How do I become a great pianist?

An honest question if a tiny bit naïve.

If you are in a great hurry, it is going to be difficult. If you are looking for a “hack” or some shortcut, I don’t know any.

But musicians for centuries have followed a pretty standard set of practices on the road to proficiency.

1. Humility is good. Trying to reinvent the wheel on your own might make you an artist in the end, but it won’t make you a pianist.
2. Patience is required. Learning to play the piano is a physical skill. It takes time. Though the ten-thousand-hour rule has been debunked, it is a good metaphor.
3. Listen to piano music. Through listening, study, and reflection we raise our level of sophistication which is needed to play well. Student's listening experience is often as a music fan, not as a musician. We musicians listen with intent. Starting with the question, “what is going on here?”
4. Find a teacher who has travelled the road you aspire to experience.
5. Learn to practice. Become a student of practice. Read books, watch videos, read blogs, take courses on how to practice. 

I'm available to help and encourage you on your journey. Just call me. 

David

​

1. Listen to jazz. Really. A lot of jazz. Listening is practicing. Why? You will need to recognize when you are doing it right. Listen like a musician. I’ve other blogs on how to listen. There are courses online available from great sources. Like the audio lecture series "Elements of Jazz"
2. Memorize 3 tunes: a blues, a ballad, a standard. This is where you will apply your growing knowledge.
3. Learn the basic building blocks of Jazz: the major scales for these 3 tunes, the jazz chords played broken through the inversions. There are a couple of other things as well, but we will save them for later.
4. Mess with the melody. (Advice from Louis Armstrong: memorize the melody, mess with it, then mess with the mess). Listen to how the greats, “interpreted” the melodies on the ballad and standard. Imitate.
5. Learn to play your instrument to the same level as the jazz solos you aspire to create.
6. Isolate a short phrase, three maybe four notes, within a jazz solo you like on YouTube. Listen to it over and over and over until you can sing it. Then find it on your instrument. “Licks” you learn this way you will make your own. “Licks” you read will have to be memorized. I will show you how to transpose these licks onto the other chords of your three pieces.
7. Study the solos of other musicians on YouTube. Type in “Autumn Leaves Transcription” for example and see what pops up. I wish we had that when I was a kid. Find multiple instances of your three pieces.
8. Forget all the fancy stuff you see online until you can play 12 bars on the blues without getting lost. Then 8 measures on the other 2 standards.
9. At some point you will need to study music theory in depth. High level jazz is theory played live in real time at high speed.
10. At some point you will need to study ear training. It’s hard to play what you can’t hear.

I can help you with each of these 10 points.

Call me

​David 

It's a honor and thrill to teach piano. After all these years I still look forward to going to work each day making dreams come true. 

I'd be pleased to help you find your way.

​David

​It is fun.

It’s fun if you are young and playing with your mom, it’s fun if you are older and playing with your spouse. The experience of duet playing is social bounding.

The piece teaches so many skills to a neophyte.

1. Ear training: getting the hands to play together
2. Musical memory: remembering the pattern
3. Time training: listening to the accompanist
4. Expression: the joy is infectious
5. Technique: Using the arm
6. Finger numbers are reinforced
7. Helps contribute to the positive “vibes” to learning the piano.

If you like to be part of this, call me.

​David

It might. If the instrument you play now is uneven, out of tune, and has missing notes, joy will be dampened. Chopin is reported to have said, “play the best instrument you can when learning.”

Here are other thoughts on staying in the game:

1. Revisit the reason you started this project in the first place. Are you on or off course?
2. Are you playing the right music?
3. Is your time commitment and timeline realistic when put up against your goals?
4. Is your practice space attractive and organized?
5. Are distractions keeping you unfocused?
6. Are you suffering from Covid fatigue?
7. Are you getting enough sleep?

These are problems all musicians/students must deal with from time to time or in these times.

