Tag: piano drum teacher

  • What I see in piano.

    One of the first exercise I propose on piano is fairly simple. Put your hand on the keys with your right thumb on the middle C and the rest of the fingers on the notes above, ending with the pinky on G. Then, one key at a time, go up and down the notes. You…

  • Different approaches.

    When I was a teenager I was placed in a music section in high school. Although I was a drummer who didn’t know a third from a sixth (see the previous blog for an explanation), they did that. The teacher trusted that I would learn (he was right, look where I am now). The first…

  • Intervals

    An interval is the space between two notes. If you want to picture two fingers landing fairly close to each other on a piano, you understand what an interval is. And intervals have a history, and, of course, they have what makes music interesting, they have emotions. Historically, the fifth was one of the first…

  • The impossible movie.

    In the movie industry all sorts of subject have been treated at length. One of the most common is the end of the world, how will that happen, who will be dying, who will be saved, who will be saving the world, etc. Another well explored topic is love. How will that happen, who will…

  • The Beast

    Ah, the drums! What a beautiful instrument! It has all sort of shiny parts. The light plays with the chromes of the stands, the alloy of the cymbals, the glossy finish of the shells. The sound can a be a whispering tap or a thunderous roar. The attraction you feel towards it is strong. You…

  • Flexibility

    I was watching an interview of Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin. In it, Mr. Arkin was asked what he learnt from Mr. Douglas from filming together the series”The Kominsky method”. Alan Arkin answered that it wasn’t necessarily about learning as much as what he appreciated in his partner. He continued to say that he really…

  • Stage fright

    As Halloween approaches, I thought I would do a segment on one of the most common fright musicians get: the one right before going on stage. The list is long of the symptoms striking the performer about to step in front of the crowd. Sweaty palms, sweaty forehead, sweaty neck, pretty much, sort of drench…

  • That fun mountain

    Learning an instrument is like trying to answer this question: do you want to climb a mountain? Even if you hire a guide, in this case a piano or a drum teacher (I know an excellent one, by the way), you still have to climb. And climbing is not easy. There are difficult terrains to…

  • The gift of speed

    I am a fan of Top Gear, the version that had Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May as their presenters. I thought it was very entertaining. I remember the many episodes where Clarkson tries to solves all of his motoring problems with speed. “Speeeeed!” he would yell while holding on to the steering wheel…

  • How to grab them

    I’ve been teaching for 33 years now and I’ve seen all sorts. I am talking about how people hold a pair of drum sticks. Now, I need to write a little disclaimer: the wide majority of folks hold them correctly, meaning naturally. But there are some notable exceptions. One of the most common one is…