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Tips, free lessons, and inspiration

Tips from Angela Hewitt on keeping one's musical memory intact

4/25/2023

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Angela Hewitt shares her tactics, strategies, and stories on how she keeps her musical memory strong. It is interesting to note that musical conservatories, like the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, have developed curriculums that prepare the ground for developing and helping to maintain musical memory. 
  1. Logical sequencing of material.
  2. Repertoire that must be memorized.
  3. Theoretical knowledge and application.
  4. Foundational skills of techniques and etudes.
  5. Historical knowledge
  6. Aural skills.
  7. Sightreading
  8. Score study
  9. Assessment

Link to the article: ‘Like sex and religion, we don’t like to talk about memory’: pianist Angela Hewitt on how she keeps hers in shape | Classical music | The Guardian
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Learning to Jam with others. How do I go about it?

4/5/2023

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A student writes, “Hey David, I wanted to check my learning strategy with you. My goal right now is to play better at the jams I attend. Most of them are funky with someone creating a groove, and everyone jumping in.
I noticed the keys players are all very good at hearing the bass and figuring out the progression— or finding a groove within a set progression. At my level, I’m usually asking others what key we’re in (although it doesn’t always work since it changes) and then playing the root chord and inversions of it. I’ll sometimes create groove lines from the respective blues scale, but that’s about it for my understanding.
Taken together, I’m thinking the number one thing I need to work on is: Ear training.
For that, I’m thinking I focus on training my ear to understand:
  • Major ii, V, I in every key
  • Major I, vi, ii, V, I in every key
  • I, IV, V in every key
Does this sound like a good start to being able to jam with others in the scenario described above?
Thanks!

My response.
Yes, this is a good start. Here are some more ideas to consider.
  1. Ear training consists of the following elements: chord and interval recognition, identifying chord progressions, learning tunes by ear, learning licks by ear. Furthermore, practicing your scales, chords, and other keyboard techniques using a metronome will be immensely helpful in learning to play with other musicians’ time feel. This is another aspect of ear training—staying in place.
  2. Keyboard skills. Always be working on basic piano skills separately.
  3. Repertoire knowledge. There is an old say that goes, “they that know the most tunes wins.” Practice jamming with songs that have less than four chords in them. Here are some searches to get you started. You can approach these tunes in several ways. For one chord tunes, just look up the title without looking at the key. See if you can figure out the key, ditto with the 2 chord pieces. The list below was created from the first link. I can't guarantee that each piece has only one chord, they came from the internet afterall, but it's a start. 
​
  • pop songs with one chord - Search (bing.com)
  • pop songs with two chords or less - Search (bing.com)
  • pop songs with three chords or less - Search (bing.com)
  • pop songs with four chords or less - Search (bing.com)
Have fun.
 
