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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.
  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 Learning tunes from a fake book is the hard way to go about things. Here is the Bill McBernie method of jazz practice in which you play by ear to multiple recordings. I could recall the basic outline of the tune "A foggy day" from playing it years ago. That helped. (If you don't know the tune, you must listen until you can sing along.) Below are the recordings and the order in which I played them. Some were played numerous times as I recalled more of the melody and figured out the key. The song was played in the keys of F, C, Eb, and Bb. I played along on vibes, not piano. I focused only on the melody . As the practicing progressed, I began to recall and understand the chords. Today I was playing it on the piano, from memory, with the chords. David
 I started part-time teaching in 1982 and in 2007 I went full-time. That is a few generations of students that have passed through my studio. What have I learned?
If I can help you get started, call me. David Successful practice will mean different things on different days.
The first step is being clear on what you will practice. Then comes the how. No one can do everything in one practice session, so priorities must be set. If I can help you prioritize your practice; please call me. David Here is one profile of a successful student who thrives on boundaries, discipline, and competition.
Mei diligently practices the following activities:
If I can help your Mei; please give me a call. David  
 Listening and Analysis The following exercises were created for a professional student. These exercises will work with almost any kind of music. If you choose classical music, I suggest music of the Baroque, Classical or Romantic eras as the scores are easily found online. If you choose pop music, the website www.musicnotes.com has the first page of every pop song that they publish, which you can use to check your answers later. The following lesson is meant to be done without reference to the written scores or your instrument. The scores are only consulted at the end to check your work. You will need: a pencil, blank manuscript paper, YouTube access, and ear buds. Listen to the first 10 seconds or so of the piece you’ve chosen. Rewind and listen again. Then start in. Repeated listening will be required. Meter
Tonality
Tempo
Dynamics
Instrumentation and orchestration
Next step is to sit with your instrument and figure out the melodies that you are hearing. Then, at the piano, check your chord progressions. After you have answered these questions download the score and compare your answers. Have fun. If I can help you, please call me. David 
Play your technique (scales, chords, and arpeggios) allegro and pianissimo or quickly and softly. The first challenge will be not to slow down or tense up. The second challenge will be to maintain an even tone.
If I can help you, please call me. 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. Watching my students perform is always a pleasure.
David Piano students often ask me, “what should I focus on in my practice sessions?” Here is my reply.
Pieces, etudes, theory, sightreading, ear training, history, technique, ensemble skills
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   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 Lesson Plan Materials needed:
Have fun. If I can help, call me. David revised August 2022 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 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  Sight-reading tips
Short story As a teenager I had the worst practicing habits. I had no focus or commitment to any task except sightreading, 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 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 
This is what Rick is working on.
Rick’s memorized list of tunes with study links.
Steps to soloing fluency.
Revised August 2022 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 |
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. AuthorI'm a professional pianist and music educator in West Toronto Ontario. I'm also a devoted percussionist and drum teacher. Categories
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