MusicBasics4Keyboard

Born Robert Earl Clark in Newcastle, Indiana, in 1928, the famed “Love” artist changed his name in 1958 not long after moving to New York City—a way to pay homage to his home state, but also to help make him stand out in the art scene. And that he did: at his death in 2018, Robert Indiana held a firm spot in the art-historical continuum. The “sign painter” Pop artist had achieved international fame for his paintings, prints, and sculpture. The Isolation Artist: Scandal, Deception, and the Last Days of Robert Indiana - By Bob Keyes. Source: Island Institute.org.

At times the book reads like a police procedural—cooked books, tampering with evidence, questions about the artist’s living conditions, even foul play: Indiana’s body was briskly removed from the island just days after a lawsuit had been filed against him by the Morgan Art Foundation for breach of contract.

Unlike, say, the famous Brooke Astor case, which also had its share of twists and turns—and accusations of elder abuse—there were few high-profile friends and/or celebrities to question Indiana’s treatment. That said, the artist had his champions, among them, art historian John Wilmerding, who wrote or co-wrote several books on the artist, including The Essential Robert Indiana (2013). As someone who knew the work intimately, Wilmerding smelled forgery in some of the later work, including a series that featured Bob Dylan lyrics, but he also recognized that Indiana “was his own undoing.”

The U.S. Postal Service recently released its latest iteration of its “Love” stamp, a series started in 1973 with Indiana’s famous design (he was paid a $1,000 fee). There is enormous irony that the artist best known for his interpretations of that four-letter word ended up for the most part unloved. Indiana’s story is, in Keyes’s words, “a tragedy of Shakespearean machinations,” but it is also a tale of ego, eccentricity, and enmity. You’ll be shaking your head by the end.

The Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland is currently showing “Robert Indiana: The Hartley Elegies,” 10 large-scale silkscreen prints from the series made between 1989 and 1994. The show runs through Jan. 2, 2022.

This review written by Carl Little who writes about art for several publications, including Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors. He lives on Mount Desert Island.

From broadband to bird bands, we are changing things up with new themes going forward. Listen to episodes about the art world, science, nature, literature, and current events. Thank you for visiting.

The term MIDI is an abbreviation for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. MIDI keyboard pianos are actually part of setups used in music studios for producing music. Using a MIDI controller to play everything from piano pieces to bass lines, or even guitars or drums, gives a better feeling, a human touch. It’s far better than simply programming the notes with a mouse and a keyboard, although the end result is the same, a series of digital information resulting in a pleasant sound. A MIDI keyboard piano doesn't get you booked at Carnegie Hall. That comes from raw talent, skill, judgment, experience and psychological disposition.

For those that already know how to play a keyboard instrument, it makes the transition from playing to producing much easier, and it’s recommended that you certainly get a MIDI keyboard piano if you’re that kind of person. Although there are some models that will allow you to play them like a digital keyboard (the ones with 88 keys), they are still primarily made to help you in the studio when you’re producing music. It allows all the instruments and computers to communicate between them.

When producing music you need to get the information, the sound and everything else, from your musical setup to your DAW (digital audio workstation). The DAW can be an electronic device, or it can be a piece of software installed on a computer. To make the connection between the setup and the DAW, you need a MIDI interface. As such, it consists of the interface, the connectors that you can use to make a piece of hardware “communicate” to another, and the data language. 

A MIDI controller will be useless by itself, so it needs to work alongside other pieces of hardware, to form a setup. And for that it needs to connect to them, doing that through cables. So when discussing a MIDI keyboard, we need to take into account the whole ensemble. SOURCE: Musicality Realm.

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year. Emerson. Because of her long life, Fanny Crosby had an extraordinary relationship with several United States presidents, even penning poems in their honor on occasion, and she was influential on the spiritual life of or a friend to Presidents Martin Van Buren (8th), John Tyler (10th), James K. Polk (11th), and Grover Cleveland (22nd and 24th). She addressed a joint session of Congress on the topic of education for the blind.

BLESSED ASSURANCE - Text by Fanny Crosby.  "Blessed Assurance" was published in 1873 in the monthly magazine edited by Joseph Fairchild Knapp and Phoebe Palmer Knapp, Guide to Holiness. Editor John R. Sweney included it in Gems of Praise (Philadelphia, 1873), and Knapp also chose it for "Bible School Songs" (1873). Perhaps the biggest boost came when it appeared in Gospel Songs, No. 5 (1887) by Ira Sankey and was sung extensively in the Moody and Sankey revivals in Great Britain and the United States. It has been a part of Methodist hymnals since 1889.

This hymn has inspired many singers ranging from those in evangelistic crusades to theologians. Don E. Saliers, William R. Cannon Distinguished Professor of Theology and Worship Emeritus at Candler School of Theology, Emory University in Atlanta, borrowed a portion of the opening stanza for his liturgical theology text, Worship as Theology: Foretaste of Glory Divine (1994). If one enters "foretaste of glory divine" into a Google search, numerous sermon titles appear that incorporate this phrase. YouTube renditions of the hymn abound.