David

Classical piano Grades 1-2

Is it possible to make progress in 10 minutes? Of course. At some point longer practice sessions will be required, but with planning and focus you can accomplish a lot in a shorter time. Remember playing an instrument is fun when we succeed at it. And can clearly see our progress over time.

What practice is:

Learning through thoughtful repetition how to play our instrument so that over time we progress towards our goal however modest or lofty that may be. The goal is to accomplish a micro step forward each time we sit to practice. The size of this micro step varies on the time available.

What practice is not:

Messing around playing stuff we know is not practicing, it is playing. This is not a negative, but the reason we practice in the first place. In conclusion don’t feel guilty messing around, just don’t confuse it with practicing. Fool around without guilt. Have fun.

Session 1

• Turn audio recorder on
• One scale and chord set, metronome at a slow tempo you can comfortably manage, playing one note per click, listen back
• One short section of a piece
  • Listen first to the professional recording that comes with your book
  • One hand, then the other counting aloud, listen back
• Play a bit from a favourite piece if time permits

Session 2

• Turn audio recorder on
• One scale and chord set, metronome at a slow tempo you can comfortably manage, playing one note be click, listen back
• One short section of a piece
  • Listen first to the professional recording that comes with your book
  • One hand, then the other counting aloud, listen back
• Do all or part of a section from the sight-reading book.

Session 3

• Turn audio recorder on
• One scale and chord set, metronome at a slow tempo you can comfortably manage, playing one note be click, listen back
• One section of a piece
  • Listen first
  • One hand, then the other counting aloud, listen back
• Sing your assigned intervals

 
Have fun. 


David

If you are feeling stale, try the following exercises.

1. Transpose all or some of your repertoire into other keys. Which keys? The ones you will find on recordings. I recently learned to play Cherokee in 12 keys, no kidding.
2. Sing the roots for the chord progressions from your repertoire, then transpose the progressions into another key. Strive to be in time and on pitch.
3. Play transcriptions from YouTube of your current repertoire. Notice whether they are plays scales, broken chords, enclosures, or blues licks.
4. Play along with master jazz musicians on recordings.
5. Renew your knowledge of key signatures, the circle of 5ths and intervals from a theory textbook.

David

1. Having a concise well thought-out goal before you begin lessons is critical. The goal need not be lofty. Just clear.
2. There are no shortcuts. Some folks know this, others not so much. Those who methodically do the work over an extended period generally see the results they were seeking. They don't skip steps or areas of study. 
3. Some folks understand skill is earned not bought.
4. Focused students outperform the scattered every time.
5. It is easier for some.
6. Practice works, I am living proof of that. I just regret it took to age 43 to learn how to practice.
7. The 10,000-hour rule may be a myth. But it is a good place to start.
8. We can be inspired and sustain our long-term efforts from drawing on noble and ignoble reasons. For example, love and revenge seem to be equally effective to get and keep us moving forward in life and piano.
9. Learning is more fun on a great instrument.
10. Taking piano exams is difficult, thrilling, infuriating, and stressful. Costs lots of money too. I am grateful to have had the privilege to do it in my 40s. It transformed my life.

If I can help you, let's chat. 

Best, 

David

An intermediate player can play some tunes with a band or play along track. They usually have to read the music though from a fake book due to a lack of confidence. They are keen to move it up a notch. They feel overwhelmed with the amount of possibilities in a practice session. 

Below are some ideas on how to spend your time. Yes, it is a lot, but over the course of a week and little bit of each can be worked on. Over time your experience will accumulate. 

Have fun. 

