1st Piano

So, you want to create your own music. Something you can put your name on and show off to friends and family. Why not? It's an amazing thing when you think about it. Where there was once nothing, now exists a piece of music authored by you. Let's examine how we might go about creating a complete piece of music. Your initial idea is an important step. Why? Because the initial idea is the foundation for the entire piece! For example, let's say you get a certain melody in mind. You go to the piano and play it. But then you're stopped cold and don't know how or where to proceed next. What to do? You need to first draw out 8-bars on a piece of paper. Working with an 8-bar phrase is the best way I know of capturing musical ideas and turning them into full-fledged compositions. You can write out as much of the melody as you can, or you can do what I do - write in the first 2-bars (the initial idea) and then use chords to quickly fill in the entire 8-bars. T...

ABA form is like a musical sandwich. You have the 2 slices of bread with the contrasting meat and cheese on the inside. Instead of bread and meat, you use musical materials. Perhaps an 8-bar phrase for the A section followed by a 4 or 8-bar phrase for the B section. A nice little musical sandwich. A piece of music made from ABA form can last anywhere from 45 seconds to 5-6 minutes or longer DEPENDING ON HOW THE COMPOSER UTILIZES THE TOOLS OF REPETITION AND CONTRAST! For example, I can take an 8-bar phrase, repeat that twice, play another 8 bars for the B section, then back to the A section again for another repeat (with variations of course). Now, how long will that last? It depends on tempo or how fast the piece moves through time. Most small ABA sections don't last longer than 2-3 minutes. Why? Because if they were repeated for longer periods of time, the music would become dull and repetitious. BUT, if we create another section of music - the C section, it prov...

by Brian Shelton   Whether you already play piano or want to learn, I'm glad you stumbled across this page. It means there's one more person out there looking for a better way to add music to his or her life, or perhaps to improve on an already established skill set. Either way, welcome. The good new is, I've got helpful advice for any level you may be at. I invite you to discover your potential and take the necessary steps to reach your goals. BEGINNERS, DON'T BE SHY: If your idea of a scale is something in your bathroom that seems to know you like donuts, you're definitely among the beginners. But seriously, if you know only a handful of basic chords, a song or two, or you have never touched a keyboard, you will want to learn the basics. I recommend you take a course in introductory musical theory. You'll want to learn the names of the notes, practice the scales, begin to put together chords, and embrace the art of repetition. That's right,...

Some people think composing is this miraculous thing that only genius's do. What a myth! It's a skill that can be learned. What can't be learned is the intuition that guides the creative force. What can be learned is the technique. And the most important part of composing technique has to do with THINKING IN PHRASES. A musical phrase can be 2-bars long. It can be from 4 to 8-bars long as well. It is a unit of music that composers use, along with repetition and contrast to create ENTIRE SECTIONS OF MUSIC. There is no secret here people. It's like building up a structure. That's why music is often referred to as frozen architecture. It is built up. The building up creates FORM. A structure such as ABA form can be composed of the A section (8-measures) B section (4 or more measures) then back to the A section. Now you may be thinking, it looks logical but how does it transfer into actual music? Ah, this is where you get your feet wet and actually try com...

Here's one of my favorite methods for quickly blocking out entire sections of music and creating a complete piano composition. First you need to draw out 8-bars on a piece of paper. I use 8-bars first because it's a relatively small space to "fill up" quickly. You don't have to use notation paper. Any paper will do. In fact, I use a spiral bound notebook with blank pages. I just write out 8-bars and voila, I've jotted down what will become a section of music. Now, here's the interesting part . Most composers start with the melody line first. Nothing wrong with this. But if you really want to zap out a section quickly, start with the chord changes. Why? Because you can block out bars of music faster. Here's what I mean. Say you want to create something in the Key of F Major. Great. Now we know that we have at least 6 chords to work with. By using just 3 chords, we can block out our 8-bars. How? Look… Say we have the F Major 7 chord for th...

