Cards Cut

To change from teaching music and languages to dealing in pianos, and finally to becoming the founder of one of the largest and most respected antique piano manufacturing firms, was the career of Charles M. Stieff. Born in Wurtemburg in 1805, Charles came to America in 1831, settled in Baltimore where h3e taught languages.

In 1842 he imported his first piano from Germany, opening piano warerooms in 1843. In 1852 he went to Europe to study the best piano manufacturers. Upon return to America, he, with his sons, began the Stieff piano. Jacob Gross, brother in law of Stieff, joined the company as a factory expert. The pianos were of superior merit and received distinguished awards. The fire which destroyed much of Baltimore in 1904, spared the Stieff building. The sons of Stieff and the sons of Gross continued with the piano business.

In 1780 Johann Schmidt has been recorded as making the first upright piano, but twenty years later, John Isaac Hawkins of Philadelphia patented an upright antique piano with vertical strings, full iron frame and check action. It had an unsatisfactory tone and was not accepted as a musical instrument. There were many attempts to solve the problem.

Alpheus Babcock invented the full iron frame in 1825 for the antique piano. The never-ceasing demand for larger tone could only be answered by heavier stringing, which was limited by the power of resistance of the wooden frame. Jonas Chickering improved Babcock’s frame so materially in 1837 that a patent was granted to him in 1840. Babcock made the first full iron frame for square pianos as well. Babcock also in 1833 took a patent on a hammer covered with felt. In 1791 Benjamine Crehore exhibited a harpsichord, and soon built pianos. Alpheus and Lewis Babcock were pupils. In 1810 the Babcock brothers began to make pianos in Boston. The great panic of 1819 ruined their business, but in 1821 Alpheus was in partnership with John MacKay, the commercial genius who later assisted so strongly in building up the fame of the Chickering firm.

There are only seven of them; plus their respective flats, sharps, and octaves…and from so few, can come such abundance.

In many ways we can say more through the notes than we can through speech.

In fact, we convey more through the notes than we could ever express in spoken or written forms of language–the notes transcend our skill with words.

The notes can transport us to another era, or to a moment in our past.

They can inspire us beyond the lesser levels we accept in our verbal world.

They will raise bumps of ecstasy on our flesh, or shiver us with an icy refrain.

They bring forth our other senses; our hidden senses. And we might recall a fragrance, a taste, a pain felt, a sensuous caress.

The notes may be so beautiful, that we will weep with the hearing of them.

There is a pulse to the notes; a meter to each trill; a cadence to each sonorous phrase.

And, the notes can embolden us…to dance.

And there are so many more vehicles for the notes than there are for mere words. So many things to make the music on…to create the notes with.

I wonder how we humans attained the knowledge of music, of the notes?

I imagine we probably communicated through music even when our language skills were at the primal level; when our utterances were little more than grunts and base articulations.

Maybe the notes were a gift…of magic. Or perhaps we just borrowed them from the birds.

copyright © 2000 by Kathy Pippig Harris

I live in central, sunny California, where I share my life with my husband and our furry family. I work full time for a living, and I write in order to live fully. My works have been featured in 2TheHeart, StoryTime Tapestry, Starfish, Driftwood, CatTails, Petwarmers, uhad2bthere, Heartwarmers, Insight of the Day, Warm Fuzzy Stories, Gwen’s Place Newsletter, Sir Froggie’s Positive News Network, and Eternal Ink. I am also a weekly columnist for the publication “Frank Talk” which is distributed in six counties in Michigan, USA. I have four published novels, 4 fiction and 1 non-fiction, which can be orderd from Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com

Music is powerful and persuasive. It touches one’s emotion, motivation, creativity and relaxation. It has the soothing effect that can calm our mental nerves. It inspires you to do something new and productive. It gives you ideas. It lulls you to sleep. The list is definitely endless.

Music is many things. It makes us happy, annoyed, melancholic, afraid and mad. Music is also for every one. It invades almost anything and everything. Different milieus have their own music to recollect. Various races and continents also enjoy distinctive music. Young and old alike take pleasure in it.

In every stages of life there will always be music for it is perpetual. In fact, there are unique types of music that caters to specific group of individuals. Rock and metal music cater to hyperactive music enthusiasts. Love, acoustic and pop songs blend well with lovers and emotional persons. For kids there is the children’s music.

Children’s music can give kids a magical experience. They can play roles with it. For a moment, they can be a pretty princess with a castle or a dashing knight in shining armor. They can simultaneously play musical instruments. They can dance and sing.

