Learning to play a musical instrument, even at an elementary level, is going to take effort and persistence. Any activity that helps you to maintain your enthusiasm should be welcomed. Here are five ways I assist myself. You might think up your own list.

1. My practice space is organized because I’ve made it easy to practice by removing the friction that disorder causes.
2. I don’t call it practice; I call it “fooling around with what the teacher showed me” time. I’ve flipped the childish mindset of solitary practice as punishment to as solitary practice as “me time.” In short, a reward.
3. I attend concerts and watch world class musicians perform.
4. Over the years I’ve attended summer music camp and workshops for adults. I attended my first at age 13 and my latest at age 64. That’s over fifty years of fun and learning from world class musicians and other keeners such as myself.
5. I’ve practice partners whom I met up with each week. We cheer each other on. 

A New Student's Profile
 
The new student is a young professional with a keen interest in learning to play jazz piano. They took piano and trumpet lessons in high school. They have a basic understanding of music theory. Aural skills are excellent.

Their program will include the following components:

1. Learning several simple jazz melodies by ear. This will give them something to work with as they learn to improvise. And they won’t be simultaneously working on a tune and trying to improvise at the same time. Using their ears to learn the melodies from YouTube recordings will teach them to articulate the melodies in an idiomatic way because reading melodies from the fakebook never does. Jazz is an aural art form not a visual one. Come to think of it, so is Classical piano.
2. They have started learning, by rote, the sixty jazz chords: Major 7th, Dominant 7th, minor 7th, minor 7b5, and diminished 7th chords. These are the basis of jazz harmony and jazz improvisation.
3. I recommended that they revisit written piano music to keep their piano skills sharp because jazz piano is notorious for “killing” the left hand of pianists.
4. First tune up is C jam Blues. (You can view this part of the lesson for free. No strings attached.) They began learning the different interpretations of that famous melody. Along the way they heard simple licks the pianists put in the music. These licks, learned by ear, are the beginning of their library of idiomatic phrases for later use.

If I can help you, call me.
 
David 

1. Take a short break from piano to refresh and recommit to the project. 
2. Go to a piano concert. 
3. Practice more. 
4. Review your favorite pieces from the past. (You will quickly notice how you have improved.)
5. Teach yourself, using YouTube, how to make dance music tracks on Garage band.
6. Try learning a new genre of music. If you play jazz, pick a classical piece and vice versa. 
7. On your walks listen to the best pianists play the style of music you like. 
8. Catch up on your theory.
9. Find some new friends to make music with. 
10. Go to music camp. 

Have a great summer. 
​
If you would like to meet in the summer, call me. I have some limited availability. 

Cheers, 

david

Years ago, while adjudicating piano exams in Aurora Ontario, I heard a young child came in to sit for her grade 2 piano exam. The performance was so beautiful, it took my breath away. Could you learn to play as well as her? Yes, with patient work. Thankfully to play the piano competently only requires you to follow a well-worn path. A path that has evolved over the last two hundred years beginning with CPE Bach's 1787 "Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments," to today's Adult Piano Adventures by Nancy and Randell Faber. I invite you to follow the links for more information. 

However, you will need to plan to succeed; so please consider the following conditions that you will need to meet: 

1. Time to practice. 
2. Resources to pay for lessons.
3. Realistic expectations.
4. Patience.
5. Trusting the process. 

If I can help you, please call me. 

David
text: 905-330-1349

How should I practice piano?

To practice piano effectively, here are some steps you can follow:

1. Set clear goals: Determine what you want to achieve with your piano practice, whether it's to learn a specific piece, improve your technique, or develop your theory skills.
2. Warm up: Start with simple exercises to warm up your hands and get in the right mindset for practice.
3. Practice consistently: Make a schedule and stick to it. Consistency is key to making progress on the piano.
4. Focus on technique: Pay attention to your hand position, finger placement, and arm movements. Make sure you're using proper technique to prevent injury and improve your sound.
5. Use different resources: In addition to practicing with sheet music, use educational books, videos, and online resources to supplement your practice.
6. Pay attention to detail: Slow down and focus on individual phrases and sections, paying attention to details like dynamics and phrasing.
7. Review and reflect: Regularly review what you've learned and think about what you need to work on next. This will help you stay motivated and make steady progress.

Have fun: Finally, make sure to enjoy the process! Playing the piano should be a source of joy and fulfillment, not stress and frustration.

----------------------------

Not bad. However, recording yourself is missing. 

