Non-Traditional Piano Use

DMCKECH DMCKECH@ithaca.edu
Fri, 10 Nov 1995 18:30:50 -0400 (EDT)


Here is another recommendation for the non-traditional piano use video.
Alan Eder has put together a very useful video on the subject.

Immediately after learning that George Crumb would be our visiting
professor of composition this year I panicked! How am I going to deal with
this? Fortunately, I met Alan in Albuquerque (another good reason for going
to the annual PTG conference) and found out about this video. I had a
showing and Q&A session for faculty and students that was well attended.
One can never be sure but I suspect some went away with a new found respect
for the piano.

Dealing with the Crumb pieces that were performed was challenging and I
suspect more of the same next semester. If you have "designated hitters"
consider yourself lucky. For the big concert we had to have three pianos
prepared. I managed to get one instrument from a classroom but the other
two had to be our concert instruments. Naturally the performers were aware
of my presence. They were not allowed to do anything without asking me
first.

For the first time I have found it necessary to develop solid rules
regarding non-traditional use. The piano faculty support me on this issue.
I have made it known to the faculty that they need to see me first before
considering nonstandard use. The next step is to write some guidelines.
Ken Walkup, the technician for Cornell, has written guidelines that are
effective there. Ken published his guidelines in the CAUT newsletter in the
Spring 1992 issue (#12).  I will be using his guidelines as a template to
write my own. If anyone out there in pianoland has written their own
guidelines, and is willing to share, we can all benefit from them. I cannot
say when I will be finished with mine but if anyone would like a copy let
me know.

Of course an easy way to handle this is to give them Alan's video, tell
them to view it and then come to me, we'll talk!

Don McKechnie
dmckech@ithaca.edu




This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC