Posts Tagged ‘musician’

How important is sight-reading for piano players?

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008

Sight reading music
Sight reading is the act of reading and playing a piece of music before having ever seen it: on sight. This technique is an important one for musicians to learn. Being skilled in sight reading makes reading a piece of music easier; the musician doesn’t have to labor over every note and re-teach themselves the common patterns. Sight reading, after a decent amount of practice, becomes like second nature.

A solid knowledge of music theory is absolutely crucial to a musician who wants to become proficient in sight reading. Besides acting as the basis for understanding the notes, a music theory education provides the ability to see patterns within the piece of music, a large part of the sight reading puzzle. Sight reading, after all, doesn’t require the musician to read every single note. Most musicians rarely see the entire piece of music, but rather the patterns that emerge from it. They understand notes and how they function in relation to each other and are therefore able to deduce most of the chords and changes — all from just glancing at the basic structure of the piece.

For example, musicians who know music theory will first determine the key of the song from the key signature, which in turn gives them strong hints about which chords will probably be used most in the song. This knowledge alone enables the sight reader to be mentally prepared when those chords occur, and to be alert for chords which are unexpected.

They will also be aware of intervals such as 3rd and 6ths and 7ths, and they will look for the form of the song - ABA, AABA, ABACA, or whatever. They will be aware of the probably rhythm patterns based on the time signture, and they will quickly scan the score for repeats, tempo signs, volume changes, and so on.

In fact, most sight reading mistakes typically happen when a piece of music takes an unexpected turn, deviates from the common pattern. These mistakes, however, are few and far between with those proficient in sight reading. An experienced sight reader will have learned to not only see patterns but also to read ahead in a piece of music while they are playing it. Looking several bars ahead to catch anything tricky or unexpected is often done while holding a sustain or resting.

Sight reading plays a large role in music education, and students are frequently tested on their ability to do it well. Some sight reading exams will allow the student a few minutes to look over the piece and prepare; he or she will be able to make notes, mark up tricky time signatures or changes. Tempo is rarely a consideration in these sight reading exams as playing the piece well is far more important than playing the piece up to speed.

Advanced sight reading exams, however, aren’t quite as forgiving. These exams give the student minimal, if any, time to prepare, and tempo is absolutely considered into the final grade. Advanced sight reading exams prepare a student for work as a studio musician, a career where near-perfect sight reading is a must. The majority of studio musicians record a piece of music after only seeing it once — sometimes not at all. A flawed skill in sight reading will only prove to be a hindrance to the working musician; it is for that reason considered one of the most important parts of a music theory education.

This does not mean, of course, that musicians can’t reach the top rungs without good sight-reading skills. After all, many top jazz pianists don’t read music at all, but are gifted with incredible ears and improvisational skills. But for most of us “normal” musicians (like me) it is a helpful skill to develop to the best of our ability. Even if we never get great at it, we can always get better!

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Great Jazz Pianists and Their Contributions to Jazz History

Friday, July 11th, 2008

Great jazz piano players

Some of the greatest piano players in history became known for

their proficiency in jazz. Technicality and a heavy reliance upon

the ability of the musician to improvise makes jazz piano one of

the hardest styles to learn. That does NOT mean, however, that it can’t be learned, but to get to the highest rungs a pianist must have lots of talent, a great ear, and the ability to improvise.

The birth of jazz music in the early 1900s was a significant

period in musical history. Many of those who are considered among

the greatest jazz pianists of all times were pioneers of the

genre during this period. Jazz evolved from musical styles that

African slaves brought to America.

Therefore, its inception can largely be attributed to the early

African-American community. African-American pianists, such as

Scott Joplin and Ernest Hogan, are considered to be among the

fathers of ragtime music. Although the ragtime era only lasted a

few years, it was a precursor to, and contemporary of, the jazz

era.

Many of the earliest and greatest jazz pianists were African

American. For this reason, jazz music had something of a stigma

to overcome. While many embraced jazz as a new and exciting

genre, others couldn’t. The emancipation of African slaves was

still a fresh memory, and many people still carried strong

attitudes of racism. Anything that was perceived as “negro” (such

as jazz music) was inferior at best and “of the devil” at worst.

Jazz’s public image changed slowly over the first two or three

decades of the 20th century. Great African-American jazz pianists

of the early to mid 1900s were instrumental in helping transform

the perception of jazz. African-American artists like Erroll

Garner, Theoloius Monk, Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Oscar

Peterson brought a level of class to the genre that was

undeniable. In fact, the Count Basie orchestra was pivotal to the

jazz culture of New York for half a century.

Noteworthy musicians in and of themselves, they also provided

back-up for critically acclaimed singers like Billie Holliday and

Big Joe Turner. Count Basie’s association with Ella Fitzgerald is

both historically and musically significant. The 1963 album the

two made together is remembered by critics as possibly the

greatest recording of her career. Count Basie also made

recordings with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Tony Bennett.

These match-ups lent even more credibility to jazz as a distinct

genre.

The evolution of jazz saw many changes over the ensuing decades.

More branches and sub-genres developed. In fact, jazz music fell

out of favor with the public for several years in the 1980s.

There was controversy within the musical community over the

fusing of so many different types of music with jazz. Some

purists viewed it as “watering down” the art form. Other

musicians and fans see jazz music as a culmination of many types

of music and view blending it with rock as simply another

variation generally known as “fusion”.

Contemporary jazz artists have brought jazz back around into

public favor in the 21st century. Today’s great jazz pianists,

like Diana Krall, Harry Connick Jr. and Norah Jones bear living

proof of this by number of albums sold. While some write off

their work as “pop” jazz, many believe they are instrumental in

keeping jazz alive in the new millennium.

