Music
Piano Lessons and Perfectionism
Are you a perfectionist? Does every note have to sound right before it comes out of your piano? If so, you might be cheating yourself out of the joy of music making. Most of us learned how to be perfectionists as children, trying to please Mommy or Daddy. We wanted their approval so we [...]
Zen and the Art of New Age Piano
We all want to be in the moment. That's where real transformation takes place. For some, walking gets them there. Others like to play sports or watch movies. For me, it's playing the piano. When I'm in the moment, letting the music speak, it's like the world is new again.
The notes flow out of [...]
Guitar Practicing or Guitar Playing?
Just because you're holding your guitar doesn't mean that you're playing it, and just because you're playing your guitar doesn't mean that you're practicing. There is a real difference and it needs to be acknowledged if you want to improve your level of playing skill. Some people say they have spent the entire day [...]
Everything I Play Sounds the Same
Many students want to create music that has a certain emotional quality. For example, I once had a student ask me to show her how to play something that sounded happy.
Of course, this student missed the entire point of my teaching – to play where you are emotionally and to not try and come [...]
How to Play What you Feel
Many students think that being able to play what you feel is difficult. They believe you must have years and years of training in improvisation and theory.
The truth of the matter is that playing what you feel is easy when you understand what feeling is. Feeling is not emotion, yet it contains emotion. For [...]
What is Guitar Tablature and Can I Find It Online?
The guitar is one of the most popular musical instruments and the online guitar community probably the most popular of its kind. There are thousands of guitarists connected via online communities sharing guitar tabs, tips and stories and there are many of websites dedicated to sharing guitar music, tablature and even guitar lessons. Some [...]
The Case Against Traditional Piano Lessons
How would you like to spend 4 years in a University learning how to play other peoples music? If you think this is ridiculous, you're right! Because that's what thousands of piano music students do each day.
They sit in front of their piano or keyboard with sheet music of a dead composer in front [...]
Learning the Piano and Playing the Piano
Many piano students spend much time learning how to play the piano. Years upon years of study time devoted to perfecting technique, tone, dynamics, etc. All the while, many of these same students have never really played the piano. That is, they have spent their time practicing in preparation for the moment when they [...]
Five Secrets to Playing in the New Age Style
1. Learn how to Improvise
Learning how to improvise is the key to playing in this style. Period. You must learn to experiment and take musical risks – within certain frameworks of course. You're not going to bang on the keys and expect to make music. This is not the kind of risk I'm talking [...]
Composing for Dummies
When most people hear the word composer, they automatically think of classical composers like Mozart or Beethoven. This is the point where many "would be" composers freeze up because they tell themselves that their music could never be as good. And this is also the point where would be music makers end their desire [...]
