I teach adults. They are doing amazing things in their lessons, but when they get home, they get to the piano and they think they don't know what they should be doing.
"I remember the feeling in the lesson of getting it right, and playing well. But when I sit at the piano, I don't remember what I was doing to get that feeling."
It doesn't seem to matter what I write, it's not enough. (This is for all you adults.) I'm creating a series of short videos which are teaching one tiny skill at a time to recreate what we are doing in the lessons.
This video series will take students from ground zero to being able to play a competent 12 bar blues with a boogie pattern in the left hand, with blues chords in the right.
As I am working with combos and ensembles, I've been going to First Principles. First Principles thinking is going back to basics. In this case, the videos will be focusing on developing a strong sense of counting and an internal pulse.
As a pianist, being able to count aloud and play at the same time gives you a superpower that a clarinetist will never be able to achieve. It also gives students the ability to lead from the bench, which is super helpful when playing with others.
I will be posting the videos here, and on the Piano Key Finders youtube channel. If there are pdf files, you will be able to download them here at the blog.
This video series is to give my students a boost when practicing, remind them what we are doing in the lesson, and to give them confidence that they are making progress when they are at home.
The key finders that I mention in the videos can be found here:
Want to hear when the next videos are being released?
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