There's a credit card presale access period for Mitsuko Uchida at Carnegie Hall??? I thought that kind of thing was only for big pop stars.
Patrick
@patrickfinkmusic.bsky.social
Pianist and posting from the bench. Anti-AI, especially in creative spaces Philly
Got to see #HerbieHancock tonight in Philly. He and his band sounded great! 86 years young! #DontPlayTheButterNotes
#LebronJames if you want piano lessons in Philly hit me up!
Last night's stress dream had me freaking out about a piece of music for my recital except it was something I played on my undergrad program 15+ years ago and not the one in less than three months. Come on brain!!
We checked out the new #BruceSpringsteen museum in NJ last week and it's great. Even if you're only tangentially a Bruce fan, you should go. As far as white guys in their 70s go, Bruce sets the bar pretty high musically and politically. He seems like a nice dude too. 10/10
Back in Feb I started working on the Sofia #Gubaidulina Chaconne and it's kicking my butt. I'm planning to perform it on my grad recital this fall. I suspect it may not be the best piece on the program but I've recently hit a point with it where I feel it'll still be cool and def worth the effort.
"Remember, artistic progress is not linear" is something I've heard, read, and told my students many times. Getting my brain to avoid falling into a trap of that thinking is quite hard though.
I guess Sir Stephen Hough sounds good here but why did he make this? I suspect you couldn't put this on when a kid wants to hear the Frozen soundtrack. Some number of parents are prob too sick of these songs. For pianists, there are much cooler arrangements out there. youtu.be/d24uky-4aFQ?...
Do You Want to Build a Snowman? (Arr. Hough for Piano) (From "Frozen")
YouTube video by Stephen Hough - Topic
youtu.be
My piano teacher hosted a studio hour last night and we all got to share our summer works in progress. It felt great to nerd out on piano stuff for an evening
I'm glad Vladimir somewhat rode the success of his "Stars and Stripes" to more artistic freedom. But omg what a needlessly difficult arrangement of a not great piece of music. #Horowitz There are much more interesting pieces to practice your octaves and big chords! youtu.be/j3i1mVkqI34?...
Sousa-Horowitz Stars and Stripes (Horowitz)
YouTube video by ardiem
youtu.be
There's a scene in #DisclosureDay where the characters are in a cargo train that is shipping grand pianos. The instruments are are all strapped together with their lids off so you can see the strings. Neat visual but I have questions for Steven.
Does anyone have a favorite recording of the Bedrich Smetana Piano Trio?
Went to Wizard of Oz with the Philadelphia Orchestra last night. Fantastic!
Niche post but around 3:20 in Beyoncé "Get Me Bodied (Extended Mix) when you realize it's the extended mix is the same energy as when you realize a pianist is playing the Mompou Chopin Variations or the Volodos Turkish March. #ExtendedMixVibes
I have a piano student working on the Gershswins' "The Man I Love" and I keep mixing up the title with Olivia Dean's "The Man I Need. They're both great songs
Oreo greeted me at the door today with a playful bark and wagging tail! Maybe my voicings are getting better??
Patrick@patrickfinkmusic.bsky.social · last yr.I'm not joking. Here's a recording from my lesson. Oreo doesn't like my voicing! (Tbh it could be much better. I'm still in the relatively early stages with this piece)
There's not precise reporting on this but I suspect Wemby could reach a 12th/13th on the piano. He can palm a basketball with only two fingers. Some repertoire would be a disaster but think about the voicings he could play without needing to roll the chords!
Just met with my teacher for an almost two hour piano lesson. My brain and fingers are cooked!
I've been asked to give a toast at an upcoming wedding. I'm nervous (and already had a stress dream about it) but writing it and practicing it out keeps putting me in a good mood. The couple is fantastic so it's easy :) Do we think five minutes is too long?
Turned pages for this last night in Weill recital hall. Lots of new music!!
Played the last choir concert of this school year yesterday. Nice people, nice music, and this church has a completely rebuilt Steinway that is absolutely wonderful to play. Cheers to churches that find the money for quality instruments and cheers to summer!
Sometimes the piece you want to perform is out of stock and out of print and the scanned versions online leave out a quite informative preface. Thank god for libraries am I right??
Organizing a somewhat regular studio hour for my adult piano students has definitely been one of the most rewarding things I've ever done as a teacher. 10/10 would recommend!
Anyone research coffee grinders lately and get one they like? It's a #FirstWorldProblem but our Oxo grinder with an integrated scale has stopped working. It has served us well (almost nine years!) I'm a big fan of the taste/strength consistency and saving precious counter space.
Hey Ed Lojeski, Queen Dolly Parton deserves better than your wrong-chord-at-the-first-refrain-nonsense! Proofread your scores!
I need to finalize my graduate recital program. While I want to pick meaningful repertoire and all that I also sort of feel like I should simply play pieces where I sound good.
Here's the short and sweet lessons program recital at one of my school jobs. My student performed last. Everyone did well and I think it's kind of fun that Herbie Hancock and Mel Bonis were on the same program!
I think it takes a staggering amount of work to get a student over the finish line of a performance or through an academic year or to graduation. Cheers to students and teachers and all variations of success!