Learn to play beautifully

Question: How much theory is important when learning to play the piano? What’s most important to know?

– Barb (Wisconsin, USA)

Albert’s reply: This is a critical question for all music students. First, it’s important to understand the nature of music theory. In the...

Question: Hello Albert, My question today is:

Where did the idea of double expositions in piano concertos come from and how did it affect later compositions?

– Achilles (Malta)

Albert’s reply: As explained in Sonata Form Simplified, the first section of a movement in sonata form in...

Question: What are the bottom notes of the piano?

– Adrianna (Texas, USA)

Albert’s reply: Assuming you’re using a standard full-sized, 88-key piano, the bottom key plays A.

Always remember that the keys are not the notes. Since each of the piano’s keys has to be tuned to...

A Pianist’s Review of the AvantGrand

I recently had an opportunity to play the AvantGrand, the new Yamaha digital piano that represents the current state of the art, and wanted to share my experiences with it with key-notes readers.

First, as a classical pianist I must caution that no...

It was a harpsichord maker named Bartolomeo Cristofori who invented the piano in 1700. Cristofori (pronounced kris-TOFF-or-ee) (1655–1731) was from Padua, in the Republic of Venice in northern Italy. He primarily built harpsichords and experimented with new designs, as became customary for...

Question: I was wondering, what are the notes on a piano?

– Lily (Corpus Christi, Texas, USA)

Albert’s reply: I assume you’re talking about the names of the keys… but they don’t really have names!

The most important concept to grasp is that the keys are not the...

Question: I have a Concord upright cabinet grand piano, serial #22580. I want to sell it but am not sure what to charge. I’ve been researching for a while but can’t seem to get anywhere. Can you help?

Thanks.

– Tim (Youngstown, Ohio, USA)

Albert’s reply: Piano values are...

Question: What does u.c. mean?

Albert’s reply: u.c. stands for una corda and it refers to a piano’s leftmost of the three piano pedals. It is also called the soft pedal because it is primarily used to soften the sound.

On a grand piano, the left pedal shifts the keyboard...

Question: Who invented the piano? When, and what types of pianos are there?

– Sam Willequette

Albert’s reply: The piano was invented by an Italian harpsichord maker named Bartolomeo Cristofori in 1700. I wrote more details in the article Who Invented the Piano?.

As for the types of...

The piano is an unmusical instrument, in some ways the least musical of all instruments. It is by nature impersonal, a purely mechanical device. Its hammers are totally indifferent to what triggers them. Anything or anyone can depress a key and the same pitch will be heard. Its pitches are almost...

Question: Hi Albert,

Thanks for this great site! My question is, I have a Yamaha upright that’s about 20 years old and I’m thinking about buying a new piano. I fell in love with a Steinway M, but it’s so expensive and I’m only an intermediate player. Should I buy a Boston...

Although as a classical pianist I play an acoustic piano, there are people and situations for whom a digital piano is a practical solution, and I get asked for recommendations. The excellent action of many Roland digital piano models impresses me, particularly in their upper-range models which...