This is my account of how I brought my mallet abilities to a level where I could be paid to play. 

The question was this: do the practice techniques and curriculum I teach work?

It is important to stress that before I began working with the malletkat, I had taught myself elementary xylophone. You can hear my efforts here: Early Jazz. Furthermore, I know the music that I was hired to play as I’ve played and taught it for decades on the piano. So, I wasn’t starting from scratch.

Here is the process I followed.

1. I took a few mallet lessons with Rick Dior. He showed me a grip, rootless voicings, and suggested graded repertoire, both jazz and classical. I sheaded it until I knew it inside and out. in other words, I did the work. He encouraged me to enlarge my harmonic and solo vocabulary. This will be in a future blog post.
2. I researched jazz mallets players like David Pike, Gary Burton, Lionel Hampton, Milt Jackson, and others. I listened carefully to their phrasing, pedalling, and general approach.
3. I work on the jazz mechanics as outlined in the 1-page jazz warmup. You can download the pdf here.
   1. 12 major scales and a few selected bebop scales. I worked tirelessly playing the broken chords and scales with expressive intention. Far from being a chore it was a thrill to hear my growing expressive abilities distract from my technical limitations.
   2. 60 jazz chords; solidly for comping, and broken for soloing.
   3. The 24 rootless ii V I chord progressions in major and minor keys.
   4. Minor Blues scales in the keys of a, d, c, f, bb, eb
   5. Playing the guide tones consisting of 3rds and 7ths through many chord progressions.
4. I played a lot of technical exercises to develop my hand eye coordination.
5. I watched YouTube videos playing the vibes. You can see which ones in previous blog posts.
6. I practiced tunes primarily by playing along with professional performances. I call this the Bill McBirnie method. His method of practicing is to pick a tune, load up a number of YouTube recordings and spend the afternoon playing along and transposing as needed. I practiced the chord progression patterns in step 4 with software programs.
7. I worked on phrasing and being expressive within the limitations of my mallet technique and agility. I credit this and knowing the tunes as the primary factor in the success of the evening.

 
My Future plans.

1. Building and retaining repertoire.  
2. Enlarging my harmonic vocabulary.

I've been playing scales for over 50 years so keeping it fresh can be a challenge. This etude was written for an intermediate student today. Playing scales at the 10th made it all new for her again. Feel free to try this with other scales as well. 

Keywords: Scales, scales in 10ths

​Sightreading is high speed pattern recognition. Pattern recognition comes from knowledge of rudiments and theory, piano technique, aural training, a deep knowledge of music history and stylistic performance practices and playing experience. A trained musician does not see a series of notes, they see patterns and relationships. For example, Mozart Minuet in G K 1e.

• It is in ¾ time. 
• It is attributed to Mozart. However, Mozart had a stage dad who, it is alleged, ghost wrote a few of the early works of his son.
• It is in the key of G and modulates to the dominant key of D and back with a short visit to A minor.
• It is in a two-period form of AA and BA1. 
• It is a dance. 
• It is homophonic.
• It is played elegantly and playfully because it is a dance and dancing is fun.
•  It starts with a short motive in the tonic key which is repeated down a step in the dominant key. Then it races to the cadence in measure 7-8.
• The B section starts in the relative minor of A minor. The motive from the first part is inverted. The running part is partially inverted as it races to cadence in the tonic key.

It goes on and on. Here is further advice from a professional sight reader. Do not neglect theory, aural training, piano technique, music history and performance practice. This combined with daily sightreading practice will take you closer to your goal and reading at full tempo.
If I can help you, call me.
 
David 

Tips.

1. Count aloud throughout.
2. Count one measure before you begin.
3. Practice counting and clapping first.
4. Record yourself clapping and listen back to evaluate your success or lack thereof.
5. Play one hand and count aloud. Record yourself playing and listen back to evaluate your success or lack thereof.
6. Play two hands and count aloud. Record yourself playing and listen back to evaluate your success or lack thereof.
7. Do this and similar exercises for the rest of your piano career.

If I can help you, call me. 

David

This guy explains how to correctly sit on the piano bench. As he says, sitting correctly will help us play easier and avoid injury. 

Enjoy.

David
Authors note: This page was rewritten in 2024

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

I recommend playing these warmups at various tempos with a metronome. Transposing these exercises to different keys is also highly recommended. 

David

Key words:

• Scales
• Scales in contrary motion
• Diatonic chords
• Broken chords
• Arpeggios
• Piano warmups

I wrote this for an adult student preparing for her Royal Conservatory of Music Grade 3 exam. She is working on Clowns by Kabalevsky and needed a short etude to practice her mixed articulations. Passages with mixed articulations are common throughout piano literature. 

To utilize this etude for yourself, start very slowly. Eighth note = 60 BPM and work up from there. The video will help you along. 

Have fun. 

