Death of keyboards, pianos and CDs

So should the thread title include the death of classical music as well then? Relatively few people can read music, few have music lessons, and few young people go to concerts.

Without access to CDs, music libraries (remember them?), awareness of music, things seem to be going downhill.

**ardcarp** · 09-10-18, 15:10

Yes, and BBC4 thinks it's fulfilling its 'music' quota by filling Friday evenings with appalling drivel.

**Pulcinella** · 09-10-18, 15:17

Originally posted by Dave2002 View Post

So should the thread title include the death of classical music as well then? Relatively few people can read music, few have music lessons, and few young people go to concerts.

Without access to CDs, music libraries (remember them?), awareness of music, things seem to be going downhill.

Only seem?
I'm impressed by your positivism.

Like you, I imagine, I wonder what will become of my CD collection when I finally shuffle off......

**Eine Alpensinfonie** · 09-10-18, 15:20

Originally posted by Dave2002 View Post

My suspicion is that as electronic keyboards have to some extent replaced pianos, and it's not really "cool" to play piano, and that hardly anyone learns how to play piano/keyboards these days.

I recently bought a fake piano, in order to compensate for the inability to play a real piano in the large number of venues that don't have one. There's still quite a demand for pianists (mainly by people who don't want to pay - so I'm not sympathetic), but increasing number of people are performing to inflexible backing tracks, which further deters people from learning to play.

**Constantbee** · 09-10-18, 15:21

Originally posted by Dave2002 View Post

So should the thread title include the death of classical music as well then? Relatively few people can read music, few have music lessons, and few young people go to concerts.

Without access to CDs, music libraries (remember them?), awareness of music, things seem to be going downhill.

I haven't found that round here, Dave

I see record numbers of adults, parents and children in the same family sometimes, which is nice, learning musical instruments - piano, woodwind and strings - many of whom are taking exams and getting excellent results

Music teacher friend has a positive can-do attitude that says most people can get to grade 5, and all her students do and beyond! And that's without an exhaustive catalogue of recorded material to crib from. The trouble is most people don't think they can (or realistically can't afford to). Interestingly, a friend in admin one of the local exam centres tells me it's the more professional adult students, typically academics, who have the most trouble with music exams. A lot suffer with nerves under exam conditions that wouldn't bother people of whom less is expected

Grade 5's a good standard to get to. There's a big leap up to the next level, though.

**Dave2002** · 09-10-18, 16:48

Originally posted by Constantbee View Post

I haven't found that round here, Dave

I see record numbers of adults, parents and children in the same family sometimes, which is nice, learning musical instruments - piano, woodwind and strings - many of whom are taking exams and getting excellent results

Music teacher friend has a positive can-do attitude that says most people can get to grade 5, and all her students do and beyond!

That's really good to hear. Down in the SE I was involved in music clubs. When we suggested offering a discount for seniors the treasurers laughed and suggested that would be a really good way to reduce revenue!

Re Bach's 48, there's a Helmut Walcha 13 CD set currently on offer at various sites - including Prestoclassical, but it's not on Qobuz.

**ferneyhoughgeliebte** · 09-10-18, 17:06

Originally posted by Dave2002 View Post

So should the thread title include the death of classical music as well then? Relatively few people can read music, few have music lessons, and few young people go to concerts.

Without access to CDs, music libraries (remember them?), awareness of music, things seem to be going downhill.

I think you're being unnecessarily glum, Dave - "relatively few people" have ever been able to read Music, had (private) Music lessons, and very few "young people" have ever gone to ("Classical Music") concerts - the proportion of people in their teens, twenties, and thirties going to Orchestral concerts in Leeds Town Hall (to use an example with which I am most familiar) seems about the same as it was when I was in my teens, twenties, and thirties. I do, indeed, "remember" Music Libraries - partly because there is a very good one in (again) Leeds which I visit regularly. And, with YouTube and other streaming services, not to mention the huge numbers of recording companies (far more than the big six of the '70s, and, therefore, making available a far greater range of repertoires) young people have the sort of access to Music that I could not have dreamed possible when I was their age. And, from my own discussions with teenagers and twenties-years-old, "young people" are as resilient as they ever have been - and they make terrific use of such resources.

You are absolutely right, of course, to be concerned about the contemptible and damaging reduction of funding for the Arts, and for education, and about the Beeb's neglect of its public service duties; these are matters of deep concern, particularly for people from less financially affluent communities. But this is something that needs to be raised with MPs and local councillors; and needs to be done regularly and relentlessly.

**Beresford** · 09-10-18, 19:18

Originally posted by Dave2002 View Post

....

I'd really like to have harpsichord recordings of Bach's 48, but searching on Amazon finds hardly any. There is a CD by Colin Tilney - but it may be used and is very expensive.
?

I have the CD of Book 1 by Gary Cooper on ASV; it's readily available, but I can't seem to find Book 2 at a reasonable price.

**ferneyhoughgeliebte** · 09-10-18, 19:39

Originally posted by Beresford View Post

I have the CD of Book 1 by Gary Cooper on ASV; it's readily available, but I can't seem to find Book 2 at a reasonable price.

- I noticed that, too! Volume 1 = £1.28 + P&P; Volume 2 = £85!!!!

**Dave2002** · 09-10-18, 22:17

Originally posted by ferneyhoughgeliebte View Post

You are absolutely right, of course, to be concerned about the contemptible and damaging reduction of funding for the Arts, and for education, and about the Beeb's neglect of its public service duties; these are matters of deep concern, particularly for people from less financially affluent communities. But this is something that needs to be raised with MPs and local councillors; and needs to be done regularly and relentlessly.

I really don’t want to be glum. However I am very aware of at least one school which was recently forced to “lose” a perfectly good music teacher as there was no other reasonable way to balance the books. I don’t think this is particularly unusual in current times.

Politics! I couldn’t possibly comment. Some schools have become Academies, and might be able to afford more teachers and equipment, leaving the remaining state supported schools supported by Local Authorities which are often (IMO) starved of cash, and not only for education. The justification for some of these aspects seems very questionable.

**MrGongGong** · 10-10-18, 07:52

Originally posted by Eine Alpensinfonie View Post

I recently bought a fake piano, in order to compensate for the inability to play a real piano in the large number of venues that don't have one.

I think that is what is known as a "category error"
It's not a "fake" piano though
it's a real electric piano

in the same way that The Wombles are real, real puppets.

Pipes and paintings and the like

**Eine Alpensinfonie** · 10-10-18, 08:33

Originally posted by MrGongGong View Post

I think that is what is known as a "category error"
It's not a "fake" piano though
it's a real electric piano

in the same way that The Wombles are real, real puppets.

Pipes and paintings and the like

When I depress a key on my fake piano, I reproduce the sound recorded, several years ago in Japan, from a real piano. I still need to practise before playing, though if all else fails, I can always press the demo button.

Death of keyboards, pianos and CDs

Death of keyboards, pianos and CDs

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