You're a machine!

[littlelamb]

Remember the mechanics of playing the piano. You don't play with just your fingers. I always hear people say that having long fingers will help them be a good piano player but that has nothing to do with it. Your fingers have to be trained by your mind to do what you want them to do.

Here are two great links that explain how the piano works and some tips on technique to produce a desired sound. You can produce sound with your shoulder, elbow, wrists, fingers. If all you're playing with is your fingers you're not getting the most out. Gospel musicians tend to play very forcefully which is why the piano goes out of tune quickly (if it's acoustic) and why the keys break on a keyboard. Really if you got skills you can play very softly just as well and very slowly well. If you want to find out if you really know a tune then slow it down and see if you can still play it.

http://www.kenfoster.com/Articles/PracticingTechnique.htm
http://www.chopin.strefa.pl/pict.html

After you read this go practice dropping your arm from those four different places (shoulder, elbow, wrist, finger) and see what sound you get. You can get a triple forte by just dropping your arm at a different place with very little effort.

[under13]

Thanks for the info. I see Tons of gospel musicians banging on the keys. Some of these guys take the term "beast" to seriously. But the musicians ones know how to play effortlessley.

I dont like the title though. Gospel musicians should be nmore than machines. A machine does not have a mind of its own. It only does what, someone tells it to do. Being a gospel musician is not an exact science.

How do you feel about hannon exercises?

[littlelamb]

I meant machine as a reference to technique and in the context that you CAN control what you're doing. It's more than just sitting down and moving your fingers.

I hate Hanon but that's because I grew up playing classical music. It's like something they force you to do when you start out playing classical. I do think it's effective in the beginning BUT anything where you play the same thing over and over is monotonous and over time will lose its effectiveness. As you grow as a piano player you have to add in more interesting things or else your mind will become bored.

I think the best technique exercises combine practice with practicality. I'd take something you would actually play and make an exercise out of it.

[themidiroom]

I think this machine needs a new control module sometimes.   

[T-Block]

That's some good knowledge littlelamb, keep it coming.

I hate seeing musicians bang on a keyboard.  It makes no sense at all, just tacky and ridiculous.  From what I've seen, musicians who do this want to be seen as well as heard.  Not all musicians, just some I've witnessed.

Being a gospel musician is not an exact science.

Shoot, being a musician period is not an exact science, no matter genre or instrument u playing. 

[under13]

Shoot, being a musician period is not an exact science, no matter genre or instrument u playing. 

To some people it is. Some People will have a fit if you improvise a Bach peice intsead of playing it straight.

And many times when you are playing with an orchestra, you have to play  your part exacly as written

[T-Block]

To some people it is. Some People will have a fit if you improvise a Bach peice intsead of playing it straight.

And many times when you are playing with an orchestra, you have to play  your part exacly as written

You see playing a particular piece and playing a genre of music are two different things.  Even if u playing a classical piece, it's still not an exact science because:

1.  Everyone interprets it different.  You can play the notes & rhythms correctly, but the dynamics and tempos are killer.  You will never hear 2 people play the same thing the exact same way. 

2.  Most of the original artist(s) didn't get recorded, so there is no way to truly know what he/she wanted.

[under13]

You see playing a particular piece and playing a genre of music are two different things.  Even if u playing a classical piece, it's still not an exact science because:

1.  Everyone interprets it different.  You can play the notes & rhythms correctly, but the dynamics and tempos are killer.  You will never hear 2 people play the same thing the exact same way. 

2.  Most of the original artist(s) didn't get recorded, so there is no way to truly know what he/she wanted.

I know, that was my whole point. Some people and some churches, want you to play everything as written, without any of your own interpretations. There are many that argue that Bach (or whoever) would not want his music improvised. I dont understand those people.

[littlelamb]

I know, that was my whole point. Some people and some churches, want you to play everything as written, without any of your own interpretations. There are many that argue that Bach (or whoever) would not want his music improvised. I dont understand those people.

