Showing Up At the Piano

You know, I used to think that you should only play piano when you feel like it. But now I'm not so sure.

I guess it all has to do with your goals. For example, I just set a new goal for myself to have a new CD out by Sept 08. That means I'd better show up at the piano whether I feel like it or not if I want to produce something.

Normally, I just sit down and play when the mood strikes. And since I'm not a big fan of forced practice assumed this was the way to go.

But taking a cue from the book "The Artists Way," (where the author suggests you "show up" in the morning to write) I've come to learn it's a good idea to set a certain time to play.

What I like to do is tell myself I'll spend 15 minutes or so at the piano. If something comes - fine. If not, that's fine but at least I showed up.

What about you? Do you think showing up at the piano is a good idea or not?

Piano Hangman - Cool Online Game

Have you ever played the game Hangman? It's where players try to guess a word by filling in the blanks. Each incorrect guess brings you closer to being 'hanged.

Well I discovered a webpage that offers Piano Hangman. You have to guess what the piano related word is in 10 trys or less. If not, you get hanged and the game is over.

I use to love playing hangman as a kid. But this version is just as much fun! Find the game at http://www.ptg.org/hangman/hangman.php

New Age Piano Interview: Daniel Smith

Here is the first in a series of interviews I hope to do with as many New Age pianists as possible.

Why? Because I thought it would be helpful to learn how others create music and go about improvising and composing.

I came up with 5 questions that I would have liked the answers to when I was starting out a long while ago.

To read the interview, click here.

Haiku and New Age Piano? Yes!

I've been playing piano for a long while now. I love the piano and music. But I have other interests as well.

One of them is Haiku.

I love this form of poetry for its directness and fresh appeal.

I've even written 2 little volumes of poetry.Recently, I wrote a report titled: "How to Write Haiku!" It outlines the modern approach to haiku poetry which lets go of the traditional 5-7-5 syllable count.

A lot of my haiku peers don't get how haiku can be anything other than 5-7-5. But today's haiku poet's have been writing without a strict syllable count for a long while now.

Anyway, find the free report at http://www.wisteriapress.com/

And The New Age Music Grammy Goes To...

Paul Winter just won best New Age album for "Crestone." Something to be proud of I'm sure. Now I know it's not solo piano, but anytime something in the New Age music world gets noticed, it's a cause for celebration in my book.

I'm familiar with Paul Winter and the Paul Winter consort. Have been for some time. In fact, he's really a pioneer in the New Age genre. Playing saxophone along with other musicians, Paul's music is slightly Jazz tinged but leans enough towards ambient to be called New Age.

Anyway, congratulations Paul! For more information on Paul Winter, check out his homepage here.

Recommended Listening - River Dawn

I love nature and music. And when the two are combined like they are in this CD, well ... then it's a good thing like Martha Stewart might say.

River Dawn is a solo piano CD by Catherine Marie Charlton. The subtitle of this CD is "Piano Meditations" and that's exactly what these little gems are.

Well worth a listen. Find the CD and listen to tracks at http://cdbaby.com/cd/charlton01

By the way, I'm not an an affiliate so I don't make any money off these referals. Just want to make people aware of what I consider "good" music out there.

If You're Giving a Piano Concert...

Seven or eight years ago, I was playing concerts around San Diego. The featured program? La Jolla suite. The title of my CD and the title of the program I was playing.

I thought it was an attractive package ... you get to take a musical journey into the natural beauty of La Jolla through music. Something I was excited about and assumed many others would be too.

Anyway, I thought it would be interesting if you saw how I marketed this concert. I sent out email invitations to people on my list telling them about the concert. Here's a screenshot of the email I sent out. The logo you see is an old one I developed and no longer use.

Can Oprah Play New Age Piano?

Well, I finally did it. I pitched the Oprah Winfrey show. Why? Because I want those who can't get on the web to learn about the New Age piano style and how easy it can be to start playing it.

Plus ... I think I have a pretty good shot at getting on. Last Friday Oprah was plugging a book by Eckhart Tolle. He's the author of "The Power of Now." Kind of New Age if you ask me.

Another thing - it would make a great show watching Oprah learn how to actually create music from scratch at the piano. I think so. Let's hope the show's producers feel the same way!