Keeping your positive attitude on your ability to learn the piano

• Good attitudes are maintained through focused effort and disciplined study in alignment with your goals and values.
• Good attitude is easier to maintain if you are sharing this journey with other people. Now that concerts are returning, consider meeting other adult piano students at professional piano recitals. Strike up a conversation with the person sitting beside you. Chances are good that only pianists and former pianists attend piano recitals and they'd be happy to chat about it.

David

It depends.

It depends on what musical skills and experiences you already have. 

It depends on what expectations you have. If your desires are modest, yes you can likely make some simple music from watching online videos. If some level of musical competency is desired, online videos are a trickier proposition.

Why? No feedback.

Teachers give feedback, sequence learning material, correct technique, inspire when the going gets tough, and make the journey fun through collaborative learning. 

If that sounds like what you need, call me. I can help.  

David

"Spending winters in the sunshine, reading, playing golf and socializing seemed a wonderful way to spend retirement.   With both of us being music lovers, our sound system is always on all day with great music ranging from Classical, Jazz and some pop.  But I felt something was missing and it wasn’t snow.  My wife encouraged me for years to take music lessons.  I was not too keen because my memory of lessons was the Nuns whacking my fingers with a ruler insisting, I keep my lazy fingers off the keys; that ended in 1958 when I got my Grade 8 piano.  But the seed was planted.  I decided to look on the net for a music teacher near Burlington and came across David’s website. This really looked interesting.  During our cocktail hour that night, I said – when we get back to Burlington, I am going to take Jazz lessons from this David Story guy.  On April 23, 2013 my life changed.

Of course, I thought I would be rattling off Jazz tunes within weeks; grief!  As time progressed, I realized how complex Jazz really is, especially soloing; how do they do that?   Practice, practice, practice every day and soon I started to see the tunnel – no light yet!  After a few years of toil and trouble, something that sounded akin to music emerged; I encouraged my cousin to take lessons from David.  Then, 4 years ago, David encouraged us to attend the Jamey Aebersold Summer workshop in Louisville.  There we were for 6 days: 2 old guys, jamimg in groups, attending classes and intense listening, from 7am to 10 PM.  Hardly time for a Scotch closer at night!  At last, all those lessons from David were clicking into place like a Rubik’s cube. We went back the next summer and did it again.  Then, David encouraged me to try and get a group together to Jam.  The pressure was on; my 2 songs would not cut the mustard.  More practice.  An advert in Kijiji did the trick; we ended up with an exceptional drummer, bass, guitar – and me.  We met every week for 3 hours until covid.

My lessons continue.  The Jam will continue after we all get our shots.  I am still amazed at what some practice along with amazing guidance and encouragement from David has done for my life and continues to do so.  Not bad for an 80 year old!"

​Gary.

Tomorrow Part 2. Learn more about Gary's jazz journey. 
​David

Short, charming, relatively easy, level 5 and 6. What can a harpsichordist teach pianists? How to pace the music, notice the subtle flexibility to the flow of the music. 

In the 2nd video the performer talks about the works. 

Enjoy, 

​David

The music. BACH JS 6 préludes (BWV 939-943).MUS (imslp.info)

The rankings follow the descriptions:
​

1. The Traditional Berklee College of Music Method
   1. Ray Santisi and Dean Earl, my teachers. I loved those guys. The traditional Berklee method emphasised theory, pencils, and paper. An old-fashioned approach for an old-fashioned music. It works though and is available in the Berklee Jazz Piano Book.
2. The Lenny Tristano Method:
   1. Singing solos by ear
   2. Comping approaches for left hand
   3. Repertoire
   4. Transposition of licks into many keys
3. The Jamey Aebersold Method
   1. “the answers you seek are in the recordings” Jamey Aebersold. Then he’ll sell you another book.
   2. Emphasis is on chord scale relationships and melodic patterning.
4. The Wynton Marsalis Method
   1. Learn your “damn instrument.”
   2. Learn the tradition.
   3. "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing"