1. Listening to recordings and determining:
   1. Instrumentation
   2. Form
   3. Solo order
   4. Solo length: full chorus/half chorus or whatever
   5. Style/era: Traditional, swing, bebop, Modern, Post-modern
   6. Cool licks to learn, find at least one to learn
2. Slow Warmup playing ii-V 1 chord progressions with scales or broken chords in the right hand with chord voicings in the left hand. Select the keys from your current repertoire.
3. Technique

• Sight reading: piano music, lead sheets, whatever…
• Comping chords, if you are a beginner practice writing them out first.
• Phrasing questions: legato, detached, swing 8ths, dynamic shaping over the phrase. With the study of phrasing in jazz I suggest listening to a “master” play the phrase and then mimic it. Same phrase, different players, different approaches. You will learn a lot of interesting things with this phrase

    4. Licks

• Transposing a simple lick in multiple keys, see step 2 for keys

    5. Review old repertoire
    6. Repertoire work, your new pieces
    7. Theory work
    8. Singing intervals
    9. Jamming with tracks, apps, or original recordings.
    10. Repeat step one.

​Acquiring fluency in the “language” of Classical Music

Two presuppositions:

First: We all play what we hear in our heads. Second: Beautiful music is “heard” in our heads and our hands obey.

​What we “hear” in our mind is a combination of experience, education, and reflection. Experience includes all the listening opportunities we’ve had in life. (My advice is start early) When the our listening experiences are linked to a moment of high emotional arousal: a concert trip with a beloved family member, attending a concert with a date, the impression is going to last. Impassioned listening I call it. For links to studies click this sentence. 

Education is musical appreciation, music theory studies, ear training, analysis, and score study. Sophisticated music does not give up her charms easily. You must work for it. Piano students too often want to skip this stuff and get right to the good stuff. Believing that the score tells you all you need to know to create a beautiful performance is an unfortunate fallacy in piano education. It is just a bare minimum. Artistic insight and performance go way beyond the ink.

​Reflection needs to be deliberate. Another form of deliberate practice. It is listening with intent in the performance of a great artist and ourselves. Reading biographies, autobiographies, listening to podcasts, watching YouTube interviews, and concerts. Asking ourselves, “what is going on here?” “How did they do it?”

What we can execute is all about deliberate practice, time, patience, and access to resources including teachers.

• Bench time is real.
• Education works.
• And our effort must be equal to the depth of our ambitions.

It’s coming to peace with the notion that we are putting ourselves on the well-worn path to proficiency and patiently working and progressing. No hacks, no shortcuts.
Now go practice,
David

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

​David

Students often believe that I must have started early in life with lots of natural talent. Let me clear this up.

I am proof practice works.

1. I started playing piano in high school.
2. I resisted structure, changing teachers yearly. I was fired by more than one.
3. I loved to sight-read music, not practice it.
4. I played in one piano recital in my whole life. That was enough for me.
5. I played pop music 90% of the time.
6. I loved creating my own music.
7. I wrote for the school band.
8. I started bands by age 13-14. I was a sad self-taught guitarist in the beginning before I discovered jazz. Then I formed and wrote for an 8-piece band every week in our rec room at home. I was also now the pianist.
9. I was mediocre in high school band class.  I owe the saxophone an apology. 
10. I had a tin ear and could not hit a pitch on the piano. I've no idea how I tuned my guitar.
11. I was a very enthusiastic music student, just an undisciplined unfocused pianist, without the gift of self knowledge.
12. My ability to memorise music was at best rudimentary.
13. I had terrible stage fright around the piano for several years.

 
I made it into Berklee with 4 years of piano under my belt, but it included 2 years of professional gigging in rock and country bands in the North Bay region. A lot of gigs. Plus, my basement jazz band. That made the difference I figure. But who knows, recordings do not exist.
 
I got through Berklee as a composition major. I thought about being a performance major, but that required serious practice. Something I was not interested in. But I continued playing gigs during those years. A lot of gigs. Some exciting gigs. I was a busy journeyman. I could sight-read just about anything. I showed up on time ready to play. I was pleasant to be around. Where did that put me in the Berklee pecking order? Turns out near the top. I made it one year to the number 2 band.
 
So, when did I learn to practice?
 
Age 42!
 
