Learning the Piano and Playing the Piano


Many piano students spend much time learning how to play the piano. Years upon years of study time devoted to perfecting technique, tone, dynamics, etc. All the while, many of these same students have never really played the piano. That is, they have spent their time practicing in preparation for the moment when they can "perform" for others.

Wouldn't it be refreshing if instead of learning how to play other peoples music, we could feel confident enough to create our own? Why is it so daunting a task for most of us? I think it's because we've been taught that only a very few gifted individuals are capable of producing music from scratch - whatever the genre. Rock, jazz, classical etc. Unfortunately, this belief is enough to stop most dead in their tracks and for those, whose spark of interest was lit in childhood, it soon turns cold and lifeless.

Now, playing the piano is entirely different than learning the piano. Here we are at home. Why? Because we are playing. So different an approach it is too! Children are allowed free-play and are even encouraged to do so. But as we grow up, we decide we must "make something worthy of performance." What a tragic error in thinking! Yet one that pervades the music world.

The solution is to understand that we all have our own special music inside of us and each and every one of us has something wonderful to share with the world. This something comes through when we stop learning how to play the piano and begin to play it truly for the first time.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!


MORE RESOURCES:
Grammy nominations a snooze - San Francisco Chronicle

Grammy nominations a snooze
San Francisco Chronicle,  USA - 8 hours ago
So-called illegal downloads may no longer be the gravest danger faced by the imperiled recording industry: Just plain bad music may be what ultimately does ...
The LA Times music blog Los Angeles Times
Grammy nominations hit prime-time with TV special The Associated Press
Grammy organizers are clueless London Free Press
MTV.com - Canada NewsWire (press release)
all 185 news articles

Classical music hits YouTube - smudailycampus.com

Canada.com

Classical music hits YouTube
smudailycampus.com, TX - 4 hours ago
Dun, best known for his Grammy Award winning scores for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and more recently the official music for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, ...
Introducing YouTube's orchestra... Times Online
YouTube orchestrates cyber symphony with Carnegie Hall aspirations Baltimore Sun
paidContent.org - Broadband Content Bits: YouTube Goes Classical ... Washington Post
New York Times - PRWeek
all 440 news articles

Classical Music/Opera Listings - New York Times

Classical Music/Opera Listings
New York Times, United States - 13 hours ago
The program also takes advantage of Mr. Levine’s passion for playing piano chamber music: it begins with Mr. Levine and Mr. Barenboim playing Schubert’s F ...

Shazam adds 2 million tracks to music library - CNET News

Shazam adds 2 million tracks to music library
CNET News, CA - 15 hours ago
Mobile-music discovery provider Shazam announced on Thursday that it has increased its music database from 6 million tracks to 8 million tracks, ...
Shazam: eight million songs of the eternal Now BetaNews
Shazam Amplifies Music Database by a Third Business Wire (press release)
Adding Another 2 Million Songs, Shazam Grows Database by 30% AndroidGuys
Music Ally
all 14 news articles

‘Tis the Music for Being Cautiously Optimistic - New York Times

New York Times

‘Tis the Music for Being Cautiously Optimistic
New York Times, United States - 5 hours ago
Consciously or not, much of this year’s new holiday music expresses some anxiety about whether the old modes of merriment still matter. ...
Tune to sounds of the season The Daily Advertiser
Connick, Crow highlight new holiday releases Chicago Daily Herald
all 4 news articles

My music life - PSU The Clock

New York Daily News

My music life
PSU The Clock, NH - 6 hours ago
A documentary educates the viewer, "Britney: For the Record" is more like a "reality" show to help a struggling music artist make a comeback. ...
Exclusive: ET's Extended Preview of Britney Spears' Music Video ... Entertainment Tonight News
The Shuffle: Baby, one more time? St. Joseph News-Press
A generation says goodbye Rider University The Rider News
The Star-Ledger - NJ.com - Deseret News
all 264 news articles

Folk music, civil rights legend Odetta dies at 77 - The Associated Press

BBC News

Folk music, civil rights legend Odetta dies at 77
The Associated Press - Dec 3, 2008
First coming to prominence in the 1950s, she influenced Harry Belafonte, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and other superstars of the folk music boom. ...
Odetta Holmes dies at 77; folk singer championed black history ... Los Angeles Times
Inspirational Folk Music Legend Odetta Dies at 77 Associated Content
Odetta left message of hope New York Daily News
Buffalo News - Boston Herald
all 636 news articles

The LA Times music blog - Los Angeles Times

WELT ONLINE

The LA Times music blog
Los Angeles Times, CA - 8 hours ago
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss didn't just make extraordinary music when they teamed for their "Raising Sand" album. They also gave Grammy voters everything ...
Farber: Music sales won this year's Grammy nominations New York Daily News
NASHVILLE SKYLINE: Grammy Nominations Acknowledge Country Music ... CMT.com
Blog: Music Beat Deseret News
Washington Post - Bloomberg
all 1,287 news articles

Plans for Salzburg Sound of Music hotel hit sour note - AFP

Telegraph.co.uk

Plans for Salzburg Sound of Music hotel hit sour note
AFP - 13 hours ago
VIENNA (AFP) — The former home of the Trapp family, made famous by the 1965 film "The Sound of Music," will not re-open as a hotel after all following ...
Austria's Salzburg resists "Sound of Music" hotel Reuters
London's Sound of Music to Close in February 2009 Playbill.com
Plan for 'Sound of Music' hotel blocked in Austria The Associated Press
Associated Content - Associated Content
all 309 news articles

