Podcast – Play Piano

Here is a rough transcription of the podcast if you want to follow along: Hi, this is Duane and this is more good stuff you really ought to know. There are so many things in music as in any field that you really ought to know to make yourself a complete musician or piano player. Just as in the field of mechanics or the field of medicine or the field of basketball or whatever field you’re talking about, there is a zillion individual little subjects. And articulation is one of those subjects. Articulation means in music or in piano playing the same thing as it does in speech, speaking distinctly or in music of course it means playing distinctly so that each note can be heard not all mashed together in other words. If I talk to you like this — it is one thing for you to understand what I’m saying. But if I speak to you like this distinctly so that you can hear every word and I make every word distinctly, then I am articulating. So in piano playing, if I articulate clearly, my playing is a lot cleaner than if I slur things together. Now there’s a place for slurring, don’t misunderstand me and you can be artificially articulate and that’s not desirable but I’m talking about generally clean playing, okay, I’m sure you understand. You can go to see it on any subject, can’t you? And ride a hobby horse, right off the end of the world because you know you don’t think about anything else except that one thing. well I’m not arguing that at all, I’m just saying to play cleanly is a virtue to make it your life goal is not, okay? So just one of the many things you need to consider. Let me play a little bit of Spinning Song, you probably know it, it’s a great classic. Now what if I want like this [piano playing] you that…is very much like [inaudible] [laughter]. It just, everything runs in together, okay? Now there’s, that tells you two things, one it tells you that you may be playing something too rapidly if you can, avoid doing that. If you find yourself doing that, then you need to slow down to a point where you can articulate clearly, okay? So that may define your tempo for you, and that’s good. Tempos need to be defined according to the individual skill of the player. Some people are gifted with extremely quick reaction, I mean they’re like point guards in basketball, they’re the Magic Johnson, generally the quick fiery darts to the basket. And other people are slower and so they’re the power forwards or whatever, right? And I’m more of a power forward, I am not gifted with quick, you know quick reactions but that’s okay, you take what’s given to you and you make the best of it. So let’s try Spinning Song together about like so. And when you get to the right hand, those four notes concentrate on playing them distinctly [piano playing] ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta not [piano playing] not [piano playing] but [piano playing]. Hear the difference? [Piano playing] and it helps to lift your fingers [piano playing] and so on and so forth, okay? Just one of the many good stuff you really ought to know. Thanks for being with me, we’ll see you next month.

What is the Circle of Keys? Some people call it the “Circle of 5ths”, while others call it the “Circle of 4ths”. In reality, it is the same thing — it just depends on whether you move to the right or the left on the circle. The Circle of Keys describes key relationships — which keys are most closely related, and which keys have very little relationship to one another. For example, the Key of C and the Key of G are very closely related, because they only have one difference — the F# which is in the Key of G. Otherwise, they use the same notes of the scale (but start on different points, of course). But the Key of C and the Key of Gb have very little in common, since they have 6 differences — the six flats in the Key of Gb. (Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, and Cb). Listen to this 10-minute podcast and you will understand: For more information on the Circle of Keys click on The Circle of Keys

There are many, many forms of the blues, from rhythm-and-blues to all kinds of jazz tunes to hundreds, if not thousands of popular songs, and even some kinds of gospel music. In this podcast I discuss the basis of the scale that makes up the tones used in the blues: For a course in jazz and blues runs based on the blues scale, please click on “Jazz & Blues Runs”

This podcast is part one of a two-part series on the blues scale — what it is, how it is used, and how it is formed. Listen how to include a minor 3rd, diminished 5th, and minor 7th to add all kinds of color to a plain major scale: For more complete information on playing the blues, click on “Blues, Boogie, & Rhythm & Blues”

Listen to this short podcast on syncopation:

A suspension in music is when the previous chord has a "hangover" into the new chord.

Creating a run in your right hand usually consists of either playing a scale of some sort or a chord broken up.

Polytonality involves playing two chords at the same time, usually in opposite hands.

As you know, there are many ways to make your piano playing fuller, including fillers, chord subs, runs, all kinds of chordal techniques, and so forth. And one of the best ways is to use passing tones.

This podcast is about parallel stacked 3rd chords and how to use them.

Piano Tips: Parallel & Contrary Octaves Podcast

Piano players can get a different kind of sound in their chords by using a stack of 4ths

Do you know how to modulate from one key to another key?

Minor chord substitutions are some of the most interesting and pleasant-sounding things you can do

Major chords are formed from major scales