Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts

Monday Mail: Why Didn't Schubert Finish His Unfinished Symphony?

Romanza Andaluza [Diptych] (Photo credit: pablofalv)

Q: No one's been able to tell me why Schubert didn't finish his "Unfinished Symphony." Do you have the answer?

A: I'm sorry to say that I don't think anyone knows the real reason why Franz Schubert didn't complete his Symphony No. 8 in B minor. There are all sorts of guesses and romance stories, but the composer didn't leave a clue behind. I guess all that we know is that Schubert completed two movements and he began sketches for a Scherzo movement. So, probably he either put it aside for other works (and died before coming back to it), or that he temporarily ran out of ideas that matched the high inspiration of the finished movements.

As fine a work as it is, the "Unfinished" waited for 46 years to be published! Schubert finished the two movements in 1822, sent the score to his friend Huttenbrenner, died six years later, got a first performance in 1865, and publication in 1868.

Many of my readers perform regularly with a worship band in a church service. That means you know about lead sheets, improvisation, modulations and so much more. Looking back, when I was a moderator in the zone community at the Hear and Play website, I spoke with a wonderful musician and friend James Stevens, who is the Professor of Music at Welsh College. For more information with tons of great music resources, like improvisation handouts and guides, you'll want to visit his website. James covers a range of improvisation and arranging topics – from how to read a chord chart, chords for modulation and walking bass lines.

Besides the free improvisational downloads, you'll find two volumes of original piano solos on his wonderful site that can be downloaded as PDF files. I was so surprised to hear from Mr. Stevens recently and so blessed to receive a copy of his latest book, Romanza of the Heart, a set of “romantic piano compositions for relaxation and contemplation.” I have been playing through the songs and love the heart-warming compositions with such beautiful, flowing melodies. It's difficult to have a favorite because all of them are beautiful and very enjoyable to play. They’re written for intermediate to early advanced level for young students and adults. Available for purchase on Amazon and iTunes

Thank you, Dr. Stevens. Best wishes and much continued success.

If you have the time, be sure and head over to his site for Free Improv Downloads

Blessings,

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

Free Thanksgiving Printables

Right before we stop piano lessons for Thanksgiving Vacation,
I love to play music games with my piano students. I am so
thankful for online piano teachers who offer their talents and
hard work for free. Here is a list of some of my favorite teaching
resources for Thanksgiving.

1. Games

Chasing The Turkey Board Game

Save The Turkey Game

Pumpkin Pattern Memory Game

Turkey Rhythm Game

2. Worksheets

Turkey Find The Bass Notes

Color The Feathers

Turkey Egg Notes

You'll also want to download the free sheet music to Over the River and Through The Woods

Another opportunity for the musician with the holidays approaching,
is to gather around the piano and sing hymns and favorite songs. Here is
a list of the 10 Best Thanksgiving Songs.

And from Mary Chapin Carpenter to Sister Sledge, here are the
Top 10 Pop Songs for Thanksgiving

You may be interested in:

Learn To Play Give Thanks

Learn To Play Thank You Lord

Happy Thanksgiving!

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

Friday Freebie: Music Symbols and Vocabulary

note (Photo credit: S@Z)

In addition to my ongoing posts that you can read online or receive by email, perhaps you've also subscribed to my monthly newsletters. Yes, I must confess to you that I missed October due to visits with my grandchildren but I'm sure I'll be able to make up for it in the future. But did you know about the Fun&Free tab on my website? I didn't want you to miss out on all the games you can play for free. Here's some more learning resources, available to you for free online... happy learning!

Symbols and Vocabulary

1. Tempo and Dynamics
Leo's Barnyard Baton

2. Recognize Music Symbols
MusicDarts1

3. Match Music Symbols
Dso Kids Music Match

4. Key Signature Flash Cards
Musicards

Musical Notation

1. Piano Keys and Staff
Funbrain The Piano Player

2. Music Theory Flash Cards
Music note flashcards

3. Intervals
Interval_flashcards

4. Chords
Triad_flashcards

5. Treble Clef Notes
Notename

6. Recognize Staff Spaces
FREE TrebleSpaces-Practice

7. Steps and Skips
http://www.musiclearningcommunity.com/

8. Whack-A-Note
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org

More Online Music Games

http://www.agame.com

pbskids.org

http://www.musicgames.net

I really enjoyed the piano playing on this video. What do you think?

