What Time Is It?

Hey Improvisers, I hope you’ve had the opportunity to spend some time playing music this week. (And please remember that it’s called “playing music.” Not “stressing about music,” or “always feeling you’re not good enough.” It’s playing music, with a sense of joy and purpose.) But I digress… Have you ever tried to play “block … Read More

Hey Improvisers, When I was 15 years old and just getting into piano improvisation, a friend of mine played me Keith Jarrett’s Köln Concert album. Wow! I couldn’t believe that someone could improvise music like this, and my world was changed forever. It may be difficult to imagine a time when Keith Jarrett wasn’t playing … Read More

Hey Improvisers, Thanks for the warm response to last week’s post about my KeyboardImprov “creation story.” Your support and enthusiasm means a lot to me and I’m glad that so many of you are finding inspiration in what I shared in that post. I’m still working on my book, and I’ve started posting Real Book … Read More

Hey Improvisers, When was in college, working towards a degree in classical music composition, I wrote a vocal/piano piece based on a poem by Emily Dickinson. Here’s the poem: To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee, One clover, and a bee. And revery. The revery alone will do, If bees are … Read More

Hey Improvisers! Look to the sky, indeed. Besides being the title of the new Journey Through The Real Book video, “Look To The Sky” is a great motto for our development as pianists. Rather than keeping our heads in the clouds, so to speak, we’ll improve fastest and have emotionally healthy musical lives if we … Read More

Hey Improvisers, Since having a healthy mental attitude is such a big part of playing piano, I thought I’d share a perspective with you that we rarely hear about. If you can embrace this, you’ll be a happier pianist and play at a consistently higher level as well. Here it goes: Have you ever sat … Read More

Hey Improvisers, “Bravo” to all my piano students who made videos for our Online Piano Recital. The big takeaway from the 22 performances is that to give a great performance, it’s usually best to stay within your current abilities, and work with what you can play fluently. Not only does this take the pressure of … Read More

Hey Improvisers! Where do you go for musical inspiration? What motivates you to sit down and play your favorite music? What gets you excited about practicing new stuff? The key is to find a source of inspiration that motivates you without making you feel overwhelmed or not “good enough.” I’m delighted to report that the … Read More

Hey Improvisers, While playing Jerome Kern’s great song “Long Ago And Far Away,” I was reminded about how important it is to become familiar with some of the most common chord progressions. Progressions such as I-vi-ii-V, ii-V-I, I-vi-IV-V, and I-V-vi-IV are the foundational building blocks of countless pop, jazz, rock, and folk songs, and by … Read More

Hey Improvisers, If there’s anything I’ve learned during my musical career, it’s that we learn best as part of a community. Whether it’s by playing in a band, taking classes with other music students, or simply hanging out at a friend’s house while listening to recordings, we thrive when we and our peers support one … Read More