Playing funky piano - a few thoughts.

Funky piano styles is one of those things that when we hear someone doing it well we think wow! I really wish I could do that. Often however it seems fast and complex, making it hard to understand specifically what the pianist is doing and it can seem quite intimidating to attempt. The truth is the key to sounding funky is not dependent on you playing fast and complex stuff. In fact if you haven't developed a good sense of rhythm and applied it to more minimal playing, not matter how fast or complex you play, your not going to sound funky. Developing a good sense of rhythm can take a little time but the good news is, if you find your self digging those funky styles, you definitely have it in you to play funky yourself.

In my mind there are three main areas that people can address if they want to start sounding funky. The first and most important is your sense of rhythm. Early on it can almost seem intangible. It is so common to hear people say I have no sense of rhythm. (almost as common as I'm not musical which is also completely untrue). People who respond to rhythmic music and enjoy it, definitely have the potential to play with great rhythm themselves. However this does need practice. so what can we do....

1- Your probably already doing this but an essential thing to do is to listen to the music that you want to play. This is actually incredibly important for all styles of music. Even music that is less obviously rhythmic has a unique feel that you must get to be able to sound like it. When listening to funky music though, try and participate in someway. By this I mean click your fingers, dance, get a shaker and play along to it. Play along on the piano, however simple the part (in fact at first keeping a simple but solid part can be better).

2- Practice with a metronome/drum track. Now this one can be a little controversial. Playing with a metronome with 4 clicks to a bar can leave everything sounding rigid and soulless. What jazz players do however is to the metronome to half time and then play against it  so the clicks land on beat 2 and 4. This  really helps playing with a swing feel but even if your playing straight it allows your a little more freedom  to develop a feel whilst still keeping you in time. Something to note though, allot of people find playing to a metronome very hard at first. If this is so for you, you will need to play simple patterns or even just tap along with it playing a regular 4 beats per bar. If you can't do this first you won't be able to play against 2 and 4 nor will you be able to play correctly against a drum track. The good news is that once you get over the initial hurdle of playing simple against a metronome, things get easier very quickly and the benefits are so worth it.

3- Listen to your self and/or record your self. Yes, it is surprising how few people really listen to themselves whilst there playing. This also can be quite tricky at first, try doing it whilst playing something that your already pretty solid on, even just the awareness that you should be trying to listen to what's being played (by you) should help you get more in touch with your sound. You can also record your self and listen to it back. I would really recommend doing both to be honest. Every musician should always be listening to what he's playing but recording oneself is also a great if excruciating test. Yes it can be painful at first but please don't let that discourage you. You need to hear yourself play but the very moment that your hearing all the little imperfections, you'll already be well on the way to fixing them and as a result start sounding allot better.

4- Play with other musicians. If you can this is a fantastic thing to do. Playing with musicians better than your self obviously can do wonders, if you have the opportunity to do so. One way is to find jam sessions and go along and participate in some small way. If you don't feel ready to sit in on the piano, go along and play the tambouring or a shaker. Playing with other musicians your level is equally important however. Even if your a fairly amateur player, whilst plying with other beginners isn't going to sort out your rhythm on it's own, it is going to add a whole new dimension to your playing and musician ship. Fell and such other elusive things and musical communication and spontaneity a really benefited in a way that no amount of solo practice can address.

Developing feel is by far the most important and in a subtle way challenging aspect of sounding funky however I did I'd mention a couple other things to focus on. Working on your left hand baselines and gaining some understanding of the patterns and chord shapes that funky players use. These are both really just logistical things and are a bit simpler to deal with. There are loads of innovations in what to use when getting a funky sound. However pianists are often trying to find something a bit punchy so they can be percussive with it. I often thing of these things as the power-chords of the piano. Power-chord on the guitar are just 5th intervals played in parallel. Funky piano often place fourths and fifths strategically in there patterns in places where they want to add accents. Also commonly used are 7#9 chords (eg C7#9 voicing, left hand is already playing the C, right hand can play E, Bb, Eb, spread out like this it sounds very punchy). Another classic is the fourth chord. This is essentially just two fourth intervals stacked upon one and other (eg C,F,Bb). The use of such chords warrants a tutorial in it's own right but these have a great punchy sound and are commonly moved around in parallel quite freely, even non diatonically. There are of course plenty more shapes that can be used but this tutorial will ahve to suffice with this for now.

I mention left hand practice because people tend to shy away form it and yet it's such an important element in many funky piano styles. Some technical practice playing scales and arpeggios is important although I won't go into the finer details of such things here today. However also learning to play baselines in the left hand. Track down a book of funk or jazz or blues bass lines and just spend some time  playing through them with the left hand (always whilst practicing your feel). You will soon see the benefit and start seeing how to incorporate them. A couple of starter tips on how to construct your own left hand bass parts is to find your self some chord progressions (4 bars, 8 bars long) and use them for practice. Lean to play the bass notes only, learn to to walk in octaves (playing notes on beats 1 and 3), learn to add in the 5th as another options. Another common move is to approach  the new chord by a semitone above or below. Here's a video that plays out some of these basics. Just remember the technique and principals although applied to jazz blues here, can be used and modified for most funky piano styles. This is just something I stumbled upon a while ago but I think this guy lays it out really well. Here's the first in the series but you can find the rest on his channel.



