Ron's blog on piano improv and the role of music in our lives
So you’re a professional musician and have just moved to a new city. You need work but your not sure how to get it. All the musical jobs are filled by great players and nobody’s looking for “newcomers.” What do you do? How do you proceed? (Insert big pause here………) Gone are the days when … Read More
If you want an out-of-the ordinary musical experience, listen to “Become Ocean” by the composer John Luther Adams. This is the piece that won Adams the 2014 Pulitzer prize for music (yes, there is such a thing!). If you’re up for a musical adventure, check it out. Have a listen. But really listen. Set aside … Read More
I’ve noticed that our usual way of thinking about great musicians is often linear. We think that we can do “this,” they can do “that,” and the road from “this” to “that” is quantitative. In other words, our logic says, “If I learn more of what I’m currently learning, and do it better, I’ll get … Read More
At some point in your songwriting journey, you’ll need to “take the plunge” and immerse yourself in the type of songs you want to write. Learn to play some songs in the style you compose in. For instance, if you write contemporary pop music with jazz influences, learn 10 Stevie Wonder songs very well. By … Read More
Have you ever spent some time looking at a river? For an hour or so, just watching the water flow by? I did this morning. It’s my last day in Alaska for the summer and my cabin is about 20 feet from the Nenana River so I decided to get to know it a little … Read More
I just got back from an off-trail hike in Denali National Park (Alaska) and wanted to tell you about something interesting that happened. I was with an experienced ranger and a group of 8 visitors from various countries. A few, like myself, were from the US, but there was also a woman from Poland and … Read More
Last night was my final performance at this year’s Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival. I had a lot of fun teaching and performing during the past 2 weeks and it was great to see the amazing progress all my students made in such a short time! I definitely recommend that you attend some sort of piano … Read More
One of the biggest questions beginning jazz pianists have is, “What do I play behind a soloist?” Comping, or accompanying is one of the most fun parts of jazz piano. As the group’s pianist, not only do you get to solo, but you get to interact with each soloist as they take their turn in … Read More
Look for musical analogies: “Ah, Bach uses this chord progression that’s similar to “Autumn Leaves.” “The Bruno Mars song “Count on Me” uses a 2-beat rhythm, just like traditional country music.” “Charlie Parker sounds a little like his idol, Lester Young, speeded up and an octave higher.” When you’re playing and listening to music, look … Read More
Ignore any hard and fast “rules” people will tell you about how to practice music. For example, to practicing sightreading, you’ll often hear “Never stop, no matter what mistakes you make. Always keep the tempo steady.” I realize this is well-intentioned, since if you’re playing with other musicians or in public you can’t stop. So … Read More