Steve Burks

One of the things that makes it hard to take up music as an adult is time limitations. Kids, work, relatives, personal business, etc. We think we don’t have time, but what we really mean is – we don’t have uninterrupted time.

The fact is, you don’t need large blocks of time to improve as a musician. Small ones will do, as long as they add up over time. So instead of focusing on the clock to measure your progress, focus on how many repetitions you perform, of an exercise, scale, passage, etc. I use tally marks on a piece of paper (very low-tech!).

For example, if I need to learn a scale, but I have a busy day with a lot of flitting here and there involved, I simply leave the sheet of paper and a pen next to my instrument. Whenever I play the scale correctly, I mark the paper. Some days I might only mark the sheet once, while other days I might get 20 marks in before having to step out. But it’s the same sheet of paper, and at the end of the week I can see what has accumulated.

The how-many approach is like saving a little money here and there. It seems like nothing, until you check your balance at the end of the year. The tally sheet holds your balance.

Steve Burks is a graduate of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Currently, he’s a vocalist and keyboardist in the International House of Blues Foundation’s “Blues School House,” a live musical presentation for 5th through 12th graders that traces the history of blues music and its influence on other forms of contemporary music.

Most seasoned songwriters compose on both guitar and piano. If you're new to songwriting and have to choose one, try the guitar first.

I recently received this question from a reader: I play a little bit of piano and a little bit of guitar, but I’m a beginner on both. I want to write my own songs that others can sing, and I want to get the songs down on paper. Do you suggest I take piano lessons or guitar lessons if I can only do one right now? Which instrument will help me more with creating the songs and then singing them for others who might want to cover the songs?

Don’t get too far ahead of yourself. Writing songs and notating them accurately takes a good amount of study and effort. Of course, if you’re going to sing the songs as a demo, the notation part is less critical. Most people “discover” songs on guitar more quickly and more easily than on piano.

Guitar would probably be a better starting point if writing is your main interest. The ideal teacher (not always easy to find) is one who teaches the instrument,  music, songwriting and notation.

Many writers work well with collaborators. At one time, one person created the music and another person created the lyric. Since the 1960s, we have seen a huge rise in the writer who creates both the music and the lyrics. But collaboration in writing is a time-tested formula. The Nashville song-writing teams have been proof of this for years and continue to prove it every day.

Ultimately, most writers work with guitar and piano. It is generally felt that each instrument influences writing direction and output in a different and unique way.

Note from LRG: For more on songwriting, take a look at these posts as well:

• First the Words, Then the Music
• The Way You Write Your Song
• Tips to Help With Your Songwriting
• The Art and Science of Songwriting
• First the Melody, Then the Words

Visit Chuck Anderson’s website to join his mailing list and learn about upcoming concerts. Buy his CDs and educational materials. And of course, become a Facebook fan!

You need at least one chord instrument and one melody instrument to create a duo. Guitar with piano is always a good choice, as both chords and melodies can be played on each instrument.

A reader recently asked me what instrument they should take up if they want to play with someone else as a duo, rather than in a larger group or band setting.

Duos come in many shapes and sizes. A keyboard is always a contender because it is perhaps the most versatile of the instruments. This is particularly true of an electric keyboard, which has keyboard sounds plus string sounds plus horn sounds, etc. So a keyboard with anything including a singer is a good choice.

If you think about the limits of an instrument, the choices become simpler. For example, only the guitar and the keyboard play chords, so they are ideal for an accompaniment role. Sax, flute, trumpet, and so on can only play one note at a time, so they have more limited applications.

You need at least one chord instrument and one melody instrument to create a duo. Guitar and piano can work together because they each have the capacity to play melody and/or play chords. If a bass is involved, it is a support instrument, but not a chord instrument or a melody instrument. The bass is at its best supporting a guitar or a keyboard.

I think Tuck and Patti is one of the best performing duos in the world. Tuck plays guitar – Patti sings!

Visit Chuck Anderson’s website to join his mailing list and learn about upcoming concerts. Take a look at his CDs and educational materials. And of course, become a Facebook fan!

