Sunday, January 10, 2010

Katie in A Minor




Hi everyone, Katie here.

Glogirly's getting ready for her winter semester piano lessons to start up. She has much to learn so I've been giving her a few pointers.



One thing she really needs to work on is playing through her mistakes. She could stand to learn a few lessons from us cats. For example, when we knock over say a flower vase with water and daisies, what do we do? Well what we DON'T do is make a big fuss over the fact that we just did knocked over a vase with water and daisies! No loud meows, no hisses, no OMC's. We just keep on walking and we don't look back. Did something fall? What? I didn't see anything. Don't mind me, just passing through. Or an alternative strategy is to make it look like we meant to do it. Start batting around the daisies, maybe lap up some water. Make it all look like it was part of a master plan.

We are cats.
We are cool, calm and collected.
And we never let them see us sweat.



So while Glogirly continues to tame her verbal and facial language that she so frequently "exercises" with each wrong note or chord, I thought it would be fun to have another quiz.

I've come up with five of our favorite composers and one each of their most famous works. So far Glogirly has learned 4 out of 5 of these pieces. Well, "learned" is relative if you know what I mean.

So here's how it goes:


PART ONE - COMPOSER NAME SCRAMBLE
Each composer's name appears underneath their portrait. It's all scrambled up though. Not because I can't spell... and believe me they have pretty hard-to-spell names. It's just part of the game. So first you have to unscramble their name to figure out who they are. Hint: They are all dead. And NO, I didn't kill them.


Composer #1
E V E N T H E B O



Composer #2
N I P C O H



Composer #3
Y E S B U D S



Composer #4
This one is too easy for a scramble so instead you get a clue.
He has a really easy name, but his music is super hard to play.
Glogirly says it's no coincidence his name is a four-letter-word.
_ _ _ _



Composer #5
T I K E A


PART TWO - WHO'S SONG IS THAT?
Ok, so these old guys would probably cringe at me calling their classic works "songs." But hey, they're dead and may I remind you, I am not responsible. The second part of the challenge is to match up the song with the composer. There's one song for each composer.

Here's the songs, just click on each link to hear an excerpt:





this recording is a guitar... it's waaay cooler on the piano

There are no tangible prizes for this challenge... only the satisfaction of being a classical music geek or just plain super-smart. Who knows, maybe this will help get you onto Jeopardy.

Thanks to our fashionista friend Daisy and her private computer tutorial, we now have a working link to the answers at the bottom of the page in the event you need to check your work or...gasp...cheat. Glogirly is a little slow though and can't get the button itself to link with the answers, so just click on the words for now. She's going to need some remedial tutoring.

A word of caution...if you do choose to cheat, you probably will NOT make it onto Jeopardy.

Good Luck!





Extra Fun Facts:
  1. Glogirly can play all the songs except for Clair de Lune.
  2. She really wants to learn that one too but she doesn't know if she's smart enough yet.
  3. She loves playing sad, slow songs. None of that happy ragtime stuff.
  4. A Minor is her favorite key.


42 comments:

  1. We got the composers all correct, but not the songs. Our favorite composers are Lennon and McCartney.

    Yesbuds is good too!

    We need to go knock over a vase...xo

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  2. I got most of the composers and songs correct. My mom has been playing the piano since she was 6 years old and she will be 50+ next month.

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  3. Katie, you're doing a great job helping your Mom learn stuff.

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  4. Great post. We got most of them, my mommy has played since 10th grade and still makes faces and uses words we don't understand. Must be a human thing.

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  5. Heh heh. Mom says when she was in 5th grade learning the flute, the music teacher called her mom & said it really would be better if she didn't. Something about short stubby fingers.
    Great quiz! Just the ticket for a cold day spent indoors.

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  6. What a great attitude Katie. That lady over there has a lot to learn about playing through mistakes, huh? When we knock stuff over, we look at it and walk away. She'll get it.
    Benny & Lily
    Pee.S. Homework!

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  7. We got all the composers and their music right. Well okay, our mum helped us a teensy bit. You have a good attitude to life Katie and Glogirly should follow your example.

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  8. Rats! I am a musical Dummy. But it was fun trying!

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  9. What a fun blog...dah dah dah duuuuuh.

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  10. Hi Katie,
    I got all the composers except #5, he-he! Just kidding!
    Luv, Lucy (Woof!)

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  11. We have given you an award. You can collect it from our blog.

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  12. How very good of you to help Glogirly with her music. We couldn't help but notice that Glogirly is sitting very far back on the stool. There is hardly room for you, that won't do. You just can't achieve musical greatness if your cat has no room to relax and be her purring self.

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  13. Our mom wants to buy a piano but our dad says she can't have one unless she learns how to play it. Given the fact that she only got a couple of those composers right, maybe she ought to re-think this whole piano thing....

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  14. We have a piano too. The best part is when us cats walk acroos the keys...that makes the best music. We got the right answers but only because my dad is smart. He says the only reason my mom knows classical music is because she grew up watching Bugs Bunny cartoons!

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  15. Katie you wrote Chopsticks! Wow that is so impressive!

    You look extra classy today Katie... GG looks pretty great too.

