"Maybe I'm Amazed" as a Case Study in Good Songwriting

The chromatic piano bass walk at 00:55. A simple detail, but an example of what's missing from modern popular music arrangements. I've been trying to figure out what song this little chromatic piano bass walk was in (it was filed in my head but I could't remember what song). I wanted to show my songwriting students so they can incorporate this sort of bass walk into their accompaniments. Well, here it is. It's a chromatic scale from the root to the 7th of a dominant 7th chord. Some say it's cliche. I like it. I want to hear more cool bass walks in modern pop music. This is just one example. The piece flirts with 3 different keys and has chords that confuse the heck out of music theorists (they don't seem to belong, and yet, they work). The chorus is transposed up from the verse and contains 3 different variations of a D chord (D Ma, DMa7, and D7). How's that for variety? Who transposes the chorus anymore? Well some do at the end of the song, but it's less common to go back and forth between keys as Paul does here. Then there's a clear B section that's a definite contrast (I'm not sure modern pop artists know what a true B section is). Also, considering that most modern pop songs only have four chords max, Paul McCartney should be hailed as a pop genius for having 12 different chords in this piece. They are:

1. A
2. D
3. Dm
4. Em7
5. Bb
6. F
7. C
8. G
9. Ab
10. Eb
11. DMa7
12. D7

Wow! That's a lot of chord variety! YES. Study the Beatles if you want to write good songs (this was performed by Wings, after the Beatles broke up). Also study Carole King, Billy Joel, and Elton John. Always look to the classic rockers for good songwriting.

So what makes a good song?

• MORE THAN 4 CHORDS (ok that eliminates most of today's pop music, true)
• A CLEAR B SECTION THAT IS SUBSTANTIALLY DIFFERENT, WITH DIFFERENT CHORDS -- THAN THE A SECTION. A BRIDGE IS NICE TOO (C SECTION). Expose your kids to musical theatre....it really helps expose them to clear-cut musical form.
• SOME 7TH CHORDS THAT ARE NOT GARDEN-VARIETY 7TH CHORDS (ie, not just dominant 7ths, but major 7ths and minor 7ths). Heck, if you can throw a diminished 7th in there, you're a super-hero.
• COOL BASS LINES AND UNEXPECTED BASS TONES LIKE PAUL'S G/C IN THIS SONG.
• COOL INSTRUMENTAL FILLS
• A GOOD INSTRUMENTAL SOLO WITH IMPROV
• GOOD LYRICS WITH CREATIVE WORD CHOICE (study musical theatre)
• RHYTHM'S IMPORTANT, TOO, BUT WE'LL COVER THAT LATER....

Lyrics are far less noticeable to me -- because I'm a musician. But a good song must have both.

Jazz Piano Lessons/ Classes in Loudoun County, Virginia

Here are some samples of how we integrate jazz improvisation into beginner piano lessons, from our November 18 recital!  You can see how much fun everyone is having. 



Disclaimer:  I teach more than just jazz.  In fact, I teach all styles at Piano 2 Go, including classical, pop, classic rock, jazz, composition, songwriting, and improvisation.  For more info on in-home lessons, please contact me at jennifer@piano2go.com.

Snowflake: A Teacher-Student Improv Duet in D Minor Pentatonic

My Top 6 Favorite Classical Pieces

Ok.  A reckoning for you.  Despite my blog description, and the fact that I broke out of the classical cage long ago to explore other genres, I go weak in the knees when I hear certain classical pieces.  Obviously, my early compositions were inspired by classical influences, and I still compose and improvise in a very classical style (although I'm more jazzy every year).  Here are my favorite classical pieces.  I play all but the first on the piano.

1.  Samuel Barber:  Adagio for Strings.  Just when you think the phrase can't go on any longer (or get any more intense), it does.  Also featured in the movie, Platoon, I fell in love with this piece in high school; there is no piano but it is one of the most moving pieces ever written.  Close your eyes; be open and receptive to the sadness of this piece, and it will rip you to pieces.

