What Time Is It?

Learning a jazz tune on piano requires us to learn all the musical elements of a tune so thoroughly that we can express anything we want through the music. If we’re playing in a group, we need to be infinitely flexible to respond to what our fellow musicians play, and when we’re playing solo, to continually … Read More

If you really want to play piano better, try writing some music. Any kind of music. The idea here is that by writing songs, you’ll be forced to think about the basic elements of music such as melody, harmony and rhythm. I know this can seem a little daunting if you’ve never tried it before, but take … Read More

Here’s a “template” I made up years ago to help me and my piano students write songs. It really works!  (But alas, even the lively Gospel-inspired radio jingle I wrote for McDonalds last year couldn’t help them sell their their “Mighty” Chicken Wings!) Do these steps and you’ll have a song: 1. Choose a musical genre (ie: … Read More

I was watching a little league baseball game this morning when a neighborhood friend walked by. I saw was pulling a hand truck with 4 boxes stacked on it so I joked, “Selling something?”  He played along and answered, “Yeah, what do you want to buy?” I made a further comment and he went on his way. As soon … Read More

We all know how much fun it is to play other people’s music. In fact, whether you play jazz, rock, pop, or classical music, that’s what we do most of. There are only 2 ways to cover a song, and they are both valid. The first way is to play it basically the same as … Read More

Yes, there are a million ways you can improve on piano. Me too. But don’t let the things you can’t play interfere with your enjoyment of the things you can play. Since I’m on a Charlie Brown kick this week, I’m remembering one of my favorite “Peanuts” comic strips which I enjoyed as a child.  Linus and his … Read More

When I teach piano to kids, I’m always aware of the push-pull between when they need to learn in order to improve, and their natural creativity. Curriculum alone will dull the joy in learning, but creativity by itself won’t get them to their goal either. I used to love the “Peanuts” (Charlie Brown) comic strip when I … Read More

According to a few articles I read this week, the era of the big rock music festival may be coming to an end. Some music industry types are bemoaning the fact that this generation isn’t producing bands like The Rolling Stones and U2 that can draw the big crowds these festivals need to survive. This may … Read More

Lately I’ve been thinking about what helps us to grow musically and become better piano players. One often overlooked aspect of this is the benefit we get from playing with our peers: other musicians. Yes, we all know that we get a lot of motivation, practice and experience by playing in a band or jamming … Read More

I heard a luxury car commercial on the radio yesterday. A smooth male voice caressed his words as he waxed poetic about the human need for both “dependability and spontaneity.” He was undoubtedly trying to highlight the “dependability” of the famous company’s pre-owned cars while urging the potential customer to be “spontaneous” and buy one today. I must confess, though, … Read More