What is a german 6th?
Where can I find on-line piano lessons on
the net?
What opportunities are there to make money as
a pianist?
I want to learn all about piano performance and theory. Where do I
start?
My child is taking piano lessons, but seems very timid at the piano,
and I don't understand why.
My piano teacher told me to use my arms more when I play.
Why is that important?
How should I position my body to play the piano?
How do I learn to improvise and play
jazz and pop?
How do I teach myself to play the piano?
Do I have to have a teacher to learn to
play the piano?
I haven't played the piano for a long time. How do I get
started again?
The german sixth is a type of augmented 6th chord that was used during the classical area. It was often used during modulation, to approach the dominant of a new key area. Play this example on a piano and you may recognize the sound!
Music is a difficult field to make a living in. Only the best and
most determined will make any money.
These are the opportunities I know of for excellent pianists:
I find, in answering questions from my web page, that many people
seem to blur music theory and music performance. In my opinion, a
musician should decide which aspect they want to concentrate on ----
unless of course, a person is a child or teenager and has many years
ahead to study and master both, and plenty of free time, and no
necessity to earn a living, etc.
Do you want to play for your own gratification, or to entertain
family and friends, or perform professionally, or do you want to
compose for your own pleasure, or compose commercially, or do you
want to get your degree for the sense of achievement it will give
you, or is there another reason I haven't guessed? Perhaps when you
answer the question "Why?" you will know what to do.
There is a distinct difference between learning theory and learning
to perform. Also, in order to learn to compose well, you must learn
both theory and performance. We are talking about years of practice,
and don't kid yourself or let anyone else convince you otherwise. It
doesn't mean you have to go to any special school or be a certain age.
It just means you must be dedicated daily to the study of music.
To learn theory, buy a beginning theory workbook and do the
exercises. Music theory is tedious, but straightforward.
Just read everything you can. I would begin with a book that teaches
you about how to write a chorale. There are many out there. Ask in
the music store. Or go to a university that has an academic music
program and browse through the textbook store.
To learn to play classical music, find a good teacher that you work
well with and take lessons on a regular basis.
I think composition/arranging is difficult to learn from someone else.
The way I learned was through listening to different styles of music
and imitating them. Music is a language, you know. It takes effort
and *lots of practice and experience*. And -- you should have a
foundation in harmony (chorale writing) before you start. If you
really want to get down to the foundations of modern composition,
you'll study modal counterpoint. If you search, you'll find a
suitable textbook.
If you're serious, make music your life's work, because it will take
that kind of dedication to learn a meaningful amount.
It is possible that your child's piano teacher (or someone else whose opinion is important to your child) may place a lot of importance on playing the right notes and has a low tolerance for mistakes. If such is the case, your child may be slightly intimidated because he or she sees a wrong note as failure.
You can use your arms to help you express the emotion in the music. For instance, if you are playing a sentimental piece, you can allow your arms to help you lift your hands off the keys at the ends of phrases, making your phrasing more expressive. Letting your arms rock and sway as you play has a subtle effect on how you depress the keys. In other words, if you move your body in a more "emotional" way, the music will reflect that emotion!
I believe there is a basic body position for playing the piano.
Any modifications or additions are fine if they are effective
for the style of music you are playing.
The circle of fifths is an important concept in western music. A fifth is a distance (an "interval") between two notes. It is equal to seven half-steps. From any C up to the next G is a fifth and from C down to F is a fifth. If you start with C and keep going down by fifths, you will encounter all twelve notes on the keyboard and return to C. That is the circle of fifths: C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, B, E, A, D, G, and back to C! Try playing this sequence of notes and notice how pleasing the sound is. Try playing this as a sequence of major triads. The sound will probably be very familiar to you. Chord movement by fifths has been used in every style of western music, from traditional music, to modern folk, pop and jazz, to new age music.
In addition to practicing the choir's repertoire, I suggest you
start practicing sight-reading right away so you can learn
new songs as quickly as possible and improve your overall playing
ability. Some suggestions to improve your sight-reading skills:
It takes determination to succeed under
this kind of pressure, but it is very rewarding, both musically and
personally when you do succeed. Never give up!
Here is my very best advice on how to learn blues, jazz, pop, rock,
country or any related style of music. This applies to any
instrument, and assumes that you can play your instrument now, at
least a little, and that you know how to notate music. If you cannot
notate music, there are many theory books available to help you.
Have you considered finding a good teacher to get you started? It's
difficult to start alone. It helps if someone can show you how to
hold your hands, how to sit, and how to read notes efficiently.
Remember that playing an instrument is a skill like any other, and
takes time and practice --- there's no way around the time and
practice!
Also, remember that we are used to hearing the very best music all
around us, on the radio, television, in movies, at professional music
concerts. Remember that you may not match up to that very high
standard at first. If you love music, let that sustain you as you
learn.
Spend some time doing both. Remember that the tempo, rhythm, and flow of the music are very important. However, you certainly would not want to play in tempo with a flood of obvious playing errors. Find a balance. Learn to "play through" your mistakes, and also allot some time to practicing very slowly so that you will eventually play with few errors.
Playing music is similar to speaking a language (you are speaking
with your hands). When you're reading music, you are reading a
language. How would you like to try to learn a foreign language,
like russian or italian, without the
help of a person who already knew the language?
Also, in the case of the piano, you also must learn how to hold your
hands and move your fingers properly. Without a teacher, how will
you learn this?
Do you know what style of music you would really like playing during
your free time? If you like it, you'll find the time and the
discipline to start practicing again. You probably remember the nuts
and bolts of practicing -- my guess is that motivation is the issue.
What I mean is... remember when you were younger and you played what
the teacher told you to, or what all your music friends were playing,
etc?
I've found, as I get older, that to make progress and stay motivated
I have to play music that has meaning for me --- my preferences have
changed drastically over the years.
So, as soon as you decide what you would *like* to play, you will
know how to go about getting started and working it into
your schedule.
