What Time Is It?

We all have varying degrees of confidence when playing the piano in public. Some of us perform with gusto while some of us feel like we’re barely getting through the piece. (And yes, it can change from day-to-day.) This is something I’ve been studying for years, both through my own experiences and by helping my … Read More

When I read the news last week that blues guitar legend B.B. King had died, two things immediately came to my mind. First, I remembered the one time I heard him live, at the 1987 JVC Jazz Festival in Nice, France. Even though there were lots of musicians playing on the outdoor event’s 3 stages, … Read More

Playing piano is a little like jogging… … some days it’s easy, and some days it’s not. Some days your fingers move effortlessly, and the next day they feel like lead. Some days the ideas just pour out of you, and some days nothing comes out right. It doesn’t matter. Do it anyway, because the … Read More

On Sunday, June 4, 1967, Jimi Hendrix and his band played one of their first performances in London. The guitar virtuoso must have known what a splash he was making among the British rock stars who were coming to hear this “new guy” play. Sunday night’s audience at the Saville Theater included The Beatles’ own … Read More

I heard a kid singing in the park yesterday. He was about 8 or 9 years and was playing by the swingset. He wasn’t singing any particular song, but was kind of humming in a singsong kind of way, like we sometimes do in the shower. The amazing thing was that he went on for … Read More

Why do coffee shops spend countless resources to make the best coffee possible, but then serve it in cups with a tiny opening which drastically stifles how our tongues experience the flavor? Why do musicians use expensive technology to make their recordings sound as full as possible, but then severely reduce the sound quality by … Read More

When you get a chance (today if possible), take out a pencil and paper (or digital equivalent). Make 2 columns. In the first column write down all the things you need to improve about your piano playing. In the second column, write down all the things that you do well. Here’s the catch: the two … Read More

Watching the various birthday tributes for Yogi Berra, who turned 90 earlier this week, made me remember my own (brief) encounter with the baseball legend, which occurred in less-than-ideal circumstances, at least from a musical point of view. On December, in the mid-1990s, I picked up the phone to hear my good friend, Chip, ask … Read More

I get asked this question a lot: “What fingering should I use when improvising on piano?” Here’s my answer: Don’t worry about fingering when improvising. At least, don’t worry about planning it out in advance, and don’t worry about playing with “proper” fingering. Instead, what you need to do is develop good fingering habits. Yes, … Read More

Have you ever listened to rests? I mean playing music on the piano and listening to the spaces between phrases. Try it. Try it while playing a piece from memory, or while looking at sheet music, or while improvising. But instead of listening mainly to the notes like we usually do, listen to the rests. The … Read More