flat, but just slightly up, like a bridge. The same with the wrists and elbows.


• Wrists should be even with the white keys, never too high or low.


• Elbows should be out from the body, allowing the weight of your arm to travel freely to your wrists and allowing for horizontal movement across the keys.


• Always sit up straight, shoulders back, create a small arch in the middle of your back.


• Imagine a string going up through the center of your body, out of your head.


• You should sit far enough from the piano so that your elbows are slightly towards the front of your chest.


• Sit no more than one half to three quarters on the bench. Both feet flat on the floor or pedals.

I think the best way to start is to learn to read basic music. Learn the notes and some basic chords. There are websites that can help you learn.

http://www.notationmachine.com/how_to_read_sheetmusic/readingmusic.htm

http://www.tutorials.com/09/0917/09171.asp

Doluble Bass

History

• Dates back to 1493
• First relative was the viol
• Used a tuning of 4ths or combination of 3rds and 4ths
• Oldest surviving bass is the contrabasso di viola with 6 strings
• Was able to play in the cello and bass range
• Were originally called a violone
• Converted into 3 or 4 strings in late 16th or early 17th century
• The 5 string bass was most commonly used in Austria and Germany in the early 17th century
• The instruments may have been tuned 40 to 50 different ways

contrabasso di viola

Modern Bass

Ethnic and Ancestral Violins

ERHU

Chinese bowed instrument, the "Chinese violin"

Has two strings tuned a perfect fifth apart

Most popular instrument of the huqin (Chinese stringed instrument) family

Played with solos as well as varying sizes of ensembles

First made over 1000 years ago

Used in the Cirque du Soleil show "O"

VIELLE

A medieval stringed instrument played with a bow

Has 5 strings instead of 4 like the modern violin

Used by troubadours and jongluers during the 13th through 15th centuries

By the mid to late 1400s, called the hurdy-gurdy

LYRA/LIRA

A medieval bowed instrument with 3-5 strings

From the Byzantine Empire

Ancestor of many European bowed stringed instruments

Played by holding it upright and "stopping the strings from the side with fingernails"

Some lyras are still played today in Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey

Violin

BASIC INFORMATION

The violin is the soprano instrument of the string family.

What we know as the modern violin was first developed in Italy around 1550. One of the most famous makers of violins was Antonio Stradivari; Stradivarius violins are known across the world for their incredibly high quality sound.

Sound is made by pulling the bow across the strings, causing the strings to vibrate. The vibrations then resonate in the cavity in the body of the instrument and exit through the f-holes. Different pitches can be produced by pressing fingers on strings in certain positions.

The violin itself is held on the left side between the shoulder and the left jaw and assisted by the left hand. The bow is held in the right hand.

The basic tuning of the strings is G D A E (left to right, lowest to highest).

UNIQUENESS AND VERSITILITY

• A wide variety of notes can be produced by the violin; it has a four-octave chromatic range and can play chords, to an extent, by making multiple strings sound at the same time.
• Its popularity is can be attributed to its sound, the closest replication of the human voice that almost any instrument can produce.
• Countless types and styles of music are available for violins, including solos, small ensembles, unaccompanied pieces, concertos, and large orchestral works
• Nearly every class in societies across the globe have used some form of the violin in their music.

HOW VIOLINS ARE MADE

Though they look rather simple, there are about 70 different components that make up a violin.

Instruments are made by a master craftsman called a luthier.

Multiple types of wood are used to make a violin. Maple is common for the neck, pegbox, and scroll. A softwood is used for the belly (the top half of the body), while a hardwood is used for the back and sides.

Bows are made of both a piece of wood (the stick) and horsehair, strung and stretched across the stick and made adjustable by the tightening and loosening the end screw.

Video--How It's Made: Violin

http://www.stringinstrumentworkshop.com/flash.htm -- Green Bay area luthier and repairman

http://www.beardenviolinshop.com/repairs.php -- example repair costs

POPULAR USES AND ARTISTS

Violins are used outside of the traditional classical music. Many musical groups from popular to folk to jazz to bluegrass to contemporary worship bands include this instrument to add a twist to their sound. Traditional wooden acoustic violins are used as well as electric violins which often stray from the typical appearance of a violin.

A Few Famous and Recognizable Violin Pieces: Theme from Schindler's List, Vivaldi's Four Seasons-Summer, Orange Blossom Special, Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

Videos of Famous Violinists: Itzhak Perlman, Issac Stern, Mark O'Connor, Joshua Bell

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN VIOLIN AND FIDDLE

It's all in how you play it. The instrument is the same for either, but when used to play certain styles (i.e. bluegrass, celtic, folk), it is often called a fiddle.

VIOLINS AND WARTBURG

The Wartburg Community Symphony includes violins and has hosted guest violinists as solo artists. Most recently, violinist Jessica Lee was featured in the contemporary Chinese piece "Butterfly Lovers."

Lohe 44 suite member Laura Mackey plays violin in the service trip worship band, Hope Overflow, as pictured below at a food pantry in Madison, WI.

Viola

The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.

Violin Vs. Viola

It is easy to mistake the viola for the violin due to the similarity in size, closeness in pitch range (the viola is a perfect fifth below the violin), and nearly identical playing position. The viola's timbre sets it apart: its rich, dark-toned sonority is more full-bodied than the violin's. Unlike the violin, the viola's mellow voice being frequently used for playing inner harmonies, it is not used for wide solo repertoire.

More information

Sheet music for the viola is primarily read in the alto clef. The alto clef is not used very often and since it is used mostly by the violas it is referred to as the viola clef.

It is used mostly in contemporary pop music, orchestral music, and folk music.

Uses in popular music

Kansas' "Dust in the Wind", as well as other tracks by the band, features a viola melody. Robby Steinhardt played violin, viola, and cello on the song, and he or David Ragsdale plays at least one of these on most Kansas songs.

The Who's "Baba O'Riley" from the album Who's Next features an extended viola solo played by Dave Arbus of East of Eden.

The Goo Goo Dolls featured the viola in "We are the Normal".