If you’re looking for a good digital piano with fully weighted keys, I strongly recommend the Kawai ES‑120 or the Kawai ES‑60. Both have a good feel and are great long‑term instruments for students. I use the Kawai ES‑120 myself and think it’s an excellent choice for anyone. Call D.C. Piano in Berkeley and ask…Continue reading What keyboard to get
Category: Piano Lessons
Transitioning from classical piano to jazz piano
Many classically trained pianists are interested in learning jazz piano. Classical training will help physically but not a lot mentally. Your ability to play notes, chords, runs, etc, will all be very useful and put you ahead of the learning curve. That said, jazz is mentally a fundamentally different way of approaching music. Some classical people…Continue reading Transitioning from classical piano to jazz piano
Learning Jazz Piano: The Process
What skills are required to play jazz piano? What should you expect to learn from a jazz piano teacher? Improvisation: The element that defines jazz, improvisation is in large part about self-confidence, risk-taking, and the will to explore and experiment. But jazz piano improvisation also involves tools that can be studied both theoretically and practically:…Continue reading Learning Jazz Piano: The Process
Relaxed Playing
If you are not using the proper technique you will get sore. The entire playing mechanism which includes the wrists, forearms, elbows and the shoulders should be relaxed. It should never be tense. How do you relax while playing a difficult piece in mind,say a Liszt Etude? One answer to that would be a sigh.…Continue reading Relaxed Playing
Performance Anxiety
Different people respond differently to stress as we all know. Some thrive while others worry, deflate… One thing we all have in common however, is the we all need to breath to stay alive. As simple as it may sound, ‘don’t forget to breath’! You have probably heard it from lots of people. Here are…Continue reading Performance Anxiety
Sight Reading
Don’t look at your hands: keep your eyes on the music. If you have to look, glance with your eyes, but don’t move your head. Learn to look one beat ahead: quickly memorize each beat before you play it so that you can already be looking ahead while you are playing. As you get better,…Continue reading Sight Reading
Melody Phrasing For Piano
One of the goals during piano lessons is to discover and illuminate the hidden threads of musical structure in pieces. Adjustments are a matter of discovering the emotional content of each phrase, carefully shaping the dynamic while following the logical progression of a line—becoming aware of where it started and where it ended. Thus what…Continue reading Melody Phrasing For Piano