Tag: Chicago piano instructor

  • 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,…

  • Nervous

    My family band had a gig last Friday, January 25th. We played at Sully’s, a very nice place where they gave us a big room for a big crowd. The owner even let me set up the gear around noon, when we were scheduled to play at 8 pm. Like I said: a very nice…

  • Wrong.

    Music is sometimes very cruel. I just had a student yesterday who was confronted to the harshness of this art. He had had a good lesson last week. He had left my studio with a big grin, his mum congratulating him on the job he’d done. He was beaming with pride. Whether it was the…

  • All at once

    The world of musicians is sometimes similar to the one of people with 9 to 5 jobs. There are some instances where it crosses path. And not because the politicians decided it, but because of fate. Yes, fate, absolutely. Bam! I’m going strong. Follow me. This way, please. Mind your steps. My daughter, this week,…