aaamusic | On 13, Dec 2010

“James Rhodes is not your typical classical pianist. Yet his passionate playing and rock-star aura could be just what the music needs.” – The Times

“To watch Rhodes in recital, dripping with sweat as he thrashes the last bars out of a Bach-Busoni fugue, is an amazing experience.” – The Telegraph

“His sound cannot be mistaken for that of any other pianist, alive or dead. It is confrontational, brittle, intermittently seductive.” – Norman Lebrecht

If you’ve been inspired by James Rhodes’ prodigious piano skills (for a quick recap, visit his YouTube #1 music video here:

and fancy tickling the ivories yourself, a new competition for budding virtual pianists has been opened at www.jamesrhodes.tv/playpiano.

Whether you aspire to recreating Blumenfeld’s ‘Etude for the Left Hand’ or if John Cage’s ‘4’33”’ represents your natural limitations on the piano, the competition gives novices and experts alike the chance to record their own composition.

Once you’ve clicked the link (www.jamesrhodes.tv/playpiano), you can select a tempo using the metronome (tip: 190bpm sounds great for drum ‘n’ bass, but isn’t so much fun for a piano piece) and select the chord mode to immediately master those tricky chords. Then press record on the virtual tape player and perform your masterpiece using your keyboard or mouse (with added sustain if so desired). When completed, press stop, hit the send to a friend option and send it directly tojames.rhodes@warnermusic.com.

James Rhodes will personally select five winners to receive a signed copy of his upcoming double album ‘Bullets & Lullabies’ when the competition closes on January5th. Released on January 10th, the album follows his two critically acclaimed iTunes #1 studio albums to date – his 2009 debut ‘Razor Blades Little Pills and Big Pianos’ and the 2010 follow-up ‘Now Would All Freudians Please Stand Aside’.

“This has got to be the best alternative to Angry Birds to kill dull time at work playing around and trying your hand at writing tunes,” said Rhodes. “Whether it’s a short theme, a mini-sonata, or your own performance of a classical piece, have fun and enjoy making music. Anything that even remotely sounds like a Cheryl Cole song will be disqualified on principle. And you know the guys at Warners will be listening and you may just catch their ear…”

Rhodes’ burgeoning reputation has grown dramatically in recent months with the news that he will present a new television show entitled James Rhodes: Piano Man onSky Arts 2 HD. The series follows James as he reveals the music of his favourite composers and explains the stories behind his affinity for their works. Interspersing the story of his own life with that of the composers and musicians he so admires, James also plays some of the pieces that have inspired and consoled him, and the music that saved his life. James Rhodes: Piano Man begins on Sky Arts 2 HD on Thursday 16th December at 9pm.

Eager to strip away the pretensions and formalities that surround classical music, Rhodes’ own recitals are often held in venues more accustomed to rock gigs rather than classical performances, such as the Latitude Festival, the Roundhouse, the 100 Club, Proud Galleries and the Tabernacle.

Rhodes will play a public concert date at The Elgar Room in the Royal Albert Hall on February 7th. He also has just been re-invited to perform at the 2011Cheltenham Music Festival where he coined and performed the first ever iENCORE using the iPAD score sheet APP. Page turner not required.

www.jamesrhodes.tv