David Story, Online Piano Lessons from Toronto
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Tips, free lessons, and inspiration

​Do you have enough time to take piano lessons?

5/28/2022

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​Do you have enough time to take piano lessons?

Given the demands of overscheduled lives, most adults will have to give up some activity to make room for a new one.  Google "how many hours does the average adult spend surfing on their phones?" Cutting that in half will free up enough time to learn piano.

Call me when you are ready.
​
David
Revised August 2022
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Why do we practice slow to go fast?

5/26/2022

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Why do we practice slow to go fast?

We all play like we practice. If we practice carefully, thoughtfully, and methodically our odds of playing expressively, confidently, and at a steady tempo go up significantly. 

Let's consider one aspect of this: Slow practice.

1. Slow allows us to consider our motions at the piano.
2. Slow allows us to play steadier while learning. Remember playing quickly and stumbling about may make our stumbling get embedded in our playing. 
3. Speeding up bit by bit, as our skills increase, the scales, chords, arpeggios, etudes, and pieces is a good strategy. 
4. To play fast eventually we will have to practice fast. It is good practice to have our musical moves together before sprinting through the music. 

David
revised August 2022
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Sightreading Tips for Pianists

5/24/2022

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Sight-reading tips
  1. Title. The title will often give you clues as to how to play the piece.
  2. Who is the Composer? Bach is played differently than Zappa.
  3. When was the piece written? Baroque music is played differently than Rock.
  4. Time signature?
  5. Key signature?
  6. Tempo: fast or slow?
  7. Dynamics: loud or soft? When playing with others this is especially important. 
  8. Look for funny business like clefs changes, hand over hand crossovers, 8vas, tempo changes. Don't get caught!
  9. Find the repeat signs, del signo sign, and Coda sign.
  10. Search for similar phrases/measures.
  11. Look for rhythmic difficulties. If necessary, clap and count aloud. 
  12. Find the starting hand position. 
  13. Using the metronome will help prevent you from stopping and correcting.

Short story

As a teenager I had the worst practicing habits. I had no focus or commitment to any task except s
ightreading, which was fun and easy. I loved spending hours reading my mother's piano books, so it is no coincidence that I've spent the last 45 years making a living as a sight-reader. First as a professional pianist and later as a teacher. Eventually though, I did get my practice habits straightened out and the rest is history. 

David

Revised August 2022
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The Diatonic Chords Of E Major Etude

5/16/2022

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This will help you learn the diatonic chords of E major. Watch the crossover with the left hand and the change of clef in measure 11. The left-hand fingering is 531; the right-hand is 135. 

Revised August 2022
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diatonic chords of e major.pdf
File Size: 118 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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Rick's Study Plan May 2022

5/14/2022

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This is what Rick is working on.

Rick’s memorized list of tunes with study links.
  1. Autumn leaves
  2. Saints https://youtu.be/L8ydGKtLRJw in F https://youtu.be/wyLjbMBpGDA In G 
  3. C jam blues https://youtu.be/16UIKglJ56w in C try 1st 12 measures
  4. Blue bossa https://youtu.be/EUxv3AAaK_Y 

Steps to soloing fluency.
  1. Memorize the left-hand chords for each piece above.
  2. Play the melodies by ear with the recordings.
  3. Learn a 3-5 note lick by ear from one of the recordings and then transpose it into 12 keys.  
  4. Sing the roots of the chord progressions in time and in pitch. First at the piano, then with the recordings. (This will help Rick to stay in place and not get lost when playing with others. And importantly it will help him to memorize the music.)

Revised August 2022
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Should you print the note names in your score?

5/13/2022

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     Many poor readers erroneously believe that printing the note names on their music will help them to read the music easier. This is a misunderstanding of how you will read music. Music moves too quickly in time to identify all the notes as you play. Instead of seeing single notes, you need to see patterns of notes. One important source of this pattern knowledge comes from understanding musical rudiments, such as intervals (steps, skips, and repeats between notes), key signatures, harmony (chord recognition), melodic direction (does the melody go up or down?), dynamics (loud or soft), and rhythm. When you print out all the notes, you may skip these important ideas especially rhythm and note direction. This leads to poor results. To read music fluidly you will need to address these knowledge deficiencies.

If you would like some help in this area, call me. 
​
David

Revised August 2022
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New piano warmup 2022

5/11/2022

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I'm always trying out new ideas with students to keep it fresh for us both. This warm-up assumes you know the correct fingerings for each position. (The right scale at the 10th starts with 31234 etc. The broken chords and arpeggios in the right start with finger 1.) This exercise should be transposed into a different key at each practice session. Tempo markings are only suggestions.

If I can help you, call me. 

David
Revised August 2022
new scale chord and arpeggio warmup 2022
File Size: 102 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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Fingering patterns for triads

5/10/2022

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Playing the piano is much easier when the scales and chords have become automatic in our hands. Below is the fingering chart for all 3 note chords like C major and G minor. Another name for a 3-note chord is a "triad". I've cropped this image from a student's notes.

If I can help you, call me.

David
Picture
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How to play fast scales on the piano, some overlooked facets for quick playing

5/9/2022

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How to play fast comes up in lessons frequently. Here are some ideas to get you started. 

Let's get the basics out of the way first. 
  1. Correct fingering is necessary.
  2. Slow repetitions with a metronome keeps our tempi honest.
  3. Lots of repetitions builds endurance and so-called muscle memory in the hands. 

Now some often-overlooked facets of quick playing. 
  1. The quicker the scale, the softer I play. Try it. I play lightly on my fingertips. I angle my wrists to the right when ascending and to the left when descending. The idea is to keep the tip of the playing finger in line with the elbow through the wrist. 
  2. Check your breathing. Rapid shallow breathing tenses the body. I breathe deeply and slowly to keep my body relaxed. 
  3. When playing 4 octave scales, start on your left sitz bone and stay in front of your hands as you ascend. You will end up on your right sitz bone at the top. 
  4. If you are sitting too close to the piano, it is going to be difficult. Sit back so that your elbows are parallel with your stomach. Watch professionals on YouTube and notice the distance at which they sit. 

If I can help you, call me. 

​David
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Hash tags

5/6/2022

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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

    Author

    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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                                                ©2022 David Story
  • Homepage
  • Tips, Ideas, Stories, Free Lessons
  • Adult Lessons
  • Jazz Workshop #Eleven March 5, 2023
  • Contact form, fees, calendar, policies
  • Philosophy
  • Testimonials
  • Children's Winter 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