 

2.  Gabriel Faure:  Pavane.  I'm a softie for anything de Francais, especially French composers.  Debussy, Faure, Saint-Saens, Satie...I love them all.  The joie de vivre is truly celebrated in French music, and harmonies are just more imaginative.  Just the right tempo is critical.  The mood is spoiled when this piece is delivered too quickly.   This duo has a nice moderate pace and the flutist has a lovely tone and phrasing.  (One of the most gorgeous pieces, I like to spontaneously arrange this on many gigs).

3.  Schubert:  Serenade (this is a particularly good version; I don't like it too slow, and I love Perlman's interpretation on violin.)

4.  Massenet:  Meditation from the opera Thais.  One of the most beautiful melodies ever written; Joshua Bell never disappoints.

5.  Beethoven:  Second Movement of Sonata Pathetique.  To listen to Beethoven is to experience a crazy cocktail of life's drama.  Quickly flipping from seething, violent outbursts to mournful meditations, there is never a dull moment in Beethoven.  I guess that's why I love him so much, and have two of his pieces here.  In this, one of Beethoven's more mournful meditations, the performer puts it all on the table for us:  blood, sweat, and tears.  I performed this movement in church just after 9/11.  I have enjoyed showing students Freddy's facial expressions in this piece.  His inner torment is palpable.

6.  Beethoven:  Third Movement of Moonlight Sonata.  (apologies - I posted the wrong video the first time).  This is my favorite movement of the Moonlight Sonata.  Sure, I love the first movement like everyone, but the electricity and passion of the third movement is hard to beat.  This piece makes me cry when I hear Evgeny Kissin perform it, but Valentina Lisitsa has chops.  Plus, I can't find a live recording of Evgeny playing it online.

Inspiring Duets: You're Welcome!

I'm a sucker for duets.  Two musicians with that special connection seem to vibrate at the same frequency; it's as if two hearts are beating as one.  It's a marriage of souls, so to speak, as two people journey through a song in perfect synchronicity and harmony.

Today I discovered that Kyle Landry has recorded quite a few duets on YouTube.  I play this Adele classic as well.  As I watch, I wonder how much of this is scripted, and how much is just improvised.  The players seem so focused and together.  Stay tuned to the end, where it gets kind of wild!  What a fun ride.

Adele:  Someone Like You (Kyle Landry and Frank Tedesco)

I cannot find a live recording of Chick Corea and Joshua Bell, but here is the recording from the CD: Musical Gifts (Joshua Bell and Friends).  It is a dynamic interplay of percussive jazz piano and passionate classical violin.  Very cool and partnership between jazz and classical.

Greensleeves:  Joshua Bell (violin) and Chick Corea (piano)

I love the unedited, pure, spontaneous quality of this duet, not to mention a jazzy violinist.  Check out some of his other spontaneous street improvisations on YouTube as well!  Random passers-by will just stop and play with Dotan.

Violin & Piano:  Spontaneous Street Duet in NYC with Ada and Dotan Nigran (Piano Around the World)

The Law of Attraction and a Sparkling Lure

A snippet of inspiration is all a child needs to hunger for music.  Teach what they love first, even if it's not in the plans.  Let them lead, and they will passionately practice.  They will want to learn. 

We were about to go to bed when Isaac, my 6-year-old, burst into song:

"This land is your land, this land is my land..."

A teacher had sung the song on morning announcements, and Isaac was hooked.  His mind had put the song on repeat.  This sort of obsession is the natural result of falling in love with a song.  It's like falling in love with a person.  You can't stop thinking about that person, or song.  You want to dwell in its embrace constantly.  On continuous loop throughout the day, its memory puts a skip in your step and a smile on your face.

"Mom, do you know this song?  Can you play it on the piano?"

As his mother and piano teacher, I knew my assignment.  I must drop what I was doing and teach this song immediately.  And I knew he would practice...relentlessly.

