Chronicles of Piano Teaching - May 9, 2024

Rushing

Playing too fast is one of the biggest issues new students have. I think this stems from the fast pace of life. From timed tests to deadlines to instant messaging and instant food, we do everything on turbo setting. Life can feel like a race. But music should never, ever be a race.

I used to be a chronic rusher. Dave says I still am sometimes, and he's probably right. But mastering a musical instrument requires slowness. A slow, patient, methodical approach to learning a new piece begets both accuracy and feeling. One of the most moving pieces of all time is also one of the slowest (Adagio for Strings by Barber). I cannot listen to this piece without bawling. On the contrary, so many fast performances sound like showing off to me; they are just notes devoid of soul.

Years ago I was recording an album of my compositions. I was playing too fast and just not getting the accuracy I needed. The recording engineer told me to play like I was drunk. The suggestion worked. It's hard to go back and listen to that album because I hear my immaturity as a musician and my need to show off. The pieces are just too fast. If I had just played 25% slower, it would have had 100% more feeling.

How do I get students to slow down? I can't really tell my young students to play like they're drunk, so I tell them that this song is like the lazy river ride at the water-park, not the waterslide. (They GET that).

Funny Kids

It's really cute when your student uses the phraseology of a bygone era. I was reminding a third-grade student to connect the left-hand notes throughout and she said, "Yeah, I think I got the memo." ; ) I realize this may give away my age, but I remember paper memos that were circulated via office mailboxes. (Yes, I had a few office jobs). But how does she know about those?

End with Encouragement

There's a time and a place for correction and discipline, but every lesson should end with encouragement. Compliment whatever you can, even when it's hard. Even if everything sounded terrible, thank them for their conscientious effort and focus during the lesson. Thank them for having the courage to show up and not cancel.

D Blues Scale with Comping Exercise

*** Note:  I forgot to note this on the sheet music!  Please practice this exercise in swing rhythm (a long-short pattern in the eighth notes). ***

What will you get with this exercise? (LINK BELOW)

✅ D blues scale practice with proper fingering

✅  Practice comping chords WHILE playing a blues scale

✅  Practice of ii-V-i ending

✅`Practice of syncopated rhythms typical in jazz

✅ Preparation for improvising over chords in the blues scale

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wanted one of my adult students to start comping chords in the left hand while improvising in the blues scale in the right hand, so I wrote this exercise.  Why D blues first?  Because it's a relatively easy blues scale, and only has one black key in it.  

This is an early-intermediate level exercise but can be used for more advanced levels if you're new to jazz or blues scales.  In this exercise, the right hand will be running up and down the D blues scale with a syncopated rhythm that is typical of jazz, and you will get lots of practice mastering the D blues scale fingering in the process!   Practice the right hand alone first. 

Once you have the right hand down, start adding in the left hand chords.  Once you've mastered the first half of the page, which only has whole notes in the left hand, practice the new left hand rhythm found in the second half of the exercise.  This is a syncopated left-hand jazz rhythm that is frequently used in jazz music.  

After you've mastered the second half, try to get creative!  First, improvise a melody using the D blues scale tones, but make sure you do them out of order.  Keep your left hand going in the same rhythm all the way through. Here's the pdf:   D Blues with Comping Exercise

I hope it helps you get started practicing blues!

The Fun of Sonatinas (Sonatina in A Minor by Benda)

My student has been working on this classical piece, and it’s been stuck in my head on repeat. I figured I’d dive in and enjoy it for a spell. It was a lot of fun to take time out and practice it myself. Unfortunately, my grand piano hadn't arrived from Virginia yet, and I had to make due with the Korg keyboard. (Apologies for the finger tapping you hear in this recording!)

Sonatinas make up an important part of classical piano literature. They are meaty compositions that offer a lot to chew on; and they're fun! For the advancing intermediate student, they offer technical challenges like rapid scale runs and alberti bass patterns in the left hand. They call for a variety of touches (staccatto, legato) and they demand very specific and detailed dynamics. Sonatinas are a good avenue for teachers to introduce phrase shaping and discuss form more in depth. And they are an important bridge between beginning and advanced repertoire.

Classical is just one of the genres I teach. You can’t go wrong with classical. It’s dramatic, exciting, complex, and fun. To study classical is to live a life rich in beauty.

