How to prepare to attend a classical music concert.

1. Find out which pieces will be played.
2. Choose one to study.
3. Search out background information, from reputable sources, on the composer and the piece.
4. On YouTube you will find experts speaking on well-known pieces. They may be worth a listen.
5. If the piece is in the public domain, you can download the score here: IMSLP: Free Sheet Music PDF Download
6. Play a few of the themes of the piece. Violin I is a good place to find these themes.
7. Watch the score on YouTube scroll as the music plays.

Below I've created an example using Beethoven's 5th Symphony.

Short explanation

This goes deeper

The score and parts are at the bottom of this page. 

I recently returned from Scotland where I attended, Mostly Audio 2023, an audio/music/Ai workshop and conference. This video summarizes all that's wrong with Ai generated music while missing the creative possibilities of Ai. 

My take aways from this video. 

• It presents a new way to sound conventional. Whereas the old way of producing banal music took time and effort, this is much quicker. 
• This is to music composition what paint by numbers is to art. 
• The part I enjoyed the most was the human generated vocabulary of the introduction. It was dope!
• The part I didn't enjoy was the voice over telling me what my reaction was supposed to be. A variation on a leading question. 
• The latest con, that you too can be a musician without time or much effort. 
• Thank goodness, the output of these musical geniuses will remain buried on YouTube. 

Musical skill, vision, and creativity will be paramount to overcome the limitations of this new medium. To succeed as a musician in the future, you will have to be better than this. As "this" will flood the market.  

However, this video does raise interesting questions for music education. The structure, delivery methods, and content of musical education will need to quickly evolve to stay relevant. But I have a few questions. 

Relevant to whom?
Do all students want to be creators or producers?
What will be the nature of musical collaboration?
Who will have time to listen to all this easily generated music?
Who will care?
Is the joy of making music in the work or the output?
How will this be monetized?
Did the "creators or producers" of this video have licenses to use the likenesses of John Coltrane?

David

This is a perennial favorite of music students. Let's look at a few key terms and concepts. 

Canon is a melody that accompanies itself at a staggered interval. Row, row, row your boat is a well-known example. In this canon the melody, played by the violinists, follows itself in two measure intervals. 
Ground Bass is the violoncello melody that repeats its 8 note pattern throughout the piece.
Cembalo or continuo is the chordal accompaniment that is improvised behind the violins. In this video it is played by the organ and the lute. Notice that the cembalo left hand outlines the ground bass. 

Other notable orchestral canons can be found in J.S. Bach’s Musical Offering. The canons in that suite of pieces feature 2 violins chasing each other around accompanied by the continuo.

Have Fun. 

David

I suggest you vary the tempi, dynamics, and articulations of the following warmup etude. These passages can also be transposed to other keys, both major and minor. 

​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. 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. 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. ​

What is the Blues?

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

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

Lesson Plan

Materials needed:

• Download the Bebop shell or Rootless chord sheets through these links: Rootless voicings click here.

Bebop Shells as taught to me by Sonny Stitt click here. 

• In the iReal Pro app search "exercises" in the song list of iReal Pro. I suggest starting with the "II-V-I in 12 major keys" first.

​​Method:

• Practice the chord voicings "II-V-I in 12 major keys" along with the app. Go as slow as you need to, and continue daily until it is automatic.

Have fun. If I can help, call me. 



​David
revised August 2022

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

My first demonstration of pedaling using the Midiculous software.

I'll send you a Zoom link, a list of learning materials required for the first lessons, and suggestions from colleagues on setting up Zoom audio and a picture on where to set up your camera. 

See you in class. 

​David

YouTube has many piano duets you can enjoy. You play primo. The score for this piece is available, free of charge and registration, through the link above.  Learn your part then put on headphones, or ear buds and play along. Remember YouTube videos can be slowed if required. 

Have fun 

​David
Revised November 2022

I'm looking forward to the section on ornamentation in Mozart. Always a tricky proposition. 

​David

4 hours of practice: No Grinding.

Top 5 tips for practicing any musical instrument
​

1. Have everything organized before you begin. Materials ready at hand. 
2. Listen to the music you are learning to play. Mark your scores.
3. Record yourself as you go along. Always know why you are repeating a passage in practice.
4. Warm-up
5. Auxiliary studies hold the keys to your eventual success: ear training, theory, sight-reading, score analysis. 
6. Bonus tip: Find a supportive enthusiastic group of fellow students to hang with, either in person or on-line. 

