![]() Some folks just have to practice over the holidays. I know I will be. For my students I’ve have the following suggestions.
Have a great time, see everyone the week of January 11, 2016 David
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![]() Jazz Education Network Annual Conference is coming up early next month in Louisville Kentucky. The town of fried chicken, grits, and bourbon. And, great jazz gatherings. I’ve not attended a conference in a while. I’m excited to take in five days of live jazz and workshops on the fine art of teaching jazz. And meeting up with old friends from jazz camp and college. Starting with Rufus Reid and Bobby Shew. Some of the workshops include:
I’m rooming with my former Berklee mentor and inspiration Andy Jaffe. Where did the last forty years go? It will be exciting sharing what I’ve learned with my students when I get back. Cheers, David Gerald Klickstein reminds us why we play, how to play with more joy, and get on with it. His blog, book, and website is filled with valuable information for musicians of all levels.
http://musiciansway.com/ if you are struggling this week, may I suggest you wander over to his website. Cheers, David ![]() It’s going to happen, life will get in the way: work, health, spouse, kids, parents, Netflix… You name it, it will happen. What to do? My best response?
Cheers, David Story Three questions:
If it is a technical problem try really really slowing it down. Be sure the fingering is secure and written it. Study professional recordings while watching the score. I find this really helps me. Keep playing your scales, chords, and arpeggios. Enjoy listening to them getting stronger week by week. I notice a big improvement in my drumming every 100 hours or so of practice. That’s about 4 times a year! My teacher though hears small improvements weekly. If this is a reading problem start clapping the rhythms and counting out loud. Practice hands separately. Work on improving your sight-ready by regularly starting your practice sessions with it. Reading pieces off www.musicnotes.com is fun. Lots of popular music, first pages are free. If you have a motivation problem maybe you are playing the wrong music? Or, you have too many conflicting activities, or your goals are too big for the time available. Or, are you too focused on the results desired instead of enjoying the journey to it? Cheers, David Story
Cheers, David I'm busy, you are busy. Weekly lessons come up quickly. Sometimes I too feel like a hamster in a wheel. What to do? Here are some tactics I've adopted with some success.
1. Firewall practice time: even just little here and there. Put it in the schedule. Let others know about it. Make it a promise to yourself. 2. Twice a week I practice with others. This is an example of accountability. We work things out together. For piano students you might look for a duet partner. 3. Attend live concerts regularly. The well of inspiration needs refilling on a regular schedule or it will run dry. 4. Fall in love with the process of learning. Savor the work, savor the minutiae of building your skills. 5. Be patient with yourself. Cheers, David Ten good reasons to start
· It’s difficult · It’s physically challenging · It’s intellectually exciting · It’s an adventure in finger dancing · It’s an authentic experience, no mediators, just you, your fingers, and the music · It’s culturally rich: Mozart, Blues, Jazz, Piano Pop, and Beethoven · It’s cool to make a Mozart or a Boogie Woogie piece your own · It’s fun to jam with others · It’s a perfect combination of creative activity, exploratory learning, and discipline · It makes the listening experience vastly more rewarding So, why not? Call me today for a free interview to see if I'm the teacher for you. Cheers, David Story, Piano Teacher and adult drum student Lessons start up in a few short weeks. I’m excited, you are excited, we are all excited. Another year is about to start. How does one prepare? Here are some suggestions.
1. Start practicing. I suggest reviewing your favourite pieces to start. 2. Think about new repertoire, make a list, and let me know. 3. Review your musical goals. 4. Plan to go to some concerts featuring world class performers performing your type of music. I go weekly. It keeps my inspiration high. https://performance.rcmusic.ca/venues/koerner-hall 5. Consider subscribing to the magazine: The Pianist. https://itunes.apple.com/hk/app/pianist-only-piano-magazine/id595402685?mt=8 6. Call the piano tuner See you all soon. David Story ![]() It is claimed that quitting piano lessons as a teenager is one of life’s great regrets. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. But, not starting up again when the voice in our head is calling is. Here are ten tips of adult restarters. 1. Go slow, it has been awhile. No need to run willy-nilly in all directions trying to get back on track after a forty year hiatus. 2. Attend a piano concert. Being a witness of a great performer, is an effective motivator. This is Toronto, the world’s best come to play. Wholenote magazine is free and updated source of monthly listings. 3. Have some realistic goals. You are starting a new habit. I suggest making it a small one to start. Big goals can be demotivating in the beginning. 4. Have the piano tuned and regulated. A bad instrument is really discouraging. 5. Consider taking out a subscription of “The Pianist”. An adult oriented magazine for adult piano students. Lots of monthly tips, encouraging articles, and interviews. 6. Watch the documentary, “Tim’s Vermeer”. It is on YouTube. A wonderfully warm look at middle aged obsession. 7. Here is an interesting review and link to Alan Rusbridger’s book on learning Chopin after 40 years. I highly recommend it. 8. Find some other adults attempting the same thing as you. I go to jazz camp each summer and study drums. 9. Firewall practice time. As a drum student I’ve successfully put aside 4.5 hours a week where I have to account to others. The other hours I practice are scheduled each week. I’ve averaged 7 hours a week in the past, I’m up to about 14 hours a week now. See my drum blog for more. 10. Find a sympathetic teacher, hint, hint. J Cheers, David Story · Desire: Madame Boulanger believed that desire is the starting point.
· Allocating time to learn: Madame Boulanger also knew that the right amount of work was required. This isn’t easy. · Creating goals that are congruent with the time available: Brian Tracy believes this is the starting point of all achievement. · Learning how to practice: the key to joy. Happy students realizes that practicing is the point. See my colleague Chris Foley for more ideas. · Seeking mentors and fellow travelers: Champions seek feedback. Also, sharing the journey with others on the same path gives encouragement and enlarges our perspective. · Keeping the emotional fire smouldering through concert attendance, reading books, blogs, E articles, YouTube exploration and magazines on adult music education · Realize that over time you will reach your goals because you learned to practice, allocated resources, made the time, stoked the fire, and kept the faith. Cheers, David Story Pavarotti said, "Music must serve the amateur, professionals must serve the music", or something to that effect. We are amateurs. Therefore in order to practice with devotion, like a professional, we must play music which moves our souls. Practicing with devotion is sublime. I recommend it.
Maybe it’s time to revisit that question. Here is my drumming list for 2015. Genres I love
What’s on your piano list? My piano list includes: Chopin Nocturnes, Beethoven Sonatas, and a few new preludes and fugues from book 2 of the Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier. Tell me yours. Cheers, David Story ![]() I need it. You likely need it. Here are some thoughts. Below is a YouTube video from a music teacher. 1. Go to live shows 2. Keep an open mind 3. Ask for advice from accomplished musicians 4. Listen to music without distractions I'm always amazed that students rarely go and hear the world's best musicians when they visit town. We live in Toronto, everyone comes here eventually. Kids are asked to play music they've never heard. Adults who love music only listen to the radio, rarely venturing downtown to hear a piano recital, the symphony, or take in a jazz group at the Rex. No wonder they lose heart. Music is difficult to do well. Inspiration is a must. And, inspiration is like a morning shower. An regular ongoing activity for best results. https://youtu.be/UQoGiBfUHq0 I hope to see you in the audience. Cheers, David Story How much practicing should my child do?