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Three of the Greatest Pop Pianists of Modern Times

Tuesday, July 8th, 2008

Great pop piano players

It seems as though pop music sometimes gets a bad rap. A glimpse at three of modern pop’s most famous pianists may dispel the myth that pop is an inferior genre. Their skill and level of musical expertise rivals that of pianists of other genres.

Sir Elton John: Born in England in 1947, his illustrious career has spanned three decades. John’s talent for playing the piano became apparent before the boy even entered school. He was often overheard picking out difficult classical pieces on the piano by ear as young as four years old. In fact, he was considered a prodigy. John entered the Royal Academy of Music on a scholarship award at the age of 11 and outshone most of the other students.

His professional career began like that of many musicians. John spent several years playing in pubs. Eventually a chance opportunity led him to partner with Bernie Taupin. Taupin and John write songs together to this day. Songwriting eventually led to the release of his first album in 1970. Shortly thereafter he became known as “the father of piano rock,” a title that still befits him today.

Billy Joel: Though he is often associated with his first big hit, “The Piano Man,” Joel almost didn’t learn to play. It was with great reluctance and upon his mother’s insistence that he began piano lessons. He excelled in proficiency, despite taunts from classmates about his preference for music over sports. Joel even took up boxing in high school to quell those taunts. Though he won many boxing championships, he gave up boxing after a nose injury and focused on his musical pursuits.

Joel began playing professionally at age 14. He played with various bands from 1964 until he recorded and released his first solo album in 1971. Though that first album didn’t gain much acclaim, but his second did. “The Piano Man” single was an instant success. The album “The Piano Man,” which was released in 1973, went gold. To date, over 4 million copies of this recording have been sold.

Joel went on to make several more albums in his career. His works include an album of original classical piano pieces.

Jerry Lee Lewis: Much of the credit for advancing the role of rock music in society must be given to this artist. In fact, Lewis is considered a pioneer in the industry. Born into a staunchly religious family, it was to their consternation that Lewis’ preference for rock and roll began to take shape. He began playing the piano in childhood and had a clear gifting for music. Fascinated by “negro music,” he began to develop his own style based on it. It was a mix of gospel, which he had grown up with, and country, R&B and boogie woogie. What emerged was the earliest form of rock and roll.

Lewis was often publicly condemned for playing “the devil’s music.” Even his own family denounced his work. This criticism seemed to only fuel his artistic nature even more. His fame spread, and even Elvis Presley took notice. He is quoted as saying “If I could play the piano like that, I’d quit singing.”

Lewis’ life, like that of many artists, was fraught with personal problems and scandals. His marriage to his 13-year-old cousin in 1953 (while still married to his first wife) nearly plummeted his career into obscurity. Soon after, his fame became limited to being the butt of jokes and public ridicule. Health problems, alcoholism, drug addiction and family tragedies nearly did him in. But after a movie about his life was released in 1989, his career made a comeback. This included another hit album in 2007, his first since 1973, and his induction into the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame the same year.

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Piano Improvisation: How To Create Exciting New Music As You Play!

Sunday, July 6th, 2008

Piano improvisation

Improvisation (also known as improvising) is the act of making something up as you go along — an act with which we all have a little experience. Remember playing House or Doctor as a child, letting the game go wherever your mind would take you? That was improvisation. No rules, no boundaries, just the limitless potential of your imagination.

Similarly, musical improvisation is the act of “writing” (creating it as you play) a song while performing it, a technique found most often in jazz and bluegrass (but can be traced back to renowned classical improvisers like Handel and Bach). Of course, it’s a little more complicated than an imaginative children’s game. Though improvisation is a highly creative and flexible technique, it requires great skill on the part of the musician. A musician involved in an improvisation must have a detailed knowledge of chord structure and complicated scales and modes. The musician must also have an intuitive ability to structure a song on the fly; great improvisation thrives on its ability to sound not improvised but rather wholly composed. That illusion, the ability of a song to seem anything but spontaneously made up, is part of improvisation’s allure.

There are two basic forms of improvisation: structured improvisation and free improvisation. Structured improvisation, though a contradiction in terms, is the most common of the two. In this form, musicians will use a pre-determined series of chord changes, usually held down by the rhythm section, as the song’s base. The lead instrument in the improvisation (sometimes also pre-determined) then have the freedom to create new melodies and harmonies from these pre-determined chords. The flexibility of this improvisation form is dependent on the flexibility of the chord changes, and the musicians involved must be able to play exactly what they hear in their heads, as some complicated changes may not allow for large deviations.

If we were to improvise on a song such as “Billy Boy”, for example, we would follow the chord progressions of the song, but make up a different melody for it. Some musicians choose to stay fairly close to the melody by using neighboring tones and half-step slides and so on; other musicians feel free to completely abandon the traditional melody and make up a new melody entirely.

In addition to songs, many musicians in the jazz and rhythm & blues tradition improvise endlessly on the 12-bar blues, which has a chord progression using only the I, IV and V chords (also known as the “primary chords” of a given key) of whatever key the musicians are playing in. For example, if a jazz group was playing in the key of Bb, the improvisations would be based on the I, IV and V chords in the key of Bb: namely Bb, Eb, and F.

Of course musicians also add extra notes to chords such as the 7th — especially in the blues — and sometimes also change the harmony somewhat from time to time. But the recurring theme always reverts to the I - IV - V formula.

Free improvisation, on the other hand, is far more like a game of House or Doctor — it has no rules. Instead of focusing on harmony or melody, free improvisation focuses on the feeling and texture of the music and the way the instruments complement each other. This form tends to be far more experimental and rarely adheres to one style or genre or music — it is, quite simply, what it is.

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