In my experience of teaching jazz, I would rank these traditional methods in the following order:

1. Wynton. His emphasis on learning to play well is tough for casual players. Ten thousand hours of disciplined focused practice with great teachers is a near impossibility for most people. I’m a big fan though of his dictum to know the tradition. (I did have the opportunity to study with Ali Jackson, his drummer. It raised my standards immediately. And enlarged my idea what was possible for me as a jazz drummer. I  will reach 10,000 hours of focused, disciplined practice sometime in my 70s.)
2. Lenny, a close second. He offers specific ideas that will help anyone progress including.
   1. Learning to sing all or part of a solo through repeated listening is brilliant and obvious.
   2. Second playing licks in 12 keys. (This was transformational in my development as a pianist.)
3. Ray and Dino. As I’ve already stated, I loved these guys. They helped me connect with the greater jazz community as a teenager. They encouraged me to go for it. The Berklee book gives a general outline of the method but requires additional material from a teacher to really work well.
4. Jamey. I attended his camp 4 times! What a blast. I learned so much for which I’m grateful including meeting other adults as deeply committed to learning to play jazz as I was. So much intensity, dedication, and passion were on display. On the downside? Too much theory too soon in a player’s development. Students were overwhelmed. Too much reading from dull fakebooks with a narrow repertoire. Not enough emphasis on listening and analysis. (Though I was told to go home and get my drumming hands together. So, I have.)

Jazz attracts adults of a certain type. Likely just like you. Professionally successful, academically trained, and determined to figure it out. The kind of person who sets goals, allocates resources, makes time, gathers intelligence from books and the internet, and then applies focus to solve a problem or pursue an opportunity.

Alas the kind of learning traditionally associated with professional success can lead a student off in the wrong direction when learning to play jazz. First, music is a manual skill which requires many years of practice to play at even a basic level of competence. Second, playing jazz is an aural skill. Manual skills and aural skills are not traditionally part of most people’s education. So, a mindset shift must occur. Those professional skills will come in handy though; I’ll just help enlarge them.

(Authors note I own more than 100 drum books, I’ve listened to hundreds of hours of podcasts on drumming, I’ve subscribed in the past to a Jazz education subscription service promising great masterclass from my jazz heroes, and I live on YouTube. Furthermore, I own too many drum sets, snare drums, and cymbals. So, I understand.)

What can I do for you?

1. If needed I will help you learn to play the piano with more finesse.
2. Work with you on your aural skills.
3. Appropriately sequence the skills of jazz piano: repertoire, ear training, history, listening and analysis, theory, soloing, jamming skills and more.
4. Teach you how to practice.

In short, I will present material to you in a logical fashion based on your specific circumstances and provide weekly feedback. Old fashioned teaching in a modern 21st c. multi-modal manner. 

Call me.
 
David

How does a impatient student find the patience?

How does the piano teacher maintain the students enthusiasm while working with this constraint?

Good question. 

As long as we find time to work on core skills, it's great to explore repertoire way over our heads. We will have fun and learn a lot from the experience. But, if we neglect to cheerfully embrace the discipline of mastering core skills, we will grow bored and discouraged. In the end it's faster to learn the skills, embrace this discomfort of hard work than to jump all over the place. 

Core music skills: 

1. Technique
2. Aural Skills
3. Sight-reading
4. Theory
5. History
6. Repertoire
7. Etudes
8. Improvisation
9. Group music making: duets 
10. Music appreciation through concert attendance

Here is a short story from my parallel passion of drumming. I devote a large chunk of my practice time on the core skills and fundamentals of drumming. I spend hours a week on time and tone. Yep, left, right, left, right or LLRR or RLRR and LRLL. I listen intently to the results. I analysis my movements. And on and on. I've learned to be patient. I've made some real progress over the last decade of study.  I'm confident I will make more. 

