Showing posts with label Improvisation. Show all posts

Valentine Music Worksheets and Songs

With Valentine's Day approaching, if you are a piano teacher, you will want to look at a plethora of Valentine's Day Worksheets to print out for the kids. I use many of Kristin's Music Theory Worksheets with my beginner and intermediate students. Teachers Playground has so many fun resources for piano teachers, too. Many of my piano students play by ear. I wanted to share myfunpianostudio.com with you because I personally recommend the improv resources on this website. Have fun printing off many excellent resources on Kristin's beautiful website!

Here's an example from her site:

For the church musician who is gathering a song list for the days and weeks ahead in preparation for the worship team, here's one song that comes to my mind. You may be familiar with "Your Love Never Fails."

Chords and Lyrics to Your Love Never Fails

By Chris McClarney & Anthony Skinner

[INTRO]

Em   C   G   D
Em   C   G   D
Em   C   G   D
C   Em   D
C   Em   D


[VERSE]
Em           C   
Nothing can separate
G         D/F#
Even if I ran away
Em                C     G   D
Your love never fails

Em            C   
I know I still make mistakes
       G                       D/F#
But You have new mercies for me everyday
Em                C     G   D
Your love never fails


[CHORUS]

C                G                 D/F#
You stay the same through the ages
Am          G/B      C
Your love never changes
             G                     D/F#               Am
There may be pain in the night but joy comes in the morning

C       G             D/F#
And when the oceans rage
        Am           G/B    C
I don't have to be afraid
          G                     D/F#
Because I know that You love me
Am
Your love never fails

C   Em   D


[VERSE 2]

Em                        C   
The wind is strong and the water's deep
       G                        D/F#
But I'm not alone here in these open seas
      Em                C     G   D
Cause Your love never fails
Em           C   
The chasm is far too wide
G                             D/F#
I never thought I'd reach the other side
    Em                C     G   D
But Your love never fails


[BRIDGE]

         C            Em                  D
You make  all things  work together for my good.

If you remember The Righteous Brothers from the 60s, then you'll want to check out the chord progression to the song, You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'.

Looking for a jazz arrangement to Love Letters with the lovely Diana Krall? You'll find slash chords, here.

Of course, my students love, Maroon 5 She Will Be Loved and adult students like My Funny Valentine.

Do you have a favorite Heart song?

Warmly,

"Jazz washes away the dust of everyday life." -- Art Blakey

Improvising with Jamey Aebersold

"Anyone can improvise. It's the most natural way to make music. Always has been! It's a technique we've forgotten or thought we weren't good enough to begin." -- Jamey Aebersold

I just finished reading through How To Play Jazz and Improvise, a play-a-long book & cd set for all instruments. I wanted to share eight things that Jamey recommends when improvising. Mr. Aebersold suggests that you choose one or two items at a time and concentrate on them while playing with the recorded track. Soon these elements of music will become automatic.

8 Tips for Improvising

1. Don't limit yourself by beginning every phrase in the low register and then proceed upward (ascending motion). Utilize descending motion and use melodic lines that combine ascending and descending motion.

2. Avoid limiting your ideas tot he middle or the most comfortable register of your instrument. Nothing is more monotonous than listening to players who confine their playing to their most comfortable register and refuse to utilize the high, low, or unfamiliar registers. Be prepared to take chances and experiment with less-used limits of your instrument. By so doing, you will experience some of the most gratifying moments in improvising; it can also be quite frustrating at times. Soaring into the upper register or dipping down into the low register of your instrument on occasion can be a surprise, a relief and a joy for the soloist and, particularly, for the listener.

3. In order to have as much freedom of concept as possible, memorize the scales to be used. If you have the scales memorized and mastered, your mind is freer to concentrate on melodic development. Your imagination works best when you feel secure.

4. Vary your dynamics! Lack of dynamic contrast has a dulling effect on the listener and the player. Listen to the phrasing and dynamics of the jazz greats.

5. Don't stacatto every note, and don't legato every note. Use a variety of articulations. Listen to recorded solos of people who play your instruments. Interesting players have an assortment of articulations at their disposal. For variety, listen to solos by musicians who play an instrument other than your type. Many name jazz players have used this technique for practicing articulation.