"Sure, I'll show you," I said.

My thumb on C, I played the song by ear.  Isaac jumped on the bench and smiled as he echoed my phrase.  He had resisted playing with his thumb before, but now, he saw the necessity of utilizing all five fingers, and he relinquished his stubborn ways.  I taught the next phrase.  He played the two phrases over and over and over, but it was time to go to bed.

"Mom, can you get me up at 5 in the morning so you can teach me the rest?"

And I smiled.  The joy of mothering is in moments like this; when my son has stumbled upon the joy of music, and I had little to do with it.  Sometimes, we let go of the reins, nature takes its course.

You see, the study and mastery of a musical instrument cannot be forced.  Nor can a fisherman force a fish to bite.  Our students, our children, are like fish in the water, and we must lure them in.  The right bait, in terms of the right song, is critical.  Even so, all fisherman know that there is more to it than the right bait.  There are factors beyond our control, like barometric pressure and tides, that have a bearing on how well the fish bite.  Likewise, there are musical experiences our children will have outside of lessons that can get them hooked on music.

We must teach from inspiration.  We must be in tune with the law of attraction.  Give them the bait of a good song that brings them happiness.  Allow the sparkling lure to draw them to the hook.  Show them how to play their favorite song.  And play them your own marvelous, dressed-up version, inspiring them.

And they will bite. 

They will be hooked. 

Technical hurdles can be paddled through painlessly when passion is at the helm.

The next morning, Isaac awoke a half-hour earlier than usual and tumbled downstairs to the piano.  He was ready to learn more.  And it was an hour before the school bus arrived.

This. 

This is why I teach piano.

And When You Need Inspiration, There's Kyle...

Kyle Landry.  Kyle Gets it.  The captivating delivery, the drawn-out phrase, the savored moment, the magnificent climax, and let's not forget his superior arranging skills.  Amazing, and all I need to get inspired and ready to play a wedding.....

Volcanoes and the Language of Love

There's no escaping the fact that I'm a hard-wired romantic.  Most musicians are.  That is why we are drawn to music.  Music is the language of love, after all.  Sadly, some musicians don't get it.  Or can't communicate it.  But the very best musicians know how to channel the emotion of love into their music.

It is the uncommon occasion that I have the privilege to bear witness to a young person with this ability.  And when I do, there are tears.  Sometimes, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I am violently shaken as I listen to a particularly emotive student.

A truly gifted musician can rip daggers of raw pathos into our hearts, and shake out all the rubble of life's upheavals and disappointments.  I listen to a soulful, deep performance and suddenly -- I can breathe.  Pent-up anger is out in the boxing ring.  Release.  Sweet release of things I cannot always detect...until the demons are exorcised on a musical journey.  Thank you, music.  Thank you for this abstract language of love.  Of loss.  Of release.


Unwelcome Eruption


A Poem by Jennifer Warren-Baker
Copyright 2017


Sounds pulsate, gently caress,

The melody whispers its subtle entrance.

As a small branch on the river, I cannot resist your seductive current.

My heart, once hard and cold, is warmed by waves of sound.

Like a mother who rocks and strokes her child to sleep, your rhythm envelopes me in love.

Then,
    
     building,
    
            climbing,

                     volume grinding,

A simmer of sadness bubbles up.

Quickly, I am overwhelmed.

Oh music!  How you bring me to foam and spit and spew!

I resist.  But, no use.

Unwelcome eruption, I knew you would come.

A volcano can only lie dormant so long. 

Too long, and the heart's lava spews forth...

        years of firey mess.

As the crescendo peaks violently, I look for the exit signs.

I don't want to.

I don't want to feel that now; I don't want the lava to trickle out for everyone to see,

but it does.

As the tempo races ahead, tears of fire burn my face. 

Searing, hot, lava adulterates the sides of that pretty mountain, as I realize the truth.

