Parents are dusting off their rusty piano skills and now playing daily with their kids. What a opportunity the lockdown has given them. Some of them are one finger players, so they play whole notes with one finger. Some of them were accomplished musicians, their playing reflects their growing confidence as skills return. Most are somewhere in between. This situation will be over soon enough, the opportunity will be gone. I say take it, it will bring added joy to your life and fond memories. David Here is a video of a parent getting ready to accompany their child at the upcoming Zoom piano recital.
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Consider:
The ability to discriminate these individual elements will help you play more expressively. Here is an exercise:
Happy listening. David ![]() Building a program is selecting the pieces for your exam. Here is an ideal situation:
Best of luck, David Ear training gives you the ability to conceptualise what you hear, nothing more. There are countless phone apps, YouTube videos, and social media hustlers, and books promising results in short order. Unless you are in possession of perfect pitch and deep prior experiences listening to music, this will take some time. I am 48 years in. I am still working on it.
Ear Training for Classical Musicians
If I can help you, call me. David Story Ear training gives you the ability to conceptualise what you hear, nothing more. There are countless phone apps, YouTube videos, and social media hustlers, and books promising results in short order. Unless you are in possession of perfect pitch and deep prior experiences listening to music, this will take some time. I am 48 years in. I am still working on it.
Ear Training for Jazz Musicians
1. Listen attentively to music. A lot. Ask yourself, "what is going on here?"
2. Listen to a particular solo or piece of a solo until you can sing it. Then find it on your instrument. 3. Sing intervals. 4. Sing broken chords 5. Sing the bass roots of your pieces in time and on pitch. 6. Listen to more music. 7. Record yourself, listen back. 8. Record yourself playing scales with the metronome. Listen back. 9. Record your next band practice, listen back. 10. Sing everything you learn in your theory studies. David
This will pass, David
Have fun, this will pass. David This is just a start for pianists. The bass lines created by professional bassists will be more sophisticated that what I've given you here. But this is a start.
These techniques will create a simple left hand walking bass line in Blues. The principals can be used in Jazz standards. To discover how these lines were created, do the following.
Have fun. If I can help you further, please call me. David Etudes isolate a single piano technique. Some etudes explore scale playing in a musical way, others such as the one above, work on arpeggios. The composers all believe that through careful training of basic techniques a stronger more musical student will emerge.
This is like how soccer and hockey coaching works.
A good coach understands that just running around the field or rink is not going to make a winning team. Have fun, lean in. If I can help you, call me. David How to sight-read at the piano or “Get Rid of Your Fear of Sight-reading Once and For All”
First, sight-reading is a skill not an inborn talent. Patiently working through the steps, will in short order improve your skills. A short story, a student of mine years ago came to me barely able to read music even though he was working at the advanced intermediate level on piano. He resisted all my attempts at helping him improve because of his ability to play from ear. Then he goes to high school and takes up the sax. Each day in class he sight read music he didn’t know. They started simple. He was surrounded by his peers. By Christmas he was sight-reading at his level. By June he had surpassed his level. Why?
Classical piano students If you sight reading is weak, you might start at level 1 Royal Conservatory of Music Books and work through the exercises. If you use a metronome at slow tempi, you will see results in short order. They ask you a series of guided questions to teach you to see patterns, not individual notes. For instance, in level 1 cover the following concepts.
Jazz piano students If you just play be ear, I would recommend following the classical piano student routine. If you are a good sight reader of written piano music but struggle with sight reading jazz lead sheets here are some suggestions and concepts.
Sites like www.musicnotes.com allow you play the first page of popular piano piece for free. Find your favourite piece, print out the free page. With the sound of the music in your head, work it out. If I can help, call me. David This is your chance to practice playing beautifully.
In all cases I recommend using a metronome to develop the ear and ability to play music with others. In all cases listen carefully for good tone and rhythm. Bonus points if you occassionally record yourself on and listen back. Novice: Five note penta-scales
Intermediate: one and two octave scales played hands separately
Advanced: four octave scales, hands together
Expert: See advanced, now explore different dynamics and articulations in each hand. Say, legato in one hand, staccato in the other. If I can help, call me. David Story Piano at the benchWhat to practice and why
Finally, be patient, enjoy the process. If I can help, call me. David Practicing in the times of the Covid-19 outbreak is going to be a challenge for some.
Some lucky people will use the extra time to jump right in. For this group I suggest ramping up practice amount slowly to avoid injury. The book, “The Musician’s Way” suggests increasing practice time 10% per week to avoid problems. Warming up before hand with a short cardio and stretching routine will also be beneficial. For those too stressed to practice and/or focus try these tips:
Good luck, David ![]() How do online piano lessons work? These are unprecedented times! As many of you know, a third of my teaching studio involves individual lessons offered online. I run a full video studio with two cameras and professional sound equipment. My current online students range from young children to senior citizens, and from beginners to professionals, and from (place to place – include China, Mexico, US…). Click here to see how online lessons work: https://youtu.be/dhH1dY8tzCI How you set up for online lessons? 1. Open a free Zoom account on your laptop. Skype, Facebook, and Google work as well. With Zoom video recording is very quick and easy. 2. Position your (ok so what kind? Camera? Laptop? Etc.…) device just above the height of the keyboard, and to one side of it. Be sure it is on a stable surface. 3. We will spend a few minutes before beginning the first lesson to get it all running. How it works. 1. Just like regular lessons! 2. My demonstrations are recorded and put up on YouTube with a private link sent to you. Here is a link that demonstrates how it works: https://youtu.be/dhH1dY8tzCI Same video as above. New prospective students can set up a free demonstration with me. Just call. Stay well, David ![]() That is an overhead camera on the pole “How good do you want to be?” Start with this question followed with: “how should I spend my time?”
