What to practice? Hal has some great thoughts. Twelve minutes of wisdom from a modern master. If you are a classical artist, substitute classical sounds for jazz sounds. It's all the same. "art is supposed to teach yourself something about yourself you didn't know" Hal Galper Best. David
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![]() My go to podcasts. I listen in the car on my way to classes. One reason I bounce through the door on arrival.
David Story Listening is practicing. A bold statement I'll stick to. Try the following immersive listening exercise.
This is just the beginning of learning to listen like a musician. As a musician I ask myself when listening, "what is going on here?" Enjoy, David Learning to improvise at the piano is not difficult, though it might take a small mind shift on your part. Consider the following. Until the mid 19th c. it was customary for classical musicians to improvise on stage. Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart were all know for their improvising prowess. You can find more inf. and links here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_improvisation Musicians wrote books on how to improvise. Click on this for more. http://johnmortensen.com/site/improvisation/ Have fun. More to come. David
When a trained musician looks at a manuscript what they see is different from an untrained musician. We see patterns, students see notes. We see chords, chord progressions, phrases, texture, context, similarities and differences with repeated ideas, form and structure. Students see notes. I could go on. In short training brings understanding, understanding brings insight, insight brings joy to the musician and the listener. Best, David Story Can you reach your potential?
It can be done. You can learn to play beautifully. You can reach your potential. First the short list of tips/strategies/tactics of classical piano success. 1. Have a specific goal. “I want to play piano, I like Beethoven” is a bit vague. “I’ve been going to piano recitals over the last few years. I’m really intrigued with what I’ve heard. I’d like to see what my potential at the piano might be exploring the Classical canon. I like Bach, Beethoven, and Clara Schumann.” Or, “I want to sit for and pass my Grade 1 piano exam”. Or, “I want to play four hand piano duets with my grand-daughter, she has just started Grade 2 piano, can you help me?” 2. Dedicate time and financial resources to the project. 3. Find caring teachers and supporting environments to work in. 4. Get started. But, the big question for me as a teacher is what does “reaching your potential mean?” What is your potential? Good question. The best answer I can come up with is this: Your willingness to work effectively, enthusiastically, and methodically with what you have will reveal your potential. And, time. Best, David Starting from scratch with big ambitions is a common occurrence in my studio. Is it possible to master an instrument later in life? The answer depends on what you mean by master. Play the great concert halls or jazz clubs of the world? Likely not. If you mean by master the ability to exceed your own expectations. Yes, you can.
Next question: How long will it take? Though much disputed in the literature, 10,000 hours, is a good benchmark. A better answer: musical development is a lifetime endeavor. I’m 45 years in on the piano, 9 years in on the drums. My drumming is now at the semi-pro level. I practice nearly everyday which means I’m just past the 3,000-hour mark on the kit. Which means people who can play will jam with me. How do you shorten the time needed to achieve spectacular results? 1. Make it a priority in your life: You block out time and guard it carefully. 2. You find great teachers: I had one classical piano teacher, Leon Karan. I was very happy with the results. In drumming, I’ve taken another track: searching out the best drum teachers in the world who will spend time with me. Three years, so far, with Terry Clarke in Toronto plus workshops with Greg Hutchison in Italy, Ali Jackson in Poland, and Ed Soph in Kentucky. There are others. 3. Learn how to practice like a professional. 4. Stay healthy for the long term. 5. Find a peer group that will support your quest. They are out there. 6. Listen to and experience live the best music you can. Your inner ear will need development for your hands to accomplish what you want. 7. Never give up 8. Develop the courage to play with others as soon as possible. All master jazz musicians will tell you that to learn jazz you must play with others. Best, David Story ![]() Why? Good sight readers can just play the piano. They don't need to "practice" a new piece. If the piece is too difficult to play "right" the first time, good sight reading skills greatly reduce the time needed to learn a new piece. How? Sight reading is an accumulative skill one builds over many years. A student can shorten this time by methodical practice each and everyday. Young students who are poor sight readers enter high school and join a instrumental music class. Through daily sight reading in class they've improved significantly by Christmas. These new skills transfer to the piano. Some thoughts.
The internet is full of folks selling sight reading "hacks". Hmm, my generation became good to great sight readers without any of these helpers by just doing it. You can too. That being said, I use the Royal Conservatory of Music books in my teaching of classical piano. A full well rounded curriculum that doesn't cut corners. Free resources: www.musicnotes.com. 1st page is free to view, use a tablet, and learn the first part of your favourite pop pieces. Best, David Expert musicians know what they are doing. Their experience comes from working on, maintaining, and mastering the skills in the following four quadrants of piano study.