Unwelcome eruption that music has caused, you expose my boiling guts.

I am disarmed and weak.

And you, sweet music, remind me --  of all I have lost,

as I resisted the current that pulled me.

Losses in love:

     Love, abridged.

          Love, forced.

                Love, missed.

        Love, denied. 

Love I have not let myself feel.

Oh river of love, I resisted your sweet current, and the ocean still eludes me!

Music! 

How you peel away the layers and lay me naked to the vultures, the gossips, and the critics!

And yet, this unwelcome eruption was necessary.

Thank you, music, for showing me the truth.

The truth I didn't want to see under my pretty flowered slopes and ledges.

My Retreat from Social Media and Smart Phones

Where did I go?

The best place.

I got back into the real world.

The world where the TV is off and the iPads are locked up.

The world where Saturday mornings are filled with children dancing to live piano music in my living room.

What have I been doing, you wonder?  (Especially since you can't prowl around on my FB feed.)

Well, I went camping with my family.

I took a good book for the car ride.

A book that shook me with weeping as its protagonist died in the arms of her true love.

A book that reminded me of my own mortality, and the pleasure of a good story.

I stared at the campfire and soaked in the glow, the crackle, the heat, and the soothing fog of smoke mingling with cool fall air.

I took my precious gift - my daughter who arrived late in life - on nature walks. 

We pretended the pine cones were corn-on-the-cob and the pine needles were spaghetti.  We had a meal on tree stumps fashioned into table and chairs.  

I went out for pho with an old friend. 

A steaming bowl of noodles on a cold day,

in the company of an old friend,

is far more pleasurable than a thousand likes on a Facebook post.

I called my parents more often.  The relations were better.

And...I was far more productive in the home and in my business.

Because, if you're always scrolling through your SM feeds, you really don't have time for much.

Whilst you were debating healthcare reform with your political arch-rivals, you could have been making zucchini brownies or securing new business.

Or scrubbing the toilet.

Or reading Captain Underpants to your son - with expression.

It's true.

Social media junkies don't really have time to clean, and they definitely don't have time to play the piano.

Well, I can't have that!

So.

I'm going digital-free. 

Social media and smart phones are no longer part of my life.  And I'm all the better for it.

GOOD BYE, DEVICE IDOLATRY!

FAREWELL, TECHNOLOGICAL CANDY!

I have been to the candy store and partaken of your tempting sweets.  And I found that they did more damage than good in my life.  Your sugar messed me up, even though your novel newness tasted good -- for a while.  And your peripheral damage to my family and friends was even more tragic.

So, if your social media causes you to sin, pluck it out.

If your smartphone causes you to sin, pluck it out.

Out of your life for good.

Instead of scrolling through rubbish, read quality writing.  

Instead of screens, read books.  Or write a book! 

Make music. 

Have lunch with friends because you love those friends, not because you need to document your pretty, drunk faces and martinis on Facebook.

Get on the carpet with your kids and build a ferris wheel with Kinex.

Make a beautiful leather scrapbook instead of smearing your kids' faces across the internet, seeking the approval of man.

So, yes, there was a divine directive.  And I heard it loud and clear.

I am back.

I am engaged.

I am focused.

I am present.

I am intelligent.

I am a good listener.

I am guided by higher principles rather than popular practice.

I am back to being a better piano teacher, pianist, composer, mom, friend, daughter, and sister -- without the distractions of addictive technology.

And that is why I left social media and smart phones.

Summer Trial of Piano Lessons: A Huge Success!

Summer Trial for Purcellville and Loudoun Area Piano Students:  www.piano2go.com

Our Popular Summer Trial is a Smashing Success!

