What Is A Key Signature?

If you've played the piano for some time now or are just beginning with piano lessons, by now you know that the key signature is the sharps or flats, or in some cases the absence of sharps or flats, that appear immediately after the clef sign at the beginning of every line of music. Without a key signature, accidentals would have to be placed throughout the music in front of particular notes each and every time they occur. It is easier on the eye and mind in the long run, believe it or not, to indicate at the beginning of the line which notes will be affected by sharps or flats and then to remember to alter those notes as the song is played.



A key signature is just a convenient way of noting the sharps and flats that occur in a particular scale, specifically the one on which the melody of the song is based. There is no rule that says a melody has to stay within the boundaries set by one scale. If a melody strays from those scale tones, accidentals are used to show the variation. Since it is possible to write a song without using a key signature, and only using accidentals, it stands to reason that even in a song which has a key signature, a melody line could wander into a new key by the use of accidentals which would not affect the original key signature at all.


Applying these ideas to a song, let's say that a song basically begins and stays in the key of Ab major from the beginning to about measure 16. Then you you come upon a G7 chord, which is a very important chord being the dominant seventh in the key of C major. It normally does not occur in the key of Ab major. Now we are firmly planted in the key of C major and we can stay there until measure 31 and then in the following measure our ears get ready to hear a key change back to Ab major.


In a song, there can be a lot of shifting of tonal center as one key then another becomes king of the mountain for a few counts. When you look at sheet music, you will notice that all this key changing is done with accidentals and that the key signature is changed at the beginning of each line of the song thereafter. For more exciting, professional piano playing, find songs that modulate and change keys throughout the song. This will surely add spice to your piano playing!


Warmest Regards,
LadyD

Diana Krall Does It Again with Quiet Nights!

Diana Krall at the Orpheum on May 13, 2009, in Vancouver, B.C. She was performing with the Vancouver Symphony.
Photograph by: Steve Bosch, Vancouver Sun

http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Diana+Krall+brings+sexier+than+ever+sound+Orpheum/1593681/story.html

I'm listening to Quiet Nights, playing softly in the background, while typing... do you have a copy? I am one of Diana Krall's fans that admires this artist tremendously! I am not alone on this view point. I believe all of Canada loves Diana... Speaking of fans, you might want to visit the fan forum.

http://www.dianakrallfans.com

I'd like to share a great review with you by Chantal Eustace, Vancouver Sun

"Smooth-voiced jazz sensation Diana Krall brought plenty of heat to the Orpheum on Wednesday night, and her charm wasn't lost on the crowd.

For starters, the 43-year-old's latest sound is sexier than ever, drawing inspiration from Brazil and the bossa nova style, perfect for her come-hither pipes.

She has said of the music from her new album, Quiet Nights, that it's like "you're lying in bed next to your lover and whispering this in his ear."



And then there's the Nanaimo-born beauty's warmth, expressed as she punctuated songs with anecdotes and humour throughout the show.

Krall poked fun at everything from parenting — she is mother of two-year-old twins Dexter and Frank — to her marriage to Elvis Costello and being on tour during the hockey playoffs. She also spoke about growing up in B.C. And even her appreciation of the rain.

"There is no place like home," said Krall, gesturing to her sparkling red high heel shoes, a gift from her husband. "I am so happy to be home, as my shoes will explain."

Dressed in a simple black dress with her famous blond hair worn loose, she crouched at the piano, fingers dancing across the keys, her voice captivating her fans.

The concert began with the jazzy and up-tempo, I Love Being Here With You, before winding down a little with the dreamy song Let's Fall In Love.

The relatively mature audience, a mixed bag of Krall-hards seemed quietly appreciative of the music and her chatter, laughing at her banter and clapping loudly between songs.

It seems easy to enjoy crushing on the Grammy-winning star, who is most famous for her 2001 crossover hit, The Look Of Love.

