David Story Online Toronto Piano Teacher
*
  • Homepage
  • Safe lessons for adults in the age of Covid-19
  • Safe lessons for children in the age of Covid-19
  • Contact form, fees, calendar, policies
  • My teaching philosophy
  • Testimonials
  • Tips, Ideas, Stories, Free Lessons
  • About me
  • Student awards and compositions
  • Recommended resources and Free Music
  • Classical downloads
  • Jazz downloads
  • Jazz outline for beginners
  • Classical outline for beginners
  • Blog: The aging musician
  • Video Library of Piano Techniques
  • Drum Lessons

What is piano technique?

10/24/2019

0 Comments

 
Technique is:
  1. The hands do what they are told. In the Jazz world this is known as "chops".
  2. The hands do what we hear internally. In the Classical world this is known as our "musical imagination".
  3. The big question for me is how do we enrich our musical imagination in order raise the level of our performances? The answer to that question will determine what we need to learn technically. 
​
My best answer?

What we hear comes from our education and cultural experiences. So, more education more cultural experiences=more imagination. And, putting in the time on the piano bench over a lifetime. 

Best regards, 

​David

0 Comments

Mastery Mindset

10/10/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
  1. Do it for yourself.
  2. Trust the process of focused practice and a steady pace. It's a marathon not a sprint.
  3. Read books on the science of improvement and learning. 
  4. Remember that Babe Ruth was also the strike out king of his time. That guy swung at everything. 
  5. Be present when warming up, practicing technique, working on theory, listening to music, attending lessons and concerts. 
  6. Think in decades, not years or months, or worse weeks. I'm a decade in on the drums, it changed my life. I'm enthusiastically embracing the next decade with the idea that if I stick to the plan, incremental improvements will continue. I'm forty five years in on the piano. My plan this decade? Return to lessons. So I have. What a revelation and transformation in my thoughts, perspective, and abilities. 
Best, 

David
0 Comments

Self-Recording in Practice

10/5/2019

0 Comments

 
“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 have gigabytes on my hard-drive of 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

0 Comments

Pavarotti and devotion

10/4/2019

0 Comments

 
“People think I’m disciplined. It is not discipline. It is devotion. There is a great difference. ”Luciano Pavarotti, opera singer, 1935-2007
Picture
0 Comments

    Author

    I'm a professional pianist and music educator in West Toronto Ontario. I'm also a devoted student and teacher of the drums. 

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012

    Categories

    All
    Adult Piano Lessons
    Buying A Piano
    Children's Piano Lessons
    Classical Piano
    Ear Training
    Goal Setting
    Hobby Overload
    Jazz Chops
    Jazz Piano
    Learning Classical Piano
    Learning Piano
    Learning Resources
    Motivation
    Music Practice
    Piano Exams
    Practice Organization
    Practicing Piano
    Starting Piano
    Stories
    Summer Piano Lessons
    Technique
    Theory
    Time Management
    Virtual Piano Lessons

    RSS Feed

                                                ©2020 David Story
                         Contact           Home         Mystery Link