...The construction and assembly of a Steinway Piano involves several different subsystems that in the end when all put together makes up a larger system. A company, such as a production company like Steinway is known to build a good quality product. They have a good reputation on the product that they build, because they have taken the time figure out how to make quality work and use quality material. There is a process in place in order to manufacture and assemble the piano. First of all they just don’t use any wood, they use Eastern rock maple wood to be precise. They start with raw boards to create a rim with specific measurement. Next, a total of 18 separate slat, 14 layers of maple and 4 layers of woods are glued and stacked together to form a book. Then comes the process of bending rim into the shape of a piano. This process could not be done, without a crew, but not just any crew. A crew of six skilled specialized employees that have just 20 minutes to complete the book and they use block and tackle and wooden levers and mallets into a rim bending press. This process is the same process that Steinway & Sons have used for more than a century and is all done by hand and all at one time. With all this hard work, their job does not end there. The company also need other departments, such as a marketing department in order to market their product. The financial department takes care of all the accounting issues. They ensure that the company has the funds to...
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...Piano Teacher Most parent believe that participation in extracurricular activities affect a child in a lot of good ways. My parent were no exception. When I was a kid, after school I was always being driven from piano to volleyball to self-defense classes and so on. At the time, I thought I was the world’s busiest teenager. However, after all these years, I can easily see that I have gained some important benefits from those activities. Playing the piano is probably the greatest benefit. In the meantime, it would be a big lie for me to say that my appreciation for playing the piano came immediately. Since the time I was ten years old until I was twelve or thirteen, I absolutely detested Sunday afternoons. Of course by then, it was not called Sunday for me but the torturous “piano day”. I had to practice all the morning before the lesson in the afternoon, and became totally exhausted in the evening. When it was finally over, I had relief as of am incredible amount of weight had been pulled from my shoulders. In those days, I never got to see the importance of having those lessons, practicing for hours, and even playing those tunes. As much as I tried, I could never find a way to enjoy it; it was no more than some never-ending horrible homework for me. But today, I want to thank my teacher for forcing me to appreciate the art of music. Now, I can easily list playing the piano as one of the most refreshing aspects of my life. Whenever I feel sadness, I always have the chance...
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...Marty Previtte Ms. Swails ENG 110 November 7, 2011 Player Chant Imagery and sound can be two important elements in poetry. The poems “Secretary Chant” by Marge Piercy and “Player Piano” by John Updike are examples of ways to effectively use imagery and sound to convey a message. Although both poems use sound and imagery, they use these elements in different ways. Updike uses sound and imagery to portray human characteristics in a nonliving object, while Piercy uses the same elements to mechanize a woman into an office machine. Even though Updike’s poem is more enjoyable, Piercy is more effective in the use of imagery and sound. In “Secretary Chant,” Piercy describes a woman being consumed by her job as a secretary. Piercy’s message is that women who perform the same secretarial jobs day in and day out can become mechanized. Piercy expresses his message by painting a picture of this woman with simple sentences, simple metaphors, and obvious grammatical mistakes. Each of these techniques is used to convey a sound and image so that the reader can become familiar with the transformation this woman is going through. Most lines of “Secretary Chant” are formed by simple sentences. “Rubber bands form my hair” (line 4) is a good example of the poem’s typical sentence. By using simple sentences Piercy is making the statement that the main character (the woman) is losing her ability to stray from a simple sentence. This means that the woman being described in the poem is losing one...
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...is a question and answer discussion on Steinway Pianos. Discussed will be how the Steinway Piano company set up their system, smaller subsystems and how they use the systems perspective of input, transformation and output. Behavioral and operations management will also be discussed along with the universal and contingency perspective. Steinway Pianos This discussion on Steinway Pianos will be highlighting their processes and how their subsystems and system work together to produce their high quality piano cases. Learn how inputs from their environment, the transformation process and outputs into the environment affect their organization’s system perspective. Discuss the similarities between the behavioral and operations management and Steinway’s processes. Also how the universal and contingency perspective is reflected in the Steinway process. The construction and assembly of a Steinway’s piano is comprised of several different subsystems that all work together to make up a larger system. As with many companies such as a production company like Steinway, there must be a process in place in order to construct and assemble the piano. Along with that the company will need other departments such as marketing to market their product. The financial department ensures all the accounting is done properly and that money is available to purchase more materials and labor so that they can produce more pianos. The management department manages all of the different...
