One of the things that's very enjoyable about New Age piano playing is the improvisation element. The music is flowing and very elastic. A left-hand pattern can create the background while the right is busy improvising melody.
Listen to "Ocean Pacific" (Mp3 file - partial sample)
A good example of this is the lesson "Ocean Pacific." Here we have a nice little arpeggio in the left hand. The first 2 chords, A Major 9 and B minor 9 are played in a repeating pattern while a melody is played. We then bring in 2 more chords to round out the improv and that's that - a complete New Age piano improvisation.
By the way... a complete (and printable) step-by-step breakdown of this piano lesson is available to course members. I go into great detail and show you exactly how it's done - and more importantly, how you can do it yourself!
This is Lesson 44 from Quiescence Music's online piano course.
Very nice! How long do you think it will take a beginner like me to get that left hand down? And once down, how can I improvise like what I'm hearing in the example?
ReplyDeleteHi Marcia. Actually, it really won't take very long for the left hand to get used to the pattern. Although this is Lesson 44, even a complete beginner could play this crossover technique - with patience and persistance of course.
ReplyDeleteOnce the pattern is down in the left hand, the right takes over and "speaks" with melody notes. Of course, I go into much more detail about this in my online class!