Tag Archives: piano

What you’re also learning when you take a piano class

Posted on May 26, 2016 by Anne Ku

Rough draft for a future article or blog post Time management Multi-tasking Planning Listening Public speaking Presenting Overcoming stage fright Timing, rhythm Body coordination Focus Concentration Real time crisis management Problem solving Interpretation Individual self expression Accompanying Improvising Collaboration New … Continue reading →

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Most commonly used chords for ʻukulele

Posted on May 23, 2016 by Anne Ku

The common chord progression assignment I gave to my beginning music theory class caused an uproar. It was the secret formula that explained the Pareto Rule of Pop Music: 80% of pop music used only 20% of the chords. “You mean, … Continue reading →

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9/11 piano concert on Maui

Posted on September 12, 2015 by Anne Ku

In my quest to give concerts for every occasion and purpose, I have long wanted to pay a musical tribute to September 11, 2001. It was a day that changed my life, for I was in Manhattan for a morning … Continue reading →

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Teaching from the gut

Posted on August 3, 2015 by Anne Ku

Long ago I posted a blog on Bon Journal called “Teaching from the Gut.” By the title, I meant teaching a subject you know so intimately that it feels as though it’s coming out of your gut. You’re so confident … Continue reading →

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Solo piano concert: tribute to the music of James Horner

Posted on June 23, 2015 by Anne Ku

When I learned of the plane crash yesterday, I immediately searched for the film music of James Horner. Still in shock, I quickly assembled a blog post on the theme from the Titanic. In the spur of that moment, I … Continue reading →

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A song for dad: diamonds and rust

Posted on June 21, 2015 by Anne Ku

My dad never hesitated to share titles of the songs he loved. In his last years, he took a liking to Youtube. One of his favorite singers was Joan Baez.

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Somewhere in time before iPhones

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Anne Ku

Before the iPhone, the video quality was not high definition. Before the iPhone, I wore a watch regularly. Sure, I always took it off whenever I practised the piano. Here is a video taken before I got my smartphone. It … Continue reading →

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Celebrating 300,000 visitors to Concertblog

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Anne Ku

My first WordPress blog “The Concertblog” passed the 300,000 visitor mark some time last week. Yay! When it hit 299,000, I started to monitor the stats more closely than before. These are number of visitors, not views. A visitor can … Continue reading →

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Elegant but easy to play music from “Still Alice”

Posted on March 15, 2015 by Anne Ku

I listened to the soundtrack to the film “Still Alice” on Youtube because I missed its premiere at the Maui Film Festival last December. I became mesmerized by the simplicity and beauty of the various short pieces played on piano, … Continue reading →

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How to write music people want to play

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Anne Ku

Times have changed. Perhaps it’s the instant gratification of search engines and the availability of free online videos. To write sheet music that people want to play, it has to be readable, printable, and playable.

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