Piano Lessons- Music Theory Lessons

I have known Jeffrey Biegel since childhood. Jeff studied piano with my father Morton Estrin for many years before going to Julliard and embarking upon an illustrious concert career.

This is a topic that a lot of people have very strong feelings about – either one way or another. Being a musician – no matter what genre you play – is so fiercely competitive that many venues and booking agents don’t only expect people to play for free but they sometimes actually expect the musician to pay them in order to perform.

This is not a new concept but it’s more widely used today more than ever. For example, musicians who play New York recitals actually pay in order to perform so that they can get reviews. They hope to sell enough tickets in order to break-even but they could be on the hook for a lot of money out of their own pockets if they don’t fill up the hall.

For rock bands you are often put in a position of what are called “pay to play venues” where they will issue a certain amount of tickets and require you to sell them. If you can’t sell all the tickets you still owe them the money so often times bands will need to shell out hundreds of dollars to perform. Most of the times venues will do little or minimal promotion for an event and the bands will be stuck marketing their own shows as well – so if you don’t sell any tickets or bring an audience you could be playing in front of an empty room (which happens more than you would think).

Getting back to the question at hand, should you perform for free? It’s something you must decide yourself but you should also look at the situation in which the performance takes place. How much is there to gain in playing for free? Sometimes it can be worth your while to get yourself in front of a new audience.

For example, if you were offered to play at a charity event somewhere and there was a guarantee of a good sized crowd, this could be something beneficial to you for the exposure. Not only would you get to perform in front of a lot of people but many of them see you performing in support of a noble cause and will be much more interested in what you are doing. Sometimes there are opportunities of collaborating with great musicians which can make performing a benefit concert worthwhile. Prospects of getting audio or video recordings of events which you can share in your marketing efforts may also make things worthwhile.

You must be careful with any opportunity to perform for free. Even though you might not be paying to play, you will be paying with time and work on your part. You will most likely be responsible for your own transportation to and from the venue and you will have to take into account the time you will need to dedicate to the performance – both the actual performance and practicing. Is this going to be worthwhile for you? You have to ask yourself that question; you shouldn’t put yourself in a position of being exploited.

An example of a bad non-paying gig would be something like playing at a party. If it’s not for a benefit and nobody will be specifically listening to your music, is it worth playing for free? Most of the time it won’t be; in some rare cases you might want to anyway because you can gain benefit from the networking opportunity. As a musician you really should value your talents and hard work and you should not let people take advantage of you.

The tritone was considered to be a forbidden interval hundreds of years ago. Churches actually banned this interval from being played! Luckily there are no such restrictions today so we will be experimenting with it and understanding what its function is.

To put it very simply, the tritone is half an octave. There are twelve possible tones in Western music and if you go six half steps you will create a tritone. When you invert a tritone, it remains a tritone because it divides the octave exactly in half. When you play a triton you will understand why it was feared; the sound is eerie and almost demonic. In fact, it is used extensively in heavy metal music!

How does a tritone resolve? This is a very interesting aspect to tritones because you can go outward or inward by half steps and the tritone will resolve either way. So, if you have a tritone C – F-sharp, it could resolve outward to B – G. Or, it could resolve inward by half steps to C-sharp – E-sharp. Interestingly, each of these resolutions (outward or inward) end up being a tritone apart from one another. When resolving outward we ended up in G and when resolving inward it resolved to C-sharp. (G and C-sharp a tritone apart!)

The tritone is actually the basis for all Western music. This is because it is very important in determining the key of your music. In the classic cadence, I – IV – I 6/4 – V7 I, it is the tritone of the V7 chord that establishes the key.

A diminished 7th chord is actually two tritones creating great tension and a myriad of possibly resolutions which you can explore in the following videos:

Asking if there is a right or a wrong way to learn the piano is a really loaded question. There is no clear cut answer but I’m going to try and answer this the best I can based on my experience. I’ve had the opportunity to study with several great teachers including Constance Keene, Ruth Slenczynska, John Ogden and my father, Morton Estrin. Despite many techniques and approaches for learning the piano, there are some basic truths that are almost universal among fine teachers.