David

It is a good day to revisit the elements of musicianship. These are the areas of practice and/or reflection that successful musicians and earnest students consider, do, and follow. 

1. They listen to professional recordings and mark up their scores in response to what they hear. This is the shortest way to develop stylistic awareness in your playing. 

2. Theory helps musicians understand what they are listening to, communicate with their colleagues and teachers, and see the structural patterns within the music.

3. A fine sight reader takes less time to learn a new piece. Furthermore, a fine sight reader can play music for fun, without preparation. 

4. Technique is the pillar of success; nothing is worse than hearing music in your head that you cannot execute. 

5. Aural skills are ear skills connected with theory skills.

• As a professional musician I have a challenging time playing well without a clear aural impression before I start.
• Without strong aural skills it is difficult to memorize music.
• Ultimately, all musicians play by ear.  

6.  Historical awareness is the depth of knowledge and experience a musician/student brings to a project. If you want to play country music you have to know the players, repertoire, and historical styles of the genre, or your performances will always lack insight and finesse. Ditto for jazz and classical music. 

​7. However, your emotional commitment to the project is the most crucial element of musicianship. You must have faith that, with time, your goals are reachable. Students who follow the curriculum, practice correctly, attend concerts, listen to music, hang with other adults on the same path, seek additional information to support what they learn in lessons, ask questions, and persevere will win.

​If I can help, call me. 

David

The real estate coach Tom Ferry, says if you have three or more goals for your business this year, you have no goals. Ditto for piano. ​

Here are some realistic goals for my students. 
​

1. Adult starter: Complete the first volume of Piano Adventures for Adults, play in one workshop, and attend one professional piano recital.
2. Adult Classical piano student Grades A to 8: Complete one grade this year, sit for the exam, play in a recital, and attend one professional piano recital.
3. Adult Classical piano student Grades 9 or 10: Complete 50% this year, sit for the exam, play in a recital, and attend one professional piano recital.
   
4. Adult Jazz student with basic piano skills: Memorize 10 tunes and play three of them, from memory, in a workshop/masterclass, and attend one professional jazz concert or visit a jazz club.
5. Children: End the year as enthusiastic as the year began, play in three recitals, and move through at least one level of Piano Adventures for kids, or one RCM grade level. 

Call me, I can help.

David

Super video demonstration but...

Let's consider the assumptions he is making about you the student/listener. 

1. You can play your instrument.
2. You have experience playing music in multiple keys. Though jazz is mostly in C, F, Bb, Eb, and Ab and related minor keys, he goes farther afield.
3. You can play jazz.
4. You can play by ear.
5. You are familiar with the seminal recordings he references.
6. You are familiar with the songs he is playing.
7. You understand musical rudiments, including key signatures, intervals, time signatures, transposition, cadences and much more. 
8. You have advanced solfege and piano skills so you can play bass lines and sing the melody over it.
9. You understand harmonic theory and are able execute chord progressions in time, with a beat, and use the appropriate jazz facial expressions.
10. You know of Ray Brown and his significance.
11. You understand following terms and their musical significance: melody, bass lines, transposition, diatonic, tonic, major 7th intervals, root-7 root-6 movement, Bebop shells 3rd and 7th, the tritone, 5ths, half-steps, interval inversions, 5 in the key of G, lineage of the tune (?), perfect 4ths, non-diatonic ii-Vs, half diminished, 3 of a key, original "changes", "Miles, " Ab7#11 chords, keys, closely related keys, major 3rds, major scales, circle of 5ths, root movements, ii-V of IV, bridge, "key of music."
12. In Peter’s defense, he offers practice suggestions around 9 minutes mark. 
13. On the other hand, as all Vloggers do, he downplays the complexity of what he is doing. Sigh.

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. 

1. If needed, I will teach you to play your instrument. We will work through a solid canon of piano works that explore multiple keys. 
2. I will teach you to play jazz.
3. I will teach you to play by ear. Can you play jingle bells by ear? If so, great you are on your way. If not, I will help you get started. 
4. The most important jazz recordings. I will introduce you to 100+ years of jazz recordings. If your knowledge is a bit spotty, start here: The 100 Jazz Albums That Shook The World | Jazzwise and Double Time Top 100 Historically Significant Recordings article @ All About Jazz. It is important to note the absence of early jazz recordings on these listings. Jazz has a history spanning 3 centuries, but jazz education seems stuck in, at best, a 30-year period from 1945 to 65. The first list has a number a modern recordings from the last 40 years. 
5. I will help you get your theory together.
6. We will do solfege together. I use both moveable doh system and the number system. Solfege is widely taught in Europe, but unfortunately not so much in North America. 
7. We will study jazz harmony when you've got your theory together.
8. Ray Brown is an important bassist.
9. Working on steps one through nine will answer all the questions you may have from step 11 above.
10. I will teach you how to practice.
11. I will encourage you to get outside feedback and advice from other sources. 

