不同樂器 各有各好

安排孩子學哪種樂器十分傷腦筋，家長可留意不同樂器在演奏方法上都有不同，故長時間練習某一種樂器對不同方面的發展都有好處。

 

我們以西樂的樂器家族分類為例：

 

弦樂器（Strings）

例如：小提琴、中提琴

著重使用手部的力度拉奏，從而訓練做大一點的動作，有助大小肌肉發展。

 

木管樂器（Woodwind）

例如：長笛、單簧管、雙簧管

著重運氣的吹奏方法，可幫助孩子調適呼吸。其中一些樂器例如雙簧管，需要比較多的呼吸技巧，一般而言大一點的兒童才能掌握得到技巧；木管樂多機會合奏，訓練團結性。

 

銅管樂器（Brass）

例如：法國號、小號、低音號

體積大、音量雄厚的銅管樂器，適合大一點的兒童；銅管樂合奏機會多，也有助訓練團體合作精神。

 

敲擊樂器（Percussion）

例如：鼓、木琴

敲擊樂可訓練節奏感，及身體各部位協調的能力。

 

鍵盤樂器（Keyboard）

例如：鋼琴、管風琴

講求左右手協調能力，有效練習小肌肉。

轉載自《Babynews親子雜誌》(14/3/2015)

What You Need to Teach Piano Successfully

Most of my readers probably don’t know that I teach piano. I like to call myself a writer, but in truth I’m a lot of things. And one of those things is a piano teacher.  I don't have a teacher's license, and therefore can't be called a "professional piano teacher," but for some reason people still seek me out (without me advertising) to teach their children music. I love to share what I know about music, and teaching kids (and adults) how to play the piano has a lot of rewards. Of course, I’ve been burned out several times before, and I know that teaching piano can be difficult.

Teaching piano doesn’t need to be all that difficult though. There are some things that you need to remember, that you need to keep telling yourself, if you ever want to see success from teaching piano. I’ve gathered from the harvest of my mistakes and deficiencies, and what I’ve reaped is a little experience. We all learn from our mistakes. So, here is what you need to have if you want to teach piano successfully.

Music for Little Mozarts is a good series to teach very young children

Music for Little Mozarts: Lesson Book 1

 

Imagination

When I say you need imagination, I don’t mean that you should become Peter Pan and fly away. Imagination means the ability to see outside of the box. When teaching piano, there will be many opportunities for you to get trapped in a ditch, the ditch of one-way thinking. Teaching requires at least two people: the teacher and the student. You need the imagination to reach out to the student where he or she is. Sometimes you might need to put the book away and just tell a story.

Knowledge

Obviously, if you want to teach piano, you need to know how to actually play the piano. If you are an experienced pianist, you might need to refresh yourself on the basics of playing before you start to teach. Remind yourself about the order of learning. Before you are able read a book, you learn how to recognize the letters. In piano, before you can play a masterpiece, you need to learn the basics of piano, from fingers to keys to notes.

Patience

Teaching anything takes patience, but teaching piano takes an extra measure. There will be times when little Jimmy will be more interested in kicking the bottom of the bench than in putting all five of his fingers in perfectly curved order. There will be times when Mrs. Jennings will want to talk more about her twenty-five amazing grandchildren than about how tempo relates to expression. There will be times, and you will need to breathe deeply, smile, and say what you need to say over and over again. Patience is a hard-earned virtue, not something you’re born with.

Optimism

You need to think positively when you teach piano. There is always a sunny side to look at; you just need to find it. Sometimes your student will get discouraged if he can’t accomplish something new right away. You need to encourage him, and help him to try harder. If your student is depressed that he can’t play a certain phrase without stumbling, praise how good his posture is or how wonderful the rest of the piece went or how great his determination is.

I have used the John W. Schaum series to teach elementary and middle school children

John W. Schaum Piano Course: Pre-A : The Green Book

 

Time

Teaching piano takes a lot of time and effort. There is no easy way to do it. Take time to prepare yourself before each lesson, reading up on what you are going to teach. Each lesson will be same amount of time, but the rate of speed can alter a great deal. Sometimes a student will surprise you and speed through a lesson. Other times, you will need to take slow time to teach a student one small principle. Take the time to make it work.