Signed up for my Grade 10 exam. My very first piano exam ever. I couldn't fake it. I had to play it. I put a couple of thousand hours of focused practice in. I read every book I could find on how to practice. How many books? Chapters bookstore sent me Christmas present. That is how many.

• I tried implementing what I was reading.
• I did everything my teachers asked of me.
• I did not push back against a curriculum written in the 19th century!
• My life was transformed. I finally really learn to play well. It progressed further during my ARCT. 
• I can help you find your path too. Call me. 

 
David

Learning Plans
A learning plan is a document (possibly an interactive or on-line document) that is used to plan learning, usually over an extended period of time. Any entity can have a learning plan. They are often used by individuals to plan and manage their own learning, but they can also be used by teams, communities of practice or organizations.
Learning Plan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning Plan
 
What might you learning plan look like? Clarity and specificity are important.

Classical student

Goal: Sit for my Grade 4 exam in June 2021
Plan:

1. Technique in place by Christmas
2. Sight reading 5 days a week to address my shortcomings
3. Three of the 5 pieces playable by Christmas, all pieces in place by April
4. Memorised pieces by May
5. I will create a weekly practice plan with my teacher
6. I will keep a practice journal
7. Plan for mock exams in the spring
8. I will listen and watch online one masterful performance a week.
9. I will attend a classical music concert when it is again possible
10. I will joyfully work on theory

Jazz Student
​
Goal: Be able to jam in a community group in one year.
Plan:

1. Learn my chord systems by Christmas
2. Learn my 12 major scales, one octave by Christmas
3. Memorize one tune a month from the list of beginner tunes
4. Practice comping chords from the same list one tune a week. I will write out the chords on a “chart” to facilitate learning.
5. I will purchase play along software or an app
6. I will learn 5 simple licks in 12 keys
7. I will study one transcription per month
8. I will create a weekly practice plan with my teacher
9. I will keep a practice journal
10. I will keep my up piano “chops” by playing written music of my choosing regularly 

Meeting in person students you've only met online is always a thrill. 

Today I had coffee with a student from Northern BC who was passing through town. We recognized each other immediately, even in masks. 

We chatted about his hometown and the music making possibilities therein. For a town of 6 thousand there was a myriad of opportunities: 

1. Concert band
2. Folk bands
3. Electronica
4. Punk
5. Fiddle music and more

Four out of five of those present music making possibilities. For many students piano is a solitary activity enjoyed with a cup of tea or class of wine. Others? It's a party. More the merrier. I help students achieve both ambitions. 

Best, 

David

​How much effort will it take?
 
Depends on: 

1. What result are you looking for?
2. How big is your desire?
3. What piano skills are you bringing to the project?
4. Have you done this before?
5. Are your practice skills Up-to-date for 2020?

 
What result are you looking for?
 
Extraordinary results take extraordinary effort.
 
Levels 1-3 plan on 30-45 minutes a day, more near exam time.
Levels 4-6 45 minutes plus
Levels 7-8 60 minutes
Levels 9 -10 90 minutes plus It's like preparing for the Boston Marathon.
 
This is on the piano bench. Add more time for theory and guided listening.
 
How big is your or your child's desire?
 
Realistically it should be high. A healthy mix of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is needed.
 
What piano skills are you bringing to the project?
 
Please let me assess your skills before you make decisions. Sometimes transfer students, new to my studio, ask me to help them prepare for exams way above their current skill level. I may recommend some preparation to preserve your enthusiasm and my sanity.
 
Have you done this before?
 
Then you know what is in store. If this is a new adventure, let's talk.
 
Here is my personal experience.
 
I completed levels 10 and then the ARCT from age 43 through 47. It was by far the most exciting thing I've ever done at the piano. 
 
Remember, I had 25 years of professional experience behind me in commercial and jazz performance. I didn't play classical music or take exams as a child; I went straight to the band stand as a teenager. Classical piano was new to me as a formal study, though I had a love of the music, went to concerts etc.
 
