Form to give shape to something. Yes, form is about giving music shape. Odd as this sounds (because we can’t see music) there can be a definable shape to our creations. One of the more frequently used forms is called ABA.

This means we play a section of music 1 or 2 times, we play another (B) and then we return to our first section. Seems simple enough right? Yet many students have trouble creating their own piano compositions using this simple form. Most likely, this has to do with thinking too much.

Many students over think things and make their job of music creation that much harder. It doesn’t have to be that way. Not if you think in phrases! For example, take the lesson Rainforest Revisited.

Here we return to Lesson 3: “Rainforest” which is basically an extended improvisation. In Rainforest Revisited, you’re shown how to add another section of music - a contrasting (B) section to create a new piece of music in ABA form.

Now most of you have no trouble when it comes to improvising and just playing the piano. Your music flows out of you and this is how it should be. The problem comes when students try and think about what comes next. Wrong approach! Don’t think! Continue your next section the same way - by using your intuition.

Here’s how I came up with the (B) section for Rainforest Revisited. I simply sat down at the piano, played the original “Rainforest” piece and allowed my intuition to guide me to the next section. I didn’t ask “what should come next?” No. I felt my way through. I knew the (B) section would be 8-bars or so long and just came up with something contrasting to the original “Rainforest.” I now had a (B) section and could turn the entire thing into an ABA form piece of music!

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. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!

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Let’s face it. Nothing compares to the beauty and attractiveness of a baby grand piano. The curves, the strings, the way the whole thing looks just makes you want to go over and play.

Baby grand pianos give the serious musician with limited funds the ability to own something that one can be proud to play and that will last for years and years.

While not as deep and rich sounding as their grand piano counterparts, the baby grand piano is perfect for students who are serious about music and who invest substantial time and energy into playing.

Small, yet not small in sound, baby grand pianos offer something the upright and grand does not, affordable elegance. There’s something about the way an instrument looks that either makes you want to play it or not. While an upright is fine for beginners and amateur pianists, it just doesn’t inspire those who need that certain aesthetic touch a baby grand provides.

And let’s not forget about the fact that a baby grand can fit into most living rooms as well. Many are 5 feet or less and can make a boring living room into a grand concert stage. It is the centerpiece of many musical homes and deservedly so! Houses with pianos in them seem to have more life. As soon as you enter the room and see a beautiful baby grand, you either want to play or hear it.

Expect to pay anywhere from $2000 to $10,000 or more for a decent instrument but also expect to get many, many years of enjoyment as well!

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. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!

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Have you ever listened to your favorite pianist and wondered why their music felt so alive? What was it you wondered. Was it technique? Maybe, but probably not. Technique can allow you to play difficult passages. It can’t give you the X factor that careful listeners can discern.

Perhaps it was the personality of the performer that drew you in. Personality is great but will only take you so far as a pianist. After all, if they can’t see you, it’s just the music that’s heard.

So what is it? What is it that makes one pianist sound alive while another sounds like they just don’t have it? You may think it’s how much someone has practiced or how many years of conservatory is under the belt. It’s none of these. The best players, the ones whose music has something otherworldly about it, have relinquished control of their egos and allowed their higher source to take over and guide them! That’s it.

They may not say it, but if you notice, the best players never take full credit for their playing. In fact, most players at this level will say nothing unless pressed to. You see, once the ego is out of the equation, the player is free! And once free, the music is allowed to flow and move through the player as if yes - as if it is something coming from another world - or at least a higher place.

To make your piano playing come alive, you must let go and allow the music to take over. I know I keep saying this but only because it’s true. As soon as you think that you are a good player or even a bad one, you’re setting yourself up to fall. Certainly, it’s OK to have a healthy does of self-esteem and admit that you feel good about your playing but…

Here’s an interesting tidbit. Do you know why Mozart only wrote first drafts and never scribbled anything out? It’s because he trusted himself so much that he knew that his first drafts were the best ones. That is, he learned to get out of the way and let the music speak through him.

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. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!

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