Download My Parallel Sixth Exercise

Because I know you need another exercise to hone your virtuosic piano skills... (download is available below)





Parallel Sixths Exercise
www.freethepiano.com



PARALLEL SIXTHS -

 

They separate the men from the boys, the women from the girls, and the pros from the amateurs.
 



If you're not there yet, you might want to try my very romantic parallel sixths exercise.  I created this exercise for a composition student who is trying to fill his tool box with more tricks.  He wanted to bump up his skill level and add depth to the RH melody.  He had seen me spontaneously weaving sixths underneath the melody line while interpreting a lead sheet, and wanted to know how I did that.  It is something I hardly even think about anymore; it happens with such ease.  I even know intuitively when to substitute a fifth for a sixth (there are certain times the sixth doesn't work musically). 

So why are parallel sixths so important in piano?  First of all, they sound amazing.  That's why romantic and impressionist composers like Chopin and Debussy used them with such zeal.  A sixth is rich and deep; much more so than a third.  Thirds are weaker to me, even though it is the same pitch as the sixth, projected in the opposite direction.  They just don't have the sonorous punch and chime of a sixth.  Sixths are bold, dramatic, and romantic.  They also leverage your showmanship if you can spontaneously craft a seamless string of parallel sixths in your right hand (much more virtuosic than a monophonic, single-note melody line)!  So I would advise every pianist to get fluent in parallel sixths in all the keys, and to memorize the proper legato fingering.  I guarantee that mastery of this exercise will improve your classical chops and get you ready for more nocturnes.  It will also fill your composing toolbox with a new trick!  I use parallel sixths in jazz and lead-sheet interpretation.

Of course, I needed the left hand to have something equally meaty to chew on in this exercise, so I threw in a filled-out arpeggio pattern in the left.  It compliments the RH sixths nicely, and would be a likely choice to use if I were interpreting a lead-sheet or composing in romantic style. 

Enjoy!  Don't forget break it down into hands separate at first, and make sure you do the right fingering.

***This exercise is a free download for now.  It is not for sale or distribution, but may be used for personal or teaching purposes. ***

PARALLEL SIXTHS TRAINING

 

(Click the link above to download and print the sheet music for this exercise.)



A Dead MIDI Cable is No Excuse!

Yesterday my MIDI cable died.  It just stopped working.  When I awoke at 6am to write out my newest compostion, my trusty equipment was shot.  I troubleshot every possiblility to diagnose the problem (reversed IN-OUT config, unplugged, re-plugged, re-opened software after cable attached, switched pianos, etc), and determined that the cable was indeed kaput.  Since I need my MIDI cable for quickly scribing the notes into the computer (via hyperscribe in Finale software), it seriously hinders my data input without the cable. 

What's a composer to do without her MIDI cable in 2014?  I could have walked away from the computer and folded laundry.  I could have run to the music store to get one, but music stores aren't open at 6am on Sunday mornings.  So I decided to quit making excuses and use this handicap as an opportunity to learn a new skill.  There are, indeed, a couple of ways to enter notes without a MIDI cable.  One is simple entry, a method that uses tedious mouse-clicking.  And there's speedy entry, a method I had yet to really learn. 

Within Finale, I had been relying on combination of hyperscribe, cut-and-paste, transpose, and simple entry to quickly scribe my scores, but I had been avoiding speedy entry.  My hybrid method worked very well, and was pretty efficient.  But an orchestrator colleague I know only uses speedy entry in Finale (absolutely no hyperscribe).  It is a typing-based entry method in Finale, and there's a learning curve involved.  But once you learn it, it's like touch-typing on the computer...you become very, very fast.  Some people swear by it, so I decided that my lack of a MIDI cable set up the perfect scenario to learn a new skill.

I delved into the online manual and googled for answers to my questions.  I learned that 4 stands for eighth note, 5 for quarter, and 6 for half.  See, I'm not looking them up on the chart and I already have this memorized.  I learned that you can navigate from one beat to the next with the arrow keys, and that you can use the + symbol to raise a note a half-step, and the minus symbol to lower it.   I did get a little frustrated when I went to enter three and four-note chords.  I realized that, once again, I kind of need MIDI input via a MIDI controller/piano-- that is, if I want to be fast!  I also reached a roadblock when I tried to enter triplets via speedy entry.  It appears some MIDI input is necessary for this as well.  So, given that my music has a lot of chords and triplets,  I decided to abandon speedy entry for the moment and will re-explore this method once I get a new MIDI cable. 

