Robert Estrin - piano expert

Robert Estrin - Meet The Piano Expert

Got questions about the piano? Post your questions, get your answers

Robert Estrin shares his piano expertise with our audience.

Released on March 20, 2012

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DISCLAIMER: The views and the opinions expressed in this video are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Virtual Sheet Music and its employees.
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Comments, Questions, Requests:

Judy Grimes * VSM MEMBER * on April 19, 2024 @6:10 am PST
Hello Robert,
I'm wondering if you could give any advice for the "aging" pianist? I have the good fortune to play well, both the piano and the organ, but I'm wondering if there is some special advice to give someone in their seventies?
reply
Robert - host, on April 19, 2024 @8:07 am PST
That's an excellent question. I will see what video I can make on this subject for you!
Judy Grimes * VSM MEMBER * on April 20, 2024 @8:34 am PST
Thanks so much! I'm still a working professional!
Elisabeth * VSM MEMBER * on February 14, 2024 @6:16 pm PST
Hello Robert. I wish to purchase a clip on type piano lamp from Amazon.Could you give me the brand name and price of the one demonstrated. Thank you Elisabeth Cotter.
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Robert - host, on February 15, 2024 @9:46 am PST
This link should work even though it says the promotion has ended. https://www.amazon.com/promocode/A205S23DE0DT27
Fabrizio Ferrari - moderator and CEO, on February 15, 2024 @9:09 pm PST
Thanks for the link, Robert, but from that page, I can't understand which one of the listed is the lamp you talked about. Do you have a link that takes you to the same lamp in your video?
Domanic VanGieson on February 6, 2024 @6:58 am PST
I have a question for Robert

Question: If I were to get my hand stuck in a piano and someone were to play it how bad would the injuries be, and would they vary on the type of piano, material in the piano, ETC.

If you could answer this question that would be nice.
reply
Robert - host, on February 6, 2024 @7:53 am PST
I'm not sure how you could get your hand stuck in a piano. But presumably it would have something to do with the fallboard (the key cover). Playing the piano would be difficult and shouldn't effect things much. You'd have to really try to get your hand stuck in a piano. That action could cause some injury depending on how forceful you tried to wedge your hand in there! Extremely rigorous, wild playing could also result in the fallboard coming down on your hands while you're playing. That's why they have slow-close fallboards on some pianos. But this sort of thing is quite rare.
Megan * VSM MEMBER * on December 7, 2023 @8:11 am PST
Hello! This question is mostly for a pianist.

I am a beginner-intermediate keyboard player who plays just for herself as a hobby. I have a question that I have been wanting the answer to for many years and was wondering if someone would be willing to answer it for me. I provide an example but I am not just interested in this particular song, but to ANY song.

Question: If I do not have the sheet music for ANY song, how can I tell if a vocalist/instrument player is changing key or changing octave? Below is a link to Jim Nabors singing the Impossible Dream and there are many other songs in which I can hear changes but cannot tell if these changes are key changes or octave changes. Can you suggest how I can learn to make this distinction if all I have is an audio rendition? Because I can read music, I would be able to answer this question for myself if I had the sheet music. My guess is Jim is making key changes. If so, kindly name those particular key changes for me as an example.

Jim starts singing the song at 4:03. I hear a change at 6:24, at 6:44 and 7:04; perhaps there are more that I am missing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJlgio-UOng

Thank you.
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Robert - host, on December 8, 2023 @7:29 am PST
The song starts in B-flat major. AT 6:24, it modulates up a half-step to B-major. At 6:44, it modulates up another half-step to C major. Finally, at 7:04, it modulates up one more half-step and the song ends in D-flat major. You nailed it!
Megan * VSM MEMBER * on December 8, 2023 @3:40 pm PST
Thank you, Robert.
Megan * VSM MEMBER * on September 24, 2023 @11:10 am PST
Hi! I am a beginning-to- easy-play older adult student. 1. Do you have an index of your piano videos or must I scroll through every page to see what is available? 2. I can read sheet music but find it takes me a long time to learn "easy" pieces. I would like to learn to play by ear; do you have a video on learning to play by ear?. Thank you.
reply
Robert - host, on September 24, 2023 @1:22 pm PST
There are over 1,500 videos with accompanying articles. You can search with keywords here: https://livingpianos.com/blog/ It looks like I don't have a video specifically about how to play by ear. I will make one for you!
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Megan * VSM MEMBER * on September 24, 2023 @4:57 pm PST
Thank you, Robert!
Fabrizio Ferrari - moderator and CEO, on September 24, 2023 @4:48 pm PST
Robert, actually you made this video about that subject:

https://www.virtualsheetmusic.com/experts/robert/playing-music-by-ear/
Fabrizio Ferrari - moderator and CEO, on September 24, 2023 @4:58 pm PST
You are most welcome! Smiley Face
Fabrizio Ferrari - moderator and CEO, on September 24, 2023 @5:04 pm PST
That's wonderful! Welcome to the family!

Please always feel free to contact us ( and me) with any questions or ideas you may have; we will always be glad to hear from you.

I really hope you'll enjoy your time here on VSM Smiley Face

Keep playing great music!