Steve Burks

Here are some tips on how to approach music that’s technically difficult or otherwise hard for you. I’m referring to the piano in this post, but the tips can be used for any instrument or voice. Music may be hard to play because it needs to be played fast; has complicated fingering; multiple parts must be played at once, etc.

1. Break it down into smaller parts. Simplify it. Do one little piece at a time. Depending on the music, that might mean one measure, or half a measure, or only three to four notes. For example, sometimes I practice a mere two notes, if they’re widely spaced and I have to “leap” from one to the other across the keyboard. Also, on piano, I might focus on just one hand at a time, then put them together later. There is nothing “too small” to work on.
2. Be patient. It takes time for your brain to process complex music, and you can’t rush your brain.
3. Focus only on the part at which you’re making a mistake. Don’t waste time repeating two whole measures over and over if you’re only crashing on beat two of the first measure. Focus right there.
4. Slow down the tempo. If you can’t play it slowly, then you can’t play it quickly. Speed equals familiarity, so don’t concentrate on the tempo. Play the music at whatever tempo allows you to avoid making a mistake. You might not perceive slow practice as helping you learn, but trust me, it does.
5. If you must learn it at tempo, add only one note at a time. Set your metronome. Play the first note, then the first and second up to tempo, then the first three, and so forth. If you start making mistakes, don’t add any more notes, decrease the tempo only as much as necessary, and repeat the chunk of notes that you have mastered until you’ve got it.
6. Keep track of how many repetitions you’ve done. I use tally marks, grouped in fives, on a pad. That way I can literally see how much work I’ve done, and it helps me stay patient.
7. Take breaks regularly. Sometimes I do forty minutes on, followed by twenty minutes off. Or forty-five on, and fifteen off. The breaks enable me to focus better.
8. If possible, make the passage harder to play than it has to be. For example, on piano, if you have to leap an octave, see how it feels to leap two octaves instead. That way, when you go back and leap one octave, it will seem easier by comparison. The perception of difficulty is relative.

Steve Burks is a graduate of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Currently, he’s a vocalist and keyboardist in the International House of Blues Foundation’s “Blues School House,” a live musical presentation for 5th through 12th graders that traces the history of blues music and its influence on other forms of contemporary music.

Pianist Ramsey Lewis shared his thoughts on composing and performing at a master class last week at the University of Pennsylvania.

The wonderful thing about playing music is that – as you get older – you often get better. Although playing music is physical, the greatest demands are mental: your patience, endurance, creativity, and emotions are constantly challenged.

At 74, Ramsey Lewis is one of those artists that was not only great way back when, but he keeps getting better. I was fortunate enough to attend a master class/concert last Friday that was given by this living legend. Lewis was an artist in residence for three days at the University of Pennsylvania and gave three free master classes to anyone in the community who wanted to attend. Penn’s Center for Africana Studies organized this incredible event.

Lewis, who has 80 albums, 3 Grammys, and 5 gold records to his credit, shared his thoughts on composition, jazz, classical music, the ‘smooth jazz’ radio format (and why it’s largely disappeared), and why we as listeners or musicians need to open our ears to all forms of music.

If you’re not familiar with Lewis, he is the absolute embodiment of music. Trained in classical music, gospel, and jazz, he has composed for the Joffrey Ballet (to hear clips, go to Lewis’ site  and click “audio” at the bottom); he collaborated with Earth, Wind & Fire on Sun Goddess (now you know who he is!), and hosted the popular Legends of Jazz radio and TV series.

On composing and playing Lewis says: “Don’t close out music. Don’t say this music is ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ Let it influence you. The music that is not you will ‘edit’ itself out [in your own music]. You may not know how much you like a certain type of music until you allow yourself to experience it.”

At one point in the evening, the conversation turned to smooth jazz, always a touchy subject in the jazz world (ie, is it or isn’t it jazz?). In addition to hosting Legends of Jazz, Lewis was also a morning radio host in Chicago (his hometown) for a smooth jazz format. Lewis introduced his audience to a variety of artists, while keeping the ‘smooth’ format intact. But ultimately, ‘Madison Avenue’ took over, says Lewis, and the powers that be decided that ‘smooth jazz’ was not actually music but a ‘lifestyle.’ Music would simply be background as a way to sell certain cars, vacations, and other elements of this marketing-concocted ‘smooth jazz’  lifestyle.