One of the most daunting tasks for beginners is composing music. Just the thought of it creates scary scenarios that demand perfection. But what if you actually knew what you were doing? Instead of fear, joy and a spirit of adventure would guide you to a finished piece of music. Let's look at how we might compose a small ABA form for piano. The first thing I do is draw out 8-bars on a piece of paper. Any paper will do. You don't have to have ruled sheet music paper to compose…at least not the way I teach it. The reason I tell students to begin with 8-bars is that it's a very good space to work in. In fact, 8-bars is quite enough to give you your first (A) section. As an example, look at the lesson piece "A Peaceful Path." Here we have 3-4 minutes of music. We use the art of repetition and contrast and a small ABA form is generated. If you listen to the piece, you'll hear where the (A) section ends and the (B) section begins. In fact, listening i...

I'm having a Monday. Oh, not a commonplace Monday involving skipping your shower to make a early meeting, running over the trash can at the end of the driveway with the minivan, followed by 90 minutes in crawling traffic and highlighted by a double-double down your drawers just before you learn the meeting wasn't cancelled, didn't you get the memo? My Monday is far more ominous. My Monday feeds on my innermost fears for a full month, seeping to the surface of my subconscience after 28 days of terror. I'm like a human about to turn werewolf, counting with imminent doom the sunsets until I am made a ghastly monster to all who know me. My Monday: Deadline for my music column. As a self employed musician acting as freelance writer on the side (my grandparents are still waiting to hear the punchline) I fit in my work whenever I can, which translates into late nights and frantic attempts at forming a... cohesive... sentence between... interruptions from... my ...

Piano students need to have knowledge and understanding of musical concepts in a way that they can apply to their playing. For example, students often have difficulty understanding the musical term syncopation. They can memorize the definition, but don't know what it sounds like or how to do it. Here's an easy way to explain this to kids taking piano lessons. Rock music follows a strict 4/4 tempo, or four beats to every measure. The first beat of the measure is emphasized. Similarly, cheerleaders follow a 4/4 beat to scream their cheers. Try this count a steady 4 beats and keep repeating. 1 - 2 - 3 - 4, 1 - 2 - 3 - 4, 1 - 2 - 3 - 4, 1 - 2 - 3 - 4, 1 - 2 - 3 - 4, 1 - 2 - 3 4... Clap on each beat emphasizing the first beats. This is a steady rock beat or an "Indian" beat that cheerleaders and the marching band might use during half-time at a football game. It doesn't have a rhythm really, just a steady single beats. Now create a syncopated rh...

By Cynthia VanLandingham I've been teaching piano for many years and I have found a great way to encourage my young students to practice. During group piano lessons I put a practice pal on each student's piano. This year at the beginning of the school year I gave each student a special gift - a Piano Practice Pal for their piano at home. A Piano Practice Pal is a sweet little stuffed animal friend that students take home and put on their piano to keep them company while they practice. When a piano student accomplishes a new goal that is challenging for them I enjoy giving them a new piano practice pal in a different color to add to the collection on their piano at home. Children ages 5 to 11 as well as older children enjoy this special recognition and encouragement. Some parents and piano teachers may think this is unnecessary because students don't need things to get them to practice. Well I'm not trying to get students to practice by bribing them with t...

By Cynthia VanLandingham Posture is so important to developing good piano technique that without it students may never learn to play the piano with ease. Stories that use analogies are a great way to get through to children without hurting their feelings. Here are five simple analogies to help your child sit correctly at the piano and play with more flexibility and ease. 1. Imagine while you are sitting on the piano bench that you can stretch your neck and the top of your head up to the ceiling like a giraffe's. 2. Imagine that your arms are angel's wings and swing them out from your sides until your elbows are pointing horizontally. 3. Rounding your hands and imagine that your fingers are spider's legs and walk your fingers on the keys as you play. 4. Sit back on the piano bench and imagine that you are in charge of the piano. 5. Sit back on the piano bench and reach your arms out to the piano so your elbows are in front of your tummy. Imagine that you are...

Being an incredible singer is a dream for many people. Famous artists and musicians are idolized by many. Nothing can compare to the prospect and delight of providing the public with good entertainment. However, it is important to remember that there are more people that work behind the scenes in order to ensure that the stars become who they are today. It is because of these backstage people that agreements and communications are made possible with agents, producers and composers. The Singing Coach An essential factor that should not be forgotten is the importance of the vocal coach. Just as there are coaches for sports, there are coaches for singing. The person with the responsibility of training the singer is the vocal coach or singing coach. There role is to ensure that all singing and vocal exercises are completed correctly by the singer. The care of the students physical and vocal health are cared for by the coach. A singing coach will ensure that there is progre...