You may be interested in Jermaine Griggs 4 Free Videos

Have fun with these online music games and let me know which ones are beneficial to you.

Best,

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

Four Tips on Playing Scales

Piano Scale Fingering

I wrote an article on Four Tips To Playing Scales.

Maybe you feel this way. You see, one of my piano students was practicing a difficult scale. She was missing a certain key or playing the wrong one every single time.

To fix this, she decided to put a piece of sticky note on the key that she was missing. This helped her hand learn the pattern of the scale.

When you're playing a musical phrase, you should end with a soft note for a gentle, rounded ending. Sometimes a note is played with the first finger (the thumb). The problem is that the thumb strikes the key sideways and may come down with a heavy touch. You have to be careful to set it down gently and still play a soft note. You don't have to do anything special to avoid a clunky thumb - just think about it and have your ears tuned to the delicate sound you want to hear at the end of a line.

Thumb Under

Here's My Article:

Playing scales is a good thing for developing technique. I am not saying that one should sit down at the piano and practice scales and exercises for hours to obtain results. That would be so boring but if you look at these points, you will acquire a great technique in just a few weeks.

1. Scales train the fingers so that they do their work evenly and smoothly.

Playing scales is a good thing for developing technique. I am not saying that one should sit down at the piano and practice scales and exercises for hours to obtain results. If you look at these points, you will acquire a great technique in just a few weeks. Scales train the fingers so that they do their work evenly and smoothly.
Every tone of a scale must be played with effort, energy and enthusiasm. The ear that is listening carefully is trained to hear the exact volume of sound. Having an accurate knowledge of the notes in the scale and using the correct fingering, that is, the use of the thumbs and the third and fourth fingers, will help you play it from memory.

2. When playing scales, each hand will practice alone.

What happens is that if you don't take the time to practice the hands separately then the right hand will drown out the left hand (or vice versa). Pay attention to the rhythm of playing a scale. Start with the C major scale. Later on with time and much practice, learn the variations of sixths, thirds, and contrary motions.

3. The tones of the scale must be played with equality of strength.

When using the thumb, there must be extra pressure and with the second and third fingers there will be a certain amount of restraint but then you will continue with your fourth and fifth fingers with added strength as you press down the keys.
It seems that most folks have trouble with their thumb in playing scales. Often the thumb strikes the keys too faintly, so you'll want to strike the key from above in a downward move. Practice five tones ascending and descending very slowly at first. Most importantly, pay careful attention to the rhythm and touch of every tone while bending the thumb and going under the third finger.

4. Be attentive to the movement of your muscles.

A great difficulty when playing scales is the passing over and under of the fingers. You will want to roll the lower arm by a side movement of your hand over the keyboard. It's easy to do but it will be difficult to do when your hand is bent sideways.

You should feel very relaxed when playing scales. Your piano playing will become smooth and rippling. When both hands are combined, you'll be hearing the tones of the two hands more equally.
If you review these points, keeping watch over both your hands and practice scales a short time every day, in a few weeks you will acquire a great technique to help you play scales in a much better way.

Supercharge Your Hand Eye Coordination

Results Tested Piano Course For Serious Piano Player

Sign Up For Free Trials Now!
www.PianoImprov2.com

Also, Hear and Play offers a course on finger exercises, called Hanon Exercises

All the best,

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

Song Robot: New Software Tool

Dear Readers,

I always blog about a music dvd I've just discovered or a piano dvd that works for us musicians.

I recently received this bit of news launching a new virtual keyboard. When I watched the video, what caught my eye was the fact that you could learn gospel and jazz songs, plus adding free midis. Here's the note:
What if a robot could teach you songs?

Sounds crazy but with the power of technology,
there's now a way to turn your computer into a
song-teaching machine... that never sleeps,
never charges by the hour... doesn't get
frustrated... and repeats as much as you want!

My friends over at Hear & Play Music are the ones
behind it and just created a video demonstration
at:

Virtual Keyboard

(I only wish I had this little magic tool when
I was young!)

They call it the "Song Robot!" You simply load
song files into it and it shows you, on demand,
how to play them on a big virtual keyboard.

There's a full video demonstration at:

Piano Robot

Here's what it does:

* It can slow down songs, "turtle speed."

