I wrote this for an adult student preparing for her Royal Conservatory of Music Grade 3 exam. She is working on Clowns by Kabalevsky and needed a short etude to practice her mixed articulations. Passages with mixed articulations are common throughout piano literature. To utilize this etude for yourself, start very slowly. Eighth note = 60 BPM and work up from there. The video will help you along. Have fun. David
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This week an adult student came to class in a state of agitation. They were frustrated that they didn't have time this week to practice, and they felt embarrassed.
Five things to consider.
I said, "John, think of this hour as an oasis without responsibilities". That worked, he had a fun lesson. He even sent a thank you email after class. David Learning Blue Bossa in 6 KeysMaterials required:
Lesson to play in 6 keys:
3. Play the melody in the following keys: Cm, Am, Em, Dm, and Gm. Follow the instructions in step 1 after you review the natural minor scales and the major scales ½ step above these minor scales.
4. Now add the chords. To transpose the chords, you must do the following steps. Write out the c natural minor scale: C D Eb F G Ab Bb C. Directly below these letters write the scale of the new key, say f minor: F G Ab Bb C Db Eb F. Be sure the letters line up. C is directly above F and so on. Then, C minor chord becomes F minor chord, F minor chord becomes Bb minor and so on. Write out the scale of Db: Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C Db and then the scale ½ step above f minor, in this case Gb: Gb Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F Gb. The chord qualities, of course, remain the same. 5. What do we learn?
David What to listen for.
Activity.
Follow-up. Yesterday my student and I listened to the first two measures of each recording. What a revelation. The differences in the performances became more obvious with each listening and these differences were large. I invite you to try the same. Have fun, David
From whiteboard notes and exercises I sent to students this week. David Super video demonstration but...
Let's consider the assumptions he is making about you the student/listener.
What is my job? I prepare students to understand and execute what he is talking about. The first thing we will do is assess your situation and then we'll draw up a logical plan.
Call me, David BTW: in 2017, I studied with Peter Martin in Rome Italy at the ROMA Jazz Workshop. He's a great guy and a very skilled musician. When I grow up, I want to play piano like him. FYI. I was in Rome studying jazz drumming with Greg Hutchinson. Greg played in Ray Brown’s last group. Updated 2024 Tonight, in concert band we will sightreading 8 to 10 new pieces of music that arrived last night and this morning. I am following this protocol to be ready.
1. I immediately printed the music. 2. I created a new YouTube playlist of the pieces. 3. I studied the scores while listening to the musical recordings. I made note of the tricky bits. I did not necessarily listen all the way through, just enough to get a sense of the part. 4. I put aside all the music I can easily sightread. It will be read for the first time tonight. 5. I have made note of the tricky bits in the three remaining pieces: one measure in one piece, one section in another, and then put the third on the music rack for immediate attention later this morning. 6. I wrote in the stickings on the two easier pieces in the trickly passages. 7. I am preparing to practice the one tricky piece with my pencil, eraser, recording, drumkit, music ready at hand. I will let you know how it turns out tonight. David Creating a "roadmap" gives you a visual representation of the form or structure of a performance. You will discover the: who, what, when, and how much in the recording. This is valuable information. You will learn to count, recognize the instrumentation and more. You will begin to develop an awareness of how musicians organize their performances and recordings. First Steps. 1. Pick a favorite piece 2. With a pop song listen for the following sections and their order; introduction, verse, chorus, bridge, ending (tag). With a jazz piece, notice how many times they play the "head" or main melody and then note the order of solos. How many times do they play the head after the solos? Second Steps. 1. Make a note on your "map" of dynamics. 2. In a jazz piece, count how many times each musician solos on the form. 3. Do they trade "fours" with the drummer? If you are unsure what this means, click here. Third Step. 1. Make a note on your "map" of anything interesting you pick up or hear. Have fun. David Here is a more detailed roadmap that includes a guide to my drum part.
This etude will help you practice the correct finger patterns for Royal Conservatory Level 1 and 2 techniques. I would play them slooooooowly; hands separately. A metronome is recommended.
Things to notice: 1. The accents 2. The slurs 3. The dynamics 4. The fingering In the video I demonstrate the hand motions required. Have fun. Sight singing is fun when we sing along with something great like the fifth symphony of Beethoven. We might call this tympani karaoke.
Trivia question: What does C jam blues and the Tympani part for Beethoven's 5th symphony have in common? This etude will help you to create a beautiful singing line in pieces with slow moving melodies. None of the notes are played with the fingers going up and down in the usual way, it is played all with the arm.
Harmonizing chords using the strict rules of chorale writing (SATB) is a time-honored way to get started with harmony. I'd be happy to help you, just call me. Rules 1. Spacing between SA and AT cannot exceed an octave 2. Range of SATB should be reviewed before starting. 3. Double the root, but never in consecutive voices. 4. No voice crossing within a measure. 5. All chords must have a 3rd. 6. Common tones repeat, most of the time. Computer realization of the exercises.How amateurs might up their game in rehearsals Jazz jamming is fun. Sight reading tunes each week is ok, but it is often difficult for the ensemble to improve because there will not be enough week to week repetition. So, I’m putting forth these suggestions.
The idea is that with weekly repetition, improvements can be heard. Bonus: folks will know what to practice between “jams” while flipping over two pieces each week will keep it fresh. Have fun. Look what I found tucked away. You can hear examples in the Bill Evans YouTube video below. Louis Armstrong key of Ab Doreen Ketchens, Preservation Hall Dr. John, Rebirth, Al Hirt, Wynton, Tuba Skinny key of F Fats Domino key of Eb
A fine tutorial for students. First Edition 1798-99
Tempo:
None of the artists played with a completely steady beat, in other words, the tempo varied both from section to section and within sections. Seven unique recordings of the same tune that are worthy of our time and study. This is a tune to learn by ear, without a fakebook, paying close attention to variations of the chord progression.
What to practice, how to practice, how much to practice, when to practice can be sources of anxiety to students preparing for a piano exam. To succeed one must spend time on each area of study.
Try dividing up your time on the piano bench as indicated in the drawing; give equal time to each area. Now if you are like me, your attention span is long as a puppy's. No worries, jump around. But keep track of your time in each area.
Good luck David There is much to learn from listening to each of these recordings, especially the counter-lines played by John Lewis. I would encourage you to learn, by ear, the diverse ways musicians approach the simple blues melody. David
When learning to play Brazilian jazz it is best to go to the primary sources, the original and other seminal recordings recorded in Brazil, both past and present. At the end of this sample of Brazilian recordings is a fine recording by Kenny Barron, who it must be said, has listened to the original recordings. Practice routine? Spend an afternoon playing the melody with the recordings, mimicking as much as possible what you hear. Then add the chords. David
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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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