Ron's blog on piano improv and the role of music in our lives
Piano students often ask me “What is the best way to learn harmony?” They correctly sense that they’ll understand music better and have an easier time learning new pieces and improvising if they learn chords and theory, but they’re not sure exactly which book to use, or if there’s a better way to learn theory. … Read More
Bob Dylan doesn’t ‘have’ to write songs; he ‘gets’ to. Einstein didn’t ‘have’ to think about physics,; he loved it so much he couldn’t stop himself. Picasso didn’t ‘have’ to paint; he just liked to play with shapes. Stephen Nachmanovitch, in his excellent book Freeplay, says,”Creative work is play.” And “The most potent muse of … Read More
One of my students, Candido, recently asked about playing rootless voicings in the LH, in the context of playing with a bass player. This is a great question, and one of the most important skills to develop for playing jazz piano. There are 2 aspects to this, as it relates to playing with a bass … Read More
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ famous appearance on the Ed Sullivan show. While reading through the numerous newspaper articles about the significance of that appearance, I’m struck by the number of eyewitnesses who are quoted as saying they had no idea of the Beatles’ future greatness. Fair enough, but sometimes there’s an … Read More
Someone recently asked me “What is the best way to learn how to improvise music?” This is a GREAT question! Even as an experienced improviser, I find it helpful to come back to these basic questions. In fact, I was unprepared for the answer that popped into my head after reading the question: “The best … Read More
Have you ever watched kids learn to ice skate? On the one hand, there’s the kid who slowly walks onto the ice and holds onto the railing for balance. When he feels ready, he gently lets go and tentatively slides an inch forward. Then he prudently checks his balance, and tried again, inching forward. Perhaps … Read More
St. Thomas, with it’s infectious calypso rhythm, is one of the first tunes that many jazz musicians learn to play. Saxophonist Sonny Rollins is credited as composer, but it’s possible that the song is actually based on a traditional Caribbean tune. Either way, the song became an instant classic when Rollins recorded it for his … Read More
There’s no way around it: if we want to play the way we want to, we need to work at it. A lot. In fact, most of the great musicians we idolize got that way because they love to practice. At some point in their lives, they practiced and practiced and practiced until the music … Read More
Hmmm… I’m sitting at the piano, and about to improvise some music, but what do I play? How to start? Hmmm… The blank page The empty slate Tabula rasa Call it what you will, it’s real. But is it the whole story? Yes, the blank page is there, and with it the pressure I put … Read More
Why do we practice music? I mean, in any given moment, what motivates us to actually sit down at our instrument and practice? The immediate answer is usually “to get better.” True, but if we all want to “get better,” then why do so many of us procrastinate and put off practicing? Both amateurs and professionals want … Read More