 Some days and weeks are going to be difficult. Life will get in the way. Here are some suggestions I gave one adult beginner to help relieve his practice room blues.
If I can help you, call me. David Revised August 2022
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One of my adult students was asking tonight for some help planning his practice time. He is preparing for his Grade 8 piano exam. He is an engineer, a spreadsheet kind of guy. I'm sympathetic. Here is what we discussed. Warmup with sight reading. Use a metronome! Get into the zone. Now start practicing Technique with a 2-minute timer. Switch activities every 2 minutes = 15 minutes
Practice one short section to perfection =15 minutes Theory =10 minutes Ear Training = 10 minutes Review completed piece or pieces 10 minutes BOOM! one hour of accomplishment This may work for you. David Revised August 2022
Please excuse this short story in which I’m the hero. I’m learning to play the jazz xylophone. I started at Christmas 2021. I practice every day with my 100-year-old textbook, a stack of tunes that I want to learn, my video recorder and oodles of desire. Here is the process I usually follow.
The video below is an unedited version. Notice it took just a brief period of time to accomplish something because I didn’t try to do everything at once. David Revised August 2022 Another day in the teaching studio and another diverse set of pieces. Someone stated that an average piano teacher teaches 600+ titles a year. I believe it.
Up next: Music rehearsal with my friends, the pianist Jim Finlayson and bassist Rory Slater. I'll be drumming. We've been meeting every 2 weeks for years. It is always a highlight of my week playing tunes from the "Great American Songbook". Lots of Porter, Corea, Hancock, and Ellington. Back to class 7. Prelude in Db by Glière 8. Fantasia in D minor K397 by Mozart 9. Pumpkin boogie by Faber 10. Sonatina in C by Faber 11. Drum rudimental warmups 12. Never Going To Give You Up by Rick Ashley 13. Theory class RCM 8 and Band Lab DAW Now to the drummers 14. Video game music 15. 3/4 Scottish snare drum solo 16. Free Fallin' by Tom Petty 17. Rollin' in the deep by Adele 18. Superstition by Stevie Wonder Revised August 2022  Another day of teaching piano and drum set comes to an end. Here is today’s student repertoire.
Marching by Kabalevsky Skating Waltz by Berlin Love Me Tender by Elvis Claire de Lune by Debussy Les Baricades Misterieuses by Couperin Chitlin’s Con Carne by Burrell Etudes by Scriabin Prelude and Fugue in Bb by Bach Clementi Etude in E by Clementi Serenade by Haberbier Cancion by Mompou Cottontail by Ellington Kamado Tanjiro no Uta by Shiina and Ufotable Watermelon Man by Hancock Haunted mouse by Faber and Faber Forest Drums by Faber and Faber Dinah by Fats Waller Never Going to Give you up by Ashley Street of Dreams by Ella Scottish ¾ March It’s Only A Paper Moon by Nat King Cole Meditation by Jobim Night train by Forrest Time for a beer. Revised August 2022 Playing in different keys is an invaluable skill. You will learn to visualize musical shapes, key signatures, and hear rhythm in new ways. Try playing just the melody in the following keys with the recordings. Modify your note and rhythm choices to fit in the best you can.
The assignment is to play and mimic the melody with the recordings. You will learn jazz rhythm, jazz articulations and phrasing all by ear. Have fun. David Revised August 2022 Level 1: Fun is guaranteed in level 1 by just showing up and playing. Playing in a community concert band or at the family Christmas party would be an example. On the lesson front, level 1 is leisurely and steady. Level 2: You are going to perspire. Lessons will be intense. You may be getting ready to audition to play in a high-level community group. Or you may be preparing for an exam. Regardless, the musical standards are high. Daily deliberate practice of an hour or more will be required. Success is a near certainty given enough grit and time. Level 3 is going to hurt, tears will be shed. But you are all in. Your daily focus is piano. You dream of Carnegie Hall. You have multiple lines of attack. You put yourself out there. You are preparing to be an Olympian. Many dream, few make it. But this doesn't deter you. Large amount of time and money will be spent. Results not guaranteed. Athletic parallels Level 1: Weekend running group. Level 2: Marathon preparation. It's going to hurt, but you will live to tell the tale. Level 3: Extreme endurance running. You might die. Let me know where you stand. David Revised August 2022 |
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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