Secret...

Secret (traditional Chinese: 不能說的秘密; simplified Chinese: 不能说的秘密; pinyin: Bùnéng shuō de mìmì; literally "The Secret That Cannot Be Told"), is a 2007 Taiwanese romance film. It is the directorial debut feature film of Taiwanese musician Jay Chou, who also stars as the male lead and co-wrote the movie.

The Secret Original Soundtrack was released by JVR Music on 13 August 2007.

In 2007 it received six nominations at the 44th Golden Horse Awards and won Outstanding Taiwanese Film of the Year, Best Original Song for "不能說的祕密" (Secret) by Chou and Best Visual Effects. It was also nominated for Best Asian Film at the 27th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2008.

Synopsis

Ye Xianglun (Jay Chou), a music student majoring in piano, transfers to Tamkang (Danjiang) Secondary School. It is a school famous for musically talented students, especially in piano. On the first day of school, as he wanders through the piano building, he hears a mysterious melody being played that leads him to Lu Xiaoyu (Kwai Lun-mei), another piano major. When he asks her about the song she was playing,

How to Maintain Your Piano

1. Maintain and tune the piano only by a professional tuner. It should be done at least once to twice a year depending on the piano. As if it is an old piano, the tune should be at least twice a year versus a new one you can go up to once a year. My piano was brand new when I bought it directly from the manufacture so once I noticed the slightest change in the pitch or tone, I called the professional tuner that recommended by the manufacture. It doesn't matter if you rarely play it or on daily basis as not doing so will damage the piano by causing its strings to drop and loose its pitch.
2. Warm, moist or dry air affects the piano differently. Especially be cautious from the moisture as it can cause the strings to rust. Thus, the optimum humidity of the room ought to be between 43 to 60 percent and the temperature is 640F and 73‏0F.

Ten Ways to Improvise The Piano

1.      Use fake books. Fake books, as one of the top 10 ways to improvise on the piano, are gentle introductions to what could be interpreted as the Wild West of improvisation. Improvisation is largely based on freedom of expression. Without having a good foundation of the basics, beginners may feel intimidated by the possibilities. Fake books however contain music that provides opportunities of expression. Since it’s music lacks full notation, fake books allow the musician to fill in the missing parts with what *could* be there or what *should* be there without leaving *everything* up to the pianist.

2.      Make up your own songs. Making up your own songs really isn’t as easy as you might think. If you’ve been trained in the classics for example, you might find it difficult to break from instilled patterns.

The History of Piano Pedals

Piano pedals have existed for almost as long as the modern piano itself, but they had a rocky start. While the modern piano accepted most of its final touches, the evolution of the piano pedal continued.

In 1722, the piano’s first tone-modifying mechanism came in the form of a hand stop, and was created by Father Piano himself: Bartolomeo Cristifori. The device positioned the hammers to strike only one piano string per key, which created a soft, relaxed timbre. But it was far from ideal; a spare hand was required to use it, meaning the pianist either repeatedly removed one hand from the keys, or practiced alongside a hand-stop operator. Thankfully, the mechanism was later modified to be operated by the knee, and became the predecessor to today’s una corda, or “soft,” pedal.

The next modification arrived soon after. Gottfried Silbermann -- renowned European constructor of keyboard instruments -- created a mechanism that lifted the dampers off of the strings,

Tips For Better Piano Playing

 There are five tips to make your piano playing better...

1.   One Hand At A Time

When learning to play a new piece, begin by playing with only one hand. Learn the hand movements and play the piece with each hand separately. If you are right-handed, this exercise will strengthen your left hand. Once you know how to play the piece with each hand separately, you may be surprised how easy it is to play it with both hands.

2.   Foot Off The Pedals

When playing a piece that normally requires the use of the pedals, try playing the piece without the pedals. Doing so will allow you to hear the passages more clearly and identify any notes that sound wrong, ill-timed, or uneven.

Interesting Facts about Piano

These is interesting facts about piano...

• The Piano was invented in 1698 by an Italian, Bartolomeo Cristofori.

• There are over 12,000 parts in a piano, 10,000 which are moving.

• There is approximately 18 tons of pressure being exerted by the stretched steel piano strings. In a concert grand, it is close to 30 tons of pressure. The average string having about 160 pounds of tension. There are 230 strings inside a typical piano.