Playing

• Repertoire retention: Review a piece each practice from your list.
• Lesson assignments

Listening to Jazz 

• Form analysis: Who, what, when questions.
• Instrumentation: What, what, when questions
• “What’s going on here?”
• Watch Youtube videos of Jazz Transcriptions
• Suggested materials: How to Listen to Jazz by Ted Gioia

Ear training

• Transcribing licks. A lick a day transposed into different keys.
• Transposing exercise
• C jam blues in 12 keys
• Autumn leaves learn it in another key. Try in the key of F. By ear, or by writing it out.
• Suggested materials: Perfect ear App or Music Theory Pro

Jazz History

• Reading jazz history and checking out the recordings on YouTube. Each month study a different decade of jazz. Research a jazz history outline online and head for YouTube. See also Jazz History by Ted Gioia.
• Watch Youtube videos of Jazz Transcriptions

General and Jazz Specific Theory

• Key signatures, intervals, transposition, scale/chord construction.
• Suggested materials: Music Theory Pro for drills, Alfred’s essential music theory is good as are the RCM theory books. But it all depends on where you are starting at. You can ask me for a recommendation based on my assessment.

Jazz Sight reading

• Piano music: play simple stuff, use a slow metronome.
• Lead sheets
• Chording
• Suggested materials: Your fake book: open and play. Or RCM sight reading books. Again, it all depends on where you are starting at. You can ask me for a recommendation based on my assessment.

 Piano Technique

• Major scales
• Bebop scales
• Broken 7th chords: Major 7, dominant 7, minor 7, minor 7b5, diminished 7th in 12 keys. Play a maximum of 2 keys a day. SLOW IS FINE.
• I play classical piano music to keep my hands in some kind of shape. You might benefit from this as well. Or, you could play written jazz arrangements for piano. The idea is to keep the hands alive, as jazz piano study is brutal on piano techniques because we spend so much time play single note lines and left hand chords. 

If you would like some help, call me. 

​David
​

Being able to recognize the forms within a Baroque Dance suite, by ear, will be helpful. 

This will get you started on your listening journey. Enjoy. 

When I take on a new piece of music of any complexity I will go through some or all the following steps. My goal is to have a clear artistic impression of the piece before I begin. 

1. Compare the different scores available to me.
2. Seek out professional recordings.
3. Print the music as I will be marking it up. 
4. Study the form and phrasing of the work. Sometimes, as in the Telemann I will mark in the phrasing. 
5. I will consider the era in which it was written for clues on possible interpretations.
6. I translate any unfamiliar terms I find in the score.
7. I might consult other sources to explore the style and era of its creation. For the Sonata in C, I enjoyed re-reading the section on Haydn ornaments in the book below.
8. I will listen to multiple professional performances and mark on the score ideas of interest. I often will slow down a recording to hear how the artist plays their ornaments. 
9. I might consult with a colleague or my piano coach as well. 

In short, I will have a clear set of ideas, those I discovered and my own, to explore as I now start to "learn" the piece. I will share these with my students.

If I can help you discover intriguing world of classical music, please call me. 

David

1. Scrolling scores
2. Fugues voices on separate staves
3. Sublime playing by a former weight-lifter Kimiko Douglass-Ishizaka
4. Sublime compositions

Bach's WTC would be one of the 2 music books I would take with me if I was to be exiled to an island. 

David

Links: ​Sound Ways of Knowing: Music in the Interdisciplinary Curriculum : Janet R. Barrett Claire W. McCoy Kari K. Veblen : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Know more than the notes. Exploring the questions of sociological context, compositional techniques, recorded history and more will add depth and sophistication to your playing and security to your memorization. 

Click on the picture for more, or for the "science" click the link. 

Here is a simple example:

1st Movement of Sonata in F minor op. 1

Who created it?
Beethoven, German Romantic era composer 1770–1827
When and where was it created?
1795 Vienna Austria
Why and for whom was it created?
Dedicated to his teacher Joseph Haydn. Apparently it was his first publicly published work.
What does it sound or look like?
Dramatic opening rocket type theme of the tonic, then dominant chord announces that there is a "new kid in town". Great dynamic contrasts throughout the movement keep us focused. A composition of a young man.
What kind of structure or form does it have?
Classic Sonata Form
What is its subject?
The interplay is between the 2 main themes in the exposition and their development through many key centers. 
What is being expressed?
Youthful exuberance, drama and compositional skill demonstration of the classical era style.
What techniques did its creator use to help us understand what is being expressed?

• Sonata form
• Tonic/dominant harmony
• Melodic development

David

I'm going to check out Yann Tiersen today. An artist I'm not familiar with. This book is a favorite with many adult students. 

​Restarting piano after a 4-decade hiatus? How to get started.

