What is the Circle of Keys? Some people call it the “Circle of 5ths”, while others call it the “Circle of 4ths”. In reality, it is the same thing — it just depends on whether you move to the right … Continue reading →
Can you learn to arrange songs on the piano? Absolutely! But in order to do that, you need to be able to analyze the structure of a song in terms of it’s form and it’s chords. Watch this 2-minute video … Continue reading →
Sadly, jazz is slowly becoming a dying art. Cities were once full of jazz clubs, schools were teaching jazz as part of their curriculum and the “coolness” of jazz was alive and well. It was as much a part of … Continue reading →
Did you grow up playing Chopsticks on the piano? I did. And many of my friends did. Even kids that didn’t play the piano knew how to play Chopsticks. It is probably the most “popular” piano song ever — not … Continue reading →
It’s fine if you WANT to play old hymns just as they are written in the hymnbook, but you certainly don’t have to. Most hymnbooks are written in 4 parts: soprano, alto, tenor and bass. But you as a piano … Continue reading →
If you or a family member are planning to take piano lessons, you’re going to need an instrument at home in order to practice. Like every big purchase, you must be armed with a lot of research before you purchase … Continue reading →
When you listen to a song on the radio, or a piece at a concert, are you sometimes overcome with the complexity of it all? I know I am. When I am at a symphony concert and the orchestra is … Continue reading →
There are many, many forms of the blues, from rhythm-and-blues to all kinds of jazz tunes to hundreds, if not thousands of popular songs, and even some kinds of gospel music. In this podcast I discuss the basis of the … Continue reading →
Four Pianists turned Politicians Charles Dickens played the accordion, Neil Armstrong played the Baritone Horn, Thomas Jefferson played the violin, and Basketball great Wayman Tisdale played the bass guitar. These are only a few well known people who play a … Continue reading →
Some cousins don’t get along with each other, but others are “kissing cousins”. And that’s exactly what the C major scale and the A minor scale are – kissing cousins. What makes them like that? They are related because they … Continue reading →
