George Winston's "Thanksgiving" On YouTube

If you're a fan of George Winston, most likely you've heard the tune "Thanksgiving."

But you may not have had the opportunity to watch George play it.

I just found a video on YouTube where he performs it live for an audience. Well worth a watch!

Music Inspired By the Beauty Of Nature

I've always been attracted to artists who celebrate nature. I remember reading the poems of Emerson and liking them immediately.

Same thing for music. Debussy wrote many pieces with "nature" titles and I love them. I also love Grofe's "Grand Canyon Suite."

There's something mysterious about it. Someone's interpretation of something. It's no mistake that the term "impressionism" was used to describe this kind of music.

Today it seems that impressionism has morphed into something called New Age music where we have composers like Rick Erlien doing solo piano works to themes like "Yosemite."

And of course... I like this too!

Improvisation and Musical Form

Do you ramble on endlessly with your improvisations? If so, good. This has its place in music making and in new age piano playing in particularly. Just listen to New Age pianist Michael Jones's music to hear an example of this kind of free-form improvisation.

Now, some of you want to create something that will give the listener a slightly more cohesive experience. How is this accomplished? By forming the music into a shape - an ABA shape for our purposes here. To give form to music does not require as much theory and technique as most people think. In fact, it is as simple as applying the principles of repetition and contrast.

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Do I Have To Practice Every Day?

A student wrote me an email about practicing on piano. Here it is:

Hello, I would love to learn more on piano but I always seem to procrastinate. Is there any suggestions and also how can I motivate myself to play everyday?

And here's my answer...

Hi pumpkin_purple. You don't have to practice everyday. At least, that's my philosophy. If you want to get good at something you practice it right? But, if you love something you automatically practice it - out of love for whatever it is your studying.

For example, word lovers love to read. Do you ever hear of someone suggesting that you practice reading? Probably not. The same goes for piano playing. If you want to learn and love the sound of piano, you will naturally be drawn to it. This is the first requisite. Also, it also depends on your goals. If your goal is to be a classical pianist headed for the stage, then practicing becomes your life. If your goal is to just enjoy music, don't worry so much about practicing. Instead, turn your attention on what you love and the rest will naturally follow.

--Edward Weiss

Recommended Listening: "Forest"

There's one track on this CD I really like - "Tamarack Pines." It's a piece of music composers would call minimalistic... that is, it uses very little material and does so for at least 5 minutes.

Now, I personally enjoy this kind of music but it can grate on some people's nerves after a while.

Besides the title track, this CD contains some nice pieces and is worth a listen. "Forest" won George Winston a grammy for best New Age music CD.

Click here to listen to tracks and purchase from Amazon.

Left-Hand Ostinato Patterns and Why They're Perfect for Piano Improvisation!

If you're a newbie to piano improvisation, you may be wondering what the best way to start out is. And while there are numerous ways to begin improvising on the piano, the ostinato technique is one of the easiest. Why? Because once you have the pattern down in your left hand your right hand can improvise melody freely.

Take a look at the lesson "December Twilight" (you can hear this lesson by clicking here and scrolling half way down the page) Here we have a left-hand ostinato pattern going on while the right improvises melody.

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Recommended Reading: "Life, Paint, and Passion

I stumbled upon this book many years ago when I was searching for a way to escape my own creative blocks.

As soon as I started reading it, I knew I had found something special. In fact, I can safely say that I've never found (nor probably will ever find) another book that so eloquently expresses many of the problems people have when it comes to their art.

Cassou is a visual artist but her philosophy can be applied to music, film... you name it. This book changed my life!

Find it at http://www.michelecassou.com/BookTapes.htm

How to Figure Out What Another Pianist is Doing

A student once asked me; "Can I determine what my favorite piano player is actually doing on the keyboard just by listening?" An excellent question and one that can be answered in the affirmative. Here's how to do it.

First, figure out what the left-hand is doing. This is the key to understanding what is being done by any piano player, no matter what the style. Let's take New Age pianist David Lanz as an example. Lanz's style usually revolves around a left hand that plays an ostinato pattern while the right hand improvises. Very few pianists base their compositions on the right-hand.

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