By For Publisher on November 30, 2011
Sometimes the teacher learns more from the student than the student does from the teacher. Hopefully, not too often, but today I would like to share with you some great practicing ideas that have come from my piano students over the years:
1. A Colonel in Virginia that I taught for [...]
Posted in Just Me | Tagged Five, from, Great, i, Ideas, learned, my, piano, Practice, students
By For Publisher on November 22, 2011
Piano improvising and arranging is an art but definitely not a science. It is all based on chords and chord progressions. There aren’t any steadfast rules for creating an arrangement, nothing to dictate the limitless potential of your imagination. Musicians learn to arrange by simply arranging and improvise by improvising — over and over again. [...]
Posted in Just Me | Tagged being, chord, instead, Music, of, piano, playing, sheet, symbols, the, tied, to, using, written
By For Publisher on November 22, 2011
Piano playing doesn’t have to be boring. There’s no law that says you have to play a song the same way everyone else plays it. By learning some basic music theory and chord formations, you can have the time of your life playing music like you have always wanted to.
Every musician has a different method [...]
Posted in Just Me | Tagged before, ever, fun, Have, how, more, piano, playing, than, the, to, way, you, your
By For Publisher on November 21, 2011
Many students ask me a question that goes something like this:
“What all do I have to know to be a really good piano player?”
The trouble with a question like that is that it ignores individual differences such as talent, motivation, freedom to practice, and a [...]
Posted in Just Me | Tagged a, all, be, do, good, Have, i, know, piano, player, Really, to, what
By For Publisher on November 21, 2011
Why jazz piano improvisation?
Why not gospel piano improvisation?
Is it not possible to improvise classical music, or sacred music, or any other kind of music?
Bach improvised many of his fugues and inventions while playing organ in church. Many others in all musical styles have improvised within the context of their own persuasion. So why study [...]
Posted in Just Me | Tagged do, improvising, it, jazz, musicians, not, on, Other, piano, styles, the, why
By For Publisher on November 9, 2011
Piano arranging is the process by which you take a written piece of music and rework it with chords, adding new bass accompaniment, fills, or even slightly altering the song’s structure. And while it’s a process that takes years to truly master, anyone with a basic education in piano and a working knowledge of a [...]
Posted in Just Me | Tagged arrange, Better, by, chord, chords, learn, Learning, piano, play, progressions, the, to