Being able to count your music is one of the most important things you must learn. Practicing with a metronome to check your rhythm and timing is something that is vital in developing as a musician. Yes, there are some truths that are somewhat universal. Why not universal? Because there is more than one way to approach the piano – if you watch other pianists you will notice very different techniques.

My father, Morton Estrin, was my only teacher through high school (other than some master classes in Austria). When I attended the Manhattan School of Music I gained the opportunity to work with other concert pianists. However, for most of my early development on the piano, I studied with my father. He would describe playing the piano “with a quiet hand”. What he meant was that he used a minimal amount of motion and this is how I learned. I was taught to use as little motion as possible to produce the best sound I could. Now there are certain techniques which require more motion (such as wrist technique) but the principles of his method are fundamental.

When I went away to music conservatory I was surprised by my new teacher. She taught me to allow more movement in my playing and loosen myself up a bit. Now my father’s technique wasn’t wrong but in experiencing another way to learn I was able to develop further as a pianist. I used aspects of both of their methods to create a technique all my own. As I’ve said in other videos, no two people are built exactly the same. What might work for one person won’t necessarily work for another. If you have small hands – like me – there are some aspects of playing piano where you will be limited and other areas where small hands provide advantages; the same goes for people with larger hands.

So there are many correct ways to approach the piano as well as many techniques that may not be reliable. You must find solid techniques that work for you. There are dozens of techniques for learning certain aspects of the piano and there are hundreds of opinions on what is right and what is wrong. There are two things that matter as you continue to learn about various techniques and improve as a pianist. One is if the technique works for you. Two is if the technique can be applied to a certain aspect of playing but not another. Many times a technique will be a great way to solve one problem but will leave you struggling in other areas. This is why adopting many different techniques and developing your own playing style is so important.

So yes, there are right and wrong techniques for learning the piano. If a technique works for you don’t be discouraged if someone else does it differently. Right and wrong is more of a subjective experience when it comes to learning piano and what works for one person might not always work for another.

As a musician or other person in the arts, it is necessary to work countless hours to master your craft. Yet, sharing life experience is intrinsic to artistic expression. You can look at this on the macro level of your life as well as how you deal with your career as a musician.

Like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, you must never push yourself to the point of destroying your love of music in your quest to develop a virtuoso technique on an instrument. Yet if you don’t practice enough, you won’t have the means of expression. So then how do you achieve such a high level and still have something of value to share with your audience? This is a timeless question.

Every person must find balance in their lives. No one can force you to become an artist. It has to come from within. It is necessary to have discipline, but the playful, spontaneous nature is intrinsic to the creative spirit. It is an amazing fact that people who have mastered piano technique are not rare in this world, yet an artist capable of conveying deep emotions to their audience provides a profoundly memorable experience.

You must make practice joyful work. But more than that, you must also let yourself live carefree at times, never losing the playful fun, interaction with people, and enjoyment and appreciation of living life to its fullest in order to be the ultimate, expressive artist you are capable of being.

This is a great subject. You may be thinking about Romantic music, but this is an entirely different thing. This refers to the period style of late 19th century music rich with emotion. While much Romantic period music has romance to it, this aesthetic is not limited to any particular period style.

Fortunately we have the perfect example for you: Carmen, the vixen from the classic Opera by Georges Bizet. And here is my wife Florence to play the haunting seduction, the Habanero from the opera Carmen. I think you will understand instantly how music can convey romance – enjoy!

The term perfect pitch sounds like a great thing doesn’t it? It even has the name perfect in it! However, there are a few drawbacks to having perfect pitch that some people might not be aware of, despite the name, it does have some challenging aspects.

Perfect pitch is actually a misnomer. It has nothing to do with intonation – being in tune – it is simply pitch memory. Someone with perfect pitch can hear any sound and without even thinking about it know exactly what note it is just like most people can recognize colors without effort.