Organization

One of the hardest parts of being a piano teacher is getting organized. Organization is very important however if you want to be successful. If you teach from home, make sure your piano studio is clean. If you travel to your students' homes, make sure you are punctual. Keep your schedule written down, not in your head. Keep track of how much people owe you. 

Professionalism

Never forget that you are the teacher. You are the one in authority. Yes, you can be friends with your students. In fact, I encourage you to do so. But never let the student take over the lesson. In a sense, you need to have your hands on the steering wheel at all times. Treat yourself with respect. If you do not act like a teacher who knows what he or she is doing, the student will not listen to you or respect you. Be professional in the way you act.

Kindness

Kindness is key. Your attitude changes the whole atmosphere of a piano lesson. Be sure to smile, to let your student know that you are on his side. There are teachers that hold to a law of structure and boundaries. Structure and boundaries have their place, but if a student is so scared that he is uncomfortable, he won’t enjoy learning to play piano. And if he doesn’t enjoy learning to play piano, he won’t enjoy playing piano and another musical soul is lost.

Written by Rose West

from HubPages (21/11/2013)

孩子學好音樂的秘訣

三歲小孩或許連筆都未必拿得穩，如何拿弓拉奏小提琴？國際知名的日籍小提琴家西崎崇子說：「有何不可？只要父母肯和孩子一起投入學習，四歲已可拉奏巴哈名曲。」

 

憑梁祝小提琴協奏曲揚名國際的小提琴家西崎崇子，同樣也是一名母親，對於如何讓孩子認識音樂、愛上音樂，自有一番獨門心得，秘訣在於：父母和孩子齊齊學音樂！

 

與音樂一同成長

如何讓孩子愛上音樂？這裡說的，是讓孩子喜愛音樂的竅門，並非讓孩子成為音樂家的捷徑。西崎小姐教路，這就必須讓BB「與音樂一起成長」，越早開始越好，讓他從小習慣將音樂融入生活。這很關乎父母的參與，多在家中播放不同種類的音樂給BB聽，如能同時向BB說明演奏的樂器效果更好，例如「這是喇叭聲，非常響亮」、「這種舒適的聲音是笛子呢」，與BB一起細聽美妙旋律，是很好的親子活動。

 

父母也能做音樂教師

長居本港的西崎小姐，擁有一間小提琴教室，專為兩歲半以上幼兒而設的小提琴班，開宗明義需要父母與孩子一起上堂，在收學生前，也必先和孩子的父母面試，確保其中一位家長能與孩子一起學習。為何有此規定？原因是父母需肩負起家庭音樂老師的重任。幼童的集中力非常短，在堂上未必能耐心聽指示，故在教導孩子的同時也教導父母，下課後家長就可在家幫助孩子正確練習了，孩子和自己學到音樂，同時增加親子交流，可謂「一石三鳥」。西崎小姐補充，即使父母對音樂全無認識也不要緊，大可以和孩子一起由零開始。

 

正面支持鼓勵孩子

單單責罵是不能教好孩子的，經常鼓勵、給小禮物讚賞他的努力來得更有效。西崎小姐說，在學音樂的過程中，必會遇到困難想放棄的時候，父母可在旁鼓勵孩子，例如練成某一段樂章，就有小貼紙做獎品，這方法出奇地有效。總之，家長應給予正面的支持，而非先失耐性發脾氣，但當然在適當時也要給予適量的逼迫。

 

學音樂＝學禮貌

因多年學習音樂的關係，或許也與日本人的傳統習性有關，西崎小姐優雅的舉止、彬彬有禮的態度令人印象深刻。對於年幼的學生，她會嚴格要求小朋友遵從禮儀規矩，學生在上課前後必須九十度鞠躬三秒向導師問好，也教孩子在與人溝通時，必須要有眼神接觸才算有禮貌。她自言，這能改善很多「大少爺」、「小公主」的野蠻態度。

西崎小姐的兒子已長大成人，她強調打從兒子出世開始，就沒有讓孩子成為音樂家的念頭。縱使如此，兒子也拉得一手優秀的小提琴，這與父母都是音樂發燒友有莫大關係，家裡一天到晚都充滿著美妙的旋律。不過兒子到中學時，被朋友笑他拉小提琴很「乸型」，所以轉而去學結他這種他認為更有「男子氣慨」的樂器。

「但我一點也不感到失望，畢竟他已學懂欣賞音樂。只要是兒子喜歡的，就由他去做吧！」有這樣開明自由的母親，她的兒子必定非常幸福。

 

