The Well-Tempered Ear

Classical music: Got questions? Got answers? Try using Quora – especially if you are a piano fan

By Jacob Stockinger

A close friend recently recommended a chatroom called Quora, which has a regular website and also a mobile app, which The Ear downloaded from iTunes and uses every day.

You have to sign up for it, but membership is free. And I don’t recall seeing any ads.

Once you belong to Quora, you can check what topics interest you and then you get constant updates and entries. And you can choose from a lot of topics in all kinds of fields and disciplines from art and music to politics, economics and international relations.

One possible choice is, simply, Classical Music, and it is a good choice.

But The Ear has found the site a particularly good and helpful resource for questions about the piano.

Here are some of the topics that have been featured recently:

Why do mathematicians appreciate Bach more than Beethoven?

What should I do if I need to perform with a bad quality piano? (Answered by some who LOVES bad pianos)

I am 14 years old. Can I start playing the piano or is it too late?

Can you provide any recommendations of electronic pianos?

How does the new Kawai grand piano GL series compare to other inexpensive baby grands like Yahama G series or the Baldwin BP series?

What should I keep in mind while learning the piano?

What are the features of good piano texture?

Who are some good contemporary classical piano composers?

What are the pros and cons of an electric piano to a classical piano? (None other than the legendary virtuoso Martha Argerich practices on a digital piano.)

What are some study strategies to memorize big piano pieces?

What qualities make for good Chopin play?

What would be a good piano practice routine?

Well, you get the idea.

The questions run the gamut as do the answers.

But The Ear has learned that just because a question sounds obvious and simple, even amateurish, doesn’t mean that the answers aren’t valuable and informative.

As an avid amateur pianist, The Ear has learned many things.

And he may soon even start answering some of the questions.

Here is a link:

https://www.quora.com

Try it and let The Ear know what you think.
Good reading!

Good writing!

Good playing the piano!