Hopeful you have found some of this useful. Above all, make sure your having fun with it and stay reassured when stuff seems hard. These things can take time but it's definitely worth it when you get there.

Learn to Play the Piano the Easy Way

I would like to encourage everyone who has the desire to learn to play the piano, but hasn't done so, to start his musical journey the easy and the fun way and by doing so fulfill himself through music.

The advantages of playing the piano
Several researches have indicated that by playing the piano, at any age, one can improve his emotional condition and mental ability. Learning piano can be very satisfying hobby for all ages. Keep in mind - it's never too late to start a new hobby.

Don't be intimidated from learning a new skill
A beautiful song has the same emotional impact on most people. This is the reason why your prior musical knowledge is not that significant. All you need is willingness and a simple learning method. Some people are a little bit afraid to play piano at first. Don't be afraid, simply start learning and don't stop practicing. If you encounter some difficulties along the way, don't be discouraged it's part of the game. With progress you'll find yourself reading music sheet and playing the songs you like. Close your eyes and let yourself imagine how well you're going to play your favorite songs and how it would feel like.

What you need is an easy and simple learning method
The traditional method to learn piano has a lot to offer. However, due to its rigid way, you may forget your instincts and not less importantly your joy from learning piano. For that reason my advice is to learn piano with a straightforward learning system which takes into account your feelings, needs and musical taste.
With such method you'll build not only a solid musical foundation but also develop the skills to play your favorite song in any kind of style including classical, pop, rock, blues or jazz.

Learning to play the piano is a great gift
You'll find out that through the piano you'll be able to express yourself and free your emotions. Learning piano is something to cherish for the long run because it is rewarding and can uplift your spirit.

For more information on how to learn to play the piano the easy way visit Let's play piano

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Beny_Adams

Improvisation Exercise - 3 Note Pattern Workout

I stumbled across this exercise on youtube. I think this is a really good one to do and can work on a number of levels.

• Firstly it's just fantastic to do something like this when warming up. Just to get your fingers moving.
• On another level it is a great way to start to escape the idea that improvisation has to be always governed by the rigged rules of harmony, scales, theory and the like. Something allot of my students that come from a classical background get hung up on. 
• Finally it's also useful to start thinking on your toes. In this exercise you can play any notes but your also trying to constantly reinvent yourself. A concept invaluable to improve.

This exercise could be take further by trying to vary the directions in which the patterns are played. All in all a great exercise though. Thank you camposmusic.

How to Practice The Piano Effectively

Do you think that your improvement at the piano is too slow?

By Beny Adams

If so, here are some helpful tips on how to practice the piano more effectively and how to make the best out of your practice time. I admit that some of the tips are quite obvious, however many people simply don't follow them and therefore don't progress as fast as they could have.

Commit to a practice schedule 

Find yourself the timetable to practice and turn it into a routine. Find the time in which you are relaxed and with energies and practice during that time. If you will not be committed to practice schedule you might be challenged by distracting events.

Practice daily 

You should practice daily for at least 30 minutes. If you cannot devote daily hours for practicing, remember that it is more effective to practice 30 minutes daily than an hour every two days. After about 15-20 minutes of piano playing, you might become mentally fatigued. So if you are getting frustrated with a long practice session, take a break and return after a little while. By breaking up the session into smaller parts, you will be mentally refreshed and you will see better progress in the shorter run.

Slow down 

Be patient with yourself and don't try to rash and learn a lot of different things at once.
One of the most important things when practicing the piano is to play slowly. You should play as slow as you need in order to play accurately. Most accurate playing is created at slow speeds. When slowing down the brain can process notes and rhythms. With practice, speed will come automatically.

One hand at a time 

When learning to play a new song, it will be much more effective to play first the part of the right hand and only after you master this part play and master the part of the left hand. Only after you know to play the piece of music with each hand separately, then try to play it with both hands.

Try not to repeat your mistakes 

Don't be bothered about making mistakes especially in difficult passages, its part of the learning process. However, when you encounter a difficult part, don't try to ignore it as if the difficulty does not exist. You should treat it as an opportunity to become a better pianist. Difficult passage should be practiced slowly, separately and repeatedly until you master it. Keep in mind, you'll progress much faster by learning from your own mistakes. Just keep on practice slowly and the skill will come automatically.

Enjoy the little accomplishments 

Stay focus on improving the things you have just learnt whether it is a new key or chord. Your achievements along your piano journey shall give you a sense of accomplishment and keep you motivated.

For more information, please visit: Let's play the piano Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Beny_Adams