Call me, 

David

BTW: in 2017, I studied with Peter Martin in Rome Italy at the ROMA Jazz Workshop. I was in Rome studying jazz drumming with Greg Hutchinson. Greg played in Ray Brown’s last group. ​Peter is a great guy and a very skilled musician. When I grow up, I want to play piano like him. 

Updated 2024

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.

1. Repertoire
2. Etudes
3. Theory
4. Sightreading
5. Technique
6. Ear Training.

This short blog focuses on working at the piano. 

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. 

1. Technique includes the assigned scales, chords, arpeggios, and etudes. Remember to use your metronome!
2. Sightreading includes rhythmic as well as written exercises from your "Four Star" books. 
3. Review at least one piece of completed repertoire. I suggest reviewing a different piece in every practice session to keep your repertoire performance ready.
4. New work, the heart of practice. Remember to listen to a professional recording before starting. We all need a fresh impression before beginning. Try to fix at least one passage in each practice session. 

Good luck

David 

​Here is one profile of a successful student who thrives on boundaries, discipline, and competition.

Mei diligently practices the following activities:

• She listens daily to professional recordings of her pieces. She knows every part by heart!
• She diligently prioritizes her time so that she can practice her etudes, repertoire, theory, sight-reading, ear training, and technique.
• She uses the metronome when sight-reading and practicing her technique. She has learned to count aloud and play at the same time.
• She records herself regularly for quick feedback.
• She participates in recitals, competitions, and piano exams. Her friends do the same. In fact, she has made many of those friends at the competitions.
• She explores topics related to her studies on YouTube searching for alternative perspectives.
• She attends piano concerts.
• She has a favorite YouTube piano influencer.

​If I can help your Mei; please give me a call.

​David

     I recently attended the Louisville Jazz Workshop at the University of Louisville in Louisville in Kentucky. The legendary bassist Rufus Reid gave a stunning solo recital. His playing was exciting, imaginative, dynamic, and colourful. Later that day he shared his practice tips with the audience of jazz students. He stressed that no matter how long our practice session might be students need to include the following:

• Technique. Practice the basics and get on top of your instrument. Make sure you can keep the beat, the count, and the groove. 
• Style. Practice producing a “good sound”. Play your instrument in "a nice way". Be creative with your approach. 
• Repertoire. Learn the jazz standards by heart. Listen to the jazz canon, and then play along with these recordings.
• Patience. He stressed being reasonable with yourself by not pushing past your actual ability. It takes time to learn to play both your instrument and the jazz idiom well. 
 
Thank you to Frank for the note outline.

Here is my top 10 list of skills to work on ahead of camp. You don't need to be an expert, but you will need some familiarity with the following skills and activities.​

1. Comping and voice leading chords.
2. Practice sightreading simple chord charts like blues in Bb and F, Summertime, Killer Joe, etc. Click out the Aebersold picture for some suggestions. By clicking on the image, you will go to a product page. I don't take a commission. ​
3. Play along with recordings. 
4. Record yourself and listen back. 
5. Practice playing louder because drums are loud.
6. Practice your right-hand broken chords for every tune on the Aebersold list.
7. Use a metronome on everything you play and practice.
8. Learn to clap and count aloud eighth note jazz rhythms.
9. Listen to jazz daily.
10. Sign up early to camp because piano spots go quickly.

What tunes should you practice?

If I can help you, call me. I've attended a dozen jazz camps over the years as a pianist and drummer. 

David

​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

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. 

1. Start on a high note by playing pieces you know. Reviewing old favorites is good for the soul.
2. Next play your assigned scales five times each.
3. Review your assigned chords five times each.
4. Mess around on your DAW.
5. Work on 4 measures of your new piece. Clap the rhythm while counting aloud, then play hands separately, then hands together. Record yourself, listen back. Repeat as needed. Stick with it until the short section of music is completed and secure. Remember to start slowly.
6. Finish with a favorite piece. 