Music is entertaining most especially to children. Thus, even at the very young age they must be exposed to music. By doing so, kids develop their sense of adventure and discovery.

Aside from that, they can be knowledgeable about children’s music lyrics. They can also develop the basic languages.

Children’s music can also be treated as therapy. Application of children’s music can treat some physiological and psychosocial elements of illness. Treatment is aimed for the acquisition of non-musical behavior by virtue of systematic musical methods.

Studies have proven that children with developmental delays and learning disabilities like Down’s syndrome respond to music. Thus, exposure to music can boost response and expression. As a result, individual expressions and talents like singing and dancing can be discovered.

Children’s music treats developmental delays and learning disabilities by drawing out movements. The latter develops self-awareness which can easily be manifested. Examples of these movements are gripping the beater, tapping a triangle, playing cymbals and drums and the likes.

The relationship between children’s music and movement cannot be overemphasized. The rhythm of music creates the ideal stimulus that results to coordinated movements. These movements lead to repetition which is a mode of child learning.

Aside from entertainment and therapy, children’s music is also a special kind of education. It develops the cognitive skills of children. Exposure to music stimulates learning about colors, numbers, shapes and parts of the body. As a consequence, though may not be the primary goal, it increases the child’s intelligence.

Stimulation of cognitive abilities leads to multi-sensory development. The latter contributes to the ability of a child to retail information and be attentive to detail. As a result, the child becomes confident and clever.

Children’s music can also develop the child’s social skills. Usually, musical experiences are done in groups. Participants can sing in unison or one after the other. With this process, every one is encouraged to participate thus participants eventually become closer.

Children’s music can be so powerful that it can develop both the intrapersonal and interpersonal aspects of a child. It simultaneously augments functional abilities at the same time the expressive and creative capacities of a child.

Robert Thatcher is a freelance publisher based in Cupertino, California. He publishes articles and reports in various ezines and provides children music resources on http://www.about-children-music.info

Have you ever seen someone playing piano without sheet music and wonder how are they doing that?

It’s like magic to the uninitiated. They think this person must have years and years of training under their belt. And while some pianists do have years of classical training it doesn’t mean a thing!

That’s right. In fact, having a classical background can actually hinder your ability to just sit down and freely improvise. No, what most improvising pianists know is how to use chords. Chords and knowledge of the scale the chords came from is all that is needed to make music at the piano.

Now, most of you have heard of triads. These are 3 note chords that sound something Mozart or Beethoven might have played for their children to get them interested in piano. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with learning triads - except for one thing… they’re boring!

Listen to this…

What if you could learn a chord position that would give you a modern sound right away AND allow you to use both of your hands. And what if this chord structure could provide you with rich, lush sounding chords? You’d probably want to learn this kind of chord type over triad’s right?

Yet thousands upon thousands of piano students begin their studies with the age-old chord structure known as the triad. Now, thankfully, you don’t have to start this way.

Here’s the point. This is the year 2006. We have Jazz and contemporary styles that go beyond the triad and begin with something called seventh chords.

But how exactly do we play these? By using something called the Open Position Chord structure. Here we use both hands to finger a modern sounding seventh chord. And we use over 2 octaves of the keyboard as well. With this kind of chord, we can instantly begin creating our own music.

How easy is this? If I were to tell you that you could begin creating your own music within 1 hour would you believe me? Probably not. But if I were to show you exactly how to do it… well, then, that’s another matter altogether. Don’t take my word for it. Just take my free lesson below and see for yourself!

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music’s online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!

The exceptionally talented Smooth Jazz Artist Everette Harp has released his latest CD entitled In The Moment. I am very confident and happy to announce that I believe Everette Harp fans, and smooth jazz fans alike will be pleased with this one. With the release of In The Moment Everette Harp’s artistic excellence is on full display as he has once again delivered a brilliant collection of tracks that could very well be his best work to date.

The CD launches with a great track, Monday Speaks, that will definitely be heard on smooth jazz radio stations everywhere, and deservedly so. From there Harp proceeds to display why he is considered one the greatest smooth jazz artists of our time as he mixes his signature style throughout the CD.

These days it’s a very rare CD on which every single song is good or better than the one before it. This CD is certainly one of those rare CDs.

In fact I’d go so far as to assert that Harp’s best work has come in his last to releases. Now having distinguished his own unique voice on the saxophone.

Smooth Jazz music fans will recognize some of the well known guests that have been assembled to play along with Harp on several of the tracks. Artists like Paul Jackson Jr., George Duke and Chuck Loeb just to name a few.