Success will depend on the depth and breathe of your practice. My most successful students have made peace with time and possibility. Yes, time counts, but patience and realistic expectations count for more. Learning has piano follows a well trodden path. You just must follow it to succeed. There is no secret. Just time and hard work. We must be realistic with the fact that course correction will be needed regularly. Life is messy. So:
Call me, I can help. David I've got happy students who practice more than an hour a day, others who practice an hour a week. Because their time matches their realistic expectations, they are happy. Could they all practice more? Of course. I could too. Be prepared for:
Playing the piano is very physical, so your fitness and energy level will be a larger factor in your evidential success. Tips to keep the journey moving along
David BTW I took up drumming at age 50. I now play with the Toronto Concert Band. April 2023 Until the 19th century improvisation was expected from musicians of "classical" music. From cadenzas in Mozart to repeats in Baroque dance suites musicians and audiences alike expected and eagerly anticipated the performer's flights of fancy. I'm pleased to report that today young Classical musicians are much more open to improvising in classical music than are musicians of my generation.
I'd be pleased to show you how to improvise in both the Baroque and Classical style. Just ask. David
My thoughts this week. David Revised January 2023 Practicing Blue BossaOne effective way of practicing jazz is the "Bill McBirnie method". Bill plays along with professional recordings. He has told me that he might spend hours playing along with dozens of recordings of a particular tune he is working on. Here are the videos I used to practice Blue Bossa this week on the vibraphone. Pay attention to the articulations and the differences in the last phrase, (measures 13-14-15-16). There are interesting differences to explore.
Composer Igor Stravinsky said something to the effect of: we find inspiration through work, not the other way around. Amateurs wait for inspiration to work; professionals get to work knowing inspiration will follow. Good advice when sitting in the practice room waiting for the muse to strike before beginning. David ![]() “We have something that is unique. We have our craft. We have our art. We have our desire.” –Branford Marsalis, saxophonist Craft An activity that involves making something in a skillful way by using your hands. : a job or activity that requires special skill. crafts : objects made by skillful use of the hands. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/craft Art Art is a diverse range of human activities in creating visual, auditory or performing artifacts (artworks), expressing the author's imaginative, conceptual ideas, or technical skill, intended to be appreciated for their beauty or emotional power. Other activities related to the production of works of art include the criticism of art, the study of the history of art, and the aesthetic dissemination of art. Desire Desire is a sense of longing or hoping for a person, object, or outcome. The same sense is expressed by emotions such as "craving". When a person desires something or someone, their sense of longing is excited by the enjoyment or the thought of the item or person, and they want to take actions to obtain their goal. The motivational aspect of desire has long been noted by philosophers; Thomas Hobbes asserted that human desire is the fundamental motivation of all human action. All quotes from sources listed. Let's ponder their meanings. I can help you with your craft. David Keeping ourselves, me included, motivated over the long haul takes some effort. One way is to spend some time witnessing master artists doing their thing.
I just spent a few days in NYC doing just that. On New Years Eve I witnessed 2 jazz masters and an upcoming young man make inspired music. How Eric Harland plays the way he does is beyond me. Chris Potter? Wow. Pianist James Francies has a left hand I dreamed I used to have. Then I was transported by the Ailey Live troupe. The music of pianist Don Pullen was revived with a stunning group of male dancers. Followed up with the steamiest version of Ravel's Bolero imaginable. Saturday afternoon at the MET featured conductor Sir Simon Rattle and singer Magdalena Kožená as Octavian. What delicious fun. Even from the cheap seats. What have you seen recently? David Two truisms in a musicians life.
Let's look at this further. To be a musician, amateur or professional, is to be devoted to practicing over the life-time of music making. We live to practice. For amateurs practice must be fun, for professionals too, keeping it pleasurable helps us maintain intensity and focus over the duration of our careers. How to make it fun?
Robert Snyder made, “A Day in the Life of Pablo Casals.” He asked Pablo Casals age 80+ and the world’s foremost cellist of his age, why he continues to practice four and five hours a day. Casals answered: “Because I think I am making progress.” Reading some books on practicing is a great help, I own at least a dozen books. I recommend you start collecting today.
Best regards, David Here is how it works. Swing jazz at slow and moderate tempi plays 8th pair long short with the accent on the short side or upbeat side. The four videos below can be used various ways. Namely scales and jazz melodic patterns as found in the music of the Bebop era. Swing melodies work well too. Have fun. If you need help, contact me, I consult video Skype or Zoom. David |
You've got to learn your instrument. Then, you practice, practice, practice. And then, when you finally get up there on the bandstand, forget all that and just wail. AuthorI'm a professional pianist and music educator in West Toronto Ontario. I'm also a devoted percussionist and drum teacher. Categories
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