It was also the most time-consuming activity of my adult life. About 5000 hours over a four-year stretch. The results earned me national, provincial, and local scholarships. That was a surprise. Completing Berklee College of Music as a young man was easier in comparison. I had no idea an ARCT took so much.
 
Would I do it again?
 
In a heartbeat. Do I recommend the experience? Yes, it truly is a peak experience. I felt like superman for years afterwards. 
 
Are your practice skills Up-to-date for 2020?
 
We do not grind anymore. Ask me, I help you get organised for success.
 
Recommended books:
​
 
David 

What do with ennui: that feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of inspiration and excitement.

Good question in the middle of summer and the ongoing pandemic. 

Some suggestions:

1. Take a break. I did, I went fishing for a week. Caught 2 fish.
2. Take an online course. I took a class on teaching adults with the Francis Clarke Institute in New Jersey. 
3. Sight-read for a week or two, exploring some new music. Musicnotes.com is a good place to start. First page is free, you can read off a tablet.
4. Read a book on learning the piano. You might enjoy Alan Rusbridger's book "play it again". He has some YouTube videos that support the book. 

Cheers, 

​David
​

1. Try to finish level 6 theory, it will really help us to communicate as musicians and build your understanding of the music you play.  
2. Summer is a good time to explore music history. A good introduction for classical piano students is found on Audible.ca https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/the-23-greatest-solo-piano-works.html check www.audible.com I found it there for a really fair price.  
3. YouTube score watching; paying attention to one element at a time: articulations , dynamics, tempo
4. General piano skills

• Technique
• Etudes
• Repertoire
• Sight reading

Have fun, see you in September. 

David

1. Spend some time exploring the history of jazz. Here is a good place to start. The great courses can be found on https://www.audible.ca/ for $14.00. https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/elements-of-jazz-from-cakewalks-to-fusion.html 
2. Another exercise, listen to 3 different versions of a piece in your repertoire by 3 artists. Listen enough to each performance until you can sing along and mimic the performance of the melody on the piano. 
3. Someday my prince will come with Miles Davis: see attached listening sheet.
4. General piano skills. For sight reading try this. First page is free. https://www.musicnotes.com/search/go?w=Thanks+for+the+memory&from=header 
5. Play a chorus or two with Red Garland on C jam blues.
6. Functional jazz Skills

• voicings
• scales
• chords systems
• sight reading chords
• Repertoire

​Have Fun, see you in September. 

David

I've made mine. There are below. 

Time for yours. Here are some ideas to get you started. 

1. Have fun, lower the intensity. Except if you are a professional or preparing for post secondary music education. Time to ramp it up!
2. Now back to recreational players. Normally I would recommend some concert attendance, but alas, this is not currently possible. Maybe attend some online live events. The Village Vanguard in NYC is presenting some of New York's finest. 
3. If you can visit a music store with a large print section and ask the clerk for some recommendations on what is new and exciting for players at your level. 
4. Revisit and reflect on your goals for the fall. 

Best, 

David Story

My plans. As I'm a professional, I'm ramping up the intensity until Labour Day in September. 

90-day summer music plan 2020
 
Piano Coaching

1. Contemporary piano with Jacqueline
2. Bebop with Mark
3. Adult pedagogy Workshop in July
4. Some limited jamming

Drums Coaching

1. Lessons with Lowell
   1. Daily work of his notebook
2. Finish and master drum kit book
   1. 2 to 3 chapters a week
3. Jamming with friends
   1. Rory and Jim
   2. Andrew and Rory
   3. Rory
   4. Roland and Ed
4. Transcriptions continue

Synthesizer fun

1. William and Gordon
2. Learn to make multi screen videos

Before Covid 19 1/3 of my students were already online. Now it is everyone. How are folks dealing with it? Generally fine. One young man, 4 years old, had to take a breather. But another 4-year-old is thriving. Kids are still learning, maybe even better because of the extra practice time available. Several parents have taken up the piano again to assist their kids during lessons.

