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

This is a sample from Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week. Title, composer, level. 

Hey Jude                   Beatles
Prelude in C JS          Bach RCM 5
Sonata in C 1767       Haydn RCM 5
Atacama                    Wynn-Anne Rossi RCM 2
Take the A Train         Strayhorn
Sonatina in G             Clementi RCM 4
Quiet Lagoon             Jon George RCM 2 
Chopsticks
Mexican Jumping Beans
Serenade                   Franz Schubert
Saving the best for last          Air Supply
Sonata in F                Mozart RCM 9
March Dmitry            Kabalevsky RCM A
1st Gymnopedie        Eric Satie RCM 8
We Are The Champions Freddie Mercury and Queen
Dundas Blues Boogie Woogie David Story
Menuet en Rondeau  Rameau RCM 2
Sneaky Sam              Melody Bobar RCM B
Sonatina in G           Thomas Attwood RCM 3
Charlotte's Daydream    Pieter de Graaf
Intermezzo in A minor       Brahms RCM 9
Cathryn goes to Hollywood   David Story
Bouree in F                 Telemann RCM 7
Etude in D minor         Czerny RCM 3
St. James Infirmary      Trad Jazz
Sonatina in A minor       Bender RCM 3
Study in D major          Swinstead RCM 8

One interpretation among many possibilities. I marked the right hand legato and the left hand quarter notes staccato. These would be 'wet' staccato, or "portato". Slightly detached, but marked to give the music some forward momentum. 

James Maddox present another lovely rendition closely resembling the edit above. He places less emphasis on the broken chords in measures 9 and 16 though.  

Enjoy 

​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

A partial list:

1. Sonatina in A mi by Biehl
2. St. James Infirmary Blues
3. Sonata in G Beethoven 
4. Invention No. 14 Bach
5. Sonatina in F op. 168 Diabelli
6. Swiss Variations Beethoven 
7. Bouree in F by Telemann
8. Fur Elise by you know who
9. Take me to church Hozier
10. Row Row Row Your Boat
11. Saving the best for last
12. Jerusalem Israli folk song
13. The Cat by Jimmy Smith...
14. Musette in D Bach
15. Dance of the marionettes Tarenghi
16. In the evening Hofmann
17. Take the A train Strayhorn
18. I got it bad and that ain't good Ellington
19. Summertime Gershwin
20. Sonatina in C Czerny op. 36 no. 1
21. Etude in D minor Czerny op 261 no. 52
22. 2-3 Montuno in C
23. Sonata in D Galuppi
24. We are the champions Queen
25. Shooting stars in Summer Ikeda

​Adult Exam preparations for May and June 2021
​
1 RCM Prep A
1 RCM 1
1 RCM 3
1 RCM5
2 RCM 7
3 RCM 8
1 RCM 10

Theory is fun. I'd forgotten how interesting and satisfying writing a fugue can be. 

The performance is a computer rendition. To be playable with two hands I'd need to transpose the left hand starting at mm. 8., but then it wouldn't sound as rich. 

If you would like some help with music theory call me. 

Best, 

David

Setting out to create your own music has many satisfactions.

​But first a story. 

I'm 13 years old, a self taught guitarist. Full of confidence I head off to music camp in Kirkland Lake Ontario in the summer of 1972. Oh boy! The instructor Harry Forbes, was kind and tolerant. Good thing, I sucked.

One day I spotted a strange looking keyboard in the corner of the room. I asked, "what is that Harry?"
"It's a ARP2600 Synthesizer".
"What does it do?"
"It does this"
"Holy *D*D(#KD+!" I was hooked. I've never looked back. 

So why create your own music?
​
1. Personal expression.
2. Participate in the sound of our time.
3. Keep the "play" in playing music alive.
4. Creative exploration and discovery.
5. Learn some new instruments.
6. Join an online community of music makers.
7. Become a rich and famous DJ

Electronic music has some of it's own terms. 

Now...................................Before

Producer                           Composer
DJ                                    Musician
DAW                                 Score paper

How to get started.