If I can help you, call me. Best, David Story revised 2023 Who: 10 Adult and teenage piano students Where: Annette Street Studios, Toronto When: Saturday June 23, 2018 What: Piano, bass, drums. We hired a professional drummer and bassist. Students prepared a piece to play with the trio. Then we jammed the blues with the rhythm section and two pianos. Result: High excitement, lots of learning. Join us next time. Call me. We all watch YouTube videos for guidance and inspiration. How to judge a video? Some are good but some are dreadful and misleading.
Some tips:
Good places to start. Best, David Story We are who we listen to. Question: Who should I listen to? Don Grusin (paraphrased). "All the classical folks first... what you get from listening to them is a big goal to get to because they are so fluent with both hands. " I would add the following. We want to hear beautiful sounds in our heads. What we hear inwardly is what we produce outwardly. Best, David Story There are no guarantees that your child will love the piano. However, after decades of teaching, those children who do love the piano have some or all of the following things in common.
Best, David Story Revised 2024 Good weather has arrived, the birds are back, flowers are out, the sun is high in the sky. Human nature being what it is, new wonderful distractions present themselves. What to do? Here are 10 ideas to recharge enthusiasm.
The bottom line? Get out there and experience something new this summer. Further resources for Toronto: Whole note magazine. Best, David Success at the piano has much in common with many other activities. That is, skill takes time, therefore patience is a virtue. Most of us are impatient to one degree or another. Even if you are a naturally patient person here are some tips.
Best, David Story Learning to practice effectively has many benefits. First benefit? Learning a piece well before you get completely sick of it. I was helping a Grade 10 student review her practice habits. Her exam is in June, she is feeling stressed. I asked her to practice as if I wasn’t watching. I’d give her some feedback at the conclusion. Her method: 1. Start playing at near performance tempo. 2. Make a mental note of errors of concern. 3. Review these areas after completing the piece. a. Repeat, repeat, repeat b. Then on to the next area Progress is slow My method: 1. Collect the materials needed for effective practice. a. Score b. Professional recording for reference c. Recorder to self record d. Pencil 2. Listen to the professional recording while watching the score, making notes of dynamics, tempi changes, pauses and any notable events in the performance. 3. Play very slowly with the professional performance fresh in the ears. 4. Mark in the score the areas that need work. 5. Listen to the professional play the problem area. 6. Mentally rehearse the passage after considering what is the problem: fingering, rhythm, etc. a. Write in the fingering, if fingering is the problem. b. Clap the rhythms, if rhythm is the issue. 7. Turn on the recorder. a. Start playing. Repeat slowly until your version approximates the professional version in flow and expression, even if it is slower. b. Listen and evaluate to each attempt. Progress is quick Best, David Story Knowing how you actually sound goes a long way to improving how you sound. Here are some strategies.
Enjoy. David Inspire yourself by to attending a summer music camp for adults. All but one of my students has come home enthused and on fire from the experiences. Hanging out and practicing in the company of other adult enthusiasts and professional musicians will help keep the passion and commitment alive. I've five students already signed up to the Aebersold Workshop.
Here is a partial list.
There are many more. BTW: I've been attending as a drummer for many years in both the USA and Italy. I'm planning another summer road trip to do just that again. best, David Story Goals point us in a particular direction. Process gets us there. Practicing is the process. Here are some typical goals I get from students.
All of these are "cool" goals. Number 5 needs to be unpacked. Is this code for, "my kids are so involved with other activities so, please don't insist that they practice? Piano is only fun if the student succeeds at it. So, practice is part of the deal. Number 3, is cool too, if you are an adult. Modest goals, need only modest amount of practice. Which for some is one hour a week at lessons. I'm ok with this. Please let me know this though at the start and we'll jump in and have some fun. How to love practice? First, understand that learning to love practice is what it's all about. Second, aligning your goals with the time available. Third, focusing on the process not the outcome. Fourth, becoming a student of process. Fifth, have patience and faith and get to work. Some resourses of note:
Musicians love to practice. Amateur musicians love to practice too. To be honest, practicing is what it's all about. Best, David Story "ONE OF the biggest challenges to traditional music learning is the need for practice. Students must play scales, chords and patterns over and over in hopes of developing muscle memory; for many, it is a daunting and tedious task. Research has shown that individual practice is often not productive because learners receive limited feedback and too often lose interest and motivation." from http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2017/03/casual-learner-era The article then goes on to discuss various "apps" for salvation. Have a look yourself, though I'm not convinced.
Let me address the issue.
If you are having some difficulties finding "time" or motivation to practice, I've some suggestions.
Best, David Maybe. But is that the point? Are music lessons taken and given for instrumental reasons only?
Playing music has its own rewards. On the other hand. Learning to play an instrument over a number of years instills though experience and a number of instrumental values that benefit children as they progress towards adulthood.
