Piano For Dummies, 2nd Edtion

387 Pages·2009·11.8 MB·English

by  Blake Neely

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Piano
FOR
DUMmIES
‰
2
ND EDITION

Piano
FOR
DUMmIES
‰
2
ND EDITION
by Blake Neely, Revised by David Pearl
Disclaimer: This eBook does not include ancillary media that was packaged with the
printed version of the book.
Piano For Dummies®, 2nd Edition
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Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2009933377
ISBN: 978-0-470-49644-2
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
About the Author
Blake Neely has been playing piano since he was about 4 years
old, although it took a while before real audible music could be
detected. His fascination with music led him to other instruments,
such as the French horn, guitar, and drums, but the keyboard
remains his baby.
Upon graduation from the University of Texas in 1991, he moved
to Los Angeles to experience the music business. He licensed
music for Hollywood Records and later worked for Disney Music
Publishing as editor of all printed music publications.
An award-winning composer and author, he has written symphonies,
a piano concerto, and numerous orchestral and chamber works.
He is co-author of the acclaimed FastTrack series, published by Hal
Leonard Corporation.
Blake has worked as a composer, orchestrator, arranger, copyist,
engraver, musicologist, and consultant for such prominent figures
as Disney, Hal Leonard Corporation, Decca Records, Hyperion
Books, composers Michael Kamen and Alan Menken, and the
Cincinnati Pops Orchestra.
Currently living in Austin, Texas, Blake spends his free time tuning
into his family: wife Elizabeth, daughter Jordan, and son Jacob.
Blake is the proud owner of a Kawai grand piano and Kurzweil,
Ensoniq, and E-Mu synths and samplers. You can reach Blake via
e-mail at [email protected].

Dedication
This book is dedicated to anyone who has ever dreamed of being a
musician but had no idea where to begin. If a little guy from Paris,
Texas can do it, so can you.
Author’s Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Cherry Lane Music, Ted Piechocinski, and John
Cerullo for thinking of me; to Keith Mardak for being Keith Mardak
(I said your name twice!); to Brad Smith for the connections; to
Richard Slater and Tom Johns for the photos; to Rick Walters for
rearranging his schedule; to Jason Frankhouser at Digital Lane for
mastering the CD; and to Susan Borgeson for getting me started in
the business.
Additional thanks to Sandy Morgenthal at E-Mu, Joe Kramer at
Ensoniq, Brian Chung at Kawai, Larry Harms at Roland, and Ray
Reuter at Yamaha for the consultations and information about
their toys.
Extra special thanks to Mary Goodwin, my patient and kind editor
at Hungry Minds; to Stacey Mickelbart for catching all those darn
passive verbs; to Paul Kuzmic for downloading all those files;
to Mark Butler for taking a chance with this book; to Jonathan
Malysiak for help with the cover; and to the inspiring Jeff Sultanof,
my technical editor/researcher/friend/therapist, for his wealth of
ideas, knowledge, encouragement, and humor.
Personal thanks to my piano teachers for making me less of a
dummy; to my parents for enduring long hours of practice and
dinner delays; to my sister for playing piano duets with me; to
my brother for finally opening my ears to jazz; to my in-laws for
letting their daughter marry a crazy musician; and to J.S. Bach for
the genius that he was and inspiration that he is.
Never-ending thanks to my wife, Elizabeth, for her constant love
and support; and to my kids, Jordan and Jacob, for making the sun
shine every day.
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