by Tania Gleaves on February 19, 2010
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Beethoven music always intrigued you? Want to play Beethoven piano masterpieces?
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Beethoven piano music is known to anyone who has ever taken piano lessons. Ludwig von Beethoven changed the world of music with his compositions for orchestra and piano.
Born in 1770, the German composer first learned music from his father, who was exacting and hard.
Rumor has it that sometimes Beethoven’s dad would come home after a long night of drinking with his friend and get Beethoven up, forcing him to practice the piano the rest of the night! (That’s no way to raise kids or learn piano!)
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Anyway, Beethoven obviously learned what his dad wanted him to learn, because when he was only 16, he had a chance to play for the famous composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart was one of the first that got to know Beethoven piano music and predicted that the young German would “astonish the world” with his talent.
Mozart was certainly right!
Beethoven really lived a tragic life, though. His hearing began to fail while he was still in his twenties. It must have been heartbreaking to be losing his hearing when he had such an obvious passion for music.
The result was that he became depressed and morose in personality as he grew older, and even contemplated taking his own life.
In order to communicate with people, Beethoven kept books in which he and his acquaintances wrote down their conversations. These records are still used to help musicians get a feel for how the composer intended for his music to be played.
“Ode to Joy”
One piece of Beethoven piano music that has been loved by many down through the years is his “Ode to Joy”. This song is from the final movement of his beautiful ninth symphony.
The tune has been familiar for a century or more as a Christian hymn entitled “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee”. The words of the hymn were written by Henry van Dyke.
Then in the peace and love days of the early Seventies, the Spanish singer, Miguel Rios, released a version called “Song of Joy” that spoke of a coming day of harmony and peace among all of mankind. It’s certainly a shame that almost 40 years later, we don’t seem to be much closer to seeing that day. Let the dream live on, though!
The song, “Ode to Joy”, is often included in beginner piano courses, because it is a fairly simple tune.
It’s also useful because it is so familiar. A beginner should know how the tune should sound so they can hear if they are playing it right.
Well known songs need to be included in the lessons, instead of just random notes thrown together for practice purposes. It will make the lessons more enjoyable for the learner, and make you sound like you know what you are doing early in your piano course.
Classical music will never really go out of style. The rhythm and meter of a song like “Ode to Joy” has a timeless beauty and appeal. It truly is one of the most beloved Beethoven piano music compositions of all.
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by Tania Gleaves on February 9, 2010
Always been fascinated with the song Piano Man by Billy Joel? Want to learn how to play it yourself?
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Piano Man by Billy Joel is considered the signature song of this popular star.
Billy Joel wrote the song during the early seventies while he was establishing his career in music. The song, with its poignant look at real life, was his first big hit.
Billy Joel was born in the Bronx, New York, in 1949. He was intrigued by classical European music from a young age, so his mother encouraged him to take piano lessons. By his early teens, he had become interested in a career in music.
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Some of the artists that inspired him musically were Ray Charles, Dave Brubeck, and the Beatles – which shows just how broad Joel’s interests in music have been. While still in high school, he was performing professional gigs to help his divorced mother make ends meet. His first recording was in 1968 as part of a band called “The Hassles.”
Billy’s own personal hassles prompted him to move to the West Coast, where he became a Los Angeles night club performer. It was in this setting that he fictionalized the people in the bar into the lyrics of the his signature song.
Piano Man by Billy Joel captures the imagination and hearts of people everywhere with its slice of life lyrics and lilting tune.
The song begins as a sort of piano pop piece, with a jazz flavor, but also include a Bob Dylan-inspired harmonica solo.
The tune is so catchy that listeners often find themselves singing along after they’ve heard it a few times. In fact, when Joel performs the song at concerts, he doesn’t sing the chorus. He holds the mic toward the audience and lets them sing the familiar words.
Piano Man by Billy Joel is a great song for learning to play the piano.
It has a simple, familiar sound that catches your interest and sounds great when you’re performing for your friends. With the wonders of modern technology, you can even learn songs like this without a teacher. You can teach yourself, via piano lesson websites or CD-Rom or online instruction.
Now, before you start to object that you could never learn a hard song like this one, realize that, no, it won’t be the first lesson you have. You will need to get familiar with the keyboard and some basic simple movements first. Then you’ll have to practice what you are learning. And practice some more.
Having a desire to learn a skill like piano playing goes a lot farther than just plunking down money for a teacher. If you have a passion, like Billy Joel did as a young boy listening to classical music, half the battle is over.
And while regular practice is essential, it is not necessary to spend hours at a time working at piano playing to master it. In fact, spending too much time all at once can be counter productive, because it can lead to burn out. Aim for about 30 minutes every day.
Before you know it, you’ll be playing great songs like Piano Man by Billy Joel.
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