Tag: piano
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Three Keys to Improvisation
Improvisation is the spontaneous creation of music. Depending on the style, there will be various guidelines and boundaries that define what will work, but in all these situations, there are three skills that need to be in balance. All of these can be improved using organized practice…
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Working With Difficult People
After the last post about rehearsals, I got a message from a former student about his experiences with what we will classify as a “difficult person.” Most of the ideas we discussed there are about what we can do to be professional, but not about what to…
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Keyboard Harmony: Triads in Cycles
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Cycle of 4ths Here is a lesson on practicing major triads through the cycle of 4ths. The pattern of chords ascending by perfect 4ths (two whole-steps and one half-step) is fundamental to tonal harmony, and is sometimes called “strong root motion.” Practicing these patterns helps us learn to find these chords in all 12 keys,…
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Bad Digital Keyboard Actions (Why does it hurt when I play?)
Ever wonder why some keyboards are harder to play than others, or why your hands hurt after a gig on certain keyboards? In this article, we are going to look at certain design elements that make some keyboards hard to play. I tested a selection of keyboards available to me as a cross-section. Many musicians…
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The Three Elements of Practice Loose Ends
It may seem odd to have a part four in a three part series, but there are a few things to add that we can think of as the “filling” for our triangle. These have more to do with the planning and organization that goes into musicianship, as well as the emotional issues that come…
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The Three Elements of Practice Part III
So far, we have examined the concepts of repetition and reinforcement, which make learning possible by imprinting the knowledge and making it “stick.” The third element of this triangle involves testing and experimenting with the things we have practiced. Learning the limits of our preparation is how we make our learning stronger and more useful.…
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The Three Elements of Practice Part II
Reinforcement Last time we discussed repetition, the act of playing the same passage over and over in a short time-span. In this article, we will discuss the second element in successful practice. As we learned in part 1, repetition is effective for a limited time; after this short period, continuing to repeat can waste time…
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The Three Elements of Practice Part I
Practicing is a personal activity; no two people are the same, and this also goes for practice. However, there are some fundamental forces that are part of the learning experience for all of us. Learning to use and balance these processes will lead to successful and efficient use of our precious time. In this series, we…