It's high time for me to review the success of our 6-lesson summer trial program.  So far this summer, we've enrolled 10 students in our summer trial (1 60 minute student, 1 45-minute student, and 8 half-hour students), all of whom found Piano 2 Go's summer program on Google. Also over the summer, we lost a family of 4 students in July who moved out of the area, 5 students in June who were away too much over the summer or simply don't attend through the summer, and two families who deducted a family member from their enrollment.  That's a loss of 11 students, or roughly 22% of my class roster at the time.  I also expect 5 - 10 hours of student absences a week, due to students traveling or attending summer camps.  I know from experience to expect this every year, but what does a piano studio owner do with the extra time on her hands?  The summer trial is a great way to turn the vacancies and vacation cancellations into opportunities for new customers.  New customers get to experience my dependability and assess teacher-student compatibility before signing on to a longer-term relationship.  The program is also discounted (1 free lesson and I waive the travel fee) so families love the value!

Lessons can take the format of summer camp if desired, and we can do fun projects such as learning top-40 pop songs, doing 12-bar blues duets and jazz jams with the teacher, and supplementing with rhythm games and hand drum accompaniment.  I can even tote my Roland speaker along and teach kids improvisation while accompanied by YouTube backing tracks.

So what happens in the fall?  I will be able to place most of those who are available for low-demand times right away (pre-3pm and weekends) and those needing prime-time slots (3pm - 7pm) are usually be happy to wait a few months for a regular slot.  In the meantime, I e-mail my weekly cancellations every Sunday, and students on the wait list can pop into those times until a regular, recurring time slot is available.  This system has been working beautifully for the summer months, and families are happy to select from the weekly cancellation list.  In fact, there hasn't been one week my summer trial students haven't found a cancelled time that works for them each week.  I've even been able to offer several trial students a regular, recurring time.  

So I'd say our summer trial program has been a huge success!  I've been having a great time getting to know new students this summer and look forward to incorporating as many new faces as possible into the fall schedule.  Next year, the only thing I plan to do a bit differently is to offer a 4-lesson trial as well, for those who join up later in the summer.  So bookmark our website (www.piano2go.com) and look ahead for our 2018 summer trial programs!  

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For more information on Piano 2 Go's mobile lesson service or summer trial program, visit our website at www.piano2go.com!

Ethnic Pluralism in Composing? Yes!

Ethnic Pluralism in Music:  A Song's Journey from Klezmer to Hindu

(image courtesy http://www.jazzguitar.be/melodic_minor_modes.html)

I've been replacing my social media time with composing time at the piano.  A while ago I dove into a Jewish Fakebook for a Hanukkah party.  At the party, I found myself deeply enamored with the music, as my friend John sat by and translated the Hebrew for me.  But it was the energized sadness of Jewish music that stuck with me for weeks -- and apparently, its influence has infiltrated my composing.

So when a recent bout of insomnia hit, I resisted the urge to dip into the fomenting cauldron of social media addicts.  Instead, I hit the piano with a tune that was hopping around in my mind.  (I've actually cut back my social media time dramatically, an accomplishment facilitated by my investment in a "smart" flip phone.  Aye, it's pretty dumb by Apple standards, but it has helped me eliminated wasted time and replace it with artistic productivity.)

Back to the tune...

My intent was to compose something for a student.  I have always had a vision of composing a piece for every student and having the students perform my compositions in recital.  But I often get off course and the piece gets complicated; too complicated for a beginner.  This could be something I just have to accept.  But, nonethless, the piece became very interesting as I complexified it (that is one of my favorite made-up words).

My creation became a whimsical, syncopated dance of Klezmer Band meets Blues Pianist (of course, it is easy to take any Jewish minor piece for a detour into the blues scale, since the minor pentatonic is only one note shy of the blues scale).  As I allowed the piece to become a little more wild, it journeyed into some very long 7th chords stacked with 9ths and 11ths.  Finally, it landed on a very strange jazz chord (D-F#-G#-C) which gave me quite a stir!  I quickly discovered a delicious scale to marry with this chord, but I had no idea of what scale I'd stumbled upon.  I knew it looked familiar but I couldn't put my finger on it.  Later, at a piano lesson, I explained to my student that it looked like the A melodic minor (ascending) but it started on the 5th, so maybe it was Myxolydian Melodic Minor.  

