The iconic Nokia ringtone, known by millions around the globe, has a surprisingly classical origin. It traces back to a piece by the Spanish composer and guitarist Francisco Tárrega, titled Gran Vals Continue reading...
Performing on stage is not for the faint of heart. There are the hours of practice and the agony of performance nerves. When things go well, of course, it is one of the most rewarding and exhilarating activities. When things go wrong, however, they can go very wrong indeed. And there are plenty of people to witness your discomfort!
Here is our collection of some of the most notorious classical music mishaps. Though they are funny, spare a thought for the musicians involved who, more often than not, handle them with professionalism and a wry smile.
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Think classical music is a bit serious? Take a look at these hilarious performances of some of the great works of the classical repertoire and think again…. Continue reading...
Making a brass instrument from a hosepipe may sound like something from a cartoon, but if you think about it, even the most expensive brass instrument is not much more than a bit of pipe with either keys, or a slide to make the pipe longer. Continue reading...
We're all used to the cello as a beautiful melodic instrument - whether it's the gliding lyricism of Saint-Saëns's The Swan or the introspective warmth of Bach's Cello Suite No.1 but it can also be surprisingly percussive and rhythmic.
Here are three of our favorite examples of the cello being used as an instrument that's full of pluck!
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If you close your eyes and just listen to this acoustic fingerstyle guitar version of Michael Jackson's Rock With You - by young Japanese guitarist Kent Nishimura, you'll probably swear there are two or three people playing. There's a laid-back half-time beat, there are chords, there's melody, there's even a bit of a bass line.
So it's quite a shock when you realise there was no over-dubbing involved, this was all recorded live and performed by just one, very talented young man
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"Giant Steps" is a famously challenging jazz track composed by saxophonist John Coltrane. Released on his 1960 album of the same name, the track became famous for its rapid-fire chord changes, where chords that are usually only distantly related rain down in quick succession.
Improvising over the Giant Steps chord progression has became something of a rite of passage for jazz musicians the world over. A challenge to see if you can master one of the trickiest series of chords ever created for the jazz improviser.
But another approach is to see if you can play Coltrane's own solo note-for-note on your own instrument.
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Who knew that deer love Bach?
Cellist Diana Gomez discovered the truth when she took her cello to a park in Aarhus, Denmark, and started playing the famous opening to Bach's Cello Suite No.1 in G major
Watch the interaction below.
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