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!