Ramsey warned his bosses that people would quickly become bored with such an obvious marketing-driven ploy. The audience, as expected, did become bored. The smooth jazz format didn’t ultimately work, and it was dropped from numerous stations around the country.

I occasionally listened to Lewis’ ‘smooth jazz’ show when it was syndicated in Philadelphia, and I admired Lewis for his ‘if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em’ attitude. He peppered the smooth format with classic jazz that helped the audience learn where some of the music originated. I think it’s safe to say that many people explored jazz more fully after hearing the  smooth, soulful sound of Grover Washington, Jr., in the 1970s.

Lewis’s latest album, Songs from the Heart, consists of all originals. It was funny to hear this master musician and composer tell the audience: “Only recently did I allow the title ‘composer’ to be attached to my name.” Lewis has written perhaps 250 songs, but they were ‘accumulated’ over time, he says; he would write two or three per album, he said, because the labels asked him to.

Now, in his 70s, he is composing music because he wants to. Among his greatest influences, he says, was pianist John Lewis, the former music director of the Modern Jazz Quartet, because Lewis was both a scholar of European classical music and the blues.

Lewis closed the evening playing his “Clouds of Reverie,” a heart-stopping classical piece, for which he got a standing ovation. To hear a portion of the piece, visit Ramsey Lewis’ site and click audio.

Drew Mays, an ophthalmologist from Birmingham, Alabama, was one of 75 amateurs who competed in the most recent Van Cliburn competition for amateur pianists.

This past weekend, I got a chance to preview They Came to Play, a recently released documentary about the International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs, an adjunct to the Van Cliburn competition for professional pianists. The film will soon be shown in several cities, including: Bryn Mawr, Pa., Washington, DC; Rochester, NY; Portland, Ore., Atlanta, and others.

The amateur competition selects 75 players (who must be over the age of 35), and then, in Miss-America-pageant style, the number is winnowed down to 25, then 6, and then 1 (with runner ups acknowledged).

As in beauty pageants, the judging inevitably involves personal opinion. One judge in the film even acknowledges the somewhat subjective nature of the judging process. Yet, the participants convey, through their interviews, that “winning” is only one reason they came to play.

I recommend the film highly to lovers of classical music, and particularly to those who play or love piano. There are wonderful performances, and the players are as interesting and multifacted as anyone you are likely to meet. I have to admit, though, that I was struck by the lack of diversity in socioeconomic status as well as skin color of the participants. This is less a comment about the film and more about the genre of classical music. That is, however, another blog post for another time.

Some in the film truly did fit the definition of amateur – one man hadn’t played in front of an audience since sixth grade. Others just squeaked by into amateur status – one woman is a professor of music at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and has performed as a soloist – but does not make her living as a pianist.

The featured musicians included physicians, a lawyer, a scientist, executives, a retired dental assistant, an IT professional, a former tennis pro, and a man with AIDS who had apparently been on disability for several years but was healthy.

They are interviewed about the challenges of keeping music alive while managing careers and family, as well as about their doubts and fears about how “good” they are. Most were good humoured about the process, and felt that simply preparing for and showing up at the competition was a major milestone in their lives.

If you live in the Philadelphia area, you can see the film on Wed., January 6 at 7:30 pm at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute. One of the finalists, Annette DiMedio, the University of the Arts professor, will be on hand to answer audience questions. It would be interesting to hear her take on what it’s like to be an expert in the classroom and an amateur in competition.

This site will soon have guest bloggers who write about classical music. We will cover such topics as the concept of technical expertise vs. expression in classical music; how to bring classical music to a wider audience; and improvisation in classical music, which was once a major component of the art form.

Because both hands are needed to play the piano, the sooner you work on coordinating the left and right hand, the better.

When people begin piano, they generally find that they have better coordination with one hand – usually the right – than the other. Don’t fall into the trap of favoring your “good” hand and neglecting the weaker one.

It certainly can make sense to work on each hand separately to develop piano skills. However, in order to play the piano, you will need to use both hands together and coordinate their efforts. Because this coordination between the left and right hands is key to playing the piano, the sooner you get the hands working together, the better.

The hands can only work in three ways – the right hand hits first, the left hand hits first, and they both hit simultaneously. Start developing this synchronicity early between the hands. It’s not as impossible as it seems when you first begin!

An upright piano has a small footprint, and is a good choice for a new learner.

When people starting piano lessons ask me if they should buy a keyboard or a real piano, I generally recommend that they purchase a real piano, if possible. The feeling of the keys and the sound is usually preferable. Barriers to such a purchase, however, can be money, space, and portability.

As far as the money is concerned: there are usually used pianos for sale at very reasonable prices. Sometimes a piano owner is so anxious to get rid of a piano that all you have to do is pick it up. Inevitably, that leads to the necessity of hiring a piano tuner to put the instrument into proper pitch.

As to space: there are smaller pianos called spinets and studio uprights that have smaller footprints. Of the two, I prefer a studio upright for sound and space.

Considering portability: the piano loses that battle. Portable, electronic pianos are - portable - if nothing else. If you do get a portable, electronic keyboard, I would focus on a piano that has a small number of good piano sounds. If you get an organ, electric piano, and harpsichord sound, that’s OK, too. What you don’t need as a piano player is the 1,000 sounds that keyboard synthesizers often have built in. If you want to learn the piano, simpler is best.

Just because you studied classical piano as a child doesn't mean you have to study it now. Piano Painting by Al Kratzer (www.shedbooks.com).

Beginning piano as an adult is no different than beginning piano as a kid – except that you can discuss your options with a teacher. These include what style of music you’d like to play, and what your goals are: to play in a group; to accompany other instrumentalists and/or singers; to accompany yourself singing; to participate in classical recitals, etc.

Most children begin learning classical music. However, your interest in classical music is a prime consideration in whether or not to study classical piano. It’s no better and no worse than studying pop music.

Most teachers say that you should start with classical piano – much like most vocal teachers. Under close scrutiny, however, you’ll see that these teachers only teach the classical style. So this view is somewhat self serving and may not be in your best interests.

There is a very real possibility that you will want to explore several different styles of music, so it is an advantage to study with a teacher who does not focus only on one genre of music – unless that genre is the only one you want to play. If the teacher teaches only classical, for example, and you want to move into pop, you will need to find a new teacher for that style.

So, when you talk to prospective teachers, ask them about their teaching program and how they would approach different musical styles. If you’re sure you only want to study classical piano, no problem. Just find a great, flexible and compassionate classical piano teacher.

Ed. Note: Read more below about how to find a music teacher that’s right for you and other topics related to music lessons for adults:

• Find a Music Teacher By Seeking Satisfied Students
• A Key Trait of Music Teachers: Optimism
• When Tell Don’t Show Makes Sense
• Fitting Music Lessons Into Your Schedule
• Should I Start With Guitar or Piano?

Pianists and guitarists change the order of the notes in chords - called voicing - to give the chords different effects. Above are two different guitar chord voicings of Cmaj7 and G7.

Chord voicings are the arrangement of notes in a chord (ie, which notes are on the top or in the middle). Piano and guitar are the instruments that play chords and are, therefore, the instruments concerned with voicings.

Every style of music has to deal with chords just as every style of music has to deal with voicings. The power 5 chord is as typical to heavy Rock music as the 13th chord is typical of Jazz.

Piano voicings have a great range of alternatives since both hands can contribute to the chord and to the order of notes in that chord. Notes that are omitted from chords create note arrangements that are also considered voicings.

Guitar has unique properties that create complexity for chords. “Jazz chords” usually use sets of 4 strings. These sets are organizations of strings such as strings 6432 or 5432. Within these sets, guitarists are trained to order notes and omit notes according to the harmonic context of a chord progression.

Voicings are often used to create a bass line or control the top note of a chord. This can be used for a vocal cue (the top note might be the vocalist’s first note), a solo melody and chord technique, or just for an effect. A voicing also may be chosen to help facilitate the transition from one chord to another chord.

The effective use of voicings is a fundamental skill for any musician charged with the reponsibility of playing chords and fulfilling a harmonic role in music.