The hands will be slow. But they will improve. Patience is the key here. An analogy: You were at 18-year-old track star back in the day. You buy a pair of expensive running shoes, the kind that promise speed, endurance, and youth. First day out, you run 10K. It is glorious, next day you can’t move. Shoes go in the closet; you are back in front of Netflix. Oops, you’ve made a tactical mistake. Try this instead.

1. Tune the piano.
2. Find a sympathetic coach/teacher.
3. Buy an anthology of classical piano music, the kind that covers a range of performance levels.
4. If you haven’t already, start listening again to classical music.
5. Take a course on Classical music appreciation. There are lots of online opportunities: YouTube, Great Courses, Community College etc.
6. Play a few scales, sight read a simple piece. Avoid a Chopin ballade if the fingers have been resting for 40 years.
7. Fifteen minutes, maybe 20 1st day and each day for a week.
8. Each week at 10% to the duration of practice.
9. Investigate the Pianist magazine, a wonderfully affirming resource for adult piano enthusiasts.
10. Dust of a theory book and review.

Have fun, if I can help, call me.
​
David

My decades old copy of Opus 821 by Czerny. Still on the piano. 

When I want to work on my tone, I go here. When I want to work on the different physical moves required in piano performance I go here.

This work covers all the keys in very short 8 measure exercises. I'm able to work on finger independence, arm weight, rotation, octaves, staccato, legato, portato, drop, thrust, dynamics, balance, and tone. 

Last weekend I attended the National Ballet of Canada's performance of "etudes". It is a 45 minute ballet of bar moves and set pieces to the etudes of Czerny. It was fun to recognize many of the pieces. It was instructive to hear the music interpreted by the dancers. 

Click here for a free copy:  https://imslp.org/wiki/160_kurze_Übungen,_Op.821_(Czerny,_Carl)

Happy practicing. 

My go to podcasts. I listen in the car on my way to classes. One reason I bounce through the door on arrival. 

• Drummers Resource by Nick Ruffini 500+ podcasts, I've listened to them all. Many more than once. My favs? Michael Carvin #55 and #159 How to practice. Benny Greb #52 How to practice: funny and informative. His description of his one hour practice technique is priceless. Kenny Washington #204 Explores his deep knowledge of jazz history. And finally the irrepressible John Ramsay #254 "approaching music as a lifelong endeavour".  Find it all here:               http://www.drummersresource.com/podcasts/
• You'll hear it by Open studio "Jazz musicians Peter Martin & Adam Maness give you daily tips on how to develop as a jazz player. Listen for a combo of actionable advice and occasional humor"  I met Peter a couple of years while attending the Roma Summer Jazz Workshop, he was teaching piano. Great guy, knows what he is doing. Some of my favorite episodes are the episodes on how to learn, how to practice, how to improve your ears. Searchable here: https://www.openstudionetwork.com/podcast/ 
• "Crushing Classical podcast is an ongoing series of provocative interviews with musicians who are pioneering a new path in the classical music genre." Fireside chat #40 explores the relationship between behaviour and goal attainment. Helpful advice and stories for us all. 

Best, 

David Story

A list of tunes I've played at public jam sessions in Toronto over the last 2 years that I've been attending as a drummer. 

All of me
Summertime
Now's the time
Au privave
Scrapple from the apple
It don't mean a thing
Satin doll
Blue bossa
C jam blues
Another cool one
Cherokee
Tenor madness
Autumn leaves
Billie's bounce
Black Orpheus
Blue monk
Oleo
Straight, no chaser
All the things you are
East of the sun
If I were a bell
My romance
There will never be another you
What is this thing called love?
Footprints
Four
Have you met miss jones?
Just friends
Mr PC
Recordame
Solar
Song for my father
So what
St. Thomas
Take the A train
All the things you are
Scrapple from the apple
There is no greater love
Watermelon man
Alone together
Girl from Ipanema
Days of wine and roses
Doxy
Softly as in a morning sunrise
Star eyes
All blues
Freddy freeloader
Ornithology
Impressions
Lester leaps in
Fly me to the moon

Less common
Blues for Alice
Donna Lee
Beautiful love
Wave
Work song
Georgia
My little suede shoes
A night in Tunisia
Tune up
How high the moon
Stella by starlight
Body and soul both fast and slow
Confirmation
I hear a rhapsody
Up jumped spring
There will never be another you
I love you
Out of nowhere
Night and day

The link below offers some good advice to read before you attend your first jam, including a short list of essential tunes for beginners. You don't need to learn the entire list before attending. A blues in Bb and F, a common standard or two, one bossa and you are ready to go.

http://music.unl.edu/jazzstudies/HaarJamSessions.pdf 

Cheers,

​David Story