The perennial question. The snappy answer, "how good do you want him/here to be?" The thoughtful answer is, "it depends". Here are my some thoughts before I answer the question. 1. No practice, no progress. No progress, no fun. No fun, no lessons. 2. Most students love to play, hate to practice. 3. Children on sport teams are not left alone to practice. They have coaches. Your child needs you as a coach. Normal children cannot be left alone to practice. 4. Students need to have support from both parents that this "piano thing" is a good thing. If sports and other extra-curricular activities take precedent over music, this piano adventure is likely doomed. 5. Students rarely ask to play music unfamiliar to them. If you wish to have your child learn a particular style of music, hearing music around the house and concert going is a must. Students need to be emotionally connected to what they are learning. 6. A student who learns to associate practice as a punitive activity will quit as soon as they can wear you down. A good example is, "you have to practice for 20 minutes before you can go and do something really fun speech". 7. Piano lessons is not a great activity for lazy students to learn discipline. I'm not a drill sergeant. Now for some positive thoughts. 1. The first goal of practice is to be prepared for the next lesson. That means the student can at least play the piece or pieces is a slow steady manner. The written work is also done. Scales and chords are like push-ups. A few reps won’t cut it. If you sit with them and help them in an enthusiastic team spirit complete the work everyone wins: you, me, and them. 2. A student who connects emotionally with the music doesn’t count the minutes, they are too busy having fun. If your child is not having fun, this may be the problem. Countless children learn online every day from their peers on YouTube. They self-select what they want to learn. Nobody criticizes them. They can learn just the “good bits”. They start and stop when they want. They are learning, and having fun. Many piano students are still expected to sit by themselves, organize a long list of learning activities for maximum productivity and then systematically execute. Let’s think about that for a minute. Most adults can’t do this. That’s why there are managers at work. Sitting by yourself, looking at a dry list of teacher commands, for a specific period of time comes from the Victorian era, an attitude which assumes children are passive objects who can be directed to a specific outcome. That won’t work in 2015. To sum up. 1. Help your children. 2. Sit with them. 3. Participate in recitals and festivals. They are the hockey tournaments of the piano world. 4. Be patient. 5. Be enthusiastic. 6. Listen to music, your preferences will be their preferences in the early years. 7. Play yourself. 8. Make music a priority in your life and the lives of your children. 9. Let them play at the piano: improvising and fooling around. 10. Let them learn off YouTube and play music on their electronics. It is really fun. 11. If you can, read a book on teaching piano. A modern book written in the last 10 years. It will explain everything in greater detail. Cheers, David Story PS Beginners: 10 minutes a day. Add 10 minutes a day for each year of lessons up to about 1.5 hours a day for Grade 9 level. Tricks to beat practice procrastination
I'm a fairly effective practising musician. But, I frequently find that I too waste time practising by not following these steps. It is a constant battle. For further insight have a look at these links. Cheers, David http://www.cnet.com/how-to/trick-your-lazy-brain-into-being-more-productive/ http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070110090851.htm ![]() Having an identifiable sound in the tonal quality of your playing. The speed, evenness, and clarity of execution in your technique. The ability to play with consistently accurate time and feeling of pulse. Your choice of tonal material in improvisation. The spirit and drive of your playing. The emotional feeling and vitality comes from your conviction of rhythm and pulse. The melodiousness of your lyricism. The depth and variety of your repertoire. Your ability to navigate,with integrity, a wide range of repertoire (vehicles) without losing effectiveness. The quality of your inventiveness, creativity, originality which demonstrates your innovation. Listening to Jazz by Jerry Coker page 77 & 78 Cheers, David ![]() Why take a piano exam? 1. It is claimed that structured music study, with appropriate celebrations of milestone achievements, leads to solid musicianship and a love of lifelong learning. 2. Students work harder when the score is being kept. Score keeping is a good motivator in achievement and success. 3. It is a clear demonstration to college recruiters you can complete a multi-year project. 4. Structured music study builds solid musical foundations through developing the various strands that build musical confidence in a performer and an audience's joy and appreciation. · Repertoire Finished pieces that sparkle · Technical skill The tools to get the job done · Sight reading Facilitates quicker learning · Ear Training We can’t play what we can’t hear. Aids memorization · Theory Aids memorization and facilitates quicker learning through understanding. Here is the research. Judge for yourself. A personal note: I completed my Grade 10 at 45 and Associate at 47. It changed my life! Cheers, David Story ![]() 1. Play a tune from your repertoire-5 minutes 2. Review your scales, chords, and arpeggios-15 minutes 2.1. Slow, methodical, and musical. Let the speed not come at the expense of good tone, rhythm, and solid fingering. 