Bottom line - I started mastering a new skill this morning, and I will build on my new knowledge later.

But wait!  I had nothing to show for my work this morning; no notes input, no score produced.  I decided not to make excuses, so I spent the extra time needed to simple-entry my notes, a tedious process, but with cut-and-paste and transpose, the process is a little faster.  And I have the start of "Moving On".  

Download My Filled-Out Arpeggio Etude

Here's the Filled-Out Arpeggio Etude I spoke about in my previous post.  I wrote this for myself and my advanced students, when I was teaching a lot of students.  This is one of my most used tricks when gussying up a popular lead-sheet.  I used to call this arpeggio the 1235 arpeggio because it utilizes the scale degrees 1235.  The 2 is not usually used in arpeggios, but all advanced pianists should know and practice arpeggios that incorporate the 2.  They should know the standard, workable fingering.  This arpeggio can be sped up into a dazzling run to end or introduce a piece, either in the left or right hand.  Click the link below to download and print this free exercise.  For now, my special exercises are free!  Later I will be putting them into book form for teachers and pianists to purchase.

Filled-Out Arpeggio Etude

(click text above to go directly to a .pdf and print!)

Filled-Out Arpeggio Etude
www.freethepiano.com

Day 2 of Self Discipline

This is Day Two of my empowering new morning music routine.  This new routine will be necessary to complete and prepare the music for my second album, sheet music book, and tour (yes, I said tour).  I really do want to get all my compositions scored fully in Finale, including those I'm behind on from the first album. But being a full-time stay-at-home mom right now, this requires a plan and commitment to fit it all in.  I was going to have to beat my kids out of bed and have an early session at the piano and computer. This means rising at 5:00 AM!!!  I figure -- my friend with 8 kids does it every day, and serious swimmers do it, so why can't I? That's right! So how's it going?  Here's my report:

Day 1:  Actually, my plan for 5am failed a bit yesterday, but only because my iPhone alarm startled my three-year-old, and I had to lie with him until he fell back asleep.  The alarm put him in "get up mode," so it took a while.  Once I finally got downstairs, I figured I'd put in a load of laundry while my coffee was brewing, because that's always my morning routine anyhow, and if the laundry for five people gets behind, we have a mountain of trouble and nothing to wear.  I figured I'd forget the laundry if I put it off, so I'd better do that before hitting the piano.  Then I hit the piano.  It was 6:05 or so.  What did I accomplish?

• Practiced major scales C, C#, D, and Eb at 110 = quarter, in quarters, eighths, triplets and sixteenth notes.
• Practiced major arpeggios C, C#, D, and Eb at 78 = quarter, in quarters, eighths, triples, and sixteenths.  Played my patterned arpeggio exercise as well (sheet music forthcoming).
• Practiced Hanon No. 1 several times at some reasonable tempo, but not flying.  Just firm touch and strong sound.
• Fleshed out the chord progressions of my newest composition (glad I didn't forget it over my month-long hiatus) and wrote them down.  
• Practiced new composition enough to remember how it goes without fumbling too much.

Day 2:  In spite of my son having another mysterious fever the night before, he was back to normal in the morning, so I rose before 5am, beating my alarm!  

• Put laundry in.
• Practiced major scales E, F, F#, and G at 110 = quarter, in quarters, eighths, triplets, and sixteenths
• Practiced arpeggios for the above keys in same manner as Day 1.
• Practiced my "Filled-Out Arpeggio" etude that I wrote for myself and students a few years back.
• Attached MIDI cable from Roland Piano to HP laptop.
• Wrote out complete score for "Filled-Out Arpeggio" exercise in Finale.  I'll make this exercise free for now.  Download and print the pdf doc here.  I've used it with my advanced students and I practice it myself.  Here's a sneak peak:

I felt like that was a pretty good start to getting me back to the grind.  The biggest thing I have to worry about is losing my technique at my age.  I have to keep my fingers moving quickly and doing acrobatic things that require intense motor skills (my compositions are often fast and difficult).  So even if I don't practice actual songs each day, at least I will give my fingers a serious workout before my kids get up.  And maybe I can assemble a technique book for teachers and advanced pianists of all my special exercises!  I am doing a video journal of Album Two preparation, and I will post a video update periodically.  