FREE TRIAL ONLINE PIANO LESSON! We've come a LONG way since 2020! Chec...

I really want to spread the word about our FREE TRIAL ONLINE PIANO LESSON!  Are you itching to deconstruct the mysteries of the piano?  At our new home outside Las Vegas, NV, my husband and I have developed a state-of-the-art instruction studio!  I can help launch you into the piano stratosphere from anywhere in the world.  You won't even have to leave home.  Not convinced that online instruction can rival in-person?  Consider this....

• I took 50% of my piano students with me when I moved from the east coast to the west coast.
• They trusted the quality of my instruction enough to stay with me in our online format.
• We can switch cameras and devices at the push of a button, creating an engaging learning experience.
• We utilize tools such as video switchers, sound effects, Stream Deck, multiple camera views, and a virtual MIDI light-up keyboard.  
• We use other visual aids such as the white board, virtual flash cards, and an overhead web-cam to look down on my hands.
• We can live-edit your sheet music with many colors.

So take just four minutes of your time to WATCH THE VIDEO and get a taste of how our online instruction is awesome.  

Call or text 571-439-0136 to schedule your first free trial lesson!  Or e-mail me at jennifer@piano2go.com.

We moved to Vegas!

Well, a suburb of Las Vegas called Henderson.  It's akin to Reston in terms of Washington, DC suburbs.  Only twenty minutes from the Vegas strip, it's a lot more urban than we have been used to.  

I don't know who reads this.  I don't try to get readership, but hopefully someone will glean some vicarious benefits reading about our journey westward.

How did this come about?  And why such a drastic change?  Well, my husband has been stationed here working on a project on the Vegas strip for the past year.  He's probably spent less than twenty days in Virginia since January.  I flew out to visit him and fell in love with the area so we final decided -- what the heck?  I'm in entertainment (the music side) and he's in entertainment (the tech side), so it just made sense.  (The dry, warm climate has also nearly eliminated pain, inflammation, and pollen allergies).  We took a leap of faith and lined everything up so we could move.  

I've been accustomed to the lush green hills of the Blue Ridge and dense hardwood forests, so this desert mountain scenery is a big change!  But as the chili cooks on the stove, I figured I'd introduce everyone to the new place we're calling home.  More later!

These are my youngest three kids (15, 12, and 7) exploring some mountainous terrain near our new place.

A Return to Blogging

 Alas,

This is my first post on this blog in four years.  I guess I determined that the blog was not important.  There were big changes in my personal life that included a new marriage, a pandemic, moving twice, and spinal fusion surgery.  I had to take a time-out from non-essential activities.  During the pandemic, we decided to enroll the kids in online private school, which had to be supplemented with math tutoring, enrichment, and constant supervision.  Who had time for a blog?

I did try to access the blog about a year ago, but Blogger kept asking me to name the blog, and I got confused.  I was not creating a new blog!  Anyway, once I proceeded to call my blog something today, it logged me in and gave me access to all the old content.

So today, I resume writing about music and life!  The itch to write has been satisfied through daily journaling.  I mostly write about scripture these days.  Daily conversations with God hover far above other pursuits in rank of importance.  I suppose Covid-19 and my spinal surgery have brought me down to earth about my own mortality.  I don't want to waste my life on meaningless time-drains like social media.  So I quit Facebook in 2020, except for my business page, which I stay off of as much as possible.  All the time I used to spend on social media -- I replaced with reading and writing.  I started reading a lot of literature, non-fiction, and of course, the Bible.  This shift in time-usage has been one of the best decisions of my life.  

The itch to write has also been satisfied writing letters to my husband.  He is stationed in Las Vegas on a long-term project (no, he's not military; he's a broadcast engineer).  I know the epistolary arts are a long-lost practice, but I enjoy regaling him with anecdotes of the children, my students, and all their blunders and victories.  Somehow, short spurts of text messages don't compare to a well-crafted letter.  I guess I'm old-school!

I am looking forward to updating this blog with more piano-pertinent posts in the future!  I am still teaching and performing in Loudoun County, VA and Washington, DC, and I have been updating my Instagram and my business Facebook Page with videos.  

~ Jennifer Warren Stoll

A Monthly Technique Plan For Advanced Contemporary Pianists

So...