The cheapest way is to explore apps on your phone like garage band. This can be expanded with the addition of a specialized keyboard attached to your phone. $100+

​Next up, purchasing a USB keyboard and a Digital Audio Workstation and pair of audio speakers. $500+

​All in, purchasing a USB interface, USB keyboard and a Digital Audio Workstation, microphones, yards of audio cables,  a pair of audio speakers, a specialized desk,  and a room to put it all in. $5,000++

I can help you get started, 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

So much planning goes on before we play. 

Planning an interpretation

1. Mark the phrases and label the cadences
   
2. Mark the form
   
3. Explore phrasing options
   
4. Select the gestures
   
5. Practice the gestures
   

I can help you learn to play beautifully as others have helped me. 

Call me. 

​David

Bonus

 Playing well ultimately means playing by ear.

Adult piano students tend to rely on their visual and analytical strengths. The parts that lead to professional success. Their tactile and auditory sides are often weak.

“Tactile, what’s that?”
“Playing by ear? I’m no good. Or really?” They either have little confidence, or they are unaware of how to use this skill already in their possession.  

Piano studies are traditionally a visual study based around the authority of the text. Obedience and deference are the watchwords.

But to realize your musical dreams and reach your aspirations this side will have to be developed and refined until you can confidently rely on it. 

A classical pianist executes a game plan. Every note has been planned and rehearsed. They have tried different approaches and made their decisions. They have learned every note by heart to a point where they can play with the music. What they hear they can execute. What they hear is based on years of study, practice, transcription, coaching feedback, concert attendance, theory and history studies and lots more. 

A jazz pianist plays what they hear in their head. They never execute an idea and say, "dang, where did that come from?' No way, their minds are singing just slightly ahead of their hands. What they hear they can execute. What they hear is based on years of study, practice, transcription, coaching feedback, concert attendance, theory and history studies and lots more. 

Playing imaginatively by ear requires a rich reservoir of musical ideas and experiences.

I can get you started by helping you play by ear. 

Call me, 

David

A sample of what is on for this week.
​

• Sonatina in A mi by Biehl
• St. James Infirmary Blues
• Mussette Bach
• Sonatina in C Clementi
• Sonata in C Hadyn
• Sonata in G Beethoven 
• Invention No. 14 Bach
• Sonatina in F op. 168 Diabelli
• There Will Never Be Another You Jazz Standard
• All Right Ok, You Win Blues Standard
• Swiss Variations Beethoven 
• Autumn Leaves Jazz Standard
• The Entertainer Joplin
• Go Down Moses
• Bouree in F by Telemann
• Fur Elise by you know who
• Row Row Row Your Boat
• Saving the best for last Venessa Williams
• Jerusalem Israeli folk song
• The Cat by Jimmy Smith

Nine brave and committed adult students are preparing to sit for their classical piano exams this spring and summer. 

1 RCM Prep A
1 RCM 1
1 RCM5
2 RCM 7
3 RCM 8
1 RCM 10

If you would like to join us. Call me. 

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 excited to share new ideas with my students going forward. 

Over the duration of the classes, I've upgraded and tweaked my technology, lesson plans, and much much more. 

Call me, 

​David

So many students are seeking the "secret", the secret that sends them to the front of the line. 

Alas, there is more than one secret. And they are all hiding in plain sight. 

Here are a few of the secrets:

1. Practice technique with a metronome.
2. Master theory appropriate to your level, including harmony.
3. Read music history, knowing the repertoire and the historical context from whence it comes.
4. And most importantly, ear training. Connecting the ear with the hands. 

Known by some students as the boring bits. Recognized by professionals as the exciting bits. 

Below is a video of the Duke Ellington student staple, Satin doll. The video is cued for the B section or middle 8. Listen to the trombone "lick" played when the chord progression lands on F. Figure is out. It is in the key of F, starts on A. Now check out the video I've made on what to do with this lick. 

If I can help, call me. 

David​

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

I'm dreaming.

​Click above for more inf. 

David

​

I'm looking forward to the section on ornamentation in Mozart. Always a tricky proposition. 

​David

My students have eclectic tastes. I love it. If you would like join us, call me. 

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