Crosby captured the poetic essence of the Wesleyan understanding of Christian perfection in the phrase, "O what a foretaste of glory divine!" The entire hymn is focused on heaven, a place where "perfect submission" and "perfect delight" [stanza 2] will take place. The earthly existence is one of "watching and waiting, looking above" [stanza 3]. As we submit ourselves to Christ and are "filled with his goodness" and "lost in his love" [stanza 3], we are remade in Christ's image and are moving toward Christian perfection.

This hymn appeals to the senses in a rich way. Not only do we have a "foretaste of glory," we experience "visions of rapture [that] burst on my sight," and we hear "echoes of mercy, whispers of love" [stanza 2].

The refrain calls us to "prais[e]. . . my Savior all the day long," echoing I Thessalonians 5:17, "Pray without ceasing."

Middle class women in nineteenth-century United States had little voice in worship, however. One of the only ways for a woman to claim the authority to be heard was by direct personal revelation from God. Fanny Crosby readily claimed God's personal revelation as a source for her hymns; her personal revelation then became a communal inspiration as Christians throughout the world sang her hymns and confirmed her faith experience as their own. SOURCE: Discipleship Ministries by C. Michael Hawn on February 18, 2014. One of 13 international agencies of the United Methodist Church, Discipleship Ministries helps local church, district, and conference leaders fulfill the shared dream of making world-changing disciples.

Discipleship Ministries—based in Nashville, Tennessee—connects leaders with needed resourcing, training, consulting, and networking that support spiritual formation, new church development, revitalization of local churches, and materials for use in Central Conferences. The agency has embarked upon an integrated, strategic direction that serves the church with continuity, based upon basic values and mission for over 45 years.

Dr. Hawn is distinguished professor of church music at Perkins School of Theology. He is also director of the seminary's sacred music program. https://www.umcdiscipleship.org.

Kaleb Brasee has recorded 249 hymns for piano on YouTube since 2009. Blessed Assurance is one of them. Thanks for listening.

PATRICIA STOTLER - I am chronically ill and housebound....this beautiful music with lyrics is blessing my life

DIANA ARJUN - Thank you for such a soothing music especially to listen to before going to sleep. Very much helpful to think about the LORD JESUS and HIS glory. Keep posting many more hymns. May GOD continue to use your talents for HIS glory.

BEAUTLIN SHEEBA - Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine; Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.   This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long. This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long.

WILLIAMSTDOG9 - This may sound strange to you, but I LOVE YOU BROTHER!! I grew up playing the piano and was naturally gifted, but nearly gave it up in high school (you know how teenagers are), and picked it back up years later in life because something was missing in my soul. When I did, I always came back to playing hymns - in a very similar style as you (although nowhere near as well composed). Somethings wrong with me though: I could NEVER play in front of people, and still to this day, I can only play by myself. Have you ever experienced any sense of "stage fright" when it comes to playing in front of people or larger crowds? Someday I would like to play hymns like these for people... I pray God can help me to do that... Anyways your incredibly soothing, sweet, and perfect compositions (in my books) of these "olde tyme" hymns have been such a blessing to me brother, so thank you, and God Bless you Kaleb - wherever you are

KALEB BRASEE - Q. What piano are you playing? A. My piano is a Yamaha Clavinova CVP-407.  It has a great feel and decent sound, but since 2015 I have used Pianoteq software to create the sound for the videos.  Pianoteq takes MIDI files from my Clavinova (or any other MIDI keyboard) and makes them sound a lot like a real grand piano.

Q. Do you have sheet music available for a video? A. I currently have sheet music available for 19 songs that I've played, available at www.brasee.com.  Each sheet music is written to sound exactly like I played it in the video.  Right now I am only able to make sheet music for public domain hymns older than 1923 due to licensing, but if I can figure that out I will definitely make some sheet music for modern songs.

The last thing on your mind during the purchase of a piano is moving costs. Then life happens. You sign the divorce papers, find a new place near the beach to live, sign the lease, walk the dog, hire movers  and take the piano. Read more about becoming a musician in my books available on Amazon and other online publishers. Titles: From Piano to Puccini and Songbird at the Shopping Mall. Thanks for listening.

Turn a major chord into a seventh chord in one whole step. That's what is heard in this episode for D7 and G7 chords. Thanks for listening. 

Turn to other musicians, music teachers and students for encouragement when learning to play a musical instrument. Not only will they be interested and willing to open up to you but may share their failures and successes. Hang on to their every word because hopefully they understand what you're going through. Music students need encouragement from trained musicians who are empathetic regarding your efforts and ambitions. Periodically take music book "chapter tests" for understanding. Perform in public or upload YouTube videos which will improve your music skills exponentially. Take a day off once in awhile. Thanks for listening.

There's an expression people use to bring other people down. The expression is "I know you don't want to hear this". This expression makes me cringe. These words should never be used against anyone, especially friends. Explain that the expression is not helpful and is a harmful form of pessimism. Try not to analyze their pessimism. This is about saying the wrong thing the wrong way.  Respect their feelings while your pleas to change fall in deaf ears. Thanks for visiting.

This message is for recent listeners and about learning to play piano. My early studies began when I was also in my 20's. Music store sales people advised me to invest in the John Thompson instructional series which I highly recommend today. Music means commitment. Keep up the good work. Thanks for visiting.