All the best,
Fabrizio Ferrari - moderator and CEO, on September 25, 2023 @11:26 am PST
You are very welcome Smiley Face
Kenneth A. Spencer on July 17, 2023 @3:06 am PST
I have often wondered about the correct way(s) of "spelling" accidental musical notes in various keys.
A video on this topic would be quite helpful in understanding exactly how it should be done. Thanks!
Kenneth Spencer
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Robert - host, on July 17, 2023 @9:30 am PST
Here is a video that relates to your question: https://livingpianos.com/why-do-they-write-e-sharps-and-c-flats/ Please let me know if this clarifies things or if you would like a video on this subject.
Kenneth A. Spencer on July 18, 2023 @2:42 am PST
Thank you for that Robert.

I have viewed that video as you suggested. In fact I recognised it and realised that I have already seen it, probably when it first came out (I have been watching your videos for many years now.). And, yes, that video does help of course, but my question was subtly different, and I hope I won't waste your time if I explain a little more clearly.

I play piano, organ (including in a local church for services, just twice per month), and guitar. Although I have quite a reasonable grasp of musical theory, and have written some music for those instruments, I am actually a very poor reader, when it comes to transferring the music from page to eyes to brain to fingers/feet. But sometimes (OK, rarely!) I come across a short musical phrase where accidentals occur and of course have to be fitted into the score taking account of the scale of the piece. This can result in the Cb, B#, Fb and E# which you mentioned in your previous video. But of course if the note is already sharpened or flattened in the scale, there are added issues of double sharps or flats etc etc. Which note name to you sharpen or flatten; when might you write F## rather than G (if that is a sensible question!)?

Is there a rationale to all this? I certainly recall a friend of mine, who is an organist, looking at a page and saying to me: "Is that little phrase not mispelled?" Are there rules (I am sure that there are!) that can easily be explained?

If I have said enough to make myself clear, and if you have time, a video discussing this topic would be much appreciated (though I doubt that it would improve my playing!).

Many thanks for producing those helpful and interesting videos!

Kenneth A. Spencer
jjjude1 * VSM MEMBER * on March 26, 2023 @5:00 pm PST
Robert, can you direct me to your video that had the piano with the bite marks from Beethoven. Did I misremember this?
Thank you for your musical instruction, insights and inspiration!
Judy Jollett
Yarmouthport, Ma.
reply
Robert - host, on March 27, 2023 @8:57 am PST
You are close. The bite marks were from Thomas Edison who had lost most of his hearing. https://livingpianos.com/thomas-edisons-piano/ Maybe Beethoven also bit his piano!
Paul M Boos on February 24, 2023 @8:38 am PST
I have a few questions from your counterpoint video. Could the 2 melody lines run at a different tempos? And if that is true, then perhaps even start at the same time? And if one is at a different tempo, could it also then just run for only part of the length of the other? I just wasn't sure if that is considered counterpoint if you do that... Thanks in advance!
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Robert - host, on February 24, 2023 @9:55 am PST
While having different tempi within a given section of a piece isn't possible, this affect can be achieved by notating longer note values in one line compared to another. This is called augmentation. Diminution is the opposite: having a line faster than the other line. So yes, this is the way this is achieved.

In this case, if it is the same subject that is being played at different speeds, one would end earlier than the other. The intertwining of voices within complex counterpoint found in fugues can involve many types of interesting interactions!
Paul Niehoff * VSM MEMBER * on July 24, 2022 @3:08 am PST
Hello Robert,
I would like to apologize for my past criticism of a your playing of a Chopin Ballade No 1.
I have been a subscriber to VSM for oiver 15 years and have listened to your wonderful lectures with great appreciation for as long as I have been aware of them.
I had a question but your previous answer on February 3rd to Fred and Rita was exactly what I needed. Thank you.
On the humourous side, while I was accompanying my wife singing "Oh Divine Redeemer" by Gounod, she accidently added an unwritten repeat. Exciting times in front of 7000 people, but we managed to finish together and most would not have noticed.
Regards Paul
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Robert - host, on July 25, 2022 @9:27 am PST
You may like this recent performance of a piece of Chopin I just learned: https://youtu.be/9eMNY0aH3EA?t=138
Maikel Gilis on May 29, 2022 @3:42 pm PST
Dear Mister Estrin,

I just saw two videos of you. The one where you explain how to play the piano with small hands. But that made me wonder if you are able to play the 3th movement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. Maybe I'm to old to learn how to play the piano. I'm almost 32. And the reason I ask you this is because I also have small hands and I really want to learn how to play that piece on the piano. Because Beethoven is my favorite composer of all time. And the Moonlight Sonata is my favorite piano piece. Especially the 3th movement like I mentioned before. And in a other video you mention that the piano is losing in popularity. Not with me because I'm a huge Classical and Jazz enthusiast. And in both music genres piano is my favorite instrument. Sorry for my long email. But I hope you find the time to answer my question. Thank you in advance.

Sincere greetings,

Gilis Michael
reply
Robert - host, on May 30, 2022 @11:55 am PST
There are no large reaches in the 3rd movement of the Beethoven Moonlight Sonata that should make this piece difficult for people with small hands.
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