Backed by talent from the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, as well as Krall's trusty musicians — including guitarist Anthony Wilson and drummer Jeff Hamilton — the charismatic singer held her own.

Especially when the tempo slowed down, as with the simmering I've Grown Accustomed to Your Face, Krall seemed in her element.

She introduced this song by saying it reminded her of Costello, later laughing about their union.

"I was the nerd at band camp who married the rock star," she said, grinning. "And I played third clarinet . . . and I had a perm."

She also spoke about her musical father, who she said, was in the audience that night.

“I grew up with a lot of music in the house,” she said, listing off early influences like Nat King Cole.

She also spoke about another important night where she was engulfed in music at the Orpheum. When she was 16 years old, she said, she saw the late jazz legend Oscar Peterson perform on that very stage.

She was so inspired by Peterson’s performance, she wrote him a 12-page letter that she never mailed. Later in her career, she said, she had the chance to play piano with him.

“I feel ill just thinking about it,” she said, smiling at the memory, before changing gears and rolling into the song, Exactly Like You, embroidered with the singer’s own unique vocal yarn.

Krall's distinctive pipes sound even better live, giving off a chilly kind of heat on songs like Walk on By.

The two-hour concert wound down with I Don't Know Enough About You, eventually getting the crowd out of their seats.

And for a very satisfying encore, Krall gave a whisper calm rendition of her biggest hit to date, The Look Of Love.

Mix all of this jazz with a cool and rainy Vancouver night? You get some serious steam.

Go here for more on this concert

http://www.vancouversun.com

ceustace@vancouversun.com
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun




More related topics at:
“It's not coy. It's not 'peel me a grape,' little girl stuff. I feel this album's very womanly--like you're lying next to your lover in bed whispering this in their ear.”
– Diana Krall


http://pianodiana.blogspot.com/2009/03/diana-krall-quiet-nights.html



"There was no hiding how pleased Diana Krall was to be performing on home turf, Wednesday night in Vancouver." FIONA MORROW

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090514.wkrall0514/BNStory/Entertainment/home



"Lucky Vancouverites get into Krall space" Tom Harrison

http://www.theprovince.com/Lucky=Vancouverites=into=Krall+space/1593695/story.html

I hope you get a chance to see Diana in one of her upcoming tours!

~ Diana

http://www.LadyDpiano.com

3 Method's to Practicing Piano

Have you heard of Yoke Wong?

She's a marvelous piano teacher and you will want to see her videos on YouTube.

Free Piano Tutorials And Video

Yoke Wong offers many piano courses such as:

The Definitive Piano Improvisation Course

Hands Coordination, Runs and Fillers Course

Mastering The Art Of Piano Sight Reading







You may also want to sign up for her newsletter. I know I did. Learn more from Yoke Wong at her website:

http://www.PalyPianoTips.com

Here's a sample of her wisdom of teaching over the years to share with us:

"Have you ever felt as if your piano playing has become stagnant
and is not improving no matter how much you practice? The answer
may not be the amount of time you put in, but rather the strategy
you use to practice properly.

I still remember when I was learning piano in my early years and
the practice session seemed to be so boring and unproductive.
I never went beyond what my piano teacher assigned. Each session
would always be in the same order: scales, arpeggios, classical
pieces, and etc. It soon became tedious and uninteresting.

When one practices piano, one needs to get a balanced
practice (I liken this to a balanced food diet). You have probably
heard of the food pyramid if you live in the US or any other
westernized country. Basically, we are told by FDA that there
are a few groups of foods that we need to take in on a daily
basis to be healthy, such as grains, fruits and veggies, protein,
dairy, etc.

Similarly, in the piano playing world, there are three main
"ingredients" that we all need to consume in our practice
sessions to become "healthier" pianists.

