Since there are websites that offer you the chance to learn how to play any type of piano you want too, and that’s including classical piano music, what are you waiting for? A lot of these websites will allow you to begin to teach you the basic chords and notes by just using your computer keyboard. A lot of these websites will also teach you how to read sheet music as well, so once you have that down and piano playing, those free sheet music websites will come in handy for you. A lot of people think this is a great idea, allowing people to begin to learn for free. One of the main reason’s being is that going out and purchasing a piano or a keyboard is not exactly cheap. So you can begin to learn at home and find out if this is truly the instrument you want to learn and after you have your basic chords and notes down you can then look at paying for lessons and purchasing equipment if you wish to do so.

A lot of people love to learn a new instrument just for the fact that when they have company over they can simply begin to play right then and there for them. One of the greatest feelings in the world, said by many people and artists is just having a group of people over and everyone begins to jam together for an afternoon or an evening.

People all around the world consider the piano to be one of the most diverse instruments ever. The sound that comes from it is beautiful and soothing, so what’s stopping you from learning to play classical piano music? Nows your chance, even if your free time is limited.

If you have already chosen a method on how to learn to play to play piano, you must then have a proper practice combined with determination and commitment to learn. Learning to play piano can be a lot of fun and if you have already mastered it, it becomes a very rewarding experience as well. Patience is also very important for you learn fast and easy.

The warp and woof of music are rhythm and melody, and the drums are the rhythm instruments par excellence. It is easier to recognize a song by its rhythm without melody than it is by its melody without rhythm, which shows what a basic part of music is rhythm.

Primitive music is more rhythm than it is melody, Some of this primitive music is tremendously expressive. Melody could add very little to the foreboding pulsations of the African war drums.

In fact, melody would detract more than it would add. There is something in the constantly recurring rhythmical beat of the drums which pulsates in the blood. There is something in the incessant and ominous boom of the drums which pounds in the brain.

Melody would relieve the tension, would break the spell. But the dread rhythm of the war drums, beating in the ears, booming in the brain, speaks a terrible message which could be spoken in no other way.

If it be a dirge, how little is melody missed when the drums begin their lament! With a rhythm peculiarly expressive of grief and sorrow, the drums beat out a mournful elegy which asks nothing of either words or melody.

By contrast, what can be gayer than the castanets and tambourines of Spain or the bongas and maracas of Cuba? The quickened rhythm, the joyous accents of these instruments sing a song of gaiety and happiness which melody could scarcely supplement.

What can the melody of the bugle add to the stirring rattle of the military drum, sounding assembly or commanding a charge? The weird, the mysterious, the terrible all can be portrayed with tremendous drama and reality by bare rhythm without melody.

It is no wonder that all peoples, from the most primitive and barbarous to the most educated and cultured, have been lovers of the drum and other percussion instruments.

In earliest history we learn that the Egyptians, Assyrians, Hebrews, Greeks and Romans all used instruments corresponding to our kettledrums, tenor drums, tambourines and cymbals. Of these, the most important soon came to be the kettledrums.

In early Europe they were used not only in military affairs, but in the court of Edward I as musical instruments. Later, in 1347, when Edward III celebrated his triumphal march into Calais, kettledrums helped make the music.

Chaucer often speaks of the “nakers” in his Canterbury Tales, and nakers is an Arabic word meaning “kettledrums.” In a carving in Worcester Cathedral, believed to have been done in 1396, a pair of kettledrums is shown strapped to the waist of a player, one on each side.

These were small kettledrums, similar to those brought by the Moors into Spain and carried by the Crusaders from Arabia, but larger-size kettles were developed by the Germans, which are practically like our modern tympani. Henry VIII introduced these larger kettledrums into England in the first half of the sixteenth century.

The German historian of music, Virdung, writing in 1511, describes the kettledrums of his day. He even draws some pictures of them which look much like the modern kettledrums. About a hundred years later, Praetorius, another German historian of music, talks about the kettledrums; and so does the Frenchman Mersennus, writing in 1627.