By Cynthia VanLandingham The piano is the most wonderful of instruments in my opinion. Irving Berlin wrote the words and music to a song about the affection many people share for this beautiful instrument called I Love a Piano . It was introduced in 1915 in the Broadway musical Stop! Look! Listen! Later it was sung by Fred Astaire and Judy Garland in the 1948 film Easter Parade . Here are some of the words to I Love a Piano by Irving Berlin. Maybe you can recall the tune. I love a piano, I love a piano, I love to hear somebody play! Upon a piano, a grand piano, it simply carries me away! So you can keep your fiddle and your bow, give me a P-i-a-n-o, Oh, oh! I love a piano, I love a piano, I love to hear somebody play! Below are ten reasons why I love the piano. 1. I love the keys, they're black and white, my fingers stretch to play just right. 2. I love the keyboard, put together by an ace, I can always find my place. 3. I love to play the...

There are many activities that improve memory and singing seems to be one of them. Singing determines memory improvements in several ways. First of all, singing is associated with a lower heart beat rate. In this situation, people who are singing to improve memory are discovered to not have many problems related to hypertension. When the heart beat rate exceeds a certain limit, people may become stressed. In conclusion, singing can also reduce stress, which is a major cause of memory disorders. Singing to improve memory affects both the psychological and physical conditions that the persons may have. Most of these health problems may lead to memory loss. As some studies have revealed, the best are results are observed in older persons who are singing to improve memory. Because the music can change the mood and increase the energy, the depression levels drop considerably. These are also ways to improve memory, because depression represents the most frequent cause of memo...

It's the last chorus of the song, and the singer is giving everything he/she has to bring the point of the song home, so the singer lets out a powerful and emotional high note that rings out for ages. Everybody listening are getting goosebumps all over, what a performance! Does this sound familiar to you? Singing high notes with power is something at least 95% or the singers out there want to be able to do, it has a very emotional effect on us all. I decided to put together an article with two tools that work for a lot of people which don't require any technical training at all, it's as simple as it gets really. Ok, here we go. There are two things that naturally increase pitch; One is distance and the other is emotion. If you were standing next to me and you asked me: "what time is it?" I'd probably answer you in a relatively low pitch. However, if you were across the street and asked me the same question I'd probably answer you in a much h...

By Sergey Popov The piano is a musical instrument that unlike poetry, is tangible. To me, learning the piano is the first step in building musicianship. It is also a harmonious instrument that is often accompanied by another instrument or even several different types. This may sound silly being a musician but one of the most beautiful things about this piano is how it's made and what it looks like and how exclusive it is… I'm a huge lover of art in every form and this piano just to look at is incredible. You've always wanted to take piano lessons, why not now? Taking piano lessons will increase your ability to learn anything. I can't tell you how truly important piano lessons have become in my life. But they dramatically changed my lifestyle. If you focus on piano lessons, you will not have time to focus on things you don't want in you life. So if you are serious about starting piano lessons, think twice… As you know, traditional piano lessons take y...

Most people are familiar with the old saying, "Easy come. Easy go." In the sales world we often observe that sales people who experience success quickly falsely assume that the sales profession is going to be easy. After a month or two, however, those fortunate few often reach a different conclusion. Without much sweat equity invested, they head off and look for the next rainbow. If only we could teach a new saying, "Easy come. Forget That." We may not have that saying, but we can look at a 19th Century opera composer who expressed it and set the example we may well want to copy. After experiencing a degree of success with his very first opera, a young and unknown composer, Giuseppe Verdi, hit the big leagues by receiving a contract to compose two more operas for the most famous opera house in Italy. Talk about a winning sales presentation! One could certainly say that his success came quite easily. Verdi's next opera was to be an Opera buffa, a fo...

