Tag: piano lessons

This is a very common question. As a matter of fact, if you didn’t know it, it’s one of the most ask question on the internet about the drums.   I’ll try to answer truthfully.   How long does it take? No time. Learning a rock beat, a fill. That’s covered in maybe one lesson,…

Let’s suppose you are about to take some piano lessons. You have made your decision, you have chosen a teacher (me!), you have figured out your budget. In one word: you have all your ducks in a row. But, as you were about to dial the number to make your first appointment, you see a…

I think that learning piano is not necessarily a difficult instrument, because difficulty is a changing concept. How? In an amusement park, is going down a scary slide difficult or fun? And why it is that they create more and more white knuckle rides? Because we love them. Piano, I would argue is the same.…

You take an exercise. So simple you can barely call it that. It’s almost just a reflex. Let’s say you have a pair of stick and you strike a surface. Once on the right, once on the left. You got a piano, you put your hands over the keys, you move one finger. Bing! You…

With my gigging students we sometimes talk about performing. Of course, it is always a difficult subject. I am very aware of the shortcomings of our discussions. After all, we are in my studio, there is no audience, no prepared songs, no promotion for the concert. It is almost impossible to recreate the conditions of…

When I talk to a parent who’s about to sign up her daughter for class, I ask how old her child is. If she’s less than 10 years old, I explain that I will require a few things from the parent in order to accept the student. Don’t worry, I don’t ask a lot. They…

We all know the feeling. We’re going towards a place where there is loud music and, as we approach it, our body start to feel the vibrations of the bass. The deep “Thumps” intensify as we get closer. Our whole being resonate with the music before we have entered the room where it originates. It…

I think human beings are not the weakest ones of the animal kingdom. It is not an obvious statement when you look at the formidable tigers, panthers and other cats that are loaded with weapons. Or the way a butterfly can camouflage and protect itself from predators, not mentioning, of course, creatures like turtles or…

When you start taking lessons on drums or piano, first you are excited about discovering new territories. If you are truly motivated, you might keep that flame going strong for quite a while. But, eventually, as with everything, it gets old, as the saying goes. So, what to do? Should you avoid going to your…

We do not live in a vacuum. In general, we need others. As a self employed musician, that part of ourselves can be the difference between making it or not. Being on your own imposes a lot of stress from the decisions you make and the consequences that ensues.  Although it is possible to white-knuckle…