If I can help you, call me. 

David

Revised August 2022

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

• 1 scale
• 1 tonic chord played solid and broken
• V7 chord solid and broken
• I and V7 arpeggio

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.

1. I have all my materials ready at hand.
2. I decide on the goal of today’s practice. The goal is rarely more than a single minute of music. In other words, I don’t try to practice everything.
3. I start the video recorder.
4. I start slow and work out the stickings.
5. I experiment with the stickings, dynamics, phrasing, licks, rolls etc.
6. I slowly speed up the repetitions.
7. I try out another set of approaches.
8. I occasionally bang the sticks in frustration.
9. I keep at it until I’ve got something I’m proud to post online.
10. I’m done for the day.

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

​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

I spent the summer of 2001 making music on the Mediterranean near Santa Pola, Spain in a small apartment overlooking the sea. I fondly remember the sun, the heat, the paella, the wine, the flowers, and the nightly walks along the seaside promenade. 

Now to the story.

I had had big plans of dragging my portable piano to Spain. At the check-in counter in Toronto the agent promptly rejected the piano in the lovely crate I had built. The airline won’t let me check it as baggage because they said it was as big and heavy as a coffin. Dejected I sent it home in an in-law’s car trunk. As luck would have it, I had another in-law in Spain with an old unused Casio keyboard of sixty-five keys, one pedal, a stand, and books of Bach and Chopin.

I set up that keyboard in a window with the ocean view. Then I started playing during the long afternoon siestas. Bach, Chopin, and I quickly fell in love. Apparently so did my new neighbors who, unbeknownst to me, heard me practicing hours on end through that open window.

Back in Canada I started asking about for a “Classical” piano teacher. A professor from McMaster University recommended Leon Karan. I set up a lesson. It didn’t go well. I banged through some scales and thumped out my Bach. Though I was embarrased and humiliated, Leon was kind. After I recovered, he said, “you are of course going to do your ARCT?” “I am?” Five thousand hours later I earned an ARCT diploma in piano pedagogy and won a national scholarship. Thank you, Leon, for your patience. You changed my life.

David

Revised August 2022

Preparing to succeed is the first step. Here are some things successful student do to prepare.

​1. They understand how to use Zoom. They have set up the camera so that I can see their hands. The screen is set up so that they can see me as well. Some students use more than one camera. (Most students set up the laptop on a table to the side of the piano.)
2. They have created a realistic practice schedule. They understand that learning to play the piano to a level of proficiency takes time.
3. They have created an organized practice space for productive work.
4. They understand the costs involved.
5. They have told their significant others of their plans and their need for emotional support and encouragement.
6. They understand that they need to lean on their strengths when the going gets tough.  
 
If I can help you get started, please call me. 
 
David
Revised August 2022

1. Listening every day to the recordings, supplied with your books, prepares your ears for the task ahead. (Students often play a wrong note for an entire week, because they don't fully know how the music sounds.) As the Bugs Bunny Theme song “This is it” says, “We know every part by heart.”
2. Record yourself playing. Video is best. Play, watch, make notes on what did and didn't work. This helps you avoid mindless repetition, also known as grinding. 
3. Play your scales, chords, and arpeggios with a metronome. In modern music performance and production, the ability to play with a metronome is imperative. Try these suggestions if you are having difficulty: Use a comfortable tempo. Count aloud, starting with one note per click. Later, when you are comfortable, try two notes per click. Make a note of the tempo played by date. Incrementally increase the tempo.
4. Memorise your pieces and technique at your earliest convenience. In the theater, rehearsals get serious when the actors are “off the book.” 
5. Spend one-third of your time on theory, ear training, and sight reading. These are the pillars of musical understanding, interpretation, and memorization.

If I can help you, call me.
 
David 
Revised August 2022

I'm learning to play the xylophone. 

What have I learned?

• Xylophone is a happy instrument.
  
• Practice works.
• Video feedback is quite helpful.
• Practicing until I get something I would post on social media really helps to focus my practice sessions. The goal is clear. Is it good enough to post? 
• Jazz is rhythm first, notes second.
• Articulation and dynamics are key to expressive performance.
• You can't fake it. 

Best, 

David 
Revised August 2022

The internet is full of hucksters telling you that learning to play the piano is easy. It's not, but it is fun. Every day I watch my students grow; the days turn into years. And, inch by inch, progress is made. 

If I can help you on your journey, call me. 

David
Revised August 2022