* It transposes songs to all 12 keys so you're
not stuck in ONE key.

* You have the choice of learning with huge, red
colored notes that light up or a real-looking
3d version of a piano.

* You can stop, pause, rewind, fast forward.

* You can even load your favorite audio files
and have it remove vocals so you can practice
(they can even be slowed down and put in all
12 keys... real albums!)

Visit:
Song Robot

For a limited time, they're making you an
unbeatable deal on the song files... and
throwing the song robot in at no cost!

Once you get your hands on this, you'll see
why so many are excited about it.

Visit:
New Software

I just might jump on this deal and take advantage of the deal!

Fun way to learn!

P.S. Here's a chord chart to I Love Your Grace by Rick Founds

A           G                 D
I love your grace I love Your mercy
A                  G               D    E
I love the way You help me when I fall
A           G                D             Bm
I love Your truth I love the power of Your name
        G                D                A
But You know I love Your presence most of all

C             G             D                
My soul takes refuge in the shadow of Your wings
G               D               A
Close to You is where I want to be
C          G                   D              F#m
You are my strength You are my God You are my King
      G            D             Esus E
All I want is what You want from me

Maybe I should post some worship songs that have LOVE in the lyrics or title!

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

Piano and Keyboard Salsa

I just returned home from vacationing in Santa Barbara and experiencing "Fiesta Days." I must say the mariachi musicians caught my ear to many happy, marching moments. Reflecting on some of my past blog entries, I seem to like salsa music. How about you? For more information, visit:
ladydpiano.blogspot.com/2008_09_01_archive.html

ladydpiano.blogspot.com/2009_12_01_archive.html

ladydpiano.blogspot.com/2010/02/learn-to-play-latin-jazz.html

Chord Chart for Piano and Keyboard Salsa:

Bb/ Bb-Eb-G

Eb/ A-Eb-G

Bb/ Bb-Eb-G

Bb/ Bb-E-Gb

Eb/ A-Eb-G

Eb/ A-Eb-G

Bb/ Bb-Eb-G

Bb/ Bb-Eb-G

F/ F-B-Eb

Eb/ A-Eb-G

Bb/ Bb-Eb-G

F/ G7+5

(Practice 4 beats with each chord).

Cm9 = Bb-Eb-G

F13 = A-Eb-G

G13 = F-B-E

Salsa Piano By Ear Keyboard Lesson Sample of Jeff's Playing

Salsa Piano 101 - Salsa, Salsa, and More Salsa... WOW!

Hear and Play Salsa 101: New Apporach To 1-4-5 Progression!

Have a great week! Viva La Fiesta!
-- LadyD

Here's a great resource for learning The difference between montunos and claves and how one affects the other.

Discover:

How to easily play tons of Salsa and Latin chord patterns that are guaranteed to make you look like you've been playing for years.
Learn several Latin rhythms that you can start playing today. Like the montuno, clave, and more!
How to play several Salsa bass lines on your left hand and accompany them with powerful right-hand chord patterns.
How to lock in with the band and ensure that you're always playing the right rhythms at the right time (and how to listen for them).

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

How To Play Jazz Piano

This morning I was looking online and found this great article over at TipDeck.com
I hope you find some useful tips that will help take your piano playing to the next level.

"Jazz as the name suggest is a soulful and most sought after genre of music. Jazz is the expression of the heart, a spirit of joy and a way to relax your senses. Like all the genres, Jazz came through many stages of evolution to become what it is now. Jazz is originally said to have been started from the New Orleans. The first form in the evolution of Jazz was Regtime which existed around 1897 to 1918. This kind of music was generally famous around the red light areas of the New Orleans. Since then it was a favorite for the night bars and night clubs.

Swing Jazz came as the next form of evolution around the 1930’s. Swing Jazz suddenly became popular among the marijuana smoker of the west land. It was the time when this form of Jazz was at its peak. During this phase of development Django Reinhardt started gypsy Jazz which was a combination of American swing and France dance music. Dixieland or commonly referred as the Hot Jazz became the next favorite of the people. This gradually descended from the New Orleans, the place of its origin, to other places like Chicago and New York by some group band. Then there was a sudden downfall of the Hot Jazz which was then replaced by the Bebop.