By Jon Mercer Choosing the right combination of vintage and new guitar pedals and effects can create an original and unique sound that will set any guitarist apart from the crowd. Let's face it, they're are millions of aspiring guitar heroes out there, but only a few of them will ever develop a unique sound and style that will make them stand out. If you think about some of the famous guitar heroes of today or yesterday, you will begin to notice a trend: every superstar guitarist has their own uniquely identifiable sound, and the types of FX pedals they use often contribute greatly to their originality. When you think about it, many great guitarists use the same guitars and amps and everyone else-- so what gives them their own special sound? A lot of times it's down to the effects they use. In fact, the types of stomp boxes and signal processors you use in your guitar rig largely determine what your sound will be. It's ironic in a way that pro guitarist...

First we assume that you intent to hire a private piano teacher. Advantages of doing this over attending classes at a school are numerous. Most piano learners end up employing a piano teacher, and if you are serious, you should too. Piano teachers have different approaches, but most piano instruction advances in grades, from grade 1 to grade 8. Books are labeled according to grades, but teachers often recommend additional books or songs tailored to specific student abilities and tastes. How important are the Piano certifications? You may be under the impression that piano teachers must have music degrees, piano diploma or music teaching certification. Actually this is not necessary. If you are a beginner, look for someone who has at least a grade 7 to teach. A good piano teacher needs more than adequate certification. Practical considerations like him staying near you house is also important. The most important qualities Personality, experience and interest in teaching...

A number of people have asked about my own methodology for creating a complete piece of music at the piano. At the risk of oversimplification, the steps are as follows: 1. I sit down at the piano without any thought of creating something and tune in to my feelings. 2. I start to play the first thing that comes to mind. In other words, my fingers come before my brain. I let it all hang out and see where the music wants to go. If something resonates or has energy I stay with it until the energy dissipates. If the music does not seem to want to go anywhere I get up and leave. 3. Now, (assuming that I am on to something) I draw bar lines - enough for an 8-measure phrase. I then write down the chord changes on top - hopefully for the entire 8 bars. If the entire 8-bars don't come, I try for four - but I usually succeed in filling up this 8-bar space. I'll then pencil in the melody, but only the first 2-bars. This way, I let the rest of the melody come of its own acc...

By Cynthia VanLandingham Parents are often confused about the difference between piano lessons and piano theory. They want to know if it's necessary for their children in piano lessons to learn music theory. If your child is already enrolled in piano lessons I can guarantee you they are learning some music theory. What parents often don't realise is that piano theory is music theory. In college, for example, all musicians have to take a keyboard class to learn music theory. So why wait until your child is in college to teach them music theory when they are already taking piano lessons? Even young piano students can learn music theory concepts in piano lessons. And parents of young children can teach early keyboard concepts at home. Just as young children need their parents to read to them and teach the alphabet, parents can also teach the foundational "music Language" skills for learning to play the piano or keyboard. It's easy to learn keyboard ...

THE hall slowly fills with the strains of a balitaw from the distant southern islands of the Philippines. These are joyful notes tinged with pianissimo, as though the homesick wanderer were recalling lost youth and happier days. The last chord dies away and everyone is quiet. The next number begins with the dreamy chords of another song, Sarong Banggi (One Night). This tune rapidly climbs into an excited crescendo, as though a young girl has awakened from deep slumber to the sound of a night bird and has thrown open her window to its singing. Now the 100-member orchestra holds the audience in its grip with a rendition of Dahil sa Iyo (For Your Sake), easily this country's favorite love song. Soon you find yourself humming along. The notes diminish and the song is ended. But the audience wants more. You are listening to the Pangkat Kawayan, or, as many people call them, the Singing Bamboos. Singing Bamboos? To appreciate the name, please take a closer look at the ins...

Stage Piano – No matter how much you like an acoustic piano, the fact is that it still remains beyond the reach of a lot of people when it comes to the cost and the space needed to keep it. A stage piano can be a very good alternative in such a case. It has 88 keys, comes with a good piano action and comes at a reasonable cost. You will normally find two sets of people using a Stage Piano – Beginners – Since cost is a major factor, beginners normally go in for a stage piano as it is affordable, has 88 keys, has weighted keyboard action and has some good piano sounds. You need to look for a model which has a good weighted action keyboard. A better option would be the graded weighted or the graded hammer action which emulates the keys on a Grand Piano. The entry level models contain the basic piano sounds and a few other sounds like electric piano, organ, and strings. As you go for higher models, you will get built-in styles, effects, sequencer and a lot of other featur...