Monthly Archives: January 2009

Franz Liszt: The Greatest Pianist Ever?

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Is there a way to definitively say someone is the “greatest pianist ever,” especially when the person in question lived long before recorded music? One of the contenders for the title is a gentleman by the name of Franz Liszt. His peers were awed at his skill and proclaimed his playing to be the pinnacle of instrumental prowess. European audiences bowed before him; women fawned over him; and fellow musicians aspired to be like him. Liszt was a master of the piano.

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Mr. ShowmanShip of the Piano: Liberace

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Better known as just Liberace, Wladziu Valentino Liberace was born on the 16th of May, 1919. Born of Polish-Irish parents, he was born with a caul – a membrane covering him when he was born. In some cultures, including the cultural background that Liberace came from, being born with a caul was a sign that the new born was going to be genius in life. True or not, he was a great entertainer otherwise he would have not earned the names – Mr. Showmanship and The Glitter Man.

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Augmented Chords: What They Are & How To Use Them

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Augmented chords are to a piece of music like pepper is to a meal; you would never sit down to a meal of pepper alone, but you might sprinkle a little on your food to liven up the taste a bit.

Augmented triads (triads are 3-note chords) are one of the 4 basic chord types, yet they are used very little compared to major and minor chords.

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Use Diminished Chords To Add Flavor To Your Music

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You wouldn’t sit down to a meal of salt and pepper, but instead you might add them to your meat & potatoes to make your meal more tasty. The same is true of diminished triads. You wouldn’t build a song out of them, but by using them sparingly, you can add taste to any musical meal.

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Minor Piano Chords — How To Form Them & Use Them

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Minor chords create a sound which is somber or serious; some people even think of minor chords as “sad”, as opposed to major chords which sound “normal”, or “happy”. Some of the great classics are written in minor keys, including Fur Elise by Beethoven, Prelude in C# Minor by Rachmaninoff, Prelude in Cm by Chopin, and many others.

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