I crafted this plan to get my technique sparkling this year.  (I assure you that there were no diet or exercise plans in my new year's resolutions, but there are musical resolutions.)

This is a plan that should work for most pianists.  I will start it officially tomorrow and see how it goes.  (I'll report back here with the results).

***UPDATE:  1/13/2019.  I've been trying the "monthly technique plan" I posted for several days,  and realized that I had some duplicate exercises listed on the original Google doc I posted.  I also thought the organization was not logical enough so I re-ordered the exercises for a more logical flow, in the hopes that this will help me and others to memorize the routine.  So, here is my latest plan.  I will start practicing based on this plan today and update you periodically with edits and progress reports on how I'm doing! I do want to tell you that I already feel more accuracy and technical competency in my playing of pieces.  It's taking me about 45-minutes a day to get through the routine (I suspect this number is a bit inflated due to my interruptions and note-taking while I practice).  My knuckle joints are a bit sore in a tired way, but I'm keeping my pulse on this and will make sure it doesn't worsen. ***

HERE'S THE NEW, UPDATED PRACTICE PLAN FOR ADVANCED PIANISTS AND ADVANCED STUDENTS:  

CLICK THE LINK AT THE RIGHT---------->  TONAL-BASED PRACTICE SYSTEM:  A KEY A DAY, A MONTHLY SYSTEM TO DEVELOP FLUENCY AND TECHNICAL PROFICIENCY IN ALL 12 MAJOR, MINOR, AND BLUES KEYS
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eoxHpuhYbo8jXvFylz27CHbuLAdlIc3M/view?usp=sharing

Why is better technique on my bucket list for 2019?  Well, I had a few events lately with difficult passages.  I did practice them, but when it came time to execute the difficult passage during the performance, I was faking it at best.  I didn't get the level of detail in there that I should have.  My fingers just wouldn't fly fast enough for certain technical tasks (rapid trills, trills in thirds, rapid 16th note passages).  I did have a baby a few years ago, and practice has been difficult to fit in, but this is no excuse.  I'm determined to rise early to exercise my fingers!  

Here's what I've spent the better part of a morning on:

Monthly Technique Plan for Advanced Contemporary Pianists

*** Click the link above for a printable version. ***

Here is the plan, at a glance (below).  Focus on 1 key a day, doing the exercises below.  Now...here's a disclaimer alert:  I haven't tried this yet but I will time it this week and report back on how many minutes (or hours!) of your time this will gobble up.

Do you subscribe to this blog, or my YouTube channel?  There's lots of valuable information in both places, and I would highly recommend it if you're into piano, jazz, classical, or piano-teaching!

Pianist Blooper/ Pianist Falls Off Bench

Jennifer Warren-Baker: Washington, DC Jazz Pianist/ Jazz Piano Solo

Piano Cover: Meant to Be (Bebe Rexha, feat. Florida Georgia Line)

Summer Piano Deal: 6-Lesson Trial for Loudoun County, VA

Back by popular demand, our 6-lesson summer trial is back!  Are you hesitant to commit to a long term of lessons but want to see if piano is for you?  Purchase 6 summer lessons for the price of 5, scheduled around your vacations and availability.  And the best part?  You don't have to drive.  I come to you!

Areas serviced:  Purcellville, Hamilton, Round Hill, Leesburg, Ashburn, Lovettsville, Point of Rocks (Tuesdays only).  

To register, fill out the form at http://www.piano2go.com/sign-up

Summer Piano Lesson Deal/ Piano Camp/ Summer Music Camp by Piano 2 Go:  Serving Loudoun County, Virginia (VA)  

Jazz Jam-Along No. 2 in Eb Blues/ Eb Dorian

Here is my next jazz jam-along, composed about 15 years ago (for real).  It has some pretty far-out 13th chords, suspensions, 11ths, etc.  I just never recorded it until now (thanks for recording this last week, Mike Pugh​).  This is not a stand-alone piece and is meant to be paired with another solo instrument like sax, trumpet, piano, jazz organ, clarinet, jazz guitar - whatever!  Have the other instrument improvise along in Eb Blues or Eb Dorian.  If you teach little kids, tell them to improvise with the black keys and it works!  Enjoy!

"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.