最先應學小提琴

三、四歲幼童是開始學習樂器的最合適時期。西崎小姐建議各位媽咪，如非孩子有指定想學的樂器，可由難度最高的樂器──小提琴學起，因小提琴比鋼琴等其他樂器更能訓練聽覺、集中力、協調能力。學懂小提琴，將來學習其他樂器便更易上手，即使孩子手指不算長也沒有大問題。

 

 

「和音樂一同成長的孩子，事情會做得比其他人好，生活也會更美好；練習音樂鍛煉得來永不放棄的性格，是成大器必備條件。」

自《Babynews親子雜誌》(20/5/2011)

西九挪亞方舟以外，我們可有自由？ — 訪黃津珏談西九街頭表演發牌制度、香港的公共空間

當西九文化區管理局（下稱西九文化區）指，文化區的經營將盡量開放和自由，又指歡迎街頭藝人前來作「街頭藝術」；另一邊廂，卻有吹口琴伯伯，在街頭賣藝時因 5 元而被捕。政府對街頭藝術，究竟是寬容，還是嚴苛？在西九文化局裡發生的「街頭藝術」，其實又意味著甚麼？昨天西九舉辦「自由約」，邀請來眾多街頭藝人內進表演；但在入口外面的街頭上，卻有一群街頭藝人眾集於此，手上舉著「往非公共空間」牌子，拒絕到場內演出，堅守街頭。其中一位表演者，是一直關注香港公共空間發展的音樂人黃津珏。

街頭藝人不過是美化西九的工具

黃津珏說：「今次，西九文化區管理局，其實在闡述街頭藝人是甚麼。他現在提出一發牌制度，讓人們進入他們的空間，作合符他們要求的演出。在這樣的語境下，其實我們很危險。那危險，在於西九盛載了大家對街頭演出或公共空間，幾近全部的慾望。」他指若將西九自香港語境中抽離單獨視之，必然是好事；然而，若宏觀的從整個環境脈絡觀之，就不能太輕率。

他認為西九召來街頭藝人參與其中，背後有其目的：「其實我們（街頭藝人）的存在，是在美化整個西九文化區的概念吧。西九何以會在這裡選址，政府最初的說法是，因西九龍沒甚麼公共空間，於是便建設西九，好讓九龍的市民去享用——然而，這說法似乎是很久以前的了。」而現在西九旁邊的是圓方商場、豪宅君臨天下、凱旋門、漾日居……「現在似乎是為配合那些屏風山莊，且未來高鐵站又會建設在此，像是想順勢而上吧。整個建設的藍圖裡，只剩下文化一環；西九文化區完成後，就能提升這區的價值，令其地價特別貴。」

「於是政府就做很多事情，吸引我們這班藝術家來這裡。」黃認為，政府的終極目標是透過增加參與人數，成就文化區的意義：「甚麼叫做文化區呢？沒有一個地方是叫文化區的，沒有人在，就沒有文化。所以，政府無論如何都想有人來。」透過吸引藝術家，就能藉精彩表演促使更多人前來：「這就是政府的策略。所以他仍然是用文化資本的概念去發展文化，目的是要帶動經濟。」

西九是一張花紙、一隻挪亞方舟

當說起西九，黃津珏指自己常常想起程展緯的作品《為未來西九罪惡區做好準備》。作品稱西九落成那天，將會天降大雨。而程則會籌建一艘挪亞方舟，將所有會浮的東西都聚集在一起——其餘不會浮的，則會全皆被大雨所掩沒，從此不見天日。於是挪亞方舟成為整個城市裡，唯一能夠存活的存在；方舟之外，只有死氣沉沉。

「這正正就是我們現在的處境。我們其實沒有真正的自由——自由不過是假象。在香港的各個角落，文化都無法、或不能發生，除了在西九文化區之內。西九彷彿是一張包裝紙，將香港包得很美，包裝得好像很有文化氣息，但那其實是大話——在香港，其實甚麼都不能容許。」對黃津珏而言，文化區的存在，是為了滿足我們對自由及文化的渴望；而我們為何如此熱切期待西九，只因在平日的生活空間裡，自由太過稀少，它是如此難以企望和被實踐。