David Practice is hard work. Sometimes we need to step back and take a short break. Fatigue, physical and/or mental reduces practice effectiveness. Recharge tactics
David Over the long weekend I had a free hour to practice piano without other pressures impeding my focus. A couple of preliminary procedures helped to make it fun and productive. 1. With only an hour, I didn’t try to accomplish too much. A little done well is way more satisfying that a lot done poorly. 2. I sought out competent professional recordings of each piece before starting. When I found a performance that spoke to me, I listened and marked the score, noting the phrasing, dynamics, balance, tempi, and most importantly how the cadences were executed. 3. I played very slow, one phrase at a time, concentrating on the fingering and my initial artistic impression of the pieces gleamed from the performance I had briefly studied. Another way of putting it is this, I played what I heard in my head. My question was, “how do I get the sound in my head out of these notes?” Not, “I wonder how this goes?” Note, I didn’t plan to go back and work on the expression after I had “learned the piece”. As a teacher I suspect many students, lacking this initial artistic impression, end up playing the piece pretty much the way they practiced it in the beginning: flat and without much insight. Remember the key in learning to play is to model great performances. Pieces I worked on or reviewed · Allemande in E major from French Suite by JS Bach, new work. I can now play it half tempo · Prelude in Bb from book 1 WTC by JS Bach first page focus on the left hand melodic development · First movement from Beethoven’s piano sonata in F minor, with focus on the development · A small amount of Impromptu in A flat Major (no. 4) by Schubert, focusing on the pulse. Happy practicing. If you would like a free interview, call me. David Story From Pianist Magazine YouTube Channel. Click here for more.
A list of tunes I've played at public jam sessions in Toronto over the last 2 years that I've been attending as a drummer.
All of me Summertime Now's the time Au privave Scrapple from the apple It don't mean a thing Satin doll Blue bossa C jam blues Another cool one Cherokee Tenor madness Autumn leaves Billie's bounce Black Orpheus Blue monk Oleo Straight, no chaser All the things you are East of the sun If I were a bell My romance There will never be another you What is this thing called love? Footprints Four Have you met miss jones? Just friends Mr PC Recordame Solar Song for my father So what St. Thomas Take the A train All the things you are Scrapple from the apple There is no greater love Watermelon man Alone together Girl from Ipanema Days of wine and roses Doxy Softly as in a morning sunrise Star eyes All blues Freddy freeloader Ornithology Impressions Lester leaps in Fly me to the moon Less common Blues for Alice Donna Lee Beautiful love Wave Work song Georgia My little suede shoes A night in Tunisia Tune up How high the moon Stella by starlight Body and soul both fast and slow Confirmation I hear a rhapsody Up jumped spring There will never be another you I love you Out of nowhere Night and day The link below offers some good advice to read before you attend your first jam, including a short list of essential tunes for beginners. You don't need to learn the entire list before attending. A blues in Bb and F, a common standard or two, one bossa and you are ready to go. http://music.unl.edu/jazzstudies/HaarJamSessions.pdf Cheers, David Story The 7 circles to mastery. The following is taken from the YouTube video below. I am riffing on the ideas. 1. Hearing 2. Imagination 3. Expression 4. Technique 5. Theory 6. Analysis 7. Finally, Practice at the instrument Hearing: Good old-fashioned ear training. This is often an overlooked component in learning. Traditionally Classical piano students avoided this until a week or two before an exam. Not a great idea. It takes time to develop your ears. Well developed ears are of the greatest benefit because I believe we can only play what we hear. · Melodic playback for Classical students · Transcriptions for Jazz Students · Chord identification · Cadences · Chord progressions · Rhythm clap-back Imagination: A tough one to teach. I believe a teacher must help the student trust their musical instincts. And, treasure them. Musical instincts are a result of the prior musical experiences of a student among other things. Expression: Expression marks in a score are not suggestions for the novice. Be sure to work on them from the first reading. Do not make the mistake of thinking you can add them later after you “learn” the piece. Consider this, we all play like we practice. So, under stress (in an exam or performance) you will revert to your initial way of playing. Why? This is the way you learned it, spent the most time on. You perfected the piece in a monochromatic way. Flat and boring. Technique or what is called the fundamentals: Change your attitude. Think of them as the FUN-damentals. I use them as a form of meditation. A chance to slow down and practice playing beautifully. Beauty is that combination of touch and time we learn through repetition and reflection. Theory: Oh boy, another area most students practice the fine art of avoidance. The musicians we admire know what they are doing! If you want to have any chance of joining them, you need to understand what is going on. Form, harmony, melodic structure, intervals, historical context, the list of knowledge goes on and on. It all helps. I promise. Analysis: applied theory and the cornerstone of memorisation. Practice: Learn to practice, read books on the subject, what YouTube, listen to your teacher. Learning to practice like a pro will save you years of fiddling around. And, it is way more fun because progress is faster. Please watch the video below. A wealth of knowledge. 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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