Culture difference ?

[Zevy]

In keeping with of our "cultural differences" theme, H = B (and B = Bb) in Germany. So maybe it was a kind of multifaceted joke, with a wink to the Klezmer players in the band. In any case, he was right. You have to be brave to play those high notes.

Klezmer players on the other side of the pond, perhaps. This one knows no H, only Bb!

 

[Javthedog]

Cultural differences have exposed my ignorance - again!........didn't know Klezmer was a thing until I just now looked the word up......more learning to do!

 

[Alan Sharkis]

Cue the drummer jokes!

I got a million of ‘em!

 

[Alan Sharkis]

Klezmer players on the other side of the pond, perhaps. This one knows no H, only Bb!

Along the same lines, and illustrating the difference between klezmer players and other musicians, the late Sid Beckerman supposedly said, “To you, D minor is a key. To me, it’s a living.”

 

[Javthedog]

Now it's all getting weirder - fascinatingly so........... D minor seems to be a pretty special key....... guzheng (chinese zither) tuning is usually Dm pentatonic as is most hang drums/pans. Does Dm have some deep psychological influence or is it just luck?

 

[vivdunstan]

Dm is my second favourite key to play in, just a bit behind Bm. But I can’t really explain my reactions!

 

[Alan Sharkis]

Now it's all getting weirder - fascinatingly so........... D minor seems to be a pretty special key....... guzheng (chinese zither) tuning is usually Dm pentatonic as is most hang drums/pans. Does Dm have some deep psychological influence or is it just luck?

Many klezmer tunes are notated in D minor for convenience but are actually in one of three or four modes, so there are accidentals where necessary. The modes are taken from those used by cantors in the synagogues of Eastern Europe and so have both Hebrew and Yiddish names. It’s a topic that takes a chapter or two in books about the music to explain, but that kind of takes the joy out of listening to or dancing to the music and yes, the tunes were originally dance music, not concert music.

An analogy might be a scholarly treatise on why a joke is funny. By the end of the treatise the hoke isn’t funny anymore.

 

[Zevy]

Along the same lines, and illustrating the difference between klezmer players and other musicians, the late Sid Beckerman supposedly said, “To you, D minor is a key. To me, it’s a living.”

Very good. In my circles it was attributed to the late Shelly Gordon.

 

[davidplaysaccordion]

I’m waiting for the Americans to weave the ‘football field’, a pretty common unit of measurement here in the US into musical nomenclature.
By the way I grew up in the UK and learnt quarter and eighth notes as crotchets and quavers, along with breves ( 8 quarter notes) semibreves (4 quarter notes) and minims (2 quarter notes). After that it just got silly
The trouble with calling them quarter notes is that as soon as you use a different time signature they don’t make sense!
Also, how come Americans don’t call them one fourth notes which seems a far more common term here than a quarter. When I ask for a quarter pound of something I get blank stares! Vive la difference eh!

 

[JeffJetton]

Now it's all getting weirder - fascinatingly so........... D minor seems to be a pretty special key....... guzheng (chinese zither) tuning is usually Dm pentatonic as is most hang drums/pans. Does Dm have some deep psychological influence or is it just luck?

 

[Tom]

I’m waiting for the Americans to weave the ‘football field’, a pretty common unit of measurement here in the US into musical nomenclature.
By the way I grew up in the UK and learnt quarter and eighth notes as crotchets and quavers, along with breves ( 8 quarter notes) semibreves (4 quarter notes) and minims (2 quarter notes). After that it just got silly
The trouble with calling them quarter notes is that as soon as you use a different time signature they don’t make sense!
Also, how come Americans don’t call them one fourth notes which seems a far more common term here than a quarter. When I ask for a quarter pound of something I get blank stares! Vive la difference eh!

In addition to football field size, don't forget that length is measured in terms of time. "How far is it to Carnegie Hall from there?" "About 2 hours."

 

[Javthedog]

Followed by...."and could you tell me how do I get to Carnegie Hall?"...... Practice, practice and more practice.....

 

[NickC]

 

[Zevy]

Followed by...."and could you tell me how do I get to Carnegie Hall?"...... Practice, practice and more practice.....

I once told that to one of my students. He then asked me, "What's Carnegie Hall?"!

 

[JKJ]

Followed by...."and could you tell me how do I get to Carnegie Hall?"...... Practice, practice and more practice.....

Hey, I played the piano in front of an audience at Carnegie Hall once. Practice was in fact required to get there…

I must have been about 8. I didn’t get interviewed by the press nor was I surrounded by a crush of fans.

I should probably mention it was the Carnegie Music Hall in Pittsburgh Pa, not the Carnegie Hall in NY.

Also, it wasn’t a solo but a duet, 4 hands on one piano. Actually, duets on a bunch of pianos at once — there was a photo in the newspaper of the stage full of pianos. Most of the audience was family and friends (and other groups waiting for their turn to play).

There must be some sort of area piano teacher’s association that coordinated the event. Somehow I was chosen by my teacher, or maybe I drew the short straw, don’t remember. What I remember the most was running up the staircases to the upper balcony levels while the more advanced groups of students played their selections!

The piece our group practiced and rehearsed was a classic, perhaps some have heard of it: “The Celebrated Chop Waltz” written in 1877 by Euphemia Allen, otherwise and commonly known now as “Chopsticks”. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chopsticks_(waltz))

Maybe if I practice real hard I could play it on the accordion some day in some other hall— like the hallway in my house.

JKJ