  

Self Discipline - The New Schedule Begins

I will briefly recap what I wrote on my Facebook page today:

 

"So my life has been devoid of music for three weeks, well...virtually. I really don't have the opportunity to make music without babysitters or superwoman energy. Actually, I am trying to figure out how to fit it in, and it will probably require some discipline on my part -- perhaps getting up at 4 or 5am to practice and compose. Interestingly enough, even though I have not been "in" music that... much lately, my compositions have just started popping into my head. Beethoven does not pop into my head. Coldplay and Fleetwood Mac do not pop into my head, but my own creations do. I will wake up with one playing in my mind, and then another a while later. This mental haunting of past compositions seems to be a very involuntary mechanism. It does not seem to be triggered by any willful act of the conscious mind. They literally just pop into my mind, or I awake with them playing. My mind obsesses over my melodies, and plays them over and over, even as I type now. Sometimes my mind will start editing the piece and adding new layers and themes. Eventually, this mental obsession will draw me back to the piano. It is amazing how mysterious the mind is -- how sometimes data or music can lie dormant for months or years, and can then suddenly rise to the surface of our consciousness; how remarkable the memory is. I can only surmise that this means I need to get back to work; not for money, but because it's the work I'm have to do."

 

So my new self-imposed schedule begins tomorrow.  Wish me luck.  I will be rising at 5am to work for a couple of hours at the piano and computer.  Then I'm taking my boys fishing!

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder: A Piano Fast

I heard that Jimmy Hendrix carried his guitar with him everywhere, even on dates.  Well I guess my piano-fasting would disappoint Jimmy.  I actually break up with my piano now and again to create some space to accomplish other things.  It gives me a chance to focus on my children and relationships. 

In fact, I haven't touched a piano in two weeks.   I think we'll get back together, but I'm careful not to worship the instrument.  A little musical fast now and then is good for recharging my creative batteries.  Sometimes you don't know what something means to you until you've lived without it for a while.  

I'm curious to hear from some of my musician friends on this topic.  Do you and your instrument ever spend some time apart?  Is it ok to take a break?

We're Teaching Music the Wrong Way

In my past year as a professional musician, performing 9 to 12 hours a week, I've come to the conclusion that most American piano teachers have it backwards.  Even I -- was teaching my piano students the wrong way for 15 years.  I had a hunch that this was the case, but my experience of the past year has confirmed my suspicions.  The fact is -- reading classical notation slows people down and it's not for everyone!  A child should never learn to read music before they have learned to first listen and speak the language of music.

This classical method of teaching students to read notation at the first or second lesson is just dead wrong!  Millions have learned that they're not smart enough to play music without the crutch of sheet music.  They've been taught to rely on a set of instructions and to dismiss the power of their ears and musical intuition.  They've been taught to read alphabet letters but not to see the musical words (chords), sentences (phrases), and paragraphs (sections/form) of a song.  They've been taught to decode notes but they play with such anxiety over making a mistake that they speak those notes in an emotionless monotone. 

Music lessons/ piano lessons can only prepare students to be professionals if they first start with first training the ears and the creative mind.  The learning of spoken language starts with the ears.  What comes first with a human baby?  First, babies must spend a year or two listening to the language.  Only then are they ready to speak the language.  Then, babies aren't typically able to read the language for another few years.  Learning music, which is also a language, should follow the same sequence:  listening first, then speaking the language of music, and finally, reading and writing that language.  

Why are American piano teachers doing it backwards, insisting that children read notes at the first lesson?  We have it wrong because we've been following the script of those beginner piano books as if they were gospel, rather than trusting our own intuition about how to teach music.  

We need to delay the reading of traditional staff notation until the ear has learned to hear what a perfect fifth sounds like, what a one chord going to a four chord sounds like, and how to sing a song in numbers.  Music students must learn to be creative and improvise right away; from the first lesson.  They need to understand chords and scales before they read anything.  

We need to be able to make music without a sheet of paper, in an intuitive and joyous manner first!   And then, when a joyful and intuitive musical ear has been developed, introduce the reading of notation. Though I have fought through blood, sweat, and tears to master the tortuous task of sight reading in our classical notation system (and I am a pretty good classical sight-reader), I have found that there is a better way; a system to learning and playing songs on the piano that is more intuitive, faster, and produces more awareness of the structure of music.  

I have also come to the conclusion that immediate memorization of the "structural map" of a piece can yield rapid results in the learning of a piece, and yield immediate memorization.  This system relies on the power of the human mind and imagination rather than a piece of paper.  

Gone are the days of spending months on a difficult classical piece!  And forget about laboring over a difficult arrangement of a pop piece.  In the next few posts, I hope to show you some videos if how this rapid learning system works.  I'm excited to share this with you, so stay tuned to my next few posts.