6. Concentrate on hearing, mentally, each tone before you play it. This requires constant anticipation and awareness. It will help prepare you for more advanced improvisation, as well as create in you an inner sense of pitch. A sense of pitch will greatly stabilize intonation, and is extremely important when playing notes that are seperated by a large interval. Concentration will also help your intonation.

7. Always try to make the notes you play have a sense of direction. be aware of tension and release. Remember, every note you play is part of a larger musical idea. If you can't think of what should come next in a solo, try using silence. After all, music is nothing more than a combination of sounds and silences.

8. Listen to your sound. Do you like the sound you are getting? If not, why? Everyone should study privately with the best teacher they can find. Listen to records and copy the SOUND of the artist you listen to... Always play on the best instrument you can afford. Good instruments DO make a difference.

-- Use repetition when soloing. Repetition is like watching road signs. It helps hold the listener's attention and directs them to the next musical phrase or event.

Vol. 1, How To Play Jazz & Improvise (Book & CD Set) (Play- a-Long)

"Jazz washes away the dust of every day life." -- Art Blakey

Teaching Jazz As A Language

"Telling a Story' in Jazz doesn't mean you have to play a ton of notes and have brilliant technique on your instrument." -- Russ Nolan

One of the most challenging aspects of learning how to improvise or how to teach improvisation is knowing where to start. Most of us did not grow up listening to jazz around the house. However, we did grow up listening to one or two spoken languages that gradually became our. own. It's by the same process that we learn jazz language.

How does one develop a vocabulary? I have found that the easiest way to start is with Blues Scale. These six notes not only cover over the basic Blues changes, but can be applied in various harmonic situations. Just as a child's first words are 'mam' or 'dada', we can use the notes of the Blues scale as the same building blocks. Teaching in a group setting, use a 'Call and Response' format. Many students have never had a formal jazz improvisation lesson. Start by playing a rhythm with the tonic and have the students imitate it. Then ask students to come up with their own. Ask them, "If you can improvise with one note, why not try two?" And so it goes until we have progress through all six notes.

Building a Melodic Blues Line From the F Blues Scale Note by Note

First 2 Notes:

F, Ab, F, Ab, Ab, F, F, Ab, F, Ab, F.

First 3 Notes:

F, F, Ab, Ab, Bb, F, Ab, Bb, F, Bb, Ab, F.

First 4 Notes

F, Ab, Bb, B, Bb, Ab, B, Bb, Ab, F, Ab, Bb, B, Bb, Ab, F.

First 5 Notes

F, Ab, Bb, B, C, Bb, C, B, Bb, Ab, F, C, B, Bb, Ab, F.

First 6 Notes

F, Ab, Bb, B, C, Eb, F, Ab, Bb, B, C, Eb, B, Bb, Ab, F.

Now play 2-to-6 note lines going down the scale. Make up your own! That's improvising!

When I first started playing in a band as a keyboard player, I was not familiar with the speaking part of the music language, as a musician. Sometimes as musicians, we get introspective and start looking at why we play patterns or chord progressions the way we do.

A wonderful comparison between speech language and improvising in music is that everyone learns to speak and have a conversation, as well as write in our given language. Unfortunately, many musicians never learn the "speaking" portion of the musical language.

When I first started taking piano lessons, I was classically trained to read all the notes on the music staff. After several years of advancing through different levels of music books and applying lots of music theory, I still wasn't able to find a music teacher who wasn't afraid of improvisation.

In short, music educators were not taught the history and evolution of improvisation in "classical" music. During the baroque period of music, improvising was a basic part during that time. Musicians needed to learn this skill in order to work together effectively.

Some say it is a skill that one learns unconsciously, without effort and fear. So it is with my grandchildren who are learning a verbal language. Hopefully, no longer talking like a baby but the English language. They seem to improvise with that language every time they have a conversation with someone.

So, we learn to read and write the language and that means we need to learn grammar. But with music, we learn it differently. Most musicians, including myself, learn to read the music notes at first but we can't speak with one another unless we're looking at the notes. We simply do not know how to "jam."