Parental involvement has been a revelation. What fun they are having! Duets are ringing out, lots of laughter and perspiration.

Older adults have really taken to the whole project. Many of them are not going back schlepping through the snow to the studio, they are staying online. Safe and sound in warm and familiar surroundings.

How is the teacher doing? I miss the travel and environmental novelty of travelling. When social distancing passes, I will enjoy the personal interaction I had before. But, I'm pleased as punch that we are all settling into the new normal. 

Call me now for the fall. Spots are filling up. 

Cheers,

​David
​

Listening to an unfamiliar piece of music can be pleasurable, baffling or even annoying. Here are some steps to consider making it a deeper experience.

1. Who is this artist? A who, what, where, when, why question about the performer.
2. Who is the composer? Same questions come to mind.
3. What instruments are performing?
4. What style is the music? Baroque, Hip-hop, Classical, early jazz, Rock, Heavy metal, Grunge, experimental, etc. If you are not sure dig in and do some research.
5. If there are lyrics, consider transcribing them by ear and writing them down. This is an illuminating experience if the music is in a style you do not normally listen to. Or never listen to.
6. Now let us go deeper into the piece. Can you pick up the form? If it is classical is it in Sonata form, Rondo, etc. If pop is it: intro, verse, verse, chorus, verse chorus, bridge, chorus and out. If jazz is it in 32 bar AABA or blues form?
7. If it is modern pop, does it have a four-chord cycling progression?
8. If it is classical, what is the time signature?
9. Is there improvisation?
10. Is there a score available online? If so, you might try your hand at it.

David

Depends on your goals.

If you would like to plunk out a few melodies, with minimal left-hand accompaniment, it is not too difficult. I would say a few months to a year you will be on your way. Factors that are important to consider though.

1. Your prior musical experiences as a listener and possibly player of another instrument.
2. Your physical health situation.
3. Your ability to set time aside to practice.
4. Your patience.
5. Your instrument’s condition.
6. Your desire level.
7. Your ability to follow direction.
8. Your inclination to initiate learning activities as well.

If you would like to play Classical piano at say grade 8, or early advanced level. Give it a decade from a standing start. In addition to the points above I would add the following: learn to love every aspect of the game. Do not skip a step: technique, repertoire, ear training, theory, history, etudes, etc. There are no hacks or shortcuts.

If you would like to play Jazz piano in a band, assuming you have already reached level 8 in abilities, give it a couple of years. All the points above are valid with the addition of a few other steps.

1. Find people to play with early in your journey.
2. Listen to jazz daily.
3. Take an online jazz history course.
4. Memorise 25 of the most common standards ASAP. You will spend the rest of your career building on this repertoire. Why memorise? It is difficult to keep track of everything with your head in the book.
5. Extra focus on ear training.

​If I can help, please call.
 
David Story

How many hobbies can one-person juggle?
 
Depends. I juggle one. I had two, but Covid19 put an end to that.

​I’ve students who try to juggle 3 or more while holding down jobs, spouses, children, and life. They often looked stressed. How do my less stressed students do it? Here are some tactics they follow:
​

1. They decide on just one hobby at a time. To paraphrase Ecclesiastes, “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the sun.” They prioritise what to tackle based on where they are in life. Marathons in their 30’s, night school in their 40’s, piano in their 50’s, gardening in their 60’s. You get the idea.
2. Some give themselves permission just to have fun and take it a day at a time. If you are an old-fashioned type A driver this might be take some work, but it is possible. My other hobby was ballroom dancing until Covid19. Friday nights we would just show up and have fun in a low stress class. No practicing until the following week. It took 2 years to get to level 2. We were having fun.
3. They give up something to make room for something new.

BTW, my hobby is drumming. It is now becoming a business. There will be more to this story in the years to come.

Do you remember why you were attracted to piano in the first place? Put up a post it note on the piano to keep it front of mind.

Cheers,
 
David