For my amateur students I hope they find joy in practicing.
For my ambitious students that they maintain their joy in their Olympic level commitment. A happy student knows which camp they belong to. Happy New Year, David
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Even though Bach left us with this, in performance there are nuances to consider. Tempo will one modifier of what we see above. Check out this article from Strad Magazine for further details and explanations. https://www.thestrad.com/playing-and-teaching/how-i-interpret-bach-tomas-cotik-on-ornaments-trills-and-appoggiaturas/9879.article Feel free to download and use sheet. Notice this sheet emphasises completion of goals not endless repeating drudgery. Once you can securely play one of your goals or task, move on. Start each session with a quick review of some or all of your completed work before starting up something new. Let me know how this works for you. David ![]()
My decades old copy of Opus 821 by Czerny. Still on the piano.
When I want to work on my tone, I go here. When I want to work on the different physical moves required in piano performance I go here. This work covers all the keys in very short 8 measure exercises. I'm able to work on finger independence, arm weight, rotation, octaves, staccato, legato, portato, drop, thrust, dynamics, balance, and tone. Last weekend I attended the National Ballet of Canada's performance of "etudes". It is a 45 minute ballet of bar moves and set pieces to the etudes of Czerny. It was fun to recognize many of the pieces. It was instructive to hear the music interpreted by the dancers. Click here for a free copy: https://imslp.org/wiki/160_kurze_Übungen,_Op.821_(Czerny,_Carl) Happy practicing. ![]() I highly recommend this book for adult students and parents of young piano students. This book thesis is that piano practice should be as fun as shooting hoops on the driveway. Why is shooting hoops so much fun for a kid? To quote Heany:
I bought the book from Kindle. Best, David Happy students have a stated well thought through project in mind. Then they line up their precious resources of time and money to support the project. Some sample projects that have successfully been completed by my students.
Call me. David Practicing with Purpose
Listening with intent:
The days are short. It's cold. It's mid-November. Who feels like practicing? Answer: The folks with a goal and a really big why. What is your musical goal? Maybe it is time to revisit your reasons for lessons. Brian Tracy encourages people to rewrite their goals everyday. No kidding. It works, I've been using this tactic successfully for years in business and my hobby drumming. Second part is your "why". This is the fuel of life and focuses our efforts. It is imperative we don't waste our greatest and most precious resource, our time. The bigger the goal the bigger your why needs to be. Give this some thought. I practice because I want to continue to jam with professionals as a drummer. I practice with the long-term goal of raising my drumming skills to the level of my piano skills. Best regards, David A book on art, aging, commitment, and excellence as an amateur athlete. Substitute amateur musician and the book still rings true.
"By turns funny and sobering, playful and philosophical, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is both for fans of this masterful yet guardedly private writer and for the exploding population of athletes who find similar satisfaction in distance running." Amazon review. Reviews: www.theguardian.com/books/2008/jul/26/sportandleisureThe Guardian I was asked a most difficult question yesterday from a sincere student. “How do I play like that?” (I had just improvised a jazz version of Somewhere over the rainbow.)
The answer is complex. The quick answer is no you cannot, the way I play is a result of my unique collection of skills and life experiences revealing itself in a 30 second jazz performance. But as a teacher this is not a helpful answer. Let me try again. The development of musicianship is a lifelong journey. You are a hobbyist. Best strategy? Like a middle age marathon runner, run against yourself. Comparing yourself against Kenyan runner Wilson Kipsang is going to be disheartening. Comparing yourself against pianist Lang Lang ditto. The good news? We can all improve with systematic disciplined effort over a sustained period. Let’s break it down what this effort will entail. Musicianship includes technical skill on an instrument, artistic vision, deep knowledge of repertoire, sight reading skills, aural skills, and applied theory. For the 21st century throw in composition and improvisation as core elements. If you want to play with others add ensemble skills. These are common elements regardless of your preferred idiom: Classical, Jazz, Electronica, Country, etc.
Maybe you can learn from my journey.
Now back to you... Learn theory
Though I’ve not arrived any destination after nearly 50 years of practicing, performing, and teaching, I’m not where I started either. And, importantly, I’m still enthusiastically at it. Best regards, David Good piano technique has several characteristics:
Best regards, David Revised August 2022 Great advance from a brass teacher.