Interesting point. Bach was a BEAST. He could improvise a fugue. A fugue with the inner voices moving independently of each other. Somewhere down the line classical musicians lost the ability and desire to improvise. Arguing with them about that is a lost cause.
But T-Block is right interpretation makes it different. I do think that if the composer took the time to write out a whole piece of music then that means they want you to play those notes because they had a purpose for it as opposed to jazz where it's purposely not written out after the head is played so you can improvise.
For gospel music, I say you can't play it correctly without improvising at some point. They may be mad at your church if you do too much stuff in between that competes with the song and the singers.

[Mysteryman]

Thanks littlelamb. I was using other parts of my arms to play but lately I started focusing more on using my fingers for strength and dexterity. Im going to have to read this later on tonight.

[littlelamb]

Anytime, it really works. I always have to remind myself of these things especially if my arms start hurting after I've warmed up sufficiently.

[under13]

Interesting point. Bach was a BEAST. He could improvise a fugue. A fugue with the inner voices moving independently of each other. Somewhere down the line classical musicians lost the ability and desire to improvise. Arguing with them about that is a lost cause.
But T-Block is right interpretation makes it different. I do think that if the composer took the time to write out a whole piece of music then that means they want you to play those notes because they had a purpose for it as opposed to jazz where it's purposely not written out after the head is played so you can improvise.
For gospel music, I say you can't play it correctly without improvising at some point. They may be mad at your church if you do too much stuff in between that competes with the song and the singers.

Those Bach preludes and Fugues are no joke. I bought the Book a few years ago, and that stuff looked so ridiculously difficult, I just put it on the shelf. I used to read difficult stuff, but that was on a whole 'nother level.

If you wanna see a master improvise play Bach, you gotta check out virgil Fox You've probaly heard of him 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=WQKfz9ytdms

[littlelamb]

Those Bach preludes and Fugues are no joke. I bought the Book a few years ago, and that stuff looked so ridiculously difficult, I just put it on the shelf. I used to read difficult stuff, but that was on a whole 'nother level.

If you wanna see a master improvise play Bach, you gotta check out virgil Fox You've probaly heard of him  http://youtube.com/watch?v=WQKfz9ytdms

Wow! Under13. He's playing 5 keyboards and the foot pedals and changing the stops and still playing. Talk about multi-tasking. And making it look like it's simple.
Here's another one who makes it look like nothing. It's Vladimir Horowitz playing Scriabin. Scriabin is sooooooooo hard to play. So hard. He's one of those composers who you open the book and then try to read the first page and then you close it. It's not completely synced with the sound but you'll get the idea.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=pPTe1xMB9Uk&feature=related

[Mysteryman]

Those Bach preludes and Fugues are no joke. I bought the Book a few years ago, and that stuff looked so ridiculously difficult, I just put it on the shelf. I used to read difficult stuff, but that was on a whole 'nother level.

If you wanna see a master improvise play Bach, you gotta check out virgil Fox You've probaly heard of him  http://youtube.com/watch?v=WQKfz9ytdms

He's aight. lol

[Mysteryman]

Joking. I wish I could play like that.

[under13]

Wow! Under13. He's playing 5 keyboards and the foot pedals and changing the stops and still playing. Talk about multi-tasking. And making it look like it's simple.
Here's another one who makes it look like nothing. It's Vladimir Horowitz playing Scriabin. Scriabin is sooooooooo hard to play. So hard. He's one of those composers who you open the book and then try to read the first page and then you close it. It's not completely synced with the sound but you'll get the idea.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=pPTe1xMB9Uk&feature=related

Funny, I was checking out that guys other clip last week. And They both was doin all that without reading  music.

Check out this girl playin

http://youtube.com/watch?v=D0ERlIvwhAU&feature=related

[betnich]

Hee! Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Lizst were all MAD improvisors!

Good thing they wrote it down for the rest of us in the age before computers and recording equipment...

[Mysteryman]

Funny, I was checking out that guys other clip last week. And They both was doin all that without reading  music.

Check out this girl playin http://youtube.com/watch?v=D0ERlIvwhAU&feature=related

Yeah I posted her in the Jazz room. She is awesome!!!

[T-Block]

I hate learning fugues, they so doggone hard, LOL.

[musallio]

This is a sick thread!!

Littlelamb, your presence here has made me want to take my sheet music more seriously..

I've been looking at the Hanons & thinking...mhhhh..

Horowitz is 1 of a kind!