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...The piano today is one of largest and most varied styles and assortments of probably all musical instruments. I would describe the piano as simple however diverse in many ways. Since the piano was the first instrument I learned to play, I believe that everyone can play at least a song or two with simple chords. The piano is the foundation of all instruments because the piano has been popular since the creation, a couple hundred of years ago. Primarily the structure of the piano is rather large and you only need your hands to play the keys, most of the instrument is made out of metal or plastic and also consist of wood for the acoustic affect. The harpsichord and the clavichord were the beginning products of the piano and were made out of string. The instrument was made to be played on by one person just like the harpsichord or any other instrument played during the Baroque...
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...Piano has been my life for the past eight years. Every emotion is a part of playing an instrument. For me, that instrument happens to be piano. Each key is a different word creating a unique story. When I walk into my piano room, I know there will be a little bit of each emotion. Even when I play for just ten minutes, that there will be frustration, happiness, confusion, and disappointment. My piano teacher and my parents expect a lot out of me and I love it, in spite of the many stressful moments. Such as the day of a recital, or the moment my mom asks for me to play for her friends. Every emotion is a part of playing an instrument. For me, that instrument happens to be piano. Playing the music piece you want, is one of the best feelings...
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...definition, jazz is music originating from New Orleans around the beginning of the 20th century and subsequently developing through the various increasingly complex styles, generally marked by intricate, propulsive rhythms, polyphonic ensemble playing, improvisatory, virtuosic solos, melodic freedom, and a harmonic idiom ranging from simple diatonicism through chromaticism to atonality. Jazz music is all of this and yet so much more. In order to play jazz, you have to take something and tweak it to make it your own. The biggest difference between jazz piano and regular classic piano is simply the style in which you play it. With classic piano, you stick to the rhythms and notes that are written on the pages. The music goes almost perfectly with the score and there is no room for relaxation between notes. With jazz piano however, you move with the music. Within the rhythms, you get to swing to your own style. Jazz piano is much more lose and free. Also with jazz, a lot of the times, you improvise the music meaning that it’s not written down and the player comes up with the notes and rhythms in his or her head as he or she is playing. As it might seem that all jazz is the same, it’s actually all very different. There’s an unlimited amount of the different kinds of jazz because everyday new types are being invented. Some styles that are known to us today include: Dixieland, Big Band, Swing, Bebop, Cool or West Coast, Hard Bop, Third Stream, Progressive Stream, Modal...
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...Climax in The Piano Lesson The climax in The Piano Lesson comes when Berniece is driven to play the piano that she has not touched in years. This action causes a cascade of changes in the main characters. The protagonist in the play is Berniece. From August Wilson's stage direction, "Thirty five years old, with an eleven year old daughter, she is still in mourning for her husband after three years" (1.1.62-63) In describing the Charles house, the stage direction adds, "although there is evidence of a woman's touch, there is a lack of warmth and vigor" (1.1.4) This last statement could just as well be describing Berniece. Having lived through the tragic loss of her father and more recently the loss of her husband, she does not want to deal in the past. We get a feel for her detached and cold existence when her brother shows up. Boy Willie, primarily the antagonist, is the polar opposite of Berniece. [He] is thirty years old. He has an infectious grin and a boyishness that is apt for his name. He is brash and impulsive, talkative, and somewhat crude in speech and manners. (1.1.16-18) Having driven two days from Mississippi, he shows up at the Doaker house before dawn, waking the house with an abnoxious childlike exuberance. Unaffected by her brother's happiness to see her, Berniece sees no joy in this reunion. The news that Boy Willie delivers—that Sutter, a descendent of the slavers that owned their family, has been pushed down a well by ghosts of the past—is...
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...Piano Recitals and Space Travel I was 8 years old when I had my first piano recital. I remember they held it inside the elementary school’s gymnasium that also served as a theatre. It was the only elementary school for miles. They had to improvise. Ominously, the other performances were far from immaculate. Wrong notes were played, and unnatural pauses were present in the performances of those who had played the tunes blindfolded. Something about that stage caused everyone’s performances to fall short of expectations. Being a superstitious 8-year-old, I somehow came to the conclusion that the stage was cursed. As the recital went on and on, my fear incrementally increased. What if I can’t remember my fingering? What if the keys are slippery? What if I have to sneeze halfway through my performance? I was so preoccupied with my thoughts that I didn’t notice my name being called, or my piano instructor nudging me towards the stage. But I distinctly remember being offstage, and then, as if I had been teleported, onstage. I froze, standing as still as a dead man, in the middle of the colossal stage. My knees nearly buckled under my own weight, and my frail, 3’9’ frame shook. As my 8-year-old brain frantically calculated the benefits of...