「西九文化區，終究是個挪亞方舟。若香港人想要文化氣氛，必然要來到西九才能感受到，那才是最悲哀的。」西九內縱有更多美麗吸引之事，但走出這個挪亞方舟後，我們的生活依舊受限，那對黃而言似乎沒有意思：「與其如此，我們不如看回每天生活的地方，究竟發生甚麼事。」

西九以外的空間

而日常生活中，我們總是常常聽到，香港的街頭藝人在演出時被驅趕、被拘捕，如尖沙咀的街舞社群、 旺角西洋菜街表演雜耍的蘇春就、吹口琴的何伯：「根據《簡易程序治罪條例》，只要在公眾街道或道路上奏玩任何樂器，政府都有權拘捕你。」黃津珏道。

其實不單是玩樂器，只要進行任何遊戲或消遣而對路人或居民造成「煩擾」、在公眾地方遊蕩或遊戲使該處形成喧鬧的集會、使街道上的交通受阻、又或得到遊人的報賞、甚至是發出噪音，都會觸犯《簡易程序治罪條例》，警察將有權拘捕或懲罰表演者。

條例如此，但是否就是合理？黃回顧 2006 年蘇春就因在旺角街頭表演吞火而被拘捕的事件，法官判其罪名不成立，乃因《基本法》賦予市民進行文化活動的自由，而行人專用區亦應容許文化交流及溝通等活動的進行：「那個法官判決得很好。他指即便我們不喜歡那文化表演，但香港人應有那文化素養，去容許這些事情發生。」然而，當口琴伯伯於 2012 年因 5 元而被入罪和監禁，可見這種觀念，並未因為時間流逝而成為主流，甚至未能於現實裡普遍地被實踐。「我們怎可能忘記這些荒謬，單單去看西九呢？我覺得必須拆解的是，現在香港公共空間的概念。」

冀對公共空間有更多討論

「香港以前的人，其實是有公共空間概念的。」在香港開埠初期，被稱為大笪地的平民夜總會便開始存在。人們可在那裡做街頭表演、買到日常所需、吃到各種食物。然而在 70 年代開始，市政局陸續收地，大笪地頓成歷史，人們可共享的公共空間愈發縮小：「其實是香港政府，令到大家沒有了對公共空間的概念吧。」

「甚麼是公共空間，現在很多香港人其實都說不出，總以為上街去就只能消費；而我們的公園，亦是甚麼都被禁止。但慶幸，現在愈來愈多這樣的討論：在旺角、銅鑼灣，都有很多不同的爭執。誰能用、誰不能用，有甚麼不同的藝術形式是能夠存在，又或不能存在。我覺得有這些討論是好的，因現在香港人真的很缺乏對公共空間概念的認識。」

公共空間裡，應人人平等

「而從蘇春就那次的判決開始，漸漸有更多街頭藝人，夠膽上街表演。」黃津珏指，這有好也有不好：「好處在於，現在的街頭藝人，夠膽出來公民抗命。其實條例沒有變，他們仍然犯很多法，但大家都覺得那表演權利是人權，所以他們便行動吧。」

「但是壞處在於，有很多街頭藝人，將這樣的空間視為理所當然。」有些表演者會在同一地方，重複玩一首音樂和旋律，又或音量太大：「那無論是有多好聽都不行的，你不能夠用同一首歌，去煎熬該區的人。若然我在那裡開店的話，我也應該會受不了的。」身為表演者，在公共空間裡，還是必須要關注自己對其他人的影響。

透過溝通解決問題

「而我覺得在公共空間裡，正正就是這樣——沒有一個人是能夠『話哂事』、『惡哂』的。」公共空間珍貴之處，就在於沒有人是權威，人人都有在此活動的平等權利。在這情況下，若有衝突出現，黃認為應以討論、溝通的方式去處理：「若我們進入社區做一件事，必然要先和附近的人聊聊。討論一下該如何去使用空間，去互相遷就。但香港人卻總是用捷徑，甚麼事都去報警。報警的話，那就甚麼都發生不了。」

公共空間裡應互相尊重

溝通與遷就，意味著人們先要懂得尊重彼此的存在。他以一些曾在街頭發生的衝突為例：「之前旺角有些大媽跳舞，有些人會罵，甚至認為他們有損市容。然而，上年紀的人，他們去想像如何去使用那公共空間，其實是沒有錯的。所以我認為要梳理的是，大家對公共空間的慾望是有不同的。但現在困難的地方，在於大家真的是在『鬥惡』。」

