George Winston 'Likes' My Video on Facebook

I've always been a fan. Actually, a huge fan of George Winston. Why? Because in the 1980's he popularized a style of piano playing that shouldn't have become popular.

Click on the picture for a closer look.

Thanks to a glowing 'Rolling Stone' magazine interview, a Grammy, and muli-platinum selling CD's, the genre known as 'New Age' became known worldwide. And it's all pretty much due to Winston.

So, when I posted a video called 'Open Plains' on George's Facebook page, the last thing I expected was for him to 'Like' it. That's actually a huge compliment as Winston is notorious for not giving endorsements, testimonials, or even nods of approval.

I wasn't expecting it so it was all the sweeter. Maybe he 'Liked' it because it's actually an homage to the man who influenced him - Phillip Aaberg.

Whatever the reason, it's nice to be recognized by this humble man who has done so much for the New Age genre ... even if he doesn't call what he does 'New Age.' :)

George Winston Releases New Album - And it Ain't New Age

I don't know about you, but I prefer Winston's older stuff. You know, the music that made him famous. I love that music.

I like Vince Guaraldi too, but come on! I guess the man will play and record what he enjoys and you can't knock him for that. You can however be disappointed that he no longer creates the kind of music that put his name on the musical map.

Here's a press release about the new Winston CD...

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Pianist George Winston recorded a tribute album in 1996 to jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi (1928-1976), a musician beloved by generations for the compositions he recorded for various Charlie Brown television specials and for his standard "Cast Your Fate to the Wind." That album was Linus & Lucy-The Music of Vince Guaraldi, and Winston revisits his musical hero a second time with Love Will Come-The Music of Vince Guaraldi, Vol. 2, a collection of a wide range of Guaraldi interpretations. The 16-song album will be available February 2nd.

Many of the songs from Winston's new album are from the Charlie Brown episodes, and tracks for them written by Guaraldi include "Time For Love" from the episode, There's No Time For Love Charlie Brown, "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown," "Love Will Come," "Woodstock," "Little Birdie," "It Was a Short Summer Charlie Brown," "Rain, Rain, Go Away," "Air Music," and "You're Elected Charlie Brown." The album also features other Guaraldi compositions from his jazz albums.

As a sixteen year old Winston (not yet playing music, but an avid fan of instrumental music) became captivated by the Charles Schulz film, A Charlie Brown Christmas. Immediately after purchasing the soundtrack, Winston immersed himself in the sixteen Peanuts® television specials scored by Guaraldi, becoming captivated by Vince's sounds and compositions. Many of the songs featured on Linus & Lucy were also from Vince's soundtracks from the Peanuts® series.

"There are three composers that I have at one time or another tried to play all of their songs: New Orleans R&B pianist Professor Longhair, The Doors, and Vince Guaraldi," says Winston. Vince Guaraldi and his music are so much a part of the deep heart and soul of San Francisco, and for those that know his music, of the experience of childhood, and people of all ages. I love Vince's melodies and his chord progressions and his piano playing - especially his left hand."

George Winston integrates his passion for Vince's music and New Orleans R&B piano, together with childhood experiences in order to create a sound inspired by legends such as The Doors, and New Orleans pianists Henry Butler, James Booker, and Professor Longhair. Winston conveys a sense of life through his music with a sensibility of the seasons and topographies of Mother Earth.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Visit http://www.quiescencemusic.com now and get a FREE piano lesson!

Composing George Winston Style

If you're a fan of New Age piano, no doubt you've listened to some of George Winston's music. What I find fascinating about his songs is how he creates them.

Most improvisers/composers start with the melody, usually because it's the easiest way to begin.

What George does is start with the background. He creates an aural canvas over which he improvises the melody. This is an excellent way to create with because once you have the chord changes for the first 8-bars or so, you've pretty much finished a section of music.

Now after Winston gets his (A) section, it's another textural background that will usually make its appearance for the (B) section. The beautiful thing about this method is that it really frees up the right-hand!

Once your left hand is playing the background, you are able to create melody easily. It's like a lead guitar player creating a solo while the band lays down the rhythm and chord changes.

In fact, George Winston has referred to his left hand as the rhythm section. Creating the background first is just another way to compose/improvise. There is absolutely nothing wrong with going with the melody first if that is what inspires you. However, it's good to know how others are creating so you can learn from them.

P.S. Very soon I give my next piano lesson. And if you like the music of George Winston and wonder how he could create something like this, in my next lesson, I'll show you how! I'll take you step-by-step through the process and not only teach you how George does it, but how you can do it yourself! And it's all going to be on video.This is going to be one lesson you won't want to miss! More info at http://www.quiescencemusic.com

New Age Piano - Tricks of the Trade

One of the things that makes New Age piano so enjoyable is that it's easy to get started.

One of the "tricks" of the trade is to play an ostinato pattern in the left-hand while the right improvises a melody. Just listen to George Winston's lovely piece Colors/Dance to hear an excellent example of this technique.