​David

This etude will help you practice the correct finger patterns for Royal Conservatory Level 1 and 2 techniques. I would play them slooooooowly; hands separately. A metronome is recommended. 

Things to notice:

1. The accents
2. The slurs
3. The dynamics
4. The fingering

In the video I demonstrate the hand motions required. 

Have fun. 

This etude will help you to create a beautiful singing line in pieces with slow moving melodies. None of the notes are played with the fingers going up and down in the usual way, it is played all with the arm.

Look what I found tucked away. You can hear examples in the Bill Evans YouTube video below. 

To freshen up your technique and reengage your attention, try the following articulation and dynamic patterns. Remember technique is how musicians learn to control their instrument, build their interpretations, and execute beautifully. 

1, Legato
2. Staccato
3. Legato in the right hand and staccato in the left.
4. Legato in the left hand and staccato in the right.
5. Crescendo to the middle and then diminuendo to the top. 
6. Play one octave in quarter notes, then two octaves in 8ths, then three octaves in triplets, finally four octaves in 16th notes.
7. In contrary motion. This can be challenging when playing broken chords or arpeggios.
8. Scales played in formula patterns
9. Use a metronome, vary the tempo.
10. Play with your eyes closed!
11. Play with emotion. Check out last week's blog with Hilary Hahn for ideas.

​

Playing your technique (scales, chords, and arpeggios) with emotion is an important part of learning to play well. These guys, with Hilary Hahn, will give you some fun pointers. 

• Joy
• Anger
• Sadness
• Love
• Calmness
• Fear

This exercise will work on any instrument. You should vary the tempo of the metronome as your skills increase. Counting aloud is imperative. No counting in your head or mumbling. Speak boldly and clearly as you play. The first two measures are counted only. You begin playing in measure three. 

Good luck

What do we gain by learning Jazz and Pop Standards by ear?

1. We acquire an intuitive understanding of jazz and pop rhythm. 
2. We learn the feel of the music, which is something that can't be notated.
3. By playing along with recordings we learn to stay in place.
4. We learn how to solo by acquiring ideas (licks) that we can use in other pieces.
5. We learn how to play our instrument idiomatically by hearing it played in context. 
6. We begin to appreciate the depth and scope of jazz and pop history and its eras and players.
7. We learn how to mess with a melody. A first step to soloing with finesse. "Learn the melody, mess with the melody, then mess with the mess" Louis Armstrong 

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

David

Revised August 2022

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

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

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

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

Day One 

1. Dust off the metronome.
2. Set it at 60. Also known as 60 BPM (Beats per minute)
3. Practice counting aloud to the metronome: 1-2-3-4, one number per click.
4. Continue counting aloud and clap measures 1 to 9.
5. Continue counting aloud and play the right-hand notes measures 1 to 9. Counting aloud is the imperative step for success. 
6. Add the left hand and repeat measures 1 to 9.
7. Move the metronome to 70 BPM and repeat the passage.
8. Call it a day.

Day Two

1. Repeat yesterday's steps with the whole notes at 80 BPM.
2. Reset the metronome to 60. 
3. Practice counting aloud to the metronome: 1-2-3-4 one number per click.
4. Continue counting aloud and clap measures 10 to 14.
5. Continue counting aloud and play the right-hand notes measures 10 to 14. Counting aloud is imperative for success. 
6. Add the left hand and repeat measures 10 to 14.
7. Move the metronome to 70 BPM and repeat the passage.
8. Call it a day.

Day Three

1. Repeat yesterday's steps with the half notes at 80 BPM.
2. Reset the metronome to 60. 
3. Practice counting aloud to the metronome: 1-2-3-4 one number per click.
4. Continue counting aloud and clap measures 15 through 18.
5. Continue counting aloud and play the right-hand notes measures 15 through 18. Counting aloud is imperative for success. 
6. Add the left hand and repeat measures 15 through 18.
7. Move the metronome to 70 BPM and repeat the passage.
8. Stop for the day.

Day Four

1. You know what to do. 

If I can help you learn to count aloud while playing, call me.

​David
Revised August 2022

​Why use a metronome?

1. Learning to play to an external beat will pay dividends when you begin to play with others.
2. You will learn where and when you are rushing. Especially if you record yourself doing it.
3. Your sense of timing will improve. 

How to use the metronome.

1. Count aloud. If the music is in 4/4, count 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, etc. 
2. Start slowly.
3. Record yourself to evaluate how close you are to the beat. 
4. Start by playing one note per click, then 2 notes, then 3, and finally 4 notes. Keep counting aloud. No silent counting.
5. If you are having trouble, slowly clap rhythm patterns from your pieces while counting aloud. 
6. If you can’t count aloud and play, ask your teacher for help. They will be thrilled you asked.

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

Janice Legere, a long-time student, played her scales like this today. I approve. 

​David