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...In this way, you need to purchase another piano or update your old piano. There are such a variety of alternatives with regards to buying one of the most established musical instruments, the piano. You have the decision of acquiring another piano, a second hand piano, or even an advanced piano. There are such a large number of decisions thus numerous brands to browse. Be that as it may, be cautious... there are additionally numerous traps along the way. The piano has been around for around 300 years and over that time the quintessence of the piano has not by any means changed. The cupboards have changed throughout the years and have enhanced however the interior workings have not by any stretch of the imagination transformed from the first models created in the 1700's. The fundamental workings are that you play a key then a sledge hits a string and it vibrates and the sound is reflected off the soundboard to create the musical tone (sound). There are approx. 10,000 sections in a piano and a large number of these are finely tuned. The moving parts inside of the piano are known as the 'activity'. Much the same as an auto the "activity" is the motor of the piano. In the event that the activity has issues or is not kept up then the piano won't execute as it ought to. A piano is...
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...The central conflict of the book revolves around Boy Willie and his sister Berniece. They have been passed down a piano that burdens many years of slavery, suppression and even death. Berniece, who lives in a northern city, clings to the piano which is literally and figuratively represents her ancestor’s history. By upholding the family tradition and keeping the piano in the living room of her uncle Doaker’s house she feels her Dad is being honored. Boy Willie on the other hand wants to sell the piano and make some fast cash. He lives in a southern state and wants to use the money from the piano to by the land his family once worked on as slaves. In this way he feels he is “supposed to build on what they left me” (Wilson 51). The title The...
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...Time can have a major impact on people's lives. As you already know, time can change people for the better or worse The authors of "Piano Obsession" and "Zulma" use passing of time to develop the points of view of the characters. As time passes, the outlook of the main characters if affected in either a positive or negative manner. The authors in "Piano Obsession" shows how Reem eventually gets more comfortable with the piano. In " Piano Obsession" Reem meets the piano. She likes the piano form the start but she is not confident enough to play it. But as time passes Reem gets more comfortable with the piano. Furthering my point, in the story it states that "I told it my secrets" " The piano simplified the stories bracketed...
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...In August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, Bernice struggles with her family past, which reveals how much it has shaped her over time. The aspects of Bernice’s family past that she struggles with are the time her and her mother spent at the piano, The hardships her family faced as slaves, and the time her grandfather spent carving the piano. After the death of Bernice and Boy willies father, they’re mother would have Bernice play the piano while she cleaned it. This was Mama Ola’s way of communicating with her husband. In the text Bernice says that Mama Ola "Mama Ola polished this piano with her tears for seventeen years. For seventeen years she rubbed on it till her hands bled.” this contributes to the work as a whole by Bernice respecting all the effort her mother put in. Ultimately leading to Bernice to not allow Boy Willie to sell the piano which would later save the family from Sutter’s ghost....
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...In August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, Berniece, struggles with the memory of playing the piano for her mother which reveals the constant struggle with accepting her family’s legacy and using it for good. Berniece in the beginning does not accept and does not share her family’s legacy with her daughter which makes it difficult for them both to grow. Berniece is not able to share her family’s legacy with her daughter because of her denial to accept the past. The Piano Lesson reveals the importance of accepting your family’s legacy and being able to use it for good. Accepting turmoil in your family’s past and learning from those events is being able to use your family’s legacy for good. When Boy Willie came up north he intended to sell the piano...
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...STAGE 2 ENGLISH COMMUNICATIONS TEXT RESPONSE Shine – Interview with Scott Hicks David Helfgott. An Australian child prodigy at the piano. Yet not many people have heard of this person. Until now; the 1996 movie Shine starring Geoffrey Rush and Noah Taylor, shows just this; the life of David Helfgott… a rambling and mentally ill, yet brilliant piano player. In an interview with the director, Scott Hicks answers a few pressing questions of the movie. Interviewer – Thank you for taking the time to have this interview. First up, I would like to know what some of the challenges that you encountered while making the movie? Scott Hicks – Thanks, it’s good to be here. The main challenge that I found while Shine was in the making, was getting enough...
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