These ancient kettledrums were hemispherical and had skin heads stretched across the top by hoops which were held in place and tightened by adjusting screws around the rim.

Kettledrums graduated from the army and the military band into the orchestra during the time of Lully and were used commonly by him and other French composers of the seventeenth century.

As early as 1713 kettledrums had become popular in Germany, for Johann Mattheson, of Hamburg, composer and musical authority, writing of the musical instruments of his day, says that kettledrums were often used in both church and opera.

These he says were used in pairs and were tuned a fourth apart, a practice which existed for many years. Handel knew about kettledrums, using them in his “Water Music.” Bach also used them, as did Haydn and Mozart and all the other great masters who came later.

These early kettledrums, or tympani, as they are now called, were hand tuned and were pitched in C and G, the tonic and dominant of the key in which the music was written.

The large kettle was tuned to the G below the C, while the small kettle was tuned to the C, making them a fourth apart. The reason for this inversion was the limitations of the instruments.

If the tonic had been given to the large kettle and the dominant to the small kettle, the dominant would generally have been higher than the small kettle’s compass. Therefore, the tonic was given to the small kettle, and the dominant an octave below was given to the large kettle.

Kettledrums were treated mostly as military instruments, for they were hardly ever allowed to play except with the trumpets, in marches, overtures and other such music. This is only another example of following custom.

Trumpeters and kettledrummers used to accompany royalty wherever it went and were used to signify rank, much as rank is signified today by cannons, a certain number for each rank.

Later, when trumpets were admitted to the orchestra, the kettledrums naturally followed; also, when the trumpets played, the early composers thought it appropriate that the kettledrums play, too.

It was Beethoven who freed the tympani from these shackles, not only those imposed by the custom of pairing the kettledrums with the trumpets, but also the universal tuning to G and C, a fourth apart.

In his First Symphony in 1800, Beethoven startled the tympani player and the audience by having the tympani play a sort of bass part to a melody of violins and flutes. Seven years later, in his Fourth Symphony, he elects the tympani to the great honor of stating a theme of two notes which was repeated by the other instruments.

The following year, in his great Fifth Symphony, the same symphony in which the piccolo, trombone and contrabassoon all make their debut in the symphony, Beethoven causes the tympani to make their debut as a solo instrument, creating for the tympani a solo effect in the scherzo movement.

In 1814, in his Eighth Symphony, he tries still another innovation by having the tympani play in unison with the bassoons. By this time the fatal tie between the Siamese twins had been broken and the tympani was no longer restricted to duets with the trumpet.

Apocalyptica tickets are now available and can be bought or sold online at Stubhub.com.

People living in the Nordic region of Europe must have Viking blood running through their veins. How else to explain the passion for dark, violent, dramatic metal?

Even those with classical training have a love for it, it seems. Apocalyptica, a cello quartet from Helsinki, Finland, were initially received as an amusing novelty when they debuted in 1996 with an album full of Metallica covers. But in time, they’ve gained an enormous amount of respect and goodwill from metal fans around the world, which enjoy their music for containing all the drama and rage of a good metal song.

The band is composed of four cellists who met at the Sibelius Academy for music: Eicca Toppinen, Max Lilja, Antero Manninen and Paavo Lotjonen. At first, their diverse range included everything from Bach to Jimi Hendrix. But eventually, their shared love of metal led them to craft covers of well-known metal standards. The bands they included Pantera, Metallica, Slayer and more. Eventually, they decided to join a covers night at a local metal club. They approached the gig with some trepidation—they weren’t sure how the crowd would react—but in the end, they received lots of applause and had a great time.

After putting out their first album (with a title that was straight and to the point: Four Cellos Cover Metallica), they continued to tour and gig both at home and abroad. In Finland, and especially in Helsinki, they were a massive hit. But the band thought they could do more.

They began writing their own songs, and eventually added a drummer, Dave Lombardo. This allowed them to pursue more of a rock or metal hybrid sound as opposed to a strictly classical one. They found future success with each album that came out. Their most recent, 2007’s Worlds Collide, featured an excellent cover of David Bowie’s “Heroes” sung in German by Rammstein frontman Till Lindemann.

Now on tour, this is the time for metal fans to snap up some Apocalyptica tickets and see this band live.

Everyone knows that Johann Sebastian Bach was a great composer but there is little else that most know about this man. Do you know who his parents were or when he was born? Johann Sebastian Bach quizes can reveal just how much or how little you know about your favorite composer.

Questions in Johann Sebastian Bach trivia about his birthday would be answered with March 21, 1685. His father was Johann Ambrosius. Now how many people know what this famous composer’s fathers name was? This little bit of trivia could easily stump your friends. What other interesting and little known facts about Johann Sebastian Bach could you amaze your friends with?

Do you need to brush up on Bach before taking the next Johann Sebastian Bach quiz? There are some tiny tidbits that can assist you. For instance did you know that the Bach-Haus museum is at the same location as the Bach family home was originally? What about the inside? It’s authentically decorated with material from the era that Johann Sebastian Bach lived in.

What else might come up with Johann Sebastian Bach trivia? Questions such as who taught Johann Sebastian Bach to play the organ could come up. The answer would be his uncle, Johann Christoph Bach. His uncle was the organist at the Georgenkirche in Eisenach when he taught Bach how to play.

How old was Bach when he began attending Latin Grammar School? This could easily come up when taking a quiz about Bach and the answer would be eight years old. Another question that could come up is what the name of the choir that allowed Johann Sebastian Bach a chance to sing in the services that were regularly held and in the surrounding villages. The answer to this is the St. Georgenkirche; the boys that attended the school put the choir together.

A few sad facts might enter into Johann Sebastian Bach trivia as well. These could include the fact that he lost both a sister and a brother when he was young and that he was only nine when he lost his mother followed by his father approximately nine months later. The fact that he and his brother Johann Jakob went to live with the oldest brother Johann Christoph could also come up if asked about where he went after the deaths.

An interesting bit of trivia about Johann Sebastian Bach would definitely be who got him into composing musical scores. The answer would be his brother Johann Christoph. What else could taking a quiz about Johann Sebastian Bach reveal to you? Why not take a Johann Sebastian Bach quiz today and find out just how much you actually know versus what you think you know.

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At 9:30 am I went to visit Klaudia, one of my best friends from high school, at her parent’s house. Our other school mate Doris was already there and it was great to see both of them again, more than 23 years after we graduated from high school. After the initial hugs and kisses and how-are-yous we started walking onto the local hill, the Weizberg. Our stroll took us through the local cemetery where we admired a very famous grave: the last resting place of Aurelia Schwarzenegger, Arnold’s mother, who was a long-time resident of Weiz.

Klaudia even mentioned that her father happened to encounter Mrs. Schwarzenegger at the cemetery a number of years ago, but she had collapsed due to a heart attack. My friend’s father called the ambulance which gave her emergency treatment and took her to the hospital. She passed away shortly after and Arnold Schwarzenegger sent a thank you letter to the ambulance employees as well as to Klaudia’s father, to thank him for getting help for his mother. Proof that in this town real celebrity connections are just steps away…

Right next to the church is the so-called “Kräutergarten” (herb garden) that was created by a group of local residents (including Klaudia’s mom) that features a wide variety of local herbs, many of which are used in the regional cuisine. Then we took the romantic stairs down the hill, a pathway that we had walked many times as children. Our local stroll took us past our former high school, where we discussed fond memories of our school years.

One of the highlights of our high school careers were two choir trips to Germany, to our partner school in Offenburg, where the two school choirs jointly performed classical songs. We most fondly recalled the actual concert where for the finale both school choirs appeared together to jointly sing the last song. Screaming our lungs out among 120 singers from two different countries was an exhilarating experience, and not surprisingly my passions for cross-cultural exchanges were kindled at an early age.