He uses just two chords in the beginning. But just look what he does with them! He maintains interest for a good couple of minutes before any contrast is introduced. Remarkable! And not as easy to do as many people think!

The artistry in this is how he maintains interest. The improvised right-hand melody carries the music through and propels listener attention forward. The left-hand however, is just playing the same ostinato pattern.

Complicated? Hardly. A beautiful piece of music? Absolutely. And all that's required is the ability to trust your intuition. Trusting intuition is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING A TEACHER CAN HELP YOU LEARN!

Why? Because when you trust yourself, you allow the music to come as it should - naturally and easily.

Technique can be taught by most anyone and can be learned readily. However, the ability to trust yourself is something that takes a bit of introspection. Most of us have an internal critic that tries to condemn any creative effort. We must learn to listen to what we say to ourselves and allow for the creative impulse.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Visit http://www.quiescencemusic.com/ now and get a FREE piano lesson!

Is George Winston the Greatest Pianist of This Century?

I don't know if I'd go that far, but according to the Facebook group (which I recently took over as administrator) he is.

The original creator of this group titled it so. Now, there's no doubt Winston influenced hundreds if not thousands of pianists to play in the New Age style and I'm certainly one of them.

But to call someone the greatest is really a subjective thing. How do you define great? By how well someone plays technically? I doubt it. Is greatness defined by how well the music effects someone's emotions? Then Winston certainly ranks up there among the best.

That's why I never attribute terms like this to artists of any ilk. Doing so sets up a comparison trap that really serves no other purpose than to inflate egos who need to have a register as to how well someone can play.

Me? I prefer to keep silent on such matters and let the music speak for itself.

Learning Piano by Listening to Other Pianists

When I first heard New Age pianist George Winston play
piano, I wondered to myself, "how does he do it?"

But it wasn't until I started creating my own music that the answers started to come. You see, if you've never played the piano before, it's almost impossible to understand what somebody else is doing on it.

After a while, I began to notice that the left-hand played a much bigger part in creating Winston's sound than the right.

The reason I wanted to know all this in the first place is because if I could figure out what he was doing, I could get the same sound myself. But that was only the beginning.

Soon, I could hear much more than chord changes and left-hand patterns. I began to listen for the "form" of the piece ... how the composer uses the tools of repetition and contrast.

In Winston's case, he will create a 4 or 8-bar phrase and loop it - improvising melody on top. This "method" really intrigued me for it seemed like an easy way to quickly "get down" music on paper. And it is! Instead of focusing on melody as the forward momentum that propels interest and the composition along, Winston creates an aural background and then changes that to create contrast. A perfect example of this is his piece "Rain" where a gentle background mood is first created. He then follows this with a thunderous section - all played with the left hand.

Now, another way composers compose is by leading with melody. Here the melodic idea takes center stage and I can think of no other person to learn from better than John Herberman. Listening to his music you hear how he uses repetition and contrast.

The first 8-bars is a complete theme for many of his pieces. This is followed by a contrasting section of 8 or 4 bars followed by repetition of the first section again.

All of this can be heard when you listen to music. A good idea when listening to dissect a piece is to listen for certain things. For example, you may say to yourself, "I'm listening for the form" and then focus on how the pianist is using form to create the composition. Other questions to ask are "What sound is being used?" Major? Minor? Modal?

Soon, you'll be able to understand the materials your favorite artists are using and then use them yourself in your own unique way.

The New Age Piano Style - What Does It Offer?

Mention the name George Winston and most people immediately think of New Age piano. He pretty much cornered the sound most of us equate with "New Age."

Ask people what they like about this music and most will say, "It relaxes me," or "It helps me unwind." Both perfectly fine reasons for liking music.

For some reason, relaxation and peaceful seem to be words many would rather not associate with music. These people want music to be exciting and vibrant and there is nothing at all wrong with this. But the world is big enough to contain many genres.

New Age piano music has much to offer not only the listener, but the performer as well. Going way past stress-reduction, playing the piano in this style enables one to feel a deep sense of well being. When one is able to improvise and be in the moment, it becomes a very rare, and beautiful experience

George Winston: Rain - Piano Performance Video

When I first heard this piece of music, I was literally blown away! "How'd he do that?" I thought to myself. How can one man create such a full sound on the piano?

Of course, classical pianists have and continue to lead the way in making the piano such a rich sounding instrument. But here was a music that kind of sounded classical but wasn't.

It had a more modern feel to it. And ... it was titled "Rain."

In the classical world, this is called "program" music because the title suggests the inspiration of the composer and helps guide the listener towards what the composer had in mind.

Whatever you want to call it, you have to watch this video at YouTube http://youtube.com/watch?v=Uj6VLLa29zs

You'll see George play the piece. The video intersperses nature scenes with concert footage. A must see!