他指現時紛爭中，大聲的人、早到霸位的人、「夠惡」的人往往在爭論裡佔上風，其中亦包括立例的人：「立例，也是一種『惡』來的。各種形形色色的規例，將會令討論無法進行。我認為不應該有任何規例，大家真的要有開放討論，並實踐那空間如何使用，那才是最重要的。」

街頭上需更自由

說起規條，稱將以自由、開放方向營運的西九文化區，仍有不少規則要求表演者去遵守，其中包括對噪音分貝、表演位置、表演內容的各種限制。其實，若政府真期望能發展藝術文化，必須認清其養份來自自由；而若想真讓市民生活在公共空間之中，則必須摒棄各種規條，讓市民透過討論、遷就、尊重去營建他們的空間，如此文化才能於人與人的碰撞間，慢慢地被孕育和培養。

而大概，街頭上的公共空間，比西九文化區裡面的重要太多：「始終，人對城市面貌的第一印象，並不是在美術館、音樂廳，而是在街頭吧。在街頭上的小販、演出，才是在塑造那城市的面貌。」所以，對自由的實踐、對文化的追求，不應只存在於西九文化區之中，而是應存活於整個我城的每個角落，於真正的街頭之上——而掌控著一切的政府，必須要明白這一點。

街頭表演者綠美，亦在場外的街道上舉牌，期望人們能意識到，西九文化區並非公共空間，只是管理局的管豁區域。

自《藝頻》(10/8/2015)

How to Teach Piano: Note Recognition

Teaching piano is like teaching a new language, only instead of words and sentences, there are notes and symbols and lines. As with learning a new language, it may be take music students a long time to be able to read notes proficiently. Remembering notes, or note recognition, is a very important skill for a student to gain, but it can often be a struggle for the beginner student to feel comfortable and confident in this skill. My fellow hubber zanin has asked me for some tips to help her son remember his musical notes, and I hope to give some helpful suggestions for parents and teachers to use when teaching piano.

From the Beginning

Note recognition training should start from lesson one. Basic principles can be taught from the beginning, such as the differences between quarter notes, half notes, and whole notes. I use flashcards that demonstrate how these notes can go up or down the keyboard - they look like they are going uphill or downhill. At this point, when the student looks at a simple piece of music, he should be able to see which direction on the keyboard the notes are moving. Ask him if they are going up the keyboard (to the right) or down the keyboard (to the left).

The piano student should also start to learn the letter names of the physical keys. Start with A and have your student spell up the alphabet until he reaches G. Explain that the musical alphabet stops at G and starts over at A again. The student should begin to see the pattern that the black and white keys make. Have him find all the A's on the keyboard, then all the B's, etc. Point out Middle C, which will be the starting point in learning to play piano.

Your piano student also needs to learn the finger numbers. Thumbs are Number 1, index fingers are Number 2, and so on. Once the student is introduced to note images, letter names on keys, and finger numbers, he is ready to begin to read music. 

Middle C

Middle C

Show your student Middle C on the keyboard and Middle C on a sheet of music or a flashcard. Point out the little line that cuts it in half. Once the student is able to recognize and play Middle C, he can move on to D and E as played with the right hand. The next notes to learn are B and A as played with the left hand. From there add the notes F and G in the left hand and F and G in the right hand. Let your student become comfortable reading these notes before you move on to the rest of the notes on the staff.

Acronyms

On the musical Grand Staff, every line and space is a certain note that corresponds to the keyboard. The easiest way to remember which line and space is which note is to memorize acronyms. If you notice on the staff imaged below, there are two separate sets of lines and spaces. The top set is known as the treble clef, and the bottom set is known as the bass clef.

On the treble clef, the notes of the spaces spell out F-A-C-E. The lines of the treble clef have the notes E-G-B-D-F. The most popular acronym for memorizing the lines of the treble clef is: Every Good Boy Does Fine. Of course, the student can make up his own acronym with the letters - the important thing is to remember the letters in the proper order.

On the bass clef, the notes of the spaces are A-C-E-G, which have the acronym:All Cows Eat Grass. Another acronym that you could use is: All Cars Eat Gas. The notes for the lines of the bass clef are G-B-D-F-A. The acronym for this is: GoodBoys Do Fine Always. This can be easily confused with Every Good Boy DoesFine however, so an alternate acronym may work better.

