Bach Would Be Proud: I Teach Modern Basso Continuo (Chords)

As I talk to prospective students and their parents, I think more about explaining why I teach playing by chords and ear, not just by note reading like most teachers, and how remarkably effective this
teaching method is.  I'm passionate on this and want to spread this method!   Learning chords is a very old and somewhat forgotten essential keyboard skill.  Really, essential.  Like scales.  But it's been lost for the most part.  Why?  Especially since learning to play by ear and aural training is still common in Eastern Europe, Russia (Eur-russia is where a LOT of the greatest pianists and composers come from) and Asia (think Suzuki method for toddlers).

Familiar with Bach? In Bach's day, it was taken for granted that a keyboard player could be given the basso continuo (their equivalent to chord symbols) and realize the appropriate harmony in order to accompany other musicians or simply a melody.  Bach would be proud: I teach that.  Why don't others?

There are many reasons many pianist don't know, much less teach, chord playing today. Since I'm a history buff and music history was my major's concentration, this development was fascinating to me.  One reason for chord playing's neglect is that this skill was not the rage of the mid to late 1800's, when learning piano became a favorite American hobby especially for the young.  The rage was to be able to play like Chopin - or at least play Chopin.  And every other virtuoso that was the rockstar of Victorian audiences.  Seriously, Franz Liszt was the Beetles/BG's/Ricky Martin/One Direction/Backstreet Boys of his day.   (I had to think hard for the names of these girl-gaggle-gathering boy stars.)

  Though the piano rage started to wane as Elvis and the Beatles came on the scene, it seemed like by the 50's, hardly a house lacked a piano, and everybody's aunt taught lessons. For the purpose of playing classical and sacred music by note.

And still today piano teachers are trying to get every student to be Rachmaninoff.  And yes, I totally completely 100% want every pianist to play classical music!!!  But, Bach would say they need to play chord symbols too.  And Rachmaninoff would scoff (I had to) if he heard musicians didn't have aural training.  So, let's all get together, take over modern America, and LEARN TO PLAY THE THREE WAYS!  **cue in 1812 Overture Canons**

I just searched online: "humor piano"

 Oh. the. joy. Where have I been? I posted that question to facebook. And tagged all the musician friends I could think of in 20 seconds. And there was much rejoicing.

And I'll just post one find - you can go indulge on the rest.

Paperman - Pixar Short

I must learn this piece - probably by ear, but I'll check out if there's sheet music available.  This is part of my youtube playlist "Uplifting and Serene."



Track from Paperman Short Movie before Wreck It Ralph

Monthly Wrapup: August 2014

A Few Facts: 

- It's been over 3 years since my last piano lesson.  I want to find a teacher for a 2 month stint.  I could also find some masterclasses to attend at a school of music.

- Film composers often have a motley assortment of projects they've worked on.  Often you can look up the works of your favorite composer and find new ear candy. 


 - Michael W. Smith's Freedom is one of my favorite instrumental albums.  Orchestral, celtic, drama, epic, sweet...

- Weird Al does the greatest parodies.  New album just came out!  You have to watch the music videos.

-  "From his earliest days as a prodigy in Bonn, Ludwig van Beethoven's great ambition had been to travel to Vienna to meet - and take lessons with - the man he knew was the greatest living composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart." Read more.



Awesome thing from this month:  
- I've had seven prospective students with whom I've been chatting or arranging meetings.  Since I only taught ONE lesson this month, I realized how much I would miss it if I got much more of a vacation!  I'd miss the interaction, involvement, relationship, and I'd loose my touch.  Use it or loose it, as I always say.  For all you students/parents who read this, I hope you know that you make my day and add so much zest to my life! :)  Thank you!


To-do's and Goals for this Month: 
- Finish memorizing Finlandia.  I've performed this so many times over the last 4 years that it's almost there, and has almost been there for too long.
- Change my quickly updated cell phone answering greeting - It's many people's first impression of me!
- Speed up the first page of Flight of the Bumblebee - one of the pieces I'm reviewing. 