The adjunct to perfect pitch is Relative Pitch. The vast majority of people – including professional musicians – are able to comprehend pitch by hearing one note relating it to all others. This is a skill that can be honed to the point where you might think that someone with a well developed sense of relative pitch has perfect pitch because they can nearly instantaneously recognize notes just from hearing them. The secret is that they must first identify one note. From there they can relate all other pitches from that reference note.

A person with perfect pitch does not need a reference note. They can simply identify notes on their own.

The benefits of this skill are great. For transcribing music – listening to music and writing it out – it is incredibly simple for someone with perfect pitch. There are some instances however where perfect pitch can actually be a detriment. How can this be?

Imagine this: you are singing in a choir and you have sheet music in front of you. The choir director decides that C major is a bit high for the choir so she wants to lower it down a whole-step to B-flat major. For the people in the choir with relative pitch this would make pretty much no difference – their relative pitch can easily adapt to the changes. For those in the choir with perfect pitch, they will have to calculate every single note to the lower pitch because their sense of pitch is absolute! If a C is written on the page they only see and hear C and not the B-flat the director wants.

What about if you have perfect pitch and you’re in an orchestra? Perhaps you are used to A- 440 which is how your piano is tuned at home. But what if the orchestra tunes higher to A-442 or A-444? This could be a challenge because the reference is so ingrained that a small change can be maddening – to have to play “out of tune”. The temptation is to play the “correct” pitch which is not going to work in this setting.

Let’s go back to the choir scenario. Imagine if during the performance the choir shifts up or down in pitch – which can definitely happen when the choir is not accompanied by any other instruments. People with relative pitch may not even sense the wandering of the pitch. But the person with perfect pitch will hear the error and have a hard time adjusting as the choir drifts up or down in pitch. This is a very real scenario.

Perfect pitch is not something that’s a deal breaker for musicians. In fact it can be extremely beneficial but it’s not without its challenges. It’s important for all musicians regardless of whether they have perfect pitch or not to understand the underlying structure of music. Perfect pitch is a tremendous thing to have in certain situations but it’s not a substitute for getting intimately involved in how music is constructed.

If you don’t have perfect pitch it’s not a big deal – most of us have to depend upon relative pitch. If you have perfect pitch you should enjoy your inherent skill but still focus on learning the fundamentals of music and the relationship of tones just as someone with relative pitch would have to do.

This is a very tough subject. Many times I have seen parents get down on their kids for not wanting to practice even though they are paying for music lessons. In a perfect world, everyone would take music lessons and know from experience how difficult it can be to practice. It’s a tough task to keep adults engaged in learning music – so you can imagine how difficult it is for children. This article will offer some tips to keep kids engaged in their lessons and excited to learn and motivated to practice.

While playing a musical instrument is fun, it takes a lot of work to learn how to play well. It takes a tremendous amount of mental and tactical skill in order to be successful. With children, you will be walking a fine line of keeping them engaged and interested and becoming disenchanted and wanting to quit. How can you avoid having them simply give up?

One of the most important things is making sure that they aren’t playing on inferior instruments. It might sound silly to have your child learn something they might not stick with on a nice instrument, but it can be pointless to have them practice and learn on an inferior product. Many times music teachers will recommend certain instruments and parents will simply go for the cheapest alternative – setting their child up for failure. If you have them performing on an instrument where the sound produced is bad and the keys stick, they probably won’t want to keep playing it. One of the best ways to discourage someone from playing an instrument is handing them a bad instrument.

Another thing that is critical is getting the best possible teacher right from the beginning. It’s a huge mistake to think that going with an inferior teacher is O.K. when starting a musical instrument. If an experienced player learns from someone great and then moves on to someone not so great, they will immediately be able to tell they aren’t getting what they need from them. This is not possible when you start lessons – there is no frame of reference. Not only will their development be much quicker with a better teacher, chances are they will be more motivated to learn if they are experiencing a tremendous amount of progress. Bad teaching risks not only a potentially worthless experience, but they could potentially develop bad habits causing injury.