Labeling Notes

In the beginning, the student will have a hard time looking at a note on the page and recognizing which letter it represents. I try to bridge the gap by labeling the notes in pencil on the first pages of the piano book. I do this with the student, having him or her think through the acronyms to figure out which letter I should write down. Eventually, the student should be able to see a note in the music and recognize the letter quickly. It is easy, however, for the student to become dependent on the letter labels. For this reason, letter labels shouldn't be used for too long - just long enough for the student to feel more confident in reading music.

Alfred's Basic Piano Library Flash Cards Levels 1A-1B

 

Flashcards

One time-tested resource for training a student's mind in memory is using flashcards. These can be a helpful tool that allows the student to look away from the music book for a little while. Flashcards can be purchased online or printed off of websites. You can also make your own using colorful 3x5 index cards. Having a single note on each card separates the image for the student, and over time he or she will be able to recognize the picture and the note name at the same time. 

Key Stickers (Ez Play Today)

 

Keyboard Stickers

I know from personal experience that keyboard stickers can be extremely helpful for a beginner student in remembering the letter names of the keys. Of course, this is probably better if you have an electronic keyboard as opposed to a shiny grand piano, as I can't promise that the stickers won't leave marks on the keys. 

Music for Little Mozarts: Lesson Book 1

 

Curriculum

A good curriculum is important in providing a good foundation for the beginner student. I recommend the Alfred's Basic Piano Course, because it moves at a good pace for elementary aged children. For younger students under the age of six, I would recommend Alfred's Music for Little Mozarts series.

In Conclusion

As with most worthwhile things in life, note recognition takes a lot of time and practice to perfect. Spending extra time in practice and repetitive drills (such as flash cards) will help your student get over this hill and into the wonderful world of music.

written by Rose West
from HubPages (21/11/2013)

德國鋼琴：高品質帶來的煩惱

質量好也成了問題：德國製造的鋼琴舉世聞名，但是近數十年來的銷量卻只降不增。其根本原因就是德國鋼琴太過經久耐用。來自中國等國的冒牌貨也脫不了關係。

鋼琴生產商如今的日子可不好過：2013年夏美國鋼琴製造商施坦威（Steinway）在經歷銷量大幅減少後被一名金融投資者收購；備受肖邦鍾愛的法國著名鋼琴品牌普萊耶（Pleyel ）也於近日停產。

德國鋼琴製造商的輝煌時代也已悄然逝去，至少從產量上來看。一戰以前，德國每年生產20餘萬架鋼琴。自此之後，產量持續下降。 “20年前德國還年產4萬架鋼琴，現在僅生產約11000架。”萊比錫博蘭斯勒（Blüthner）鋼琴公司總裁、德國鋼琴製造聯合會主席博思進（ Christian Blüthner-Haessler）介紹說， “批量生產的鋼琴大幅減少。高檔鋼琴的產量則相對穩定。”

德國鋼琴製造聯合會主席博思進（ Christian Blüthner-Haessler）

“德國製造” 享譽全球

貝多芬彈琴過於激烈

德國新鋼琴滯銷

新鋼琴在德國很難找到買主，因為市場上已有大量舊鋼琴。 “根據一項民意調查顯示，德國目前共有八百萬鋼琴。” 博思進繼續說：”許多家庭擁有數十年的老鋼琴。也就是說，我們樂器的品質和持久耐用性反而成了我們的問題。”

貝多芬還曾需要經常購置新的樂器，因為他太過猛烈地彈奏鋼琴，木架不荷弦線拉力的重負。自19世紀末鐵架盛行以來，定期保養的鋼琴幾乎可以永久使用。

來自東亞的競爭者和過去十年的經濟危機對德國鋼琴製造商來說更是雪上加霜。博思進回憶說：”08、09年北美市場銷量在一年的時間內減少一半還多。德國製造商也深受影響。”

廉價鋼琴如今大多來自亞洲，德國製造商依舊主宰高檔鋼琴市場。廉價鋼琴聽上去低音沉悶、中音渾濁、高音刺耳。相反，一架好鋼琴則擁有動聽的音調、有力而清晰的低音和悅耳的高音。

真假”德國製造”

