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1. Get out your Bebop shell or Rootless chord sheets. You can download them below. 2. Search "exercises" in the song list of iReal Pro. Voilà a couple of dozen exercises show up in the results. Look for the exercises below. 3. Practice along with the app. Go as slow as you need to. Practice daily until it is automatic. Have fun. If I can help, call me. Rootless voicings click here. Bebop Shells as taught to me by Sonny Stitt click here. David
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Playing the piano is much easier when the scales and chords have become automatic in our hands. Below is the fingering chart for all 3 note chords like C major and G minor. I've cropped this image from a student's notes. If I can help you, call me. David  My first demonstration of pedaling using the Midiculous software. Jane is learning how to play chords to her favourite pieces. Here is how I've recommended she spends her time. Practice time breakdown 25% scales and chords with metronome at various tempos 25% review of old work 25% new pieces 25% sight reading tunes off the internet. Notice the search terms in the image below. Click on images and viola things to practice. David  I'll send you a Zoom link, a list of learning materials required for the first lessons, and suggestions from colleagues on setting up Zoom audio and a picture on where to set up your camera.
 See you in class.
David You play primo.
Learn your part, put on headphone or ear buds and play along. Remember YouTube videos can be slowed if required. Have fun David  I'm looking forward to the section on ornamentation in Mozart. Always a tricky proposition.
David 4 hours of practice: No Grinding. Top 5 tips for practicing any musical instrument
Playing
General and Jazz Specific Theory
If you would like some help, call me. David Being able to recognize the forms within a Baroque Dance suite, by ear, will be helpful. This will get you started on your listening journey. Enjoy.
How I Prepare to Learn Or Teach A New Piece of Music: Haydn Sonata in C And Bourrée in F By Telemann1/8/2021 When I take on a new piece of music of any complexity I will go through some or all the following steps. My goal is to have a clear artistic impression of the piece before I begin. 1. Compare the different scores available to me. 2. Seek out professional recordings. 3. Print the music as I will be marking it up. 4. Study the form and phrasing of the work. Sometimes, as in the Telemann I will mark in the phrasing. 5. I will consider the era in which it was written for clues on possible interpretations. 6. I translate any unfamiliar terms I find in the score. 7. I might consult other sources to explore the style and era of its creation. For the Sonata in C, I enjoyed re-reading the section on Haydn ornaments in the book below. 8. I will listen to multiple professional performances and mark on the score ideas of interest. I often will slow down a recording to hear how the artist plays their ornaments. 9. I might consult with a colleague or my piano coach as well. In short, I will have a clear set of ideas, those I discovered and my own, to explore as I now start to "learn" the piece. I will share these with my students. If I can help you discover intriguing world of classical music, please call me. David  
 
Bach's WTC would be one of the 2 music books I would take with me if I was to be exiled to an island. David  Know more than the notes. Exploring the questions of sociological context, compositional techniques, recorded history and more will add depth and sophistication to your playing and security to your memorization. Click on the picture for more, or for the "science" click the link. Here is a simple example: 1st Movement of Sonata in F minor op. 1 Who created it? Beethoven, German Romantic era composer 1770–1827 When and where was it created? 1795 Vienna Austria Why and for whom was it created? Dedicated to his teacher Joseph Haydn. Apparently it was his first publicly published work. What does it sound or look like? Dramatic opening rocket type theme of the tonic, then dominant chord announces that there is a "new kid in town". Great dynamic contrasts throughout the movement keep us focused. A composition of a young man. What kind of structure or form does it have? Classic Sonata Form What is its subject? The interplay is between the 2 main themes in the exposition and their development through many key centers. What is being expressed? Youthful exuberance, drama and compositional skill demonstration of the classical era style. What techniques did its creator use to help us understand what is being expressed?
David  I'm going to check out Yann Tiersen today. An artist I'm not familiar with. This book is a favorite with many adult students.
 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.
Have fun, if I can help, call me. David  My decades old copy of Opus 821 by Czerny. Still on the piano. When I want to work on my tone, I go here. When I want to work on the different physical moves required in piano performance I go here. This work covers all the keys in very short 8 measure exercises. I'm able to work on finger independence, arm weight, rotation, octaves, staccato, legato, portato, drop, thrust, dynamics, balance, and tone. Last weekend I attended the National Ballet of Canada's performance of "etudes". It is a 45 minute ballet of bar moves and set pieces to the etudes of Czerny. It was fun to recognize many of the pieces. It was instructive to hear the music interpreted by the dancers. Click here for a free copy: https://imslp.org/wiki/160_kurze_Übungen,_Op.821_(Czerny,_Carl) Happy practicing.   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 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 
Found on pages 77 & 78 I highly recommend this book to all my Jazz students. Cheers, David  "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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