Tag: Chicago piano instructor

  • The limbs that don’t fit.

    I teach many different patterns in drumming. Some are fairly straight forward and involve three limbs. Some are much more intricate and ask for odd combinations. I’ll name those odd combos: something on the right side of your body falling exactly at the same time as something on the left side. Very difficult to do.…

  • Human vs YouTube

    We are now firmly planted into a technological world. For better or worse. Better because we each have at least 50 friends on Facebook. Worse because we are more and more lonely. Talking to someone that holds a phone has become a challenge. There will be a moment when the Phone God will beep and…

  • Stalling

    Here is something particular: why would you want to show to your teacher something you didn’t prepare? I get into this kind of situation all the time: The student is supposed to do a rock beat from a page, one that I have demonstrated for him on video the week before, one that he has…

  • Close your eyes

    There are a million ways to listen to music. Actually, all day long, whether we are in our car, in a restaurant or an elevator: some kind of music will be playing. The form of music we are most familiar with is the one coming at us while we are doing something else. Something else…

  • What moves us

    Monk was once asked if his hat was influential in the way he played. He said: “No!… Yes!… I don’t know!”. The answer is hard to understand because the question is hard to understand too. It’s a package thing. But now, let’s say that Monk likes to work on wood and make furniture. Let’s assume…

  • Season change

    We, in Chicago, have been going through a very rough winter. Now, this is not to say that it has been easy everywhere else. Yesterday, it was snowing in Las Vegas, for example! But in good ol’ Chicago, we’ve gone severe, we’ve gone berserk. We went to a polar vortex temperature. Minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit!…

  • Just play!

    I happen to play 5 different instruments. Drum, Piano, Voice, Bass and Guitar. I just listed the order of proficiency I’ve got on them. I am the best on drums and the worse on guitar. But I practice each instrument as much as I can. And I never neglect the drums or the piano since…

  • Improvisation. Part 2

    I am a drum and piano teacher. And I teach improvisation on both instruments. It is a lot of fun. I’m pretty good at it, but I also know there are things I can’t teach. I can go step by step and tailor the progression to everyone personality and abilities. I can design different exercises…

  • Improvisation part 1

    Improvisation used to be a tenant of American music. Almost every instrumentalist was required to play a little something on his or her own. Yes, I am talking about Jazz. Or Blues. Then, in the beginning of the 50’s, rock and roll changed that landscape. Band would go on stage performing exactly what they had…

  • Teenage years

    I remember being a teenager and listening to music while contemplating the ceiling. I liked what my parents liked, mainly. French singers and composers: Jacques Brel, Jacques Higelin, Bernard Lavilliers. Artists of the time. I am surprised today to still listen to those old recordings. They haven’t left me. I also listen to classical music,…