Now if you have a child who is working hard and practicing every day, you need to find ways to encourage them. A good idea is having them play in informal and nurturing settings for friends and family. Encourage them to perform but make sure you don’t pressure them too much or put them in an awkward situation. Having them play for people will help to build self-esteem as well as get more encouragement to know that all their hard work is building to something.

Another thing to do is play music for them. Take them to concerts. Show a general interest in what they are doing. If they see your interest and enjoyment in their musical achievements, it will only help to build their confidence and interest in continuing to learn and play. If the children are very young, maybe it’s a better idea to take them to outdoor concerts where they can be in a more informal setting. I’ve seen many times where parents will take very young children to formal concerts only to have them be ridiculed by other members of the audience for not sitting completely still or being quiet. This can be a horrible experience for any young child and can turn them off to music. It’s not a great idea to bring a four-year-old to a sophisticated classical concert – they can’t comprehend the level of complexity involved in the music and most likely won’t enjoy it as you intend them to.

It’s a lot like getting your kids to do anything that you need them to do – doing homework, brushing their teeth, cleaning their room, etc. Practicing their instrument should be a part of their daily routine. While you don’t want to beat them up over not practicing, you should encourage them to continue playing and to do it every day. A huge problem with children learning instruments is never practicing outside their lesson – this is only going to set them up for failure.

A big thing that many parents and even teachers do is not let kids play what they want. Children should be allowed to play any music they want, whether it’s classical or popular music. Forcing them to only play a certain type of music – specifically one they aren’t interested in may cause them to become disinterested much quicker. Encouraging them to play all sorts of music can enhance the experience of learning an instrument.

This has been a common question for me; many students have asked me what I would recommend helping them prepare for upcoming piano exams. I remember my days in music conservatory preparing for piano exams in preparation for recitals. In case you aren’t familiar, piano exams consist of sitting in front of a jury who generally spot check the music. This can be a daunting process!

The tests consist mostly of being asked to play certain selections from your current recital program. You may be stopped abruptly in the middle of your playing. This can happen throughout the exam and become very disconcerting if you don’t know what to expect. You might feel that they think you are playing badly but this is just part of the procedure and there is nothing to worry about.

But how do you prepare for this? The best thing to do is to practice like you would for a recital. While you might only be playing certain selections from your music, you should be prepared to play the entire program since it’s impossible to predict what they will ask for, just like any audition.

An essential practice technique is practicing without the pedal – this can be incredibly beneficial because you will hear more detail so your hands and fingers zero in on corrections quickly. You should also practice with the metronome and also combine these two techniques. These are essential piano practice techniques that will solidify your playing.

More than any physical technique, you will want to live with the music inside you. Play the music mentally away from the piano. Making yourself play the music away from the piano will better prepare you when you actually play on the piano. In order to play the piece in your head without even moving your fingers or looking at the keyboard, you have to be incredibly familiar with the score. It can be very reassuring to get the music mastered on this level. No matter who you are or how well you are prepared, mishaps can happen to the best concert pianists. In the event of a mistake, you must recover quickly and keep the music flowing. Knowing your scores enables you to keep the flow of the music going no matter what happens.

You may learn your scores so well that you literally play them in your sleep! When you sit at the piano you will want the music to come out of you with minimal effort. However, you will not want to play your music on autopilot. You should constantly stay focused on what you are doing and where you are in the piece instead of relying on tactile memory.

When preparing for an exam or a recital, performing a practice run through in front of family or friends is absolutely essential. If the first time you perform your music it is in a high-pressure situation, you will be at a distinct disadvantage. Try working with your colleagues testing each other through mock piano juries! Have them stop and start you abruptly – have them even critique you in a stone-faced manner. These techniques will benefit you when the time comes for your actual exam.

Remember that auditions are not necessarily satisfying musical experiences. The judges may have listened to dozens of students before you even show up. They may be tired and hungry. They are simply getting a job done. Their demeanor doesn’t necessarily reflect upon you