Music revs up this 'Cadillac' - USA Today

MTV UK

Music revs up this 'Cadillac'
USA Today - 8 hours ago
By Eric Liebowitz, Sony TriStar Pictures, via AP By Claudia Puig, USA TODAY Though the music in Cadillac Records hums along powerfully, the film could use a ...
'Cadillac Records—: Good music, shaky history San Jose Mercury News
In 'Cadillac Records,' the music's electrifying but the details ... Boston Globe
'Cadillac Records:' Watch it for the music -- and then the stars ... Seattle Post Intelligencer
Kansas City Star - Washington Examiner
all 344 news articles

Music - Google News

RELATED ARTICLES
Learning the Piano and Playing the Piano
Many piano students spend much time learning how to play the piano. Years upon years of study time devoted to perfecting technique, tone, dynamics, etc.
How to Make $30,000 with Your Music Before Years End
As an independent musician and/or recording artist, if you did *NOT* earn $30,000 (or more) with your music alone last year, let's jump right in and get you started with doing so this year.Again, bear in mind that the main necessary ingredient is "consistency" of every aspect, and on a weekly basis.
Common Thoughts That Kill Inspiration
Do you sit down at the piano and feel anxiety or peace? Are you anxious to begin creating or does the thought of being at your instrument bring you a sense of well being? It all begins with what you're telling yourself. If you think that what you are doing is not good enough, it's sure to kill off that quiet little motor of inspiration.
Right-Hand Techniques for New Age Piano
Recently, I had a student ask me to offer some techniques for using the right hand. Usually, it's the left hand that causes the most difficulty but I had to think about it because up till then, I really did not have any "techniques" for the right hand.
CD Clubs: How to Get the Best Deals Online
(1) The BMG Music Service offers the best deal you'll find -- 11 CDs for the price of shipping ($2.79 each) when you buy one CD at full club price, which is typically about $15 plus shipping.
Play Too Loud And Well Cut The Power!
"Turn it down!"How often have you heard that command in your musical lifetime? It's a plain fact that old people just don't like loud music. They should all be taken to soundproofed old people's homes where they can live out the remainder of their lives complaining about each other, and let us get on with some fun.
Origins of the Mathers Family
Eminem's roots can be found in Scandinavia through his mother Debbie Nelson and in South Wales through his father Marshall Bruce Mathers II.But Eminem has mostly Scottish blood running through his veins.
The Case Against Traditional Piano Lessons
How would you like to spend 4 years in a University learning how to play other peoples music? If you think this is ridiculous, you're right! Because that's what thousands of piano music students do each day.They sit in front of their piano or keyboard with sheet music of a dead composer in front of them.
The Flower Garden and New Age Piano Music
If you've ever looked at a flower garden, not only its beauty may have captivated you, but also its overall arrangement.There may have been some tulips or roses combined with other flowers or plants.
Patriotic Music: Surprising Secrets About Those Flag-Waving Sounds
Whether played by a marching band, an orchestra, or a rock group, there are patriotic tunes that everyone in America finds familiar, exciting and uplifting. But how much do you know about how these songs were created? And what do you know about the people who wrote them?There are some surprising facts behind all of this glorious music.
Be An Organized Church Pianist
Playing in front of a congregation each Sunday is no easy feat. Make sure you are well prepared before giving your best for God and before others.
The Joy of Spontaneous Expression
Do you remember finger-painting as a child? How fun it was. How exciting to be able to dip your fingers into a color that called out to you and put it on paper.
All About Eminem
Marshall Mathers, was born October 17, 72, and could be by far the most notorious and recognised rap music musicians of this age, having the alias Slimshady. Slim Shady is perhaps best known for being one of the very few influencial white rappers in the hip hop industry, and not only one of the most critically acclaimed.
How to Find Musical Ideas
The Russian Composer Igor Stravinsky once said: " A good composer does not imitate; he steals."I think what he meant by this is that it's OK to use a technique developed by another and make it your own.
Motorhead Inferno
Motorhead-"Inferno"-Review by Les LewellynWhen David Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters fame release the sensational CD "Probot" this year it rekindled my metal tastebuds. For those of you not familiar with his project I'll explain.
Piano Music, Perfectionism, and Self-Expression
Is your heart in the music? If so, it won't matter what you play so much as what is received through your playing. Do you still think you need to learn 43 chords to sound good or are you concerned with the joy of expressing yourself through this wonderful instrument called the piano? People who sound like they know what they are doing may indeed know what they are doing but does that mean you want to listen to the music?Let's look at pop music for example.
Music Practice Techniques for Learning Repertory
These practice tips were written for fiddlers. I've used them in classical violin also.
Jealous Again - Jealousy Among Musicians
Jealousy - do you feel it? Do you sense it in others? Does it hinder your relationships with other musicians? Does it sap your confidence? Does it block your creativity? Here are some questions to help you get clearer about the jealousy in your life.1.
Chords or Melody First... Which is Best?
There are basically two ways you can compose a piece of music. The first and most traditional way is to write out the melody and then harmonize it.
Music & Citizenship: Can Playing a Musical Instrument Help Your Child Become a Better Citizen?
Disregard the popular image of rappers with their ghetto blasters, terrorizing neighborhoods with eardrum-splitting cacophony. Consider instead our delightful school bands and orchestras? and ponder on whether those students might be becoming our best future citizens.

Top of Page  home Bookmark Us Now ctrl+d 1st 4 Music, shopping via 1st4music cost no more than going direct and can often save you money with special offers.   with questions or comments about this website
Google
 
Web 1st4music.net