David

One Chord Songs

  1. Locker - 35007 
  2. Drifter's Escape - Bob Dylan
  3. Helen Wheels - Paul McCartney & Wings
  4. There Is a Mountain - Donovan
  5. Stupidly Happy - XTC
  6. Electric Avenue - Eddy Grant
  7. Joy - Lucinda Williams
  8. Mississippi Boll Weevil - Charley Patton
  9. Exodus - Bob Marley
  10. Panadero Ensoñado - Pescado Rabioso
  11. The Enchanted Gypsy - Donovan
  12. Con Altura - Rosalía, J Balvin
  13. Papa Was a Rolling Stone - The Temptations
  14. Crosseyed & Painless - Talking Heads
  15. Watussi - Harmonia
  16. Get the Party Started - Pink
  17. Nevermind - Leonard Cohen
  18. The Hustle - Bars of Gold
  19. Tomorrow Never Knows - The Beatles
  20. Ever So Lonely - Monsoon 
  21. Coconut - Harry Nilsson 
  22. American Woman - Lenny Kravitz
  23. Get Up, Stand Up - Bob Marley
  24. Chain of Fools - Aretha Franklin
  25. Fire- Ohio Players
  26. Who Knows? - Jimi Hendrix
  27. Careful with That Axe, Eugene - Pink Floyd
  28. Loser - Beck
  29. Church of Anthrax - John Cale & Terry Rile
  30. Jump Into The Fire - Harry Nilsson
  31. One Chord Song - Stoney LaRue
  32. The National Anthem - Radiohead
  33. Jimmy Bell - William "Cat Iron" Carradine
  34. Sloppy Drunk Again - Walter Davis
  35. LazyBones - Soul Coughing
  36. Push Upstairs - Underworld
  37. Showbiz Kids - Steely Dan
  38. Machine Gun - Jimi Hendrix
  39. Daydreamer - Menswear
  40. Voyage Automatique - 35007
  41. Run Through The Jungle - Creedence Clearwater Revival 
  42. Wang Dang Doodle - Willie Dixon
  43. Deeper Well - Emmylou Harris
  44. Bullet the Blue Sky - U2 
  45. The Story of One Chord - Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper
  46. Moanin' at Midnight - Howlin' Wolf 
  47. Radar Eyes - The Godz
  48. Spoonful - Cream
  49. Mondo in Mi 7a - Adriano Celentano
  50. Whole Lotta Love - Zepplin 
  51. Walking in Your Footsteps - The Police
  52. Keep On Chooglin' - Creedence Clearwater Revival
  53. Seeds - Bruce Springsteen 
  54. DNA - Kendrick Lamar
  55. Snake Farm - Ray Wylie Hubbard
  56. Price - Super Furry Animals
  57. E minor or Em7 (playable with E or E7 also)
  58. Smokestack LIghtnin' - Howlin' Wolf 
  59. I'm Bad Like Jesse James - John Lee Hooker
  60. Thank You - Sly & the Family Stone
  61. I Asked for Water - Howlin' Wolf
  62. What Are Their Names? - David Crosby
  63. Know - Nick Drake
  64. Pablo Picasso - Modern Lovers
  65. Hallo Gallo - Neu!
  66. Relax - Frankie Goes to Hollywood 
  67. Alta Suciedad - Andrés Calamaro
  68. Powertruth - 35007
  69. Bodak Yellow (Money Moves) - Cardi B
  70. Mi Gente - J Balvin, Willy William, Beyonce
  71. DNA - Kendrick Lamar
  72. Mañana en el Abasto - Sumo
  73. Send Me Your Pillow - John Lee Hooker
  74. The Story of Bo Diddley - The Animals
  75. Peter Gunn - Henry Mancini
  76. Which Way Do Red River Run? - Mance Lipscomb
  77. John Henry - Buster Brown
  78. The Beat Goes On - Sonny & Cher
  79. Ding Dang - The Beach Boys
  80. See My Jumper Hanging On the Line - R.L. Burnside
  81. Shanty Blues - Henry Thomas
  82. Mona - The Rolling Stones
  83. Run On for a Long Time- Bill Landford
  84. Paradise - Sade
  85. Peter Gunn - Henry Mancini
  86. Losing Face - I Am Snow Angel 
  87. Political World - Bob Dylan
  88. One Chord Song - Keith Urban
  89. Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley
  90. Dance to the Music - Sly & the Family Stone
  91. My Jack Don't Drink No Water - Shortstuff Macon
  92. Everyday People - Sly & the Family Stone
  93. Low Rider - War
  94. It's a Rainy Day Sunshine Girl - Faust
  95. Bad to The Bone - George Thorogood
  96. U.S. 41 - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
  97. Catfish Blues - Robert Petway
  98. Spike Driver Blues - Mississippi John Hurt
  99. Shotgun - Jr. Walker & the All-Stars
  100. Rubberband Girl - Kate Bush
  101. Magic Bus - The Who
  102. Boring Girls - Pissed Jean
  103. The Bogus Man - Roxy Music
  104. Know Your Rights - The Clash
  105. Who's He And What Is He To You?- Bill Withers
  106. Space for the Papa - Jeff Beck
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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.
    Charlie Parker

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    I'm a professional pianist and music educator in West Toronto Ontario. I'm also a devoted percussionist and drum teacher. 

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  • Homepage
  • Tips, Ideas, Stories, Free Lessons
  • Adult Lessons
  • Jazz Workshop #12 June 4, 2023
  • Contact form, fees, calendar, policies
  • Philosophy
  • Testimonials
  • Children's Spring Concert 2023
  • My Story
  • Student awards and compositions
  • Classical downloads
  • Classical outline for beginners
  • Jazz downloads
  • Jazz outline for beginners
  • Video Library of Piano Techniques
  • Breakfast Piano Minute
  • Books, Apps, Websites, Music
  • Ear Training and Sight Singing Resources