​To learn more check this out: What do drum teachers practice? (superfundrumlessons.com)

Let me help you. 

Call me. Let's get started.

David

One week of piano among other pianists with 1st rate tutors, food, and wine. 

I'm dreaming.

​Click above for more inf. 

David

​

4 hours of practice: All joy, no grinding. 

Top 5 tips for practicing any musical instrument
​

1. Have everything organized before you begin. Materials ready at hand. 
2. Listen to the music you are learning to play. Mark your scores.
3. Record yourself as you go along. Always know why you are repeating a passage in practice.
4. Warm-up
5. Auxiliary studies hold the keys to your eventual success: ear training, theory, sight-reading, score analysis. 
6. Bonus tip: Find a supportive enthusiastic group of fellow students to hang with, either in person or on-line. 

Playing

• Repertoire retention: Review a piece from your repertoire list.
• Lesson homework

Listening to Classical Piano 

• Form analysis: What is the structure of your piece? Is is in a Baroque Dance form, sonata form, Rondo, etc. Do a little research to discover the answer. Musical form - Wikipedia
• “What’s going on here?” Mark in the articulations and dynamic plans created by professional pianists and compare. Next mark in tempi changes and fluctuations. You may be surprised with what you discover. 
• Watch Youtube videos of professional performances of your repertoire and related pieces in the same genre or style. Deep listening is practicing.
• Listen to some music appreciation lectures. Suggested materials: The Great Courses

Ear training

• Playing melodies in different keys. Work up to complete pieces in new keys. Start simple. Work up to level 1 pieces.
• “What’s going on here?” Mark in the articulations and dynamic plans created by professional pianists and compare. This is so important, I've listed it twice.
• Suggested materials: Perfect ear App, Music Theory Pro and RCM online ear training. 

Classical History

• Reading about Classical music history and checking out the recordings with scores on YouTube. Each month study a different era of music. Research a classical music history outline online and head for YouTube. 

Theory

• Key signatures, intervals, transposition, scale/chord construction.
• Suggested materials: Music Theory Pro for drills, Alfred’s essential music theory is good as are the RCM theory books. But it all depends on where you are starting at. You can ask me for a recommendation based on my assessment.

Sight reading

• A key activity of maintaining joy at the keyboard: Playing for fun. 
• Clapping rhythms with a metronome
• Suggested materials: Lower level classical piano music. If you play at level 6 (grade 6) sight read at level 4 or lower. Other options include RCM sight reading books. Again, it all depends on where you are starting at. You can ask me for a recommendation based on my assessment.

 Piano Technique

• Scales, chords, and arpeggios. I love playing these, thoughtfully, carefully, and joyfully. With and without a metronome. I listen for evenness, watching the fingering, thinking about musicality. 
• The RCM syllabus has good technique lists. Conservatory Canada has even better lists.  

If you would like some help, call me. 

​David

4 hours of practice: No Grinding.

Top 5 tips for practicing any musical instrument
​

1. Have everything organized before you begin. Materials ready at hand. 
2. Listen to the music you are learning to play. Mark your scores.
3. Record yourself as you go along. Always know why you are repeating a passage in practice.
4. Warm-up
5. Auxiliary studies hold the keys to your eventual success: ear training, theory, sight-reading, score analysis. 
6. Bonus tip: Find a supportive enthusiastic group of fellow students to hang with, either in person or on-line. 

