Count Basie - the Count of Piano JazzOne of the all time greats of jazz is William 'Count' Basie. He was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, and composer. Widely regarded as one of the most important jazz bandleaders of his time, Basie led his popular Count Basie Orchestra for almost 50 years.
Will You Become Smarter If You Play The Piano? Is Piano Study Good For Your Brain?Will you become smarter if you play the piano? The question is whether there is a correlation between mastering a musical instrument and one's brain increasing in potential.
I Took Piano Lessons As a Kid, But I've Forgotten Almost Everything...There are literally millions of adults today who took piano lessons when they were growing up, but at some point along the way gave them up. Some couldn't care less, but many have an urge down deep to take up piano playing again someday.
Piano Keyboards to Keep You Playing: What To Look For In a KeyboardWhen looking for a new keyboard, consider the name brand manufacturers of piano keyboards. Look at your budget and then go from there. Does that budget allow you to check out some of the premiere makers out there? Does your budget require you to go with a lesser-known manufacturer?
10 Piano Styles You Can Learn To PlayWhen studying the piano, a student encounters a myriad piano styles. To master the instrument, at least several of these styles must be learned, and all if at all possible. Knowledge of various playing styles enables a pianist to enjoy and play in any genre and to cross-polinate styles to create a fusion he or she can call their own.
Dave Brubeck: The Master of Improvisation And Unusual RhythmsJazz pianist Dave Brubeck is one of the giants of jazz piano. His music is characterized by unusual time signatures and can be either extreme - totally dynamic or or completely relaxed. His most famous piece - Take Five - is so popular it has taken on almost cult status, and rightfully so.
Would You Like to Take a Peek at a Naked Piano Player?Did you know that there are many piano players who are stark naked? Some of them probably live in your neighborhood. One of them might even be your next door neighbor
Piano Improvisation in Three StepsImprovisation on the piano is not just for pros -- anyone can learn to improvise to some degree.
How To Tell What Major Key A Song Is In Quickly and EasilyKey signatures are a type of musical notation that indicate which key the song is to be played in. But key signatures, despite the name, are not the same thing as key.
Minor Chords -- How To Form Them and Use ThemMinor chords create a sound which is somber or serious; some people even think of minor chords as 'sad', as opposed to major chords which sound 'normal', or 'happy'.
Can You Become a Boogie-Man or Boogie-Lady?Boogie music, also known as boogie woogie, is a genre of piano-heavy music particular to America in the 1940s and 50s.
Can You Really Learn To Play a Musical Instrument From an Online Course?Out of the 250 million people in the United States, about 25 million of them play an instrument of some kind, or at least used to when they were in school and would like to pick up where they left off. Another 30 million or so sing in a church choir, a barbershop quartet, or at the very least, in the shower.
Five Great Practice Ideas I Learned From My Piano StudentsSometimes the teacher learns more from the student than the student does from the teacher. Hopefully, not too often, but today I would like to share with you some great practicing ideas that have come from my piano students over the years.
What All Do I Have to Know to be a Really Good Piano Player?Many students ask me a question that goes something like this:
'What all do I have to know to be a really good piano player?' The answer is multi-facited and depends largely on the motivation and talent of the individual.
Real Shortstops Don't Chew Their GlovesWhen I was growing up, even though I loved baseball, I nervously chewed on my baseball glove. I guess I wasn't meant to be the next Derek Geter.
Why Piano Students Knew More About Sex Than The Other Kids In My Home TownThe center for sex education in my home town of Auburn, California in the mid-to-late 40's was not the home, the church, the school, or the health clinic. Not that these did not contribute to our growing body of knowledge; they certainly did; but the center for the dissemination of actual facts was a piano studio on Jasper Way.
How Grandma's Lap Robe Saved My LegsAs I was growing up, Grandma always made sure that I wouldn't catch cold by insisting I have a lap robe over my legs. Didn't matter if it was 32 degrees or 100 degrees; the lap robe was an absolute necessity.
Never Open An Outhouse Door Without KnockingI suppose that every hometown of every child holds certain favorite hiding places, or short cuts, or little-known doors or cubbyholes or secret passageways or whatever, and Auburn, the little town where I grew up, was no exception.
How I Found Out That God Bowls On Monday Evenings at 7I grew up wondering what Jesus did on Monday evenings. My Uncle Verge went bowling on Monday evenings, and although a good Methodist child wouldn't be caught dead inside a bowling alley back in those days, I sometimes visualized Jesus bowling along side of Uncle Verge, since they both apparently had Monday evenings off.
How To Impress Girls - Or Maybe NotI suppose that all males at some time in their life attempt to impress girls. My efforts started in about the 5th grade, and left a great deal to be desired.
Killer Piano Playing Secrets of a Chord Addict!When a lightbulb comes on in the mind of an individual who is seeking knowledge in some area, it is amazing how much progress can be made in a short time. For piano players and other musicians, that moment of insight that changes lives often has to do with understanding chords and how they progress to create music.
Musicians: What Chords Do You Absolutely, Positively Have To Know?There are thousands of different chords in music, but there are 3 chords -- just 3 -- that you absolutely, positively have to know. If you don't know these three, there's hardly a song in the whole world that you could play. But by knowing just 3 chords, you can play hundreds, if not thousands of songs!
Music and Emotions: Can Music Really Make You a Happier Person?How many times have you turned to music to uplift you even further in happy times, or sought the comfort of music when melancholy strikes? We all know it works -- we just don't know why. Now science is beginning to unravel some of the mystery behind the relationship of music and our moods.
Win Friends and Influence People Through Music -- Is It Possible?Can learning to play a musical instrument really help you 'win friends and influence people?' It almost seems like a stretch, but scientific research seems to support the idea. Rock stars aren't the only ones to be popular; there is a direct correlation between music study and the ability to relate will with others.
The Many Incredible Benefits Of Learning Chording Techniques On The PianoMany piano players seem to spend their entire lives 'chained to the written music'. They can sight-read sheet music, but when it comes to knowing what to play when the music blows off the stand and onto the floor, they are entirely lost.
[1] [2]