德國製造商遇到了一件讓人哭笑不得的荒唐事：許多來自中國和其他國家的競爭者冒充德國品牌銷售自己生產的鋼琴。一些是憑空假想出來的品牌，另一些則是重新使用早已不復存在的品牌。德國鋼琴協會因此設計了” 德國製造”的證書，以便消費者辨別真偽德國鋼琴。

許多世界各地的買家會參閱一本暢銷的美國書籍，這一點對德國鋼琴出口極其有利的。作者弗埃（Larry Fine）撰寫的《鋼琴著》（The Piano Book）中推介的8大頂尖鋼琴製造商中有5家來自中歐。德國位於漢堡的施坦威製造廠以及被雅馬哈收購的維也納鋼琴品牌貝森朵夫（Bösendorfer）均名列其中。

1852年在拜羅伊特（Bayreuth）成立的斯坦格列泊索納（Steingraeber &Söhne）公司是德國知名高品質傳統鋼琴製造商之一。這家每年僅生產120至140架三角和立式鋼琴的小公司在業界享有非凡的地位。著名作曲家瓦格納和李斯特都擁有該公司的鋼琴。

斯坦格列泊索納在其小眾市場內感覺”很自在”，該家族企業的第六代負責人史密特-斯坦格雷博（Udo Schmidt-Steingraeber）如是說。製造鋼琴雖然是一種傳統工藝，但是這一產業如今已和德國其他產業一樣依賴出口。

物美價高

史密特-斯坦格雷博繼續介紹：”2013年向亞洲的出口量’大幅’增加，美國市場似乎日趨穩定，典型的南美崇尚音樂的國度終於在經歷十年的軍事獨裁和文化毀滅後重新活躍，變化速度緩慢卻顯而易見。”

一份價錢一份貨。一架好鋼琴等價於一輛中等汽車。 “如果將鋼琴與汽車業比較的話，可以說從寶馬、奔馳到賓利、法拉利，我們的鋼琴種類同樣繁多。”

因此一個德國家庭若要購買一架新鋼琴，一般來說，他們買到的不再是在德國製造完成的鋼琴。史密特-斯坦格雷博補充道：”我們的固定買主不是個人，而是如音樂廳、高校和樂室等機構。”

然而面對未來，德國頂尖鋼琴製造商並不感到恐慌。 “撇開維也納的貝森朵夫和意大利小廠法奇奧里（Fazioli）不談，德國是世界上唯一一個仍然擁有鋼琴製造文化的國家。”

轉載自《當鋼琴遇上調音師》 

Types Of Pianos

How many different types of pianos are there? There are many piano types, but the two basic ones are: horizontal(grand pianos) and vertical(upright pianos).

Horizontal pianos

Horizontal pianos are called like that because of the way the strings are arranged in the piano – simply, in a horizontal position. Horizontal pianos can also be called grand pianos which is more familiar term for everyone.

There are six horizontal or grand types of pianos:

• Petite Grand – Are called Petite Grand because they are the smallest horizontal pianos and their size is from 4′ 5″ to 4′ 11″.
• Baby Grand – These types of pianos are the best from the horizontal pianos because they are the perfect fit for your living room and your pocket. The size is from 5′ 0 – 5′ 6″.
• Medium Grand – These types of pianos are pretty much the same as the Baby Grand pianos only a bit larger. The size is about 5′ 7″.
• Parlor Grand – These types of pianos are very similar to Concert Grand only 3/4 from their size. The size is from 5′ 9″ to 6′ 1″.
• Semi-Concert Pianos – a.k.a. ballroom pianos. The size is from 6′ 5″ to 7′ 5″.
• Concert Grand – It’s the largest type of piano. Its size is from 7′ 6″ to 9′ 6″.

Vertical pianos

Vertical pianos are also called like that because of the way the strings are arranged in the piano – simply, in a vertical position, also known as upright pianos. These pianos are not as big as the horizontal ones, that is why they can be found more in homes, schools etc.

There are also six vertical piano types:

• Spinet – the smallest vertical piano, can be great if the room where you want to put it is small. Its size is from 35″ to 37″.
• Consolette – Its size is from 38″ to 39″.
• Console – It’s size is from 40″ to 43″.
• Studio – It’s size if from 44″ to 47″.
• Professional – It’s size is from 48″ to 60″
• Honkey Tonk – It’s size is from 36″ to 60″. Mostly used in country music.

Posted by Alexander Simov On September 21, 2013

from "Piano Brands"