Playing

• Repertoire retention: Review a piece each practice from your list.
• Lesson assignments

Listening to Jazz 

• Form analysis: Who, what, when questions.
• Instrumentation: What, what, when questions
• “What’s going on here?”
• Watch Youtube videos of Jazz Transcriptions
• Suggested materials: How to Listen to Jazz by Ted Gioia

Ear training

• Transcribing licks. A lick a day transposed into different keys.
• Transposing exercise
• C jam blues in 12 keys
• Autumn leaves learn it in another key. Try in the key of F. By ear, or by writing it out.
• Suggested materials: Perfect ear App or Music Theory Pro

Jazz History

• Reading jazz history and checking out the recordings on YouTube. Each month study a different decade of jazz. Research a jazz history outline online and head for YouTube. See also Jazz History by Ted Gioia.
• Watch Youtube videos of Jazz Transcriptions

General and Jazz Specific Theory

• Key signatures, intervals, transposition, scale/chord construction.
• Suggested materials: Music Theory Pro for drills, Alfred’s essential music theory is good as are the RCM theory books. But it all depends on where you are starting at. You can ask me for a recommendation based on my assessment.

Jazz Sight reading

• Piano music: play simple stuff, use a slow metronome.
• Lead sheets
• Chording
• Suggested materials: Your fake book: open and play. Or RCM sight reading books. Again, it all depends on where you are starting at. You can ask me for a recommendation based on my assessment.

 Piano Technique

• Major scales
• Bebop scales
• Broken 7th chords: Major 7, dominant 7, minor 7, minor 7b5, diminished 7th in 12 keys. Play a maximum of 2 keys a day. SLOW IS FINE.
• I play classical piano music to keep my hands in some kind of shape. You might benefit from this as well. Or, you could play written jazz arrangements for piano. The idea is to keep the hands alive, as jazz piano study is brutal on piano techniques because we spend so much time play single note lines and left hand chords. 

If you would like some help, call me. 

​David
​

Working through the Four Star Books is recommended. An effective book, but, hardly that exciting. 

So...

Sometimes we work out by ear famous Rock era "licks" or motifs from well know melodies. 

The famous opening melody uses B, C#, and D. Have a listen and give it a go. 

Classical motives are fun too. Opening motif is in C minor, starting on G. Da da da DAAA, da da da DAA

Have fun. 

​David

Some ideas. 

1. Knowing what beautiful sounds like is an important step to being able to beautifully play oneself. 
2. Associating with people who can guide on this journey of discovery is important.

One of my students is working at the early advanced stage of Classical piano. This week Chopin Waltz in b minor and Gnossienne #6 by Satie. Sophisticated music. 

She is a retired executive whose career spanned the globe. She is an avid concert goer. As in, more than a concert a week. 

At the end of class I complemented her on her playing and knowledge of the music, it's context, and style. She was slightly taken back. She quickly explained that she has friends who are so much more sophisticated and nuanced in their appreciation of classical music. (One wrote liner notes for a major classical music label, one was a critic if I recall correctly as well.) 

I pointed out to her that she has learned more than she knew through those friendships. She recalled the after concert socializing where great debates on the merits of the performance. 

Furthermore, decades of concert going at the great halls of the world leaves a mark. A significant mark. 

Cheers, 

​David

Will I ever get there?

Maybe.

An adult student is working on the scherzo of Haydn’s piano sonata in F major Hob.XVI:9 A fun work from RCM level 4. It goes fast, it’s light, it’s fun under the fingers. It reminds me of joyful summer memories as a kid riding our bikes as fast as we can go, just celebrating the joy of movement and being alive.

How does one play like that?
Can I ever go as fast?

Another story. I’ve a young teenage student preparing to sit for her level 8 exam later this month. One of her pieces is Solfeggio in C minor by CPE Bach an extremely fast and demanding piece of music. She runs like the wind through it. The power of youth. Can my 61-year fingers play that fast? Nope. Period. It’s as absurd as looking on while high schoolers compete in the 100-yard dash. Yeah, I can still run fast, but not like that.

Moral of the story. Be at peace with it.

​Now can we learn to play faster. Of course. Can we ever go as fast? Maybe, maybe not.

​
Now back to Haydn. Pianists who play well, including fast, have worked patiently in the following areas.