Jazz music has no limitations and there is great deal of rhythms owing to the use of a great deal of instruments. Piano forms the base music in the crescendo of the Jazz music. Therefore learning piano is the most important task in the series of learning Jazz music. Assuming that you know a little about the scales and rhythm of the piano, a few steps shall help you to achieve perfection in the learning process.

Step # 1: Listen:

Though this may sound silly but listening carefully to the works of people who have already mastered this art helps. Listening gives you better grasp on the minute details of the music and you start differentiating between the different scales.

Step # 2: The Scales:

There are twelve major scales in piano. Try learning all of them. Some people only go for six to seven scales. Therefore learning all the major scales gives you an edge over the other musicians.

Step # 3: Symbols:

Try learning all the symbols of the piano music literature. In other words you must develop a capability to read music. Reading music and then performing it makes the learning process faster.

Step # 4: Songbooks:

Do not hesitate to buy songbooks if you need one. Songbooks are the main source of learning things more quickly and efficiently. Learn a major 7th (1 3 5 7), minor 7th (1 b3 5 b7), dominant 7th (1 3 5 b7), half diminished (1 b3 b5 b7), and diminished chord (1 b3 b5 bb7) of every key. So, for example, to play C7 (C dominant 7th) you would play C, E, G, and Bb. For C diminished seventh, you would play C, Eb Gb, and A (Bbb).

Thus the learning process of the piano can be so much fun and rewarding."

I'd also like to add my 2 cents here. I have found these music resources very helpful with learning piano tips for your jazz playing. Here' s my list:

1. Mark Levine: Jazz Theory Book
The Jazz Theory Book

2. Luke Gillespie: Jazz Piano Voicings
Stylistic Ii/v7/i Voicings for Keyboardists

3. Dan Haerle: The Jazz Language
The Jazz Language

4. Mark Levine: Jazz Piano Book
The Jazz Piano Book

Also, Yoke Wong provides good resources as well.

Free Piano Tutorials And Video

Do you have any favorite Jazz songs? I have tons, mostly Duke Ellington stuff.
Let me know what you think about thee jazz piano tips and music resources.

All the best,
-- LadyD

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

How To Play As The Deer

As The Deer

C       Em          Am     Am/G
As the deer panteth for the water
       F           G      C
So my soul longeth after Thee.
C     Em          Am     Am/G
You alone are my heart's desire
       F       G       C
And I long to worship Thee.

      Am                  F           C
      You alone are my strength, my shield,
          F               Dm7     E
      To You alone may my spirit yield.
         C    Em          Am     Am/G
      You alone are my heart's desire,
             F      G        C
      And I long to worship Thee.

You're my friend and you are my brother
Even though You are a King.
I love You more than any other,
So much more than anything.

I want You more than gold or silver
Only You can satisfy.
You alone are the real joy giver
And the apple of my eye.

Artist: Unknown
Copyright Credits: ©1984, Maranatha! Music Words and Music by Martin Nystrom
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

How To Play As The Deer

* * * * * * * *

As the Deer

Words and Music By:  Nystrom, Martin J.

C       G           Am       E
As the deer panteth for the water,
       F            G    C     Am   G
So my soul longeth after you.
C     G           Am
You alone are my heart’s desire
       F       G       C     Am   G
And I long to worship you.


Am                F            C
You alone are my strength, my shield.
    F                 Dm     E
To you alone will my spirit yield.
C     G           Am
You alone are my heart’s desire
       F       G       C
And I long to worship you.


You're my friend, and You are my brother
Even though You are a King.
I love You more than any other
So much more than anything.

* * * * * * * * * *

As The Deer

Martin Nystrom
Tabbed by Jacob Shah

  D F#m Bm 
  As the  deer panteth  for the water 
  G A D 
So my s oul longeth  after  Thee  
  D F#m Bm 
  You a lone are my  heart's desire  
  G A D 
And I  long to  worship  You  

  Bm G D 
  You alone are my  strength, my  shield  
  G Em7 F#m 
To Y ou alone may my s pirit y ield  
  D F#m Bm 
  You a lone are my  heart's desire  
  G A D 
And I  long to  worship  you  
  D F#m Bm 
  You're my  friend and You  are my brother  

  G A D 
Even  though You  are a  King  
  D F#m Bm 
  I love  You more than  any other  
  G A D 
So much  more than  any thing  