When I first came across a very popular website online that teaches one how to play by ear, I would read about how easy it is to read the language of music and that it was not difficult to play by ear.

I was challenged at first because I could hear the difference in my playing without sheet music compared with the pros. It is necessary to have something worth saying when you speak the Jazz language. There is a huge difference between a beginner improviser and a great one. It's not about skill, technique or memorization, but it's about the concept and content.

As a piano teacher, I am trying to stay balanced with my students in finding the balance with their technique and developing their musical personality and composition.

A great tip is recording your self. Play the keys and playback your song and analyze the harmony and rearrange things a bit. The more you practice and get familiar with your instrument, your style becomes more fluid. Then you'll merge more with the other band members.

When I play with a group of musicians that I have known for quite sometime, you can just feel the chemistry. A transformational event takes place when we are playing live and we become one unified voice.

After all, improvising is the art of making up music on the spot. It is fun to learn the Jazz language. Learn-The-Jazz-Language

You might be interested in the 300 Pg Book By Ear and Finding the key to any song.

"Jazz washes away the dust of every day life." -- Art Blakey

The Jazz Language

English: Cover of a 1922 edition of F. Scott F...

Image via Wikipedia

When you're playing simple jazz chords or looking at a jazz composition, sometimes you need to pick up a jazz book and learn the language!

Article Source

Monday Music Quote Meme

"Though the Jazz Age continued it became less and less an affair of youth. The sequel was like a children's party taken over by the elders."

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Looking for some free jazz chords to songs by Adele? I found Someone Like You.

"Jazz washes away the dust of every day life." -- Art Blakey

How To Improvise Using 4 Left Hand Notes

Image via WikipediaIt is so wonderful to provide free online piano lessons to all ages and at all levels. I have been teaching piano lessons in my home for over 15 years now. I have enjoyed playing with various musicians in San Diego County for 30 years.

Beginner piano students are always looking for tips on moving right hand notes and matching some other bass notes with their left hand. So many folks are looking for practice methods that will encourage them to learn to improvise and play piano by ear. They want easy piano lessons.

I found a great teaching video from Yoke Wong that I wanted to share with you. After seeing the video, you will be playing piano lessons. So, here we go.

How to improvise using 4 left hand notes by pianomother on YouTube.

Be sure to practice and apply the technique!

G minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B♭, C, D, E♭, and F

Hand Coordination Techniques

PlayPianoChords.wmv

This is Piano Diana .

Many of you have expressed an interest in taking
your piano playing skills to the next level.
I want to help you get
there by ensuring that you get the most out of
your piano practice and learning experience.
Studying music is like studying a foreign
language. To become fluent, one needs to be
competent in both reading and speaking. Now,
apply this to your piano playing. How well do you
read? What about improvising? How well do you
improvise? These techniques (sight reading and
improvising) go together, just as reading and
speaking do.

Over the many years of my musical career, I have
come across trained pianists who are excellent
sight readers but really struggle with
improvising. That, obviously, is not a good
situation.

If you think you need help in improvisation, I
have an important message for you.

A special friend of mine, Yoke Wong, is an
accomplished pianist and music educator who
specializes in piano improvisation. She has
compiled a comprehensive home study course
called, Definitive Piano Improvisation to help
piano students master the art of improvising. I
generally do not promote other courses, but this
one is unique and deserves your attention. Since
I am very aware of the value and importance of
improvisation, I also recognize the value of this
course. It can really make a significant
difference in your piano playing.

Home Study Course

If you seriously want to upgrade your skills, I
urge you to get this DVD home study course
here.

The course comes with 11 hours of video
instruction, 2 CD’s and a 142-page binder. For
those who take advantage of this offer right now,
Yoke will include a bonus of her “Inspirational
Moments Digital Sheet Music.”

Because of the special price, this offer will be
available to the first 50 customers only. The
offer ends 7-14 days from today.

Definitive Improvisation Method

Your feedback is very important in helping us
evaluate how the course has made an impact on
your piano playing world. I would love to hear
from you once you have tried it out!

Thanks for your response!

Cordially,
Piano Diana

Visit pianomother's site for more information at http://www.pianomother.com

All the best, LadyD