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Piano Library: Piano Lessons and
General Music Articles
Below we have compiled a library of helpful piano tips are articles for practicing, learning, and more. We hope these articles are helpful for you. If you have an article related to piano that you would like to submit, please visit our Contact Page and let us know about it. Once reviewed, we will add it to the site to share with our audience. We will continually add new articles to keep you informed on the best techniques to use when learning the piano.
I've met piano players who have played classical piano for many years but have always wanted to know how to improvise. I've also met players who want to learn how to improvise from the start and who are not interested in reading classical piano music straight off the page. Regardless of what category you fall into, if you're interested in learning to make things up as you go and improvise, the best way to get started is through jazz. Jazz is a language that allows musicians to compose on the spot while still sticking to a set of rules or guidelines. Depending on the style of jazz, those rules can be more or less strict. If you'd lilke to know more about online jazz piano lessons then please read on...Read Full Article
There are two key ingredients to becoming a good piano
player. The first is finding a good teacher. Getting
piano lessons from a good teacher or good piano learning course
will help you to master concepts more quickly and in the correct
way. If the teacher is right, you’ll also get inspiration
which is key to keeping your interest and motivation. The
second ingredient is practice. The more you put into
learning how to play the more you will get out. That only makes
sense, right? Many people think that people are naturally
gifted and can just sit down and play anything. While this
can be true to some extent, those gifted people have spent a
good amount of time at the piano...Read Full Article
In this piano lesson, we discuss the importance of
transcription. As with anything, when approaching your
first transcription you should start with something simple.
Don't attempt to transcribe the most difficult piano piece ever
written. If you do, you'll just end up frustrating yourself and
possibly give up on the whole idea. So what should you
start with then? My advice is to pick an excerpt from your
favorite song with a single note melody. The melody line doesn't
have to be from the piano. It can be a horn, voice, bass line or
anything that strikes you. It is important to pick something you
like so that when you've finished transcribing it you'll have
more joy in knowing how to play something you really like versus
something that you were told to learn...Read Full Article
Among jazz musicians, there are certain
tunes referred to as “jazz standards” which all jazz musicians
are expected to know by memory. These tunes have been in the
jazz repertoire for many years and as a result, have been
performed in a wide variety of arrangements. Of the most
prominent teams of writers for these types of “jazz standards”
was Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart (Rodgers and Hart). In the
following, I will discuss the famous Rodgers and Hart jazz
standard written in 1937 known as My Funny Valentine.
Like most standards, this tune is extremely popular among jazz
artists and is commonly called as a tune to play on the
bandstand...Read Full Article
In the
following I will discuss Beethoven’s Sonata in Eb. We will
first understand the piece in terms of its phrase structure and
overall form. Once these elements are understood, I will
highlight the ways in which the minuet and trio contrast.
Finally, I will identify any similarities that exist between the
two parts. In order to
understand the overall form of the piece, we must first analyze
the phrase structures that make up the minuet and the trio. We
will begin with the minuet which consists of three separate
phrases within two sections. The first phrase in the first
section ends with an imperfect authentic cadence in Eb in
measure four...Read Full Article
In the following I will discuss
Haydn’s string quartet in G minor. In order to gain a more
complete understanding of the piece, we will begin by discussing
its phrase structure and overall ternary form. Once these
aspects are understood, we will look more deeply into what is
happening within the phrases. Through the analysis of Haydn’s
use of chromaticism, modulation, and motive, we will be able to
gain a deeper understanding of the similarities, contrasts, and
colors that that are developed within each section and phrase of
the piece...Read
Full Article
In the following, I will discuss Mozart’s Piano
Concerto in G major, K.453. This
particular concerto was composed in 1784 and
contains three movements (allegro, andante, and
allegretto). Due to the fact that I do not
have the entire score, I will only be able to
make certain comments on harmonic movements that
are obvious to my ear. I will try to
provide as much harmonic analysis as possible
under these circumstances. I will explain
how Mozart’s choice of harmony, rhythm, melody,
and orchestration in this particular concerto
affect my reception of the piece. Read
Full Article
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