Posted on 16 September 2008
Are there really secrets to becoming a really good piano player? Or is it just a matter of practice, practice, practice?
Practice is necessary, of course, but you could practice until the cows come home without understanding what you’re doing at the piano, and all you would end up with is fingers that behave obediently [...]
Posted on 16 September 2008
What in the world is “naked music?”
You know it when you hear it, but the words that describe it sound strange, don’t they? We’ve all heard of popular music and rock music and gospel music and jazz music, but naked music?
Naked music is simply the notes on a piece of sheet music. It’s “naked” [...]
Posted on 16 September 2008
Playing by ear is the ability to play a piece of music (or, eventually, learn an instrument) by simply listening to it repeatedly. The majority of self-taught musicians began their education this way; they picked up their instrument and began playing an easy melody from a well-known song, slowly picking out the notes as they [...]
Posted on 16 September 2008
Piano improvising and arranging is an art but definitely not a science. It is all based on chords and chord progressions. There aren’t any steadfast rules for creating an arrangement, nothing to dictate the limitless potential of your imagination. Musicians learn to arrange by simply arranging – and improvise by improvising — over and over [...]