1. Repertoire is developed in a thoughtful and methodical manner over many years.
2. They learn theory to understand the music they are playing: patterns and relationships. 
3. They have developed their aural skills to fine degree. Ultimately all playing is playing by ear.
4. They learn something about the history of the music they play Classical, Jazz, Blues, Folk, or Americana. Whatever it is, it has a tradition, a history, a story to tell. They are wanting a piece this story in their lives. They enthusiastically seek out experiences to get it.
5. They carefully learn to sight read well.
6. They cheerfully deal with their etudes and exercises.
7. They take their growing knowledge, experiences, and skills to understand the nuances of great performances.
8. They can answer the question, “who are your favourite pianists?” And tell you why? The sophistication of their answers will evolve as they develop as musicians. 
9. They are emotionally committed to the project of learning the piano. And have the maturity to understand it is a journey of learning.
10. They love the music.
11. They have studied how to practice the piano through different sources of reliable information. They avoid the pitfalls of seeking a work around, a hack, or quick fix. And the huskers selling shortcuts to expertise. 
12. They make the time to practice.

If I can help you on your journey, please give me a call.
​
David

​Restarting piano after a 4-decade hiatus? How to get started.

The hands will be slow. But they will improve. Patience is the key here. An analogy: You were at 18-year-old track star back in the day. You buy a pair of expensive running shoes, the kind that promise speed, endurance, and youth. First day out, you run 10K. It is glorious, next day you can’t move. Shoes go in the closet; you are back in front of Netflix. Oops, you’ve made a tactical mistake. Try this instead.

1. Tune the piano.
2. Find a sympathetic coach/teacher.
3. Buy an anthology of classical piano music, the kind that covers a range of performance levels.
4. If you haven’t already, start listening again to classical music.
5. Take a course on Classical music appreciation. There are lots of online opportunities: YouTube, Great Courses, Community College etc.
6. Play a few scales, sight read a simple piece. Avoid a Chopin ballade if the fingers have been resting for 40 years.
7. Fifteen minutes, maybe 20 1st day and each day for a week.
8. Each week at 10% to the duration of practice.
9. Investigate the Pianist magazine, a wonderfully affirming resource for adult piano enthusiasts.
10. Dust of a theory book and review.

Have fun, if I can help, call me.
​
David

That was a good use of my time. My students have noticed changes for the better. 

​David

I teach many adults who are picking it back up later in life. Realising their dream to play Classical, Jazz, Blues, or Boogie Woogie with style and panache. Not to forget the few who want to play in a band.

Why do they restart? Beauty.

Regardless of why they quit, everyone returns filled with high hopes and noble intentions. I welcome them all to the studio where lessons are giving guilt free. And, enthusiasms are supported and encouraged.
​
Here is some of the titles they are currently working on.
​

1. Nocturne No. 5 in B flat John Field
2. I Feel Good James Brown
3. Waltz in A Opus 52a number 7  Brahms
4. Sonata in G Major, Hob. XVI:8 l 1st movement Haydn
5. Night train Oscar Peterson
6. Sonatina in F Major (no. 2) u 1st movement Beethoven
7. On The Road Again Willy Nelson
8. Georgia On My Mind Ray Charles
9. Skizzen, op. 77 u On the Lake (Auf dem See) (no. 12) Hofmann, Heinrich
10. Lots of Boogie Woogie

You get the idea. Maybe I can help you rekindle your enthusiasm to play beautiful music again. Call today for a free interview.

Cheers,

​David

Giving up the piano is one of life's great regrets. Resuming lessons after decades is not. It is an interesting journey of rediscovering, joy, and humility.

I invite you to watch this recent video and browse the book. Alan Rusgridger learns Chopin Ballade no. 1 at age 57, 41 years after giving up the piano. 

He managed to fit in practice while working as the editor of the Guardian newspaper. WOW!

As a drum student myself, it is always heartwarming to meet a fellow traveler  For more info on my own journey in mid-life learning see my blog. Just click on this paragraph.

Cheers,

David