After our return to Klaudia’s parents Doris left and the rest of us started preparing a hearty meal, and I, by no means gifted in the kitchen, donned the apron and started cutting and chopping whatever needed to be done. (Good thing I was not in charge of any really important tasks…) Klaudia’s mom whipped up a delicious meal for 10+ people in next to no time and we soon sat down in the garden to have some Austrian specialties: we savoured a “Bröselknödelsuppe” (breadcrumb dumplings in a clear beef broth), stuffed green peppers and delicious mashed potatoes with caramelized onions.

Given this delicious yet substantial calory injection, we had to do a work-out and decided to do a hike up onto the Schöckel, at over 1400 m the highest local mountain. Around 2 pm we met up with Doris again and all three of us broke out our Nordic walking poles and we attacked the mountain from its steepest side. Doris, an experienced hiker, led the group at a rather hellish pace, and the two of us clambered behind her. Some areas were so steep we had to use our hands to brace ourselves climbing up between the rocks. But our walking sticks definitely aided in the ascent and about an hour later we were rewarded with an astounding 360 degree view over the Styrian hills and mountains.

The Schöckel is also referred to as the “Grazer Hausberg” or local mountain of Graz, and we had great views down into the Styrian capital and the Mur Valley. To the south the Austrian and Slovenian plains were stretching out, looking east and right saw the foothills of Eastern and Western Styria, and to the north we took in the panorama of the more imposing mountains of the Styrian Alps. We also saw several ramps for hang-gliders, a popular activity in this region.

We walked past some peaceful cows that were grazing on the mountain pastures and reached the summit area which is the location of the upper station of the cable car, of a couple of restaurants and a summer tobogganing course. The weather today was brilliant and many serious hikers, mountain bikers and tourists were congregating at the mountain top. We were quite fascinated by the summer tobogganing and Doris suggested that I should try it.

Well, I have always been a bit of a daredevil and she did not have to say it twice. She even sprang for my Euro 2.50 round, and a couple of minutes later I was sitting in the steel “buggy of death”, ready for my hair-raising descent down the serpentine curves of the course. Actually, the ride was a lot tamer than I expected, and I only occasionally pulled the brakes, but it was still an very entertaining experience. I figured if I did it again I would probably try to go down the course without breaking at all.

Once the lift had pulled my buggy back up to the summit plateau we started walking past the Stubenberghaus, a large mountain restaurant and inn, towards the summit cross which provides a beautiful view northwards into the mountainous area of Upper Styria. I have always loved mountains, and to see peak after peak after peak was just a great experience. We then started hiking back to the car and our trek back down was considerably easier than the torturous climb up. We stopped at Doris’ beautiful country house on the way back where we admired her recently created garden pond and her new dog. Equipped with some gorgeous ripe Styrian peaches from Doris’ family’s farm we returned to Weiz and I dropped Klaudia off.

About an hour later we reunited when Klaudia, her husband and two children, her parents, her sister Andrea and her daughters Nina and Katja arrived at my brother’s place. Tonight we would all get together for a great barbecue, and my brother Ewald, the passionate chef, had a few special treats waiting for us. Anneliese, my sister-in-law, had been helping all afternoon with the preparations.

After some initial chit-chatting we started off with a savoury vegetable soup, and then my brother started preparing the main course: 13 whole artic chars were waiting to be grilled in a large pan on an open fire. Ewald had already been marinating the fish in a special blend of herbs and spices the whole day. Tender young potatoes were to accompany the fish, and a solid Styrian salad with pumpkin seed oil rounded out the main course. A scrumptious raspberry parfait provided the sweet final note to our culinary symphony.

So despite a bit of rainy weather yesterday, I had had a fantastic couple of days which included classical music, hiking, a reunion with good friends and an amazing array of gastronomic delicacies. Now there is only one more full day left of my trip to Austria, and tomorrow we will explore one of the medieval treasures of Styria: the Riegersburg, a massive fortress on a basaltic outcrop dating back to the 10th century, often referred to as the “strongest fortress of Christianity” because it was never conquered.