Requirements & "Bad" Students are Worth It

What students or their parents require of me:  

Often it's that I am classically trained, along with teaching ability which I've trained in as well, though it's for you to judge whether I have good rapport with your child. I teach according to your preferences and goals, but do have methods and teaching material which I think are effective in making lifelong successful musicians, both professional and amateur, and would be happy to discuss my ideas.*

What I Require of my Students: 

 All I require is practice and a fair amount of respect.  I don't require great love of music or enthusiasm in practicing, because a lack of those can be overcome. :) Everybody can love music and love practicing (oh yes, like achieving anything, it's a hard but rewarding road). I'm not saying I'm able to conquer any student's dislike of learning piano. I'm only saying, I can teach them.  And maybe, with time and persistence, that hatred can turn to love.

It did for me.

My beloved piano teacher, Dave Clark, always said his most fulfilling teaching moments were when difficult students seemed to turn a new page. He described how many students would crawl along, and then, seemingly out of the blue, it was like the scales fell from their eyes and their musical ability finally came out. Oh, it's a hard wait for a teacher, but the reward is great.  It's worth it.

"I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great & noble.  The world is moved along not by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker."
Helen Keller (1880-1968)

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." --Thomas A. Edison

"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore..." Statue of Liberty Inscription

"It is better to give than to receive." Bible


*The Three Ways to Play Piano

A Pinterest Board

I love finding neat resources from other musicians and especially music teachers.  Recently, I put this pinterest board on my "save now, read later" list, and today finally looked at it.  Lynnette has a lot of other great music boards, so I'll have lots of fun when I get to my "read later" list!

There are some great free sheet music links here:

http://www.pinterest.com/lynnetteemme/sheet-music/

Greek Music Reconstruction

Some of the few earliest notated music pieces mankind has preserved are Greek.  Fascinating archeological and musicological project, as we try to cipher what those squiggles and jots mean.  Read article here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24611454

 The Classical Greeks wrote the earliest expositions on the science of sound,  which I never miss an opportunity to expound on to my students or chance passers by. :)  As best as I can, despite my sparse knowledge of this science, I explain why some notes sound great together while others are difficult on the ears, like an out of tune instrument (voice!).  The reality of consonance (stable) and dissonance (unstable) in sounds comes out of the way our world is, how it was designed, I believe.  It is elemental to understanding music composition and forms the basis of our theories about music and the emotions it conveys. 

Flash Mob Motherload

I think I also have an obsession with flashmobs! See this post:   My Obsession (Flashmobs)   Many are musical, so enjoy, my friends!

P.S. Don't miss the ones posted in the comments section! 

P.P.S. Here's one of my favorites (because I think I already posted Handel's Messiah somewhere else!) :

Scales and Great Performers

I find great fodder for blogging in the trenches of piano teaching.  Today's subject is entirely ordinary - but it makes for extraordinary musicians.  And instead of just pasting my rather dry links to exercise charts, let me relate the inimitable way my best piano teacher, Dave Clark, describes the world's greatest musicians:

1) they know their scales
2) they know more than one instrument
3) they dress funny.

Now on to the dry stuff: I needed to find printable scales for a student to practice from.  Using a book for this is a sure way to kill the binding, so a few pages printed is worth the effort: 


Major Scales Chart 
(except Ab, go here for that one)

Natural Minor Scales Chart


Go here to view images of keyboards to see which keys to play
in either major or minor scales.

The liberating, terrifying realities of deliberate practice (and the 6 best deliberate practice books)

I highly recommend that older music students read one of these books.  But for starters, just read the  article:



The liberating, terrifying realities of deliberate practice (and the 6 best deliberate practice books)

 Of course honing practice skills would benefit anyone in any field (it's just practical ;)  !