obscotch asked: Went and looked into Bartok a few days ago after reading a book with a few chapters of some of the jazz greats. I think it may have been parker who was a huge fan. Stravinski too. Absolutely loved Stravinski's Firebird. Also I've been fucking loving Penderecki.
hell yeah. check out stravinsky’s symphony of psalms - it totally blew me away when I first heard it.
I’m loving bartok’s romanian dances for piano at the moment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8JpDHj3CJA&feature=fvst
also getting some of my students to play pieces from mikrokosmos (his pedagogical piano books that are graded from absolute beginner - early advanced level and explore different techniques of piano playing). how much does the first piece in this lay the foundation for minimalism (like steve reich)? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tob_Jf3G6A
higginst asked: I've always wondered... what musical background do you have, including formal (if any, I assume it is somewhat comprehensive)?
hi there,
I started learning piano when I was seven, and went on to do music through high school and university. I actually ended up majoring in composition, which is partly why I’m such an advocate for contemporary music. at the moment I’m just teaching piano but I’m about to go off to NYC for a few months to study composition with joan la barbara. so yes, quite comprehensive for someone my age (but there’s always so much more to learn!).
thanks for following the blog
kind regards,
tiff