Here are the Three Vital Ingredients:

Ingredient 1. Technical skills (scales, arpeggios,etc) -
This is what I call the carbohydrate or "grains" of piano practice.
Often these techniques can be used as fillers or runs on melodies
that have long hold measures as well as modulation,
transposition and etc. It can be uninteresting or even boring if
you do not know how to practice and how to apply them. The truth
is that few piano players know how to make use of the techniques
and how to practice them without getting bored. A suggested
session of 5 to 10 minutes daily technical exercises is often
helpful.

Ingredient 2. Repertoire--This is the collection of musical pieces
one knows how to play well. I like to call this the fruits
and veggies of piano practice. A good piano player can
easily play anywhere from 25 to 75 pieces comfortably.
Repertoire can range from classical pieces to hymns, or
popular songs and other pieces. By the way, repertoire
is often performed without the player reading from sheet
music. A good sight reading skill is essential to develop
broad repertoire. Piano player is suggested to learn a new
piece every 2-4 weeks in order to broaden the repertoire
collection.

Ingredient 3. Improvisational abilities--This is what I commonly
refer to as the protein of piano practice. A player that
possesses excellent sight reading and technical skill but
has limited ability to improvise is lopsided. For many years
I was able to play piano well, but knew deep in my heart that
if I didn't memorize the pieces there would be no way that I
could play any song without constantly referring to the sheet
music. This is similar to a public speaker who must constantly
refer to their notes during a speech.

One should spend at least 15-30 on improvisational practice
exercises on a daily basis.

In addition to the Three Vital Ingredients mentioned above,
I also suggest a minimum of 60 minutes of active listening and
60 minutes of passive listening to recorded music on a weekly
basis. This can easily be done when one is driving in their
car or exercising.

The main difference between active listening and passive
listening is that with active listening you are trying to hear
what is going on in the recording where as in passive listening
you are relaxing and not paying much attention. I often check
out recordings of famous performers and composers from my local
library. There are hundreds of great recordings you can borrow
from your library for free..."

Visit her blog

http://playpianotips.com/blog

Happy Practicing!

http://www.LadyDpiano.com

Coldplay

Many of my students play Coldplay's songs. You can see some of their clips on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/LadyDpraying

Who is Coldplay, you ask? I found this cool article online and wanted to share it with you. You will get a glimpse of their stardom! :D

http://www.articlehubs.com/Coldplay_link.html

Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in London, England in 1998. The group comprises vocalist/pianist/guitarist Chris Martin, lead guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, and drummer/multi-instrumentalist Will Champion. Coldplay have sold 40 million albums,[1] and are also known for their hit singles, such as "Yellow", "The Scientist", "Clocks", "Speed of Sound", "Fix You" and "Viva la Vida".

Coldplay achieved worldwide fame with the release of their single "Yellow", followed by their debut album, Parachutes (2000), which was nominated for the Mercury Prize. Its follow-up, A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002), won multiple awards such as NME's Album of the Year. Their next release, X&Y (2005), received a slightly less enthusiastic yet still generally positive reception. The band's fourth studio album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008), was produced by Brian Eno and released again to largely favourable reviews, earning several Grammy nominations.[2] All of Coldplay's albums have enjoyed commercial success.[3][4]

Coldplay's early material was compared to acts such as Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, U2, and Travis.[5] Since the release of Parachutes, Coldplay have drawn influence from other sources, including Echo and the Bunnymen,[6] Kate Bush and George Harrison[7] on A Rush of Blood to the Head, Johnny Cash and Kraftwerk for X&Y and Blur,[8] Arcade Fire and My Bloody Valentine on Viva la Vida.[9] Coldplay have been an active supporter of various social and political causes, such as Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign and Amnesty International. The group have also performed at various charity projects such as Band Aid 20, Live 8, and the Teenage Cancer Trust.[10]

