Blog | Ann Grogan

TO A GREAT MASTER IN THE CALLIGRAPHIC AND LIFE ARTS: ALAN BLACKMAN

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Nov 4, 20235 min read

TO A GREAT MASTER IN THE CALLIGRAPHIC AND LIFE ARTS: ALAN BLACKMAN

Calligraphy master Alan Blackman taught a Chinese brush technique class I took at the oLd basement de young Museum Art School some...

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THE MIRACLE OF SECRETS REVEALED IN POETRY

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Nov 3, 20237 min read

THE MIRACLE OF SECRETS REVEALED IN POETRY

I don't always get it right. Not the first time, and not 100%. Sometime later I usually do. It's like when I write; I have to circle the...

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WHEELS HANGING OVER THE EDGE: ARE ALL ARTISTS (A BIT) MAD?

rhapsodydmb

Oct 23, 20235 min read

WHEELS HANGING OVER THE EDGE: ARE ALL ARTISTS (A BIT) MAD?

"Insanity is only a disorder if it's affecting your life negatively" Commenter @phitsf5475 to YouTube video of Daniel Thrasher, whose...

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MUSICAL REINVENTION AFTER CHANGE OR RETIREMENT -- SOMETIMES BY OTHERS!

rhapsodydmb

Oct 12, 20233 min read

MUSICAL REINVENTION AFTER CHANGE OR RETIREMENT -- SOMETIMES BY OTHERS!

Intended or unintended periods of major change that are inevitable throughout our very-human lives can result in beneficial -- or...

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PLAYING LIKE A CALLIOPE -- IN A BAD (BUT INNOCENT?) WAY

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Oct 10, 20236 min read

PLAYING LIKE A CALLIOPE -- IN A BAD (BUT INNOCENT?) WAY

Calliopes are usually associated with the joyful experiences of riding on colorful and fanciful merry-go-rounds when we are children. A...

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rhapsodydmb

Oct 6, 20237 min read

A.I. IS NOT ART !

The Unclear Future? (See fall 2024 see my subsequent blog on the invasion of AI into the creative process, like it or not! Artists –...

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WHEN MUSIC MAKES YOU FEEL FREE ("Me atrapaste" in music!)

rhapsodydmb

Sep 26, 20235 min read

WHEN MUSIC MAKES YOU FEEL FREE ("Me atrapaste" in music!)

Where do you feel “all there”? When do you feel that you want to jump so high that you don’t have to come down? When do you feel whole? ...

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FINDING ONE'S SONIC PLACE IN THE MUSIC WORLD

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Sep 23, 20235 min read

FINDING ONE'S SONIC PLACE IN THE MUSIC WORLD

DAVID GEORGE HASKELL has written a lovely book about music -- or better said, about the aspect of music that involves the ears, the...

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HARMONIZING THE WORLD: My journey with 432 Hz continues...

rhapsodydmb

Sep 21, 20233 min read

HARMONIZING THE WORLD: My journey with 432 Hz continues...

When I'm playing my favored new style of pieces these days, i.e., simple , lyrical, and slow, I sometimes just stop dead upon hearing a...

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rhapsodydmb

Sep 17, 20234 min read

THE DIGNITY OF "TRIVIAL LITTLE PIECES"

If famed cellist Pablo Casals could do it – so can I! While Vivian Mackie was studying cello with Pablo Casals in Spain in the early...

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rhapsodydmb

Sep 12, 20233 min read

PIANO LESSONS AND PERFORMANCE ARE LIFE!

So far away from the stage to hear the inimitable Ms. Wang play at the SF Symphony spring 2023, even in this closeup image! * * *...

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rhapsodydmb

Sep 11, 20235 min read

MUSIC - UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL IS "BEST"

Rated 5 out of 5 stars.(1)

What is "best" is normally not a concept that I like to promote when it comes to any aspect of music. But I clearly prefer live music up...

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THE DUCHESS HAS A NEW "SOUND OUTFIT"! (Which do you like best?)

rhapsodydmb

Sep 6, 20236 min read

THE DUCHESS HAS A NEW "SOUND OUTFIT"! (Which do you like best?)

As promised in the earlier blog post a few days ago, The Duchess has a new "sound outfit!" Bay Area piano tech David Amendola was kind...

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MUSICAL OBFUSCATION AS A MEANS OF CONTROL?

rhapsodydmb

Aug 27, 202317 min read

MUSICAL OBFUSCATION AS A MEANS OF CONTROL?

Seeing clearly at dawn in Death Valley, March 2023 Using different words to mean the same thing (unless one is a poet and seeks not to...

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DISQUIET TO QUIET--THE CHALLENGE OF ANXIETY DURING PERFORMANCE

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Aug 20, 20234 min read

DISQUIET TO QUIET--THE CHALLENGE OF ANXIETY DURING PERFORMANCE

“If you feel like you’re losing everything, remember trees lose their leaves every year and they stand tall and wait for better days to...

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rhapsodydmb

Aug 18, 20236 min read

GIFTS IN DOING THE UNINTENDED

Not long ago when I was seeking pre-publication blurbs for my first volume of poetry and approached Raven Crone, one of my BFFs who is a...

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"IF YOU MAKE SOMETHING FROM YOUR HEART, SOMEBODY OUT THERE WILL FEEL IT!" (Hand-created hair ornaments)

rhapsodydmb

Aug 15, 20235 min read

"IF YOU MAKE SOMETHING FROM YOUR HEART, SOMEBODY OUT THERE WILL FEEL IT!" (Hand-created hair ornaments)

Jon Batiste got it right! Don't miss the creative process in service to the end product, he advises on a recent CBS television...

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rhapsodydmb

Aug 13, 20236 min read

"PLAYING"--NOT "PRACTICING" THE PIANO

"It's the things we play with and the people who help us play that make a great difference in our lives," said Fred Rogers. Check out...

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rhapsodydmb

Aug 10, 20235 min read

THE POETIC MUSE AND WHY I WRITE

Reading David Dowling’s pithy compendium of C. S. Lewis’ comments on writers and writing, (On Writing and Writers: A miscellany of advice...

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"CECI'S CONUNDRUMS" (AKA "THE BORN-AGAIN PIANIST", a self-deprecatory moving flight of fictional fancy)

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Aug 9, 202313 min read

"CECI'S CONUNDRUMS" (AKA "THE BORN-AGAIN PIANIST", a self-deprecatory moving flight of fictional fancy)

(The first and last fabulous Fazioli I ever played in 2021 while testing grand pianos for purchase.) It was a dark and stormy night....

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