Featured Music Performances
Performances -
Alexander Panku
who performs at Temple University
the 1st movement of Beethovens Waldstein Sonata.
Jennifer Lin piano prodigy
performs her improvisational musings at a TED Conference.
Leon Bates performs Gershwins Concerto in F, 1st movement.
Ralph Sharon, Tony Bennet' pianist plays
from his jazz repertoire at a PTG Conference.
Emil Gilel performs Tchaikovsky'
Concert #1, Jorge Bolet plays a Chopin Nocturne in F# Major,
Xiang-Dong Kong
- Yellow River Piano Concerto and
Mieczyslaw Horszowski performs at the age of 97.
Piano Musical Genres - Classical, Jazz, Blues, Country,
Ragtime, New Age and Popular Music
Musicians who
play the piano are fortunate to play the most popular instrument with
the broadest appeal. A pianist can perform solo, with orchestra or
ensemble or with instrumentalists. As a pianist, you have the choice of
pursuing many different types of music. You can play classical, pop and
rock, jazz, blues, country, gospel, and new age music.
Some pianists
stick totally to classical music while others branch out into other
genres and styles. It is extremely tough to make it into the upper
echelons as a classical pianist. Many fine classical pianists make
their main living from teaching piano in college or in other private
music school settings. Many of the great classical composers of the
18th, 19th, and 20th centuries were also great pianists. Chopin, Liszt,
Rachmaninoff, Mozart, Beethoven, Robert Schumann, Brahms, Stravinsky,
Bartok are a few notable great pianist composers. There are many more.
Many of the
jazz greats were also great pianists and surprisingly were influenced
by classical music. Some of them even had a classical piano background.
Thomas "Fats" Waller, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Art Tatum had
varying degrees of classical piano playing experience. New age piano
music is a wonderful style for a more meditative modern feel and mood.
A few examples of well-known new age pianists are George Winston, John
Tesh.
Popular
pianists like Billy Joel, Elton John, and Garcia, Tom Waits are a few
names of well know popular music stars. The great thing about playing
the piano is that if you want to express yourself, with some talent and
determination, you can get out there and do it. Many social reunions,
party and wedding functions need or require the services of a pianist
and since there is so much popular, ragtime, jazz, classic, blues piano
music, it is not hard to put together a repertoire to please.
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