I really love Bruno Mars. He’s got it all. He knows how to write a beautiful ballad, he has a gorgeous soulful voice and he plays the piano and guitar. The song that I cannot get out of my head right now of his is “When I Was Your Man” from the Unorthodox JukeBox CD. [...]
Bill Evans Style Voicing
Here’s a voicing to try out on the piano the next time you practice. It is a pattern that sounds modern and jazzy much in the Bill Evans style. For the left hand, play 7-3 voicing or 3-7 voicing and a double fourth shape in the right hand beginning on the 9th of the chord [...]
Billy Joel singing Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)
I teach a 9th grade boy piano. He is so musical and loves to play. Now, he is very into Billy Joel and Elton John.A couple of days ago at his lesson, he said that he wanted to learn how to play “Lullabye” by Billy Joel. I have always been so moved by this song [...]
My Fair Lady
This past summer, I went to see a community theater production of the beloved musical “My Fair Lady”. I hadn’t seen it in years. The production was stellar, from The Reagle Players in Waltham, MA. If you haven’t seen it, you have probably heard of one if not all of the great songs in this [...]
All Around the World – Lisa Stansfield
Do you remember this song? I was shopping at Market Basket and heard the song for the 10th time. “That’s it”, I said. “This is an omen. I’ve got to learn this.” I’m not sure what it is about this song. I absolutely love Lisa Stansfield’s voice. It’s powerful, emotional, and sultry. The song’s bridge [...]
It’s Not About Perfection
I’m reading a fascinating book right now called “Music Lessons” by Victor Wooten. Mr. Wooten is a very successful grammy-award winning bass player. This book is a philosophical approach to playing music and living life. There are lots of important discussions about music which he says stands for the mother (“mu”) of all sciences (“sic”). Cool, [...]
Playing By Ear – How to Get Started
Everyone wants to be able to sit down at the piano and “just play”. And I think it is a myth that either you can do it or not, that it is something you are born able to do or you cannot do it. I disagree. Are some people born with a natural gift for [...]
What Does It Mean to Play Musically?
One of my regular adult private students said to me in her lesson a few weeks ago, “when you play the exact same notes, it sounds so different, so musical. What are you doing to make it sound so different?” That was a great question and it really got me thinking about what and how [...]
Practicing Chords – At the piano and in the Coffeeshop
So how much time should you spend practicing your chords and how should you do it? I think that if you spend more than 10 minutes practicing chords, you will be too bored and will have the inclination to listen to your ipod or turn on your ipad. So keep it short. 10 minutes tops. [...]