David Revised August 2022 “There is nothing more fatal for our musical sense, than to allow ourselves – by the hour – to hear musical sounds without really listening to them”
-Tobias Matthay The Musician’s Way, p. 16 Please have a quick read of Gerald Klickstein's blog post on recording ourselves in practice. I agree completely with his point that, "Self-recording in practice provides us with the means to compensate for glitches in our self-perception and memory." https://www.musiciansway.com/blog/2009/09/self-recording-in-practice/?fbclid=IwAR0eBPKJA-RzGi8BVVyl2_Wv6HuKh8nDtUySP5S3EIrI3uTL1PcEl8GbIv8 Enjoy, David PS. Over the last decade I've accumulated a few hundred gigabytes of practice recordings. Revised August 2022 “People think I’m disciplined. It is not discipline. It is devotion. There is a great difference. ”Luciano Pavarotti, opera singer, 1935-2007
Keeping a hobby a hobby can become an issue with some students. Students, like athletes can easily burnout. Adults can be especially vulnerable to this problem if they try catch up for lost time. This will lead to over practice and exhaustion and/or injury. Check out Dan McLaughlin's story. He took up golf, attempted to put in 10,000 hours of practice, and burned out injured. Learning piano is a journey that lasts a lifetime. I concur with success literature stresses that we should focus on the process, not the destination. so...
Best, David Story Revised 2024 "How good do you want to be?" “What do you want to accomplish?"
Some benchmarks from accomplished colleagues:
This amount of time is sufficient to cover all that needs to be done is the areas of technique, etudes, repertoire, theory or ear training and finally sight reading. Though your experience may slight differ, as some point all skilled musicians have put in the time. Best regards, David Story PS: I'd like to thank my colleague Becky Yuan and former teacher Leon Karan for input on the numbers. Becky Yuan: Mississauga http://beckyyuan.com/ Leon Karan: Hamilton http://www.leonkaran.com/ revised 2024 ![]() Buying a new instrument is always exciting. We purchase with great expectations that this new instrument will be the one. I own a Yamaha NU1 Hybrid and a Yamaha professional electric piano. I used to own real pianos. Which should you buy? 1. Grand pianos are great if you have the funds and the space. No one regrets buying a Steinway. They do require maintenance and care though. And, you get what you pay for. There are fine instruments suitable for all skill levels and there are furniture models. That is show pieces for the front window that may or may not play well. 2. Upright pianos. Easily obtained on the used market for the cost of moving. My advice: don't buy an out of tune piano and please pay to have it looked at. Many are untunable, unplayable and unfixable. That being said there are some great instruments and bargains out there. 3. Hybrid pianos. I play and teach on a Yamaha NU1. Real piano action and sensors of some sort. Always in tune. Plays and feels like a well maintained upright piano. Looks like a piano too. There are other models available. Best choice next to a high end grand piano. 4. Electronic pianos. Suitable for beginners for a while. Cheap. Be sure they have weighted keys. Please buy a proper bench. I have a professional model, plays like a grand piano. Love it too. See you in lessons soon. David Piano tuning
An out of tune piano is discouraging to students of any age. So, if you can't remember the last time the tuner came, it is time to call. For a point of reference. Before I got my hybrid piano, my tuner came 3 times a year. See you in lessons soon. David An often-confusing subject. “Now that I’m about to practice what should I work on? It seems all so overwhelming.”
First truth: you can’t do everything in a single practice session, but you can accomplish little things that will add up to big things. Second truth: there are no shortcuts. Third truth: learn to practice like a professional, it is more effective and much less stressful. Gerald Klickstein, author of the book “The musician’s way”, is a valuable resource on professional work skills and stress reduction in the practice room. The link below is a good entry point into his world. https://www.musiciansway.com/blog/2015/06/5-tips-for-successful-practice/ Happy practicing David
Many people want to play the piano. A few people must play the piano. The many are vague, the committed are focused. A committed student says things like, “I want to pick up where I left off 30 years ago and finish my grade 8 piano, can you help me?” Or, “I want to play piano duets with my children, or grandchildren to support them in their piano studies? Or, “I want to play in a band”. Or, “I’m deeply in love with Beethoven’s op. 1. I played level 10 in my youth. Now, life has given me the time to get back to it. Please help me get back into shape”. “I love the romance of piano lounge jazz. Can you show me how to improvise like Diana Krall?” The small actionable steps needed to proceed will vary by the student’s background, but the steps will revolve around the following:
Syllabi, such as the Royal Conservatory of music provide, break down the learning process in small actionable steps. Jazz pedagogy does the same. I’ve also created one for recreational players who come to my studio. I will create or direct you to the appropriate syllabi. I look forward to working with you. Best regards, David PS. Click on the picture below to learn more about adult learning. You will be directed the magazine's website. A valuable resourse.
The blogs that follow will explore, in further detail, each of these steps. Best, David Story Graham has a some effective ideas. As always, patience and application wins. A quick coffee video on practicing from pianist magazine. ![]() Adult life:
How do the most successful of my students do it? They ride one horse at a time. It's truly hard to weekly practice piano, sky-diving, scuba lessons, ballroom dancing, and have time for the grandkids, spouse and friends. Oh, and visit Paris, Venice, the Great Wall, and take in a safari while packing for South America. The successful students make choices. See you all in September. Best regards, David My take away from this video:
BTW: the video is lots of inspirational fun. Here is an example I want to earn my Grade one piano certificate Baby steps
You will succeed if you enjoy this process of micro-steps as described in the video and fearlessly go forward. Cheers, 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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