Maybe eight years ago, my wife and I went to a concert that changed the way I viewed music forever. It was in a tiny venue in downtown Atlanta. My piano teacher at the time was on the piano and he had a drummer and a bass player with him. At one point in the […]
Tag Archives: improvisation
There are certain musical elements that are so versatile and useful that basically every real life pianist needs to know them. I say “real life pianists” because I am referring to those of us who don’t sit in ivory (pun intended) towers playing Bach all day but rather play in the every day situations of […]
Last week, I posted three tips for accompanying and it has been the most popular blog post ever here. Almost 900 people have “Liked” it and that really helps me by the way. Please take a second to “Like” this post too by clicking on the Facebook “Like” button just under the title above. Now […]
For church pianists, accompanying small groups or soloists is a ultra-important skill that is sometimes a bit neglected. So today, I thought I would give a few tips that are especially geared toward situations where the pianist is not given a written piano accompaniment.
I have a concert coming up this weekend with Nathan Prisk at Grace Baptist Church in Dacula, GA. This is the first time we are doing a full concert together with his new music and that means I need to learn it. I got around to starting on it yesterday.
In August, we recorded a song I wrote called “This God Alone” in the live taping. The lyricist wants the music for a concert she is doing so I promised her I would write out the piano part (all the other parts are already written out).
Four is an important number in modern music. Here is why.
This is how I approach this kind of music.
Yes, I hate my own arrangements sometimes.
An easy way to get away from playing octaves in the left hand.
A hook is a term that has different meanings in music. Sometimes, it refers to a chorus. When I use it, I am usually referring to some bit of something that makes a song memorable. For example, it could be a rhythmic idea, a melody line, or some interesting harmony. Arrangers want their music to […]