It's Easy To Create Melody!

Some consider melody the most important aspect of music making. Of course, there's harmony and rhythm, but melody is the one part that listeners hold to memory more than any other, and, it's also the easiest part to create!

For example, in the lesson Oriental Sunrise, we have two chords. Now if we just play these chords, if we just fool around with them, we get textures and whiffs of sound that drift away and do not hold. But, as soon as we add in melody, the whole piece becomes alive and discernable

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An Alaskan Tour

When I first heard Wynn-Anne Rossi I thought "this is New Age!" And although she does not label herself New Age (or contemporary for that matter) her music is incredibly beautiful!

She does exactly what I do - which is create music inspired by the beauty of nature. Well worth a listen and a look around her website. To listen to "An Alaskan Tour" click here.

To get to her homepage click here.

Wikipedia and New Age Music

Just stumbled upon an interesting read at Wikipedia. For those of you who don't know, Wikipedia is an online encylopedia that anyone can edit. Anyway, this article has some interesting things to say about New Age music and it's subcategories. Click here to read.

Should Piano Players Be Able To Read Music?

When I first started out in music I was 7 years old. Saxophone was my first instrument and the first thing I learned was how to read music.

I remember liking it and feeling a sense of accomplishment as I learned how to identify quarter notes, half notes, and so on. But I also remember playing without sheet music in the privacy of my bedroom. In fact, I would let that horn wail and allow my fingers free reign on the instrument.

What a feeling it was to be able to play freely - and without my horn teachers head over my shoulder.

What I'm getting to is this - learning how to read music is a good thing for it allows you to play what other musicians have written - but I wonder if one could do without it AND still be considered a "good" musician.

Your thoughts?

Recommended Listening: "Piano Cascades"

Have I mentioned that I love John Herberman before? This guy's got it all - sensitive playing, just the right touch on the piano, and amazingly beautiful piano compositions that never get old (even after 3 years of listening!)

It's so sad that this kind of music doesn't reach a larger audience but I think more and more people will turn to these lovely compostions whenever they really want to relax and feel alive. I know I do.

You can listen to tracks and purchase the CD at amazon.com Note: I'm not an affiliate of amazon and make no money off your purchases.

How To Create a Solo Piano CD - A Step by Step Approach!

So, you want to know how someone creates an entire solo piano CD. It seems like a monumental task - and it is unless you break it down! Here's how I do it step by step.

Step One
The first thing I do is find the concept. I also consider this the most important aspect to creating an entire "album" of songs or pieces. Why? Because this is what gives you inspiration! For example, when I created my 2 CDs La Jolla Suite and Anza-Borrego Desert Suite, the first thing I did was find the concept or title I would be using for the CD - in this case the 2 names you just read above.

You see, having this to start with gives you encouragement and inspiration to go on. This is because you can "see" the finished product. I remember quite well how excited I was when I first came up with the idea for "La Jolla Suite." La Jolla is a section of San Diego (a very beautiful section) that gave me all the artistic flow and energy I needed for completing it.

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Paint Your Own Musical Landscapes!

I don't know why, but I find the idea of interpreting nature musically to be very appealing.

Maybe it's because I'm attracted to nature's beauty, but the notion of communicating that beauty musically has always intrigued me.

Not being a very patient person, I wanted to find a way to capture a musical idea very quickly and sketch out an entire piece all at once.

Visual artists do something called a thumbnail sketch and I wanted to do the same thing for music.

It then occured to me that if I just sketch out the first 8-bars of the piece, and write in the first 2-bars of melody, I could capture an idea that would be remembered weeks or even years later. It's amazing but this actually works! The secret is the melody.

If you can't read music and want to do this just do what I do. I write down the note values (quarter notes, half notes., etc.) and write the letter name of the note beside the note value. One of the most important things I've discovered over the years is that the note value (it's time length) is what really captures the idea. Just think of Beethoven's fifth symphony for a good example. Da Da Da Duh... These notes mark the whole composition.

Don't Be Afraid Of Melody

In New Age piano music, there are basically two styles - textural and melodic. The textural style is usually associated with George Winston where you hear beautiful backgrounds created by the left hand while the right improvises melody.

The melodic style popularized by David Lanz, places melody at the forefront.

Many students fall in love with the textural side of New Age piano and while there is nothing wrong at all with this, it's also a good idea to not put melody off to the side. It's a very good idea to familiarize yourself with both aspects of New Age piano playing.

For example, the piece "Egrets" focuses mostly on melody. In fact, the first thing you hear is the theme, which is, repeated two times more after the introduction. It's a simple theme that most would say is "New Age." In the lesson piece Cirrus, we have something entirely different! We have textures created by broken chords. Melody is not playing the lead role here. In fact, there really is no discernible melody at all - although there really is no music without melody - (a whole new topic!)

While I'm the first person to say play what you feel and don't try and force yourself into playing something that's not your personal aesthetic, I'm also an advocate of not brushing off something completely just because it's not "your thing."

Leaning how to create pieces with melody at the forefront is a skill that will come in handy whether you enjoy this side of New Age piano or not

Monty Python and the Piano

Here's a hillarious video I found on YouTube. Description: Sviatoslav Richter attempts to play Tchaikovsky's first piano concerto whilst escaping from a sack, three padlocks and a pair of handcuffs. Python at it's best.

Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDUTTRGOJdE

David Lanz on YouTube

While not a huge fan of David Lanz, I have to give him respect. He and George Winston were the first to popularize the style that has become known as New Age piano.

I hear Lanz is pretty funny in concert and makes fun of the New Age term. Anyway, I know many of you love this guy so I wanted to post this link to a video of him performing Cristophori's Dream. Click below and enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOA3B5INZSY

Creating A Piano Improvisation - The Making of December Twilight

"How is it done?" asked one student. "How do you create something like December Twilight?" I'll tell you but you may be surprised at the answer.

December Twilight is a lesson piece (available at http://www.quiescencemusic.com ) I created to teach students hand independence. So, how did I create it? I haven't the slightest idea.

What I mean is, I went over to the piano like I usually do, sat down, and just started to play around. And out of nowhere, I found myself reaching for a bass note followed by an A major triad and D major chord.

Now, I'm not saying this to mystify you, but when you operate this way on the piano, the unexpected comes up. I wasn't "trying" for anything here. I allowed myself to just be at the keyboard and with this attitude, the music that comes is always a surprise and here's the best part - this approach always leads to the freshest sounding music!

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