2.2. This is not an activity to rush through, but an activity to savor. 3. Sight-read a new piece of interest from a repertoire book -10 minutes 3.1. A great opportunity to investigate possible future repertoire. 3.2. Good sight-readers require less practice time on new pieces. 4. Time for some deep listening online of a master musician-5 minutes 4.1. I believe we can’t play what we can’t hear. 4.2. I suggest starting with listening to one element of the performance. Say, concentrate on the performance of articulations. How short is a staccato? How do they taper a two note slur? 4.3. How does the performer play a cadence? 5. Now tackle the most difficult part of the most difficult piece on your practice list-15 minutes 5.1. No more procrastination. Jump in and tackle that nagging part. You know the section I’m referring to. 5.2. Is the fingering been settled and thought out? 5.3. Slow practice wins. 6. Review another favorite piece from your repertoire-10 minutes 7. Finish with your ear training and theory studies-15 minutes 7.1. Interval identification etc. See point 4.1. 7.2. Theory studies build understanding. Understanding is one cornerstone to playing beautifully. I hope you find this helpful. Have Fun. David 1. Play a tune from your repertoire-5 minutes 2. Review your jazz scales, chords, and arpeggios-15 minutes. I suggest one major and one minor key each session. 3. Sight-read chords from the fake books-10 minutes 4. Free Improvisation (jam on a chord, a scale, or just play free)-5 minutes 5. Now it is transcription time (listen and imitate)-15 minutes 6. Special disciplines (pick one)-10 minutes - rootless voicings - comping with play-along software or CDs - quartal voicings - style studies: Be-Bop, Classic Jazz, Ragtime, Blues, or Bossa nova/ Samba studies - lesson material 7. Finish up learning a new tune/15 minutes I hope you find this helpful. Have Fun. David ![]() Jazz Piano Part two, the pesky left hand. In my 40 years of experience teaching jazz, I've learned that the left hand presents the most trouble for students. Applying chords at sight, at high speeds, in a creatively artistic way is the rub, as they say. Therefore, with that in mind, I offer the following insights and exercises. 1. Spend most of your time on learning chords. Start with the 60 Jazz Chords. Learn the following in the 12 keys. 2. Drill Sonny’s thumbs around the circle of 5ths. 3. Drill the third/seventh combinations. Use blues then standard tunes to start. 4. Drill the rootless voicings. Free downloads available here. Remember chords are most frequently played by the left hand in the middle of the piano. The right hand often has to transpose the melody up an octave for this to work. The bassist will cover the lower register. Check out play along apps like iRealb to accompany yourself. It will supply a drummer and bass player for you. Click on the link for the app. Have fun. David Story ![]()
Found on pages 77 & 78 I highly recommend this book to all my Jazz students. Cheers, David ![]() The end of the year is fast approaching. Time to take stock of the goals we set in September. And, maybe reset. Or, add some new ones. Here is one I'm making. 1. Attend more live concerts of pianists. The Jeremy Denk recital was quickly followed by the Richard Goode outing. Both were inspiring and instructive. Sometimes in the rush of everyday I forget to go out and be inspired. Here is a write up on Denk: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/pianist-writer-jeremy-denk-adds-personality-to-his-work/article21505629/ I highly recommend his blog. Cheers, David Story An often overlooked and under appreciated activity is listening to our own practicing through audio playback and listening the great artists play our repertoire.
The first activity lets us hear the truth. Champions welcome feedback. I promise it won’t all be bad or embarrassing. Really! The second activity gets the sound in our head out the hands. It familiarizes us to the musical language being spoken. A cornerstone of learning any new language. Let’s dig down. 1. Listening to ourselves, as objectively as we can, helps us to appreciate our progress. And, it saves time by exposing in short order what needs attention. No point wasting time on the whole piece when it is obviously measure 22 through 26 that really needs our attention. 2. Listening to the music we are studying serves a number of purposes.
Swing jazz comping patterns verses Bebop comping patterns Dynamics in early Classical sonatas verses late Romantic sonatas It gets the sound in our ears though analytic listening. That is to say, what is going on here with:
After years of teaching and practicing I've concluded: we can’t play what we can’t hear. Cheers, David Story ![]() "The Musician's Way a guide to practice, performance, and wellness" by Gerald Klickstein I'm engrossed in this book. It is packed with ideas, which I will share over the next few weeks. There is a link for additional material at www.musiciansway.com Overview 1. The five practice zones
Cheers, David Story |
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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