Overall I’d say Everette Harp scores big with In The Moment. Continuing his rise as a top smooth jazz sax player. Definitely a worthy addition to any smooth jazz collection.

Truly an outstanding smooth jazz CD. One of those that is completely void of any wasted time, as each track is absolutely superb.

While this entire CD is outstanding the truly standout tunes are Monday Speaks [track 1], Just As You Are [track 4], and Another Bedtime Story [track 6]. My SmoothLee Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore […as in “Stuck On REpeat”] is track 2, Holla. Very nice!

Release Notes:

Everette Harp originally released In The Moment on May 23, 2006 on the Shanachie record label.

CD track list follows:

1. Monday Speaks
2. Holla
3. Back To Basics
4. Just As You Are
5. In the Moment
6. Another Bedtime Story
7. No Bout a Doubt It!
8. L. V. Shuffle
9. Night Calls
10. Happy Accidental

To listen to samples of each song on In The Moment by Everette go to: Everette Harp CD - In The Moment Samples

If you are looking for free music then the internet is the right place for you. You will find a lot of websites where you can download MP3 music. Many of these sites offer free MP3 downloads or charge only a minimum amount of money, but the download is allowed usually only one-time.
The reason why MP3 is getting so popular is that that MP3 music usually is cheaper than any CD’s or DVD’s and some sites even offer it completely for free.

But the distribution of MP3 files over the internet may also have some downsides. The MP3’s you can download on many sites are protected by copyright, so the distribution and download of these MP3 files is illegal. Although there have been filed several lawsuits over this particular issue, but this practice still continues to flourish.

Luckily there are also some sites that offer only legal MP3 music for download, so you can be assured that all of your downloads from these sites are absolutely legal. No copyright or law will be broken, so you and your MP3 downloads remain secure.

The following list is only a short excerpt of the available sites that offer legal MP3 Music downloads, so a little research will bring you up with more sites.

You Can Download MP3 Music at MP3Musiq.com

MP3Musiq is the music downloading service that everyone is talking about.
They are proud to be the #1 downloading mp3 service that allows you to easily download Millions of FREE MUSIC MP3s, CDs, Games, Movies and much more!
With MP3Musiq you are not just limited to top music downloads you can download all kinds of DVDs video games and full version software programs.
Membership mean access to millions of music files, movie files, software programs, pictures, games, movies and TV shows…all without a single download fee.

You Can Download MP3 Music at Amazon.com

Amazon.com is not only an online bookstore, but also a place for free music as well.
The collection of free music they have in their archive will surprise you. Have a look at their MP3 music downloads section. You will find MP3 music downloads in various genres like, hard rock, rhythm and blues, soul, hip hop, urban, metal, electronic, rock & pop, alternative, and many more.
If you are looking for dance tunes then this is also the right place for you. Also you will find jazz, reggae, country ditties, Latin, blues, and so on. To top it this site also features various collections from artists like Eminem, Usher, Christina Aguilera, Destiny’s Child, etc. If you want to stay updated Amazon.com with online news and so on, Amazon.com is your place to visit each and every day.

You Can Download MP3 Music at MP3.com

MP3.com is not only a great place to gather lots of MP3 Music files for many enthusiasts and music fans, but it is also one of the most popular and interactive communities you will find online.
Their product-range includes not only MP3 Music but also photo galleries, videos, album reviews, and free streaming. This community is one of the most popular you will find online.

You Can Download MP3 Music at eMusic.com

After you sign up for an account with eMusic.com, you get access to one of the most extensive collection of MP3 music for sale or purchase. As you have to pay if you want to download MP3 music from this trusted site, you can be assured that this takes place without breaking any law.
If you act fast you can get a little bonus at their site. At the moment they are running a promotion that allows you to download 25 MP3 music files for free, so you do not have to pay for them.

You Can Download MP3 Music at GarageBand.com

Garageband.com is another wonderful place if you want to download MP3 music. If you are a friend of indie music then this site is for you. Different independent artists and musicians will help you to broaden your musical tastes. You will definitely not find such an extensive collection offered anywhere in the physical world.

You Can Download MP3 Music at YourMP3.net

YourMP3.net is another great site if you look for MP3 music downloads. There you will find songs right off the charts, including songs like Numb/Encore by Linkin Park Feat. Jay Z,
Don’t You Want Me (brand new club hit) by DJ Hero.D, Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day, My Boo by Usher and Alicia Keys and many more. You will also find song lyrics, full albums, and free software and screen savers. They also provide you with an online request form so you can ask for music you are looking for.

You Can Download MP3 Music at Lycos.com

There are many sites that offer MP3 music downloads and Lycos.com is one of them.
They also offer extensive background information for all featured artist, including bios, discographies, photos, videos and lyrics. Their collection of MP3s and songs of many well known artists is really huge. So you only need to type in their name at the search box at the top of the page and if available you receive a list of links to that artist’s MP3 music downloads.

Copyright © 2006 Andreas Obermueller

About the Author:

Andreas Obermueller is webmaster of
Hit4Biz.com - Marketing Related Information.

In the hierarchy of musical priorities, dynamics have often appeared to me to be relegated to fairly low niche and left there to languish, their immense potential for beauty and expressiveness being overlooked and ignored. Even in recordings of professional orchestras it is not at all unusual to here a crescendo or diminuendo begin and end without any unified idea of where it is heading. Concerts or recordings where the music making is otherwise of a very high calibe all to often approach the dynamics with far less care and intelligence than other musical matters.

Every musician knows what dynamics are and will tell you that when they see an mf on the music, by golly they play mezzo forte! And when they see a crescendo to a fff, watch out, buddy!

Crescendos (or crescendi, for our purist friends) seem to bring out a primal Darwinian, survival of the fittest impulse in many of us. If you can do it, e.g. low brass, most percussion, etc., then do it. If you can’t, e.g. low register flutes, middle register clarinets, etc., then get out of the way. It is quite understandable. After all, you flutes and clarinets get all the great melodies and technical calisthenics while we timpanists and trombonists are stuck back here counting rests. So, when we are finally allowed to speak, our voices will be heard! Then to our delight and to the delight of our audiences, excitement happens! Everybody wins, right? Absolutely. The only casualty is the music.

I don’t wish to claim any tremendous pre-eminence in this area, but I have listened to what others have to say on the topic and have explored a number of approaches on my own. I also don’t wish to suggest that any of my findings are original with me. Au contraire, anyone with keen musical sensitivities would be very apt to make similar explorations and discoveries on their own. So with your kind indulgence, perhaps we can investigate a few of these principals together. If you find something here that might squeeze your own creative juices, then my fondest hopes will have been realized. If not, then I recommend you demand a full refund from the author.

Why don’t we continue flogging the subject of the crescendo for just a moment or two? Most of them seem to have a destination or a specific point in the music when the energy and momentum gathered by it is released in a heightened moment of drama or intensity. Obviously, for the full dramatic potential of the passage to be realized there has to be general agreement exactly where and when that moment will arrive. If a few people in the ensemble peak on the crescendo prematurely the effect is spoiled, and the audience slinks out of the hall feeling violated and unclean.

A question that is too rarely asked is, “What should the shape of the crescendo be?” The written symbol has two converging straight lines, yet in most instances, to shape the crescendo like a trumpet bell would be musically and dramatically much more effective, i.e. very little crescendo at first, then gradually increasing the volume, saving the final 50% of the crescendo for the last 10% of the passage. You may wish to experiment with this idea in a few select passages to see if you agree with the results. My guess is that you will be heralded as a genius and promoted at least as high the custodial staff.

Another oft-neglected question is, “Who should crescendo when?” May I offer a suggestion here, also?

A typical passage containing a crescendo might consist of the melodic material in the upper voices, the harmonic or accompanimental figures in the middle voices, a bass line, and some rhythmic figures in the percussion. If you were to encourage the melodic instruments to begin the crescendo first and the accompaniment to construct their crescendo entirely in support of the melody, but never upstaging it, you will find that the melody will maintain its primacy. Now, if through coercion or perhaps even bribery, you can appeal to the percussionists’ better angels and make them aware of the ever-present danger of premature gesticulation, you may have crated the ideal crescendo. If the percussionists save a solid 80% of their crescendo until the last couple of beats before its apex, they will provide the perfect dot for the perfect “i” and prove once again, even to the most skeptical, that, except in certain one-on-one disciplinary actions, intelligence and sensitivity trump brute force every time.

It is my fervent hope to continue to lobby for the liberation of the crescendo. If there is any true justice I have recruited you to become a like-minded zealot to this most noble of causes.

Any comments about your own glorious victories you might wish to contribute would, no doubt, serve as an enduring inspiration to us all.

Carl Hammond is a 35 year international music veteran and CEO of http://www.musicalcompsoitions.net where you may purchase and download sheet music for concert bands, choirs,chamber ensembles,& jazz groups. See it,hear it,download it, rehearse it. FREE Newsletter and FREE Special Report