The members of the band met at the University College London (UCL) in September 1996. Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland were the first members of the band, having met one another during their orientation week. They spent the rest of the college year planning a band, with their efforts culminating in a group called Pectoralz.[11] Later, Guy Berryman, a classmate of the two, joined. By 1997, the group, who had renamed themselves to Starfish, performed gigs for local Camden promoters at small clubs.[12] Martin also had recruited his longtime school friend Phil Harvey, who was studying classics at Oxford, to be the band's manager.[13] (To this day, Coldplay consider Harvey to be the fifth member of the group.[14]) The band's lineup was complete when Will Champion joined the band to take up percussion duties. Champion had grown up playing piano, guitar, bass, and tin whistle; he quickly learned the drums, despite having no previous experience.[11] The band finally settled on the name "Coldplay" which was suggested by Tim Crompton, a local student who had been using the name for his group.[14][15] By 1997 Martin had also met then Classics student Tim Rice-Oxley. During a weekend on Virginia Water, they asked each other to play off their own songs on the piano. Martin, finding talent on Rice-Oxley, asked him to be Coldplay's keyboard player but Rice-Oxley refused as his own band (Keane) was already operational. Days after, this event would shape the second line-up of Keane and keep Coldplay's unaltered, thus leaving both bands as quartets.[16]



http://www.LadyDpiano.com

Piano Chords

Many people know a few chords to get by with in their playing. There are only 12 major chords, 12 minor chords, 12 augmented chords, and 12 diminished chords. That makes 48. Then each one can be turned upside down (inverted) 3 times. Three times 48 is 144.

* 3 of the major chords are made of all white keys:

C F G

* 3 of the major chords are made of white keys on the
outside, with a black key in the middle:

D E A

* 3 of the major chords are like an Oreo cookie, black on
the outside, white on the inside:

Db Eb Ab

* 3 major chords, one of which is all black, one of which is white, black, black, and the other the reverse which is black, white, white.

Gb-all black B-white,black,black Bb-black,white,white

Practice playing the first 3 major chords over and over until you can move between them smoothly and quickly. Practice the next 3 major chords, then the next 3 and then the last 3. After you can play them by 3's, practice playing the first 6 without stopping. Then practice the first 9 without stopping. Then finally practice playing all 12 without stopping.



http://www.LadyDpiano.com

My First Ezine Article

I was so excited the day I found out that my article: "Can You Harmonize The Melody?" had been accepted and added to the EzineArticles.com directory.

Link

Upon viewing my article, I had discovered that I was about to embark upon a new journey of HTML codes and typing drafts in Microsoft Word. So, this is my way of making the latter half of my first article make sense.
Determine chords to be used and analyze the melody notes. Follow chart to see which chord is used with each melody note of a major scale. Play these notes all at the same time: (melody note is on top)

C E + G + C
D F + A + D
E G + C + E
F A + C + F
G C + E + G
A C + F + A
B D + G + B
C E + G + C

Mary Had A Little Lamb

G+C+E (Ma)

F+A+D (ry)

E+G+C (had)

F+A+D (a)

G+C+E (lit)

G+C+E (tle)

G+C+E (lamb)





If you're a beginner and would like your very own gospel piano teacher on dvd, this course is definitely for you! This dvd course moves at a very comfortable pace and will teach you everything you need to know to get started playing basic hymns and congregational songs by ear.


Learn To Harmonize The Melody

http://www.LadyDpiano.com

Welcome To Piano Diana!

This is my story:

I started taking piano music lessons when I was 8. I loved it so much that I decided when I grew up that one day I would like to be a piano instructor. I've been doing this now for over 10 years. I teach piano lessons for adults, for beginners and for children. I also have had some wonderful experiences playing with various worship teams for over 30 years. I have 2 keyboards. One is a Yamaha DGX-220 and the other is a Yamaha Motif ES8. I like the rhodes sound on Rolands and Korgs. But I absolutley love my motiffff! I love all music, especially jazz, blues, gospel, worship and Christmas music. In this video, I am playing my old upright piano that my Mom bought me to start out with. It's 110 years old and still working with not one broken string! Have fun learning the piano! ~ LadyD
Link