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  16. MOL hehehe I luvs dat, you is so right about us cats.

    Purrrrrrrrrrrrrs

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  17. Dear Katie,
    Your post today is a pearl, a treasure in blog land! Thanks a lot!
    My mommy Léia miss her piano a lot. She graduated in Fine Arts and she used to be a piano teacher in Brazil, but it was long time a go, in that time my big brother was just a baby and it was nice because mommy could take care of him and keep teaching music in that time, even from home.Today her old piano is in my grandmother's house in Brazil.
    When mommy remembers something like it, she always says "oh gosh, time goes so fast"...or something like "she is getting older indeed"...Anyway I can not understand it at al!LOL
    The picture that you and Glogirly are together at the piano is MAGNIFICENT! Thanks so much for this beautiful post!
    And I perfectly understand your words about daisies and the vase...and water...and so on!
    It's really true!
    Have a great week, enjoy the fabulous music there!
    God bless you
    purrs
    Luna - WE LOVE LUNA

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  18. Cats have natural rhythm. Just listen to us purr.

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  19. Enjoyed your music post. Wishing Glofirly all the best for her lessons and earning to play through her mistakes.

    Looks like Katie may be thinking of joining in - will she become a piano playing cat like Nora?

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  20. Got most of them right...haha My mom was in band for 7 years, she played the trombone though and she says Katie is right who cares if you mess up! You just keep going, when she was in high school and trying out for all county which are blind auditions and the best kids in the county get in if you stop when you mess up they count it against you but if you can keep going they are more lenient it takes a lot to hear something so wretched and not want to stop. You'll do just great with your lessons!

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  21. Mom helped us, so we got all the answers correct. We're impressed that Glogirly can play ~ would she consider doing a video for your bloggie, so we can see and hear her?

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  22. Wow--we got all of the composers correct! We love classical music here; mama played piano at one time, too. We also would love to see a video of you playing!

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  23. Remember Katie, just don't tinkle on her ivories!!!

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  24. Well, I got the composers but only one of the songs. Oh well.

    And Katie you look gorgeous in that first photo today!

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  25. What a fab post! Mom got most of the scrambles right, but hardly any of the songs. We think GloGirly will play MUCH better with you snoopervising!

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  26. Wow!!
    Your Mommy plays piano
    she is very talented :-)
    My Mommy loves the music !!
    Amazing musical post :-)

    hugs
    Kareltje =^.^=
    Anya :-)

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  27. OOoooops I made a comment and then we do not know what happened to it.
    well, you gave your mom very good advice.
    These are good composers. mom and Blizzie play a lot of piano. When they make a mistake they just pretend they meant to make it sound like that, it is called special effects.
    Sometimes Blizzie plays at the hotel lobby and she makes mistakes but no one ever knows except mom ha ha


    headbonkies

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  28. hehehe katie has a suprise over at onecatsnip....

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  29. Mom got the composers, but that last one looks strangely like you, Katie. We didn't know you're a famous composer!!

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  30. What excellent advice, you sweet cat. I commanded that my mom come and read it too as she also makes faces with mistakes when she plays guitar.

    She and I both knew the composers that were presented here. We thoroughly enjoyed the quiz.

    Did you know that I sing Opera? I practice it all night long every night. Mom called me a pill the night before last~! The very idea!

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  31. We are musically impaired! But it was fun to try!

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  32. Well, we managed to get all of the composers right, but only four of the songs. It was sure fun trying, though!

    Katie, thanks for being so helpful to Glogirly. What would she do without you?

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  33. We did really well! Maybe Edward Cullen could give Glogirly some Clair de Lune pointers:)

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  34. We have a piano too. Tommy says it's an ornament. I saw it's another perch. Tommy says her teachers wanted her to major in music...really? I wasn't born then--so I'll just be quiet. Good luck to the GloGirly. Tommy says she's kinda envious...

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  35. I love to listen to classical music but unfortunately I did way better with the mustache challenge! Oh My! With a young person in the house I probably could name the latest pop artists music and photos purrfectly and that's pretty scary too! I am Lady Gag-a-ing
    myself right now! LOL

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  36. HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!!! We love love love stealth kitty so much... oh my it's going to be hard to stop with just one foxy Friday for you my dear. You're far too versatile.

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  37. Our momma is hopin' that she wants to learn Ragtime - Scott Joplin - it's da bestest ta make someone happy and dancin' all over the place☺

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  38. Katie, why are you not walking up and down the keyboard? This is your duty you know. Please, get those paws a stamping, you and GG could do a duet!

    Wicked Wuudler ;)

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  39. Oh I love your games!! How wonderful! I am great lover of classical music, so this post is especially attention-grabbing for me. I wish I could play the piano for real, I can only piece things together by ear. Maybe I can take lessons after I graduate.

    XOXOXO Puddin

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  40. Katie, those are great shots of you helping out on the piano! And you match too!

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  41. Then your mum must like Moonlight Sonata. Mum says she never got good at piano.

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  42. Katie, we like all the photos of you, and especially the portrait on the bench.

    Our human staff tried piano lessons, but couldn't devote enough time to it to get good.

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