Learning Piano by Listening to
Other Pianists by Edward
Weiss
When I first heard New Age
pianist George Winston play piano, I wondered to myself, "how does
he do it?"
But it wasn't until I started creating my own music that the
answers started to come. You see, if you've never played the piano
before, it's almost impossible to understand what somebody else is
doing on it.
After a while, I began to notice that the left-hand played a much
bigger part in creating Winston's sound than the right.
The reason I wanted to know all this in the first place is
because if I could figure out what he was doing, I could get the
same sound myself. But that was only the beginning.
Soon, I could hear much more than chord changes and left-hand
patterns. I began to listen for the "form" of the piece ... how the
composer uses the tools of repetition and contrast.
In Winston's case, he will create a 4 or 8-bar phrase and loop it
- improvising melody on top. This "method" really intrigued me for
it seemed like an easy way to quickly "get down" music on paper. And
it is! Instead of focusing on melody as the forward momentum that
propels interest and the composition along, Winston creates an aural
background and then changes that to create contrast. A perfect
example of this is his piece "Rain" where a gentle background mood
is first created. He then follows this with a thunderous section -
all played with the left hand.
Now, another way composers compose is by leading with melody.
Here the melodic idea takes center stage and I can think of no other
person to learn from better than John Herberman. Listening to his
music you hear how he uses repetition and contrast.
The first 8-bars is a complete theme for many of his pieces. This
is followed by a contrasting section of 8 or 4 bars followed by
repetition of the first section again.
All of this can be heard when you listen to music. A good idea
when listening to dissect a piece is to listen for certain things.
For example, you may say to yourself, "I'm listening for the form"
and then focus on how the pianist is using form to create the
composition. Other questions to ask are "What sound is being used?"
Major? Minor? Modal?
Soon, you'll be able to understand the materials your favorite
artists are using and then use them yourself in your own unique
way.
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 15
years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over
the internet. Questions or comments about my online piano lessons?
Contact me by clicking the link at the
top.
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