When I got back home I looked it up.  Lo and behold...imagine my suprise that the Jewish romp-turned jazz tune had led me to a Hindu scale (also called a Mixolydian b6 or Mixolydian b13 or Aeolian Dominant Scale).  My scale was an E Hindu Scale.  This scale deceptively looks like a major in the beginning but suddenly turns minor in the last few notes.  Now my Eastern European-Jewish composition was flirting with Indian and American Blues scales...how cool is that?  Actually, I am quite enjoying it and can't wait to finish and share!

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Jennifer Warren-Baker is the owner of Piano 2 Go, a mobile music service offering in-home and Skype instruction in piano and composition, as well as piano entertainment.  Her business is headquartered in Purcellville, Virginia, USA.

How Do I Get My 6-Year Old to Practice 30 Minutes a Day?

You just signed up your kid for piano lessons, and he's doing great with Twinkle Twinkle and Hot Cross Buns, but his teacher is demanding 20 - 30 minutes per day of practice. You're lucky you get 5 minutes out of your kid. Each of his songs takes about 20 seconds to play and you really don't want to hear that nursery rhyme 500 times. So how on earth do you get a beginner to put in 20-30 minutes a day? Here's what I do with my boys, and it's working great. They started their lessons with me a few weeks ago and are (to our delight) -- advancing rapidly. We know they are enjoying it because they are ASKING FOR MORE SONGS AND HARDER SONGS!  It's all about developing daily HABITS and WITHHOLDING THE GOOD STUFF until piano practice is complete. No, I don't put them on a 30-minute timer and lock them in the room. No, I don't hound them or hover over them constantly. So what is my magic formula to get the wee beginner at the piano 20 minutes every day?

1. Break up the half-hour.  Break it up into 5-minutes here, 5-minutes there, etc.  
2. Withhold screen time/ iPad, etc.  Whatever their favorite leisure activity is -- withhold it until piano practice is complete.  (I add homework and chores as additional screen-time pre-requisites).  I know one family who forbids screen time during the week and the kids must earn weekend screen time through music practice and homework during the week.  All the children play 2 musical instruments.  There is no TV in the house, only access to movies on a DVD player.  It's not my exact system, but it works great for them!
3. Practice the same time/s every day and stick to it.  My kids have to practice 5 minutes before school, 5-10 minutes after school,  and about 10 minutes before bed (when I try to jam with them if I'm home by their bedtime).  By enforcing these three times every day, they are getting to the point that they just go to the piano after they get dressed in the morning.  
4. Add a piano app as part of their practice time.  I use Piano Maestro to help my kids learn to read music.  It's phenomenal and they enjoy keeping time and finding the letter names on the keyboard.  
5. Have them perform their songs regularly for grandparents/ friends/ relatives on Skype, phone, or Facetime.  This is a great way to get extra practice out of them!  They LOVE to show off their skills to others, and the compliments from family members are a huge encouragement to them.

Hope that helps you get your 20 - 30 minutes a day!

For more information on piano lessons or piano entertainment in Loudoun County, VA, contact me at jennifer@piano2go.com or call 571-439-0136.  My website is www.piano2go.com.

Video Tutorial: Moving Up To Two-Octave Scales

Ever wonder how you will make the leap up to two-octave scales? This how-to video tutorial will help you by showing you patterns and tricks that you never noticed before! By the time students are in intermediate-level literature, one-octave scales are no longer enough. Students will regularly be encountering two-octave scales in their music. Staying in one-octave mode is only going to hold you back from achieving virtuosity at your instrument. Let me know how my video helps you in the comments below. I would also suggest taking a look at my 2-octave scale chart, which has been viewed by over 600 people! http://freethepiano.blogspot.com/2012/10/major-scale-fingering-made-easy-helpful.html