  D F#m Bm 
  I want  You more than  gold or silver  
  G A D 
Only  You can  satis fy  
  D F#m Bm 
  You a lone are the  real joy giver  
  G A D 
And the  apple  of my  eye

Artist: Martin Nystrom

* * * * * * * *

As The Deer Free Sheet Music
http://www.take-a-piano-sheet-music-break.com/free-christian-sheet-music.html

* * * * * * * *

As the Deer (key of D)

Martin J. Nystrom

D       A           Bm      F#
As the deer panteth for the water,
       G            A     D   Bm A
So my soul longeth after you.
D    A             Bm
You alone are my heart�s desire
       G        A      D  Bm A
And I long to worship you.

Bm                 G           D
You alone are my strength, my shield.
    G                  Em    F#
To you alone will my spirit yield.
D    A            Bm
You alone are my heart�s desire
       G        A      D
And I long to worship you.

You’re my friend, and You are my brother
Even though You are a King.
I love You more than any other
So much more than anything.


�1984 Maranatha! Music (ASCAP)

* * * * * * * * * *

As the Deer Panteth For the Water - Jazz Piano

* * * * * * * * * *

First Line to As The Deer:

"As the deer panteth for water, So my soul longeth after Thee. You alone are my heart's desire,"

All the best,
~ LadyD

P.S. Hi Gospel lover,

I'm so excited to be writing you about a new resource that will
help you learn worship music by ear. As you know, it's very
hard to find materials on gospel music, so when I find out
about resources like this, I just have to let my subscribers
know!

Jermaine Griggs over at HearandPlay.com
has a worship course, GospelKeys 202
Special Edition - "Mastering Worship Chords."

Not only is it almost five hours (...that's one of the longest
I've seen for a gospel course), but it is packed with tons of
worship chords, progressions, songs (like "Anointing," "As the
Deer," "Thank You Lord," and more), and tons of concepts like
"coupling," his "3-4" principle on how to predict what chords
come next in worship songs, and special sections dedicated to
ear-training and chord recognition. That's actually only the
beginning of it.

He covers a systematic way to play worship songs. In other
words, he takes you through a song learning process that will
enable you not only to learn the songs he shows you step by
step, but to master literally tons of worship songs (because
most worship songs follow the same basic patterns as you'll
see)!

So if you're a church musician and have been struggling to play
worship music --- or, if you're an accomplished musician and
just want to learn more chords and concepts, I highly recommend
that you check out his course.

Here's some more information from Jermaine, himself, about his
worship course:

----------------------------------------------------
Disc 1: Introduction of tones, basic chords, extended voicings,
"music edutainment reality clips!" (1 hour and 25 minutes)
worth!

The first part of the course is focused on teaching you all the
chords you'll need to know to play a majority of worship songs.
From personal experience, I've found these same chords to be
present in just about 4 out of every 5 songs!

What most gospel musicians fail to realize is that chords are
recycled and played over and over again in different songs. So
part one focuses on getting you up to par, teaching you all the
chords you need to know to get started (both basic, extended,
quartal, and more)! Lots of content (various chord voicings,
inversions, and demonstrations) has been added to this section
and it goes beyond the basics --- you get a whopping 80 minutes
of step-by-step, over-the-shoulder instruction here!

For more information on how to get your hands on the limited
GospelKeys 202 Special Edition, visit:

GospelKeys 202

----------------------------------------------------

Disc 2: Extensive ear-training, chord prediction techniques,
and the "couple" system! (1 hour and 15 minutes)

Once you've mastered the chords and voicings from part one,
you'll learn, through a series of ear-training tests, how to
differentiate between certain sounds. Jermaine shows you how
to determine what types of chords and progressions are being
heard so that you skip all the mistakes that most musicians
make when learning new songs!

You'll also learn how to pinpoint patterns in chord progressions
and how to predict what's coming next in a song. Jermaine has taught
this technique to thousands of people and they've benefited
greatly from knowing exactly which chords lead to other chords!
Music and progressions are circular and I'll teach you just how
to master this circle of chords and patterns!

Then, to top it all off, you'll learn Jermaine's couple system and how
it helps you to play all of your favorite worship songs by ear.
Many people get discouraged when learning new material but if
you can simply think of chord progressions as small couples
(just two chords at a time), you'll immediately understand how
songs and progressions work!

For more information on how to get your hands on the limited
GospelKeys 202 Special Edition, visit:

Gospel Keys Special Edition

----------------------------------------------------

Disc 3: Vocal accompaniment, "real-life" worship songs, and
application! (1 hour and 25 minutes)

Part three brings everything together (the chords and voicings
from part one and the couples and progressions from part two)
and allows you to see, step-by-step, how to play worship hits
like "Thank You Lord," "As the Deer," "Anointing," Hallelujah,
"I Really Love the Lord (remix)," along with tons of "add-ons",
"fill-ins," and tricks that bring your favorite songs to life!

While five songs are specifically covered, chord-by-chord, the
systems and patterns you'll learn from the course will enable
you to apply these same techniques to tons of worship songs ---
all by ear!

With a live vocalist (not recorded -- but "live"), you'll get
firsthand experience at how to accompany a singer and what it
takes to play in this worship style. From left-hand movements
to right hand chordal arrangements, this special edition
over-delivers in many ways and you'll be sure to benefit from
almost 5 hours of instruction, demonstrations, and
explanations!

For more information on how to get your hands on the limited
GospelKeys 202 Special Edition, visit the site below:

GospelKeys202

Plus...

***************** BONUS ***********************

This special edition is limited in quantity so the next 175
people to order will be receiving BONUS DISC 4!

Disc 4: An in-depth 30-minute, one-on-one, personal interview
with Jermaine Griggs, founder of the Hear and Play Music Group
(over 200,000 students)!

Plus bonus "uncut" and "behind-the-scenes" footage, bloopers,
mess-ups, the headquarters, and more! (40+ min).

>>>>>>>>>>>>

...So make plans to get your hands on the entire 4-disc
(5 hour)package and your piano playing will never be the same!

For more information on how to get your hands on the limited
GospelKeys 202 Special Edition, visit:

Gospel Keys 202

***************************************************

I know you'll find this course very beneficial to your gospel
music playing. Don't forget to check out their other Gospel
instructional tools at the site below.

Gospel Keys

God bless,

LadyD

Charlie Parker once said "Learn the changes and then forget them."

Learn 20 Advanced Guitar Licks: Runs and Fillers for the Serious Pianist

I just wanted to let you know about 'Advanced Guitar 301' and a Music Dvd for the serious pianist! Yes, I have several friends that offer great teaching products and it seems everyone is having some type of sale this weekend!

Digital Version is finally available! It's a new guitar course available to musicians. My friends at Hear and Play always have great dvds available for playing piano by ear, drums and now a guitar course.

For The First Time Ever, Superstar Professional Guitarist, Jairus Mozee Takes You By The Hand And Drags You To "His World" Where He Personally Hand-Picks 20 Insanely Advanced Licks, Runs, Riffs, Patterns, and Fill-Ins You Can Outright STEAL And Apply To Your Own Playing Virtually Minutes After Watching!

Guitar 301

Learn 20 Super Advanced Guitar Licks, Tricks, And Riffs Across 4 Different Styles...
Funk, R&B, Gospel, Jazz

Advanced Guitar 301 Trailer / preview

The structure of "Advanced Guitar 301 - Licks, Tricks, and Solos" is pretty straightforward.

It covers 4 genres of music: Funk, Gospel, R&B, and Jazz.

In each of those genres, we start by teaching you the underlying chords that make up the patterns you're hearing. So if you're in the "funk" section, you'll start by learning the funk chords he's using as a bare minimal (even beginners can benefit from this part).

Then they proceed to break down 5 unique riffs, runs, licks, or tricks you can play over these same chords. In fact, the underlying chords and patterns hardly change. But you learn dozens of ways to approach improvising over them. They do this for funk, r&b (

soul), gospel (shouting music), and

jazz.

By the end, you'll have 20 professional, advanced soloing licks you can pull out the cupboard at any time.

You can order this new dvd music resource at:

Guitar 301

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dear Friend,

A number of you have emailed me, repeatedly
expressing your frustration with the same issue:

“How do I make each hand play independently?”

“I never learned to use my left hand properly.
It's really underdeveloped compared to my right
hand. Now, I need tips to improve the
coordination in both hands.”

“My biggest problem is left hand independency.”

“My left and right hands always seem to want to
do the same thing, at the same time.”

Can you see the pattern in these remarks? When I
studied piano years ago, my hands would not
listen to what my brain would tell them. Today,
this problem occurs once in awhile, only when I
tackle challenging pieces.

If this scenario sounds familiar, then I have an
important message for you.

My friend Yoke Wong, a longtime music educator
and accomplished musician and composer. She has
developed a one in a kind piano instructional
home study courses called “Hand Coordination,
Runs and Fillers.” This piano course is designed
to help piano players tackle the issue of left
hand independence and hand coordination.

After some gentle persuasion at my end, Yoke has
agreed to offer a some bonuses to any
customer who would like to order this course,
from now on till (designate your time).
Hand and Eye Coordination

Yoke will include the following bonuses for the
first 100 customers:

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Charlie Parker once said "Learn the changes and then forget them."

To Him Who Sits Upon The Throne: Sitting at the Piano

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 11: Schoolgirls Kaila ...

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

To Him Who Sits On The Thrown

C          Bb/C           F/C
To Him who sits on the Throne
             C
And Unto the Lamb
C          Bb/C           F/C
To Him who sits on the Throne
             C
And unto the Lamb
   Ab 
Be blessing and glory
    Bb              C
And honor and power forever
   Ab                     Bb              C
Be blessing and glory and honor and power forever

Artist: Unknown (Petra)

To Him Who Sits On The Throne

C           Gm 
 TO HIM WHO SITS ON THE THRONE 

F             C 
 AND UNTO THE LAMB (2X) 

   Ab 
BE BLESSING AND GLORY AND 

Bb                 C 
HONOR AND POWER FOREVER (2X)

I wrote this article for beginners on how to sit at the piano. Most of my readers are intermediate to advanced players. Perhaps there are some new beginners or someone that you know who would enjoy this post. Thanks again for stopping by and dropping me a line. I enjoy reading what songs you're working on and what you want to learn next. Keep Practicing!

Sitting at the Piano

Ready for your first piano lesson? Sitting at the piano should be a comfortable feeling right from the beginning.

Sit up straight facing the center of the piano. Place your feet flat on the floor. If your feet do not reach the floor, it is helpful to have a footstool or books under them when you practice but not absolutely necessary. Sit high enough to reach the keys easily. Do you have a piano stool or chair at home that moves up and down? If not, pillows or books may be used to help you sit at the correct height when you practice.

Piano posture is important for all beginner and advanced players. Most importantly, you want to be comfortable at the piano. Sitting with your nose directly in the middle of the range of piano keys is the best place to sit. Where is Middle C you ask? You will find that the white key to the left of the 2 black keys is the “C” key. In fact, all of the “C’s” are to the left of the 2 black keys.

After sitting at the piano and practicing for a time, let’s say 30 minutes, I suggest you take a little break. I have found that sewing at the machine, being on your computer and playing the piano for a much longer period of time will cause your shoulders to droop (round shoulders) and gravity will just pull you forwards, plus the backache will begin with a tense neck. For youngsters, 10-15 minutes of practicing every day will show great improvement overall.

Hand Position
Hold your fingers in a nice curved shape. Imagine you are holding a ball in each hand. That is the way the fingers should be curved when playing the piano. Your wrist should be level with your arms. Keep them level as if you’ve placed a rectangular pencil eraser upon your wrists while moving your piano fingers.

Finger Numbers
Left Hand:
5=Pinky, 4, 3, 2, 1=Thumb
Right Hand:
1=Thumb, 2, 3, 4, 5=Pinky

Have someone trace your piano hands and then number your fingers accordingly. Date it when you first begin piano lessons. It will make a wonderful keepsake.

The Piano Keyboard

The keyboard has white and black keys. The black keys are in sets of 2’s and 3’s. When you play down to the left on the keyboard the sounds are lower, bass tones. When you play up to the right on the keyboard the sounds are higher, treble tones.

On the keyboard, the high keys are usually played with the Right Hand. The low keys are usually played with the Left Hand.

Make up some pieces using sets of black keys. Perhaps you could make up a song using the sets of 2 black keys. Then add the set of 3 black keys. If you play all 5 black keys in the high end of the piano, you will hear tones that sound like a lovely Asian piece or flowing, running water. I hope these first steps have been fun and easy for you.