“One Minute Piano” launched to promote pianists’ music

Are you a pianist wanting to showcase your music?

If so, “One Minute Piano” could be for you.

One Minute Piano is a new feature of Piano & Synth that promotes pianists and their music through showcasing their short compositions.

The Concept

We encourage independent pianists to submit short, original digital recordings of their piano music, with a title and description of the piece being submitted.

Submission Guidelines

Each piece (which may be an excerpt of a longer work) must be no longer than one minute (60 seconds) in duration.

Music should be submitted in one of the following audio formats:

• MP3
• WAV
• AIFF
• AAC

All music must be unprotected, and will be converted to MP3 format for publication on this site.

Please provide the following information:

• Your name
• A short biography
• Your web site (if you have one) or that of an agent, etc.
• Title of music submitted
• Description of music / inspiration etc.
• Recording information / piano used etc.

Musician Benefits

Every pianist who submits one or more pieces gets a link to their web site, potentially leading to greater recognition and exposure.

Cost

It’s free to submit your music.

Send your original audio files to music@pianoandsynth.com

Popularity: 1% [?]

Synthesizer is ‘cancer of Ethiopian Music’

It seems that the synthesizer has taken over in Ethiopia, replacing traditional instruments and ‘enabling untrained musicians, who were often untalented as well, to issue discs at one-tenth the price demanded previously.’

So states an article in Haaretz which calls synthesizers the ‘cancer of Ethiopian music’.

To my mind, synths will never replace the need or desire for real instruments being played by talented musicians. Everything has its place.

Via Synthtopia.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Recording pianos and organs

Here’s a useful page with diagrams showing the best way of placing microphones around grand and upright pianos, and the Hammond Organ, depending on the setting: Recording pianos and organs

Popularity: 1% [?]

Resonant rice

Here’s a little off-topic video I found on YouTube – well it’s to do with sound frequencies so I’ll pretend it’s synth-related.

Watch how the rice creates different patterns based upon the frequency being played through the speaker.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Lounge Lizard Electric Piano

Applied Acoustics have released the Lounge Lizard Session electric piano virtual instrument based upon their Lounge Lizard EP-3 sound engine.

It should be a great addition for any musician who doesn’t need the full programmability of the full version but do want the legendary Rhodes and Wurlitzer sounds:

• Four engine presets from the award-winning Lounge Lizard EP-3 covering the classic Rhodes and Wurlitzer electric pianos
• High-end effects: tremolo, distortion, chorus, flanger, phaser, vibrato, wah, delays, and reverb
• Standalone and plug-in format support for live and studio use
• Lightning fast preset changes

Applied Acoustics web site

Popularity: 1% [?]

Pianist Edward Aldwell Dies in Accident at 68

Pianist and Bach specialist Edward Aldwell died on May 28 at 68, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. He died of injuries suffered when he was thrown from an all-terrain vehicle near his home in Westchester County, New York, on May 7, according to the paper.

Read article and brief obituary: Pianist Edward Aldwell Dies in Accident at 68

Popularity: 1% [?]

Piano Guy sets challenge: learn piano in 3 1/2 hours

Scott “The Piano Guy” Houston, who presents a weekly piano show on US TV stations across the country, believes that any adult with some basic musical knowledge and the motivation can learn to play popular tunes on the piano in 3 1/2 hours.

Houston is not talking about turning out concert pianists, capable of playing Bach or Rachmaninoff. But he is certain that someone with relatively little piano knowledge can sit down at the ivories after his workshop and work out a popular tune – maybe Norah Jones’ “Don’t Know Why,” John Lennon’s “Imagine” or “The Girl from Ipanema.”

“A big part of this is getting someone to participate, and getting adults to realize that this is not some unscalable mountain. You’ve just got to sit down and get going,” Houston said.

Granted, this is coming from a former motivational speaker. Houston started out about five years ago using his music workshops and speeches as a way to motivate people overall.

Read the full article and interview: Piano Guy challenge: Learn in 3 1/2 hours

Popularity: 1% [?]

Yamaha CLP-F01 Slimline Clavinova released

Yamaha have added to their Clavinova range of world-class digital pianos with the CLP-F01 “Slimline” Clavinova digital piano.

These Clavinova’s come with a choice of four designer back plate colours – Polished Orange, Polished Ebony, Polished Blue and Polished Red – that stands against the wall and frames the whole instrument.

“Every Clavinova we make is a well-crafted addition to any home décor,� says Yamaha Piano Division Electronic Keyboard marketing manager Jim Levesque. “With the new Slimline models, however, we’ve taken that design commitment to a new level. We know that many of the most luxurious home settings still put a premium on efficient use of space, and this is an instrument that will accent the finest living environments. It has to be seen to be appreciated.�

Features are what we’ve come to expect from the Clavinova series:

• 88 real wood keys
• Four touch sensitivity settings
• 3 level AWM stereo sampling technology
• 64 note polyphony
• 14 voices including 3 grand piano samples
• Pianos voices feature stereo sustain and key-off samples

Full press release.

Popularity: 2% [?]