All posts by N. Zarr

chick corea

Chick Corea Plays Piano Bach Speaks About Learning To Play Piano

This video entitled “Practice” is a very unusual look into the practicing procedure of Chick Corea. He is working on a Bach piece, and while playing, gives a very candid appraisal about his progress and difficulties in learning the piece. It is really a treat watching one of the world’s most renown jazz pianists in a personal practice moment. I like the part when he says, “I goof up right in here”.

 

This is a great video to see how to practice effectively and efficiently. Chick plays very methodically and carefully. Notice how he works on each hand separately and slowly. He checks what he is playing and corrects his mistakes as he goes, and works with his fingering. When students are first learning a piece, accuracy is very important. You want to learn the piece right, so subsequent practice sessions are not interrupted by having to correct notes, and the focus can be getting the rhythm solid, and increasing the speed of the piece.

Anyone taking piano lessons will enjoy seeing how even master pianists can struggle with learning new pieces. Students often feel that their progress is not what it should be, but in reality, progress is just a matter of moving from where you are, to where you are going. There is no “supposed” timeline of how quickly a student should progress. Progress happens. The rate of progress is just what it is. 

hiromi uehara piano solo live george gershwin i got rhythm

Hiromi Uehara Piano Solo Live George Gershwin I Got Rhythm

In this fabulous video, Hiromi Uehara plays an absolutely beautiful version of George Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm”.

Hiromi’s playing is boundless, with unbelievably intricate rhythms and stunning melodic development. Her styling covers bebop, stride and more. Her performance is from the Jazz in Marciac International Jazz Festival in southwestern France in 2010. George Gershwin composed the music and his brother Ira wrote the lyrics to “I Got Rhythm” in 1930 for the musical Girl Crazy. The song quickly became a jazz standard.

Hiromi Uehara displays the highest level of jazz playing you will see anywhere. Her performance and execution are flawless. Only a handful pianists worldwide can do this. There’s lots of value in watching this video over and over again to see what is possible on the piano and glean elements of style, chord progressions, and voicings from her tremendous keyboard playing. This is one of my favorite jazz piano videos. 

Hiromi Uehara, a jazz composer and pianist, was born in Hamamatsu, Japan. She started taking piano lessons at age six. She is known for her virtuosic technique, immensely energetic live performances, and superb blending of musical genres such as bebop, progressive rock, classical and fusion.

 more about Hiromi Uehara

playing recording keyboard piano lessons

Photos of My Piano & Keyboard Students at My Piano Lessons Portland Studio

I’ve been teaching piano lessons in Portland for quite some time. My students provide me with endless opportunities to learn more about teaching every day. I love watching students progress week to week, listen to their excitement about making a breakthrough, or finding out what new music has inspired them. It’s an honor to work with all these great adult and children musicians, and I appreciate the significant efforts they have made to peruse the craft of making music happen. Here’s a photo video of them at the studio.

silvan zingg blues solo piano prodigy silvan's night train trip video

Silvan Zingg Blues Solo Piano Prodigy Silvan’s Night Train Trip Video

Here is Silvan Zingg playing his composition “Silvan’s Night Train Trip” with his trio.

Beyond basic piano lessons, I get a lot of requests for Blues piano. It’s lots of fun to play and very relaxing. Anyone with moderate piano skills can learn to play Blues. The key to learning Blues is to get to the very foundation of how Blues is constructed and learn the essential rhythmic components that make it sound so great. At my studio, here in Portland, we also work a lot on ear training. A good improvisation depends on the keyboard player being able to hear what they are going to play before they play it. This is a learned skill, and one which develops over time. 

More About Blues Piano

kenny blues boss wayne plays blues piano boogie woogie video

Kenny Blues Boss Wayne Plays Blues Piano Boogie Woogie Video

This is a great video of Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne playing an excellent Boogie Woogie style piece. His piano playing is a good example of how the left and right hand can work together to make the piano come alive.

Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne was born in 1944 in Spokane, Washington. He is known as an American blues, boogie-woogie and jazz pianist, and a singer and songwriter. His keyboard skills feature a strong decisive style of playing the Blues.

 At an early age, Wayne relocated with his family to San Francisco, California. Wayne’s playing was influenced by Nat King Cole, Little Willie John, and Fats Domino.

The family later moved to New Orleans, and then Compton, California. His music became influenced by George Shearing, Erroll Garner, and Ray Charles. Wayne worked as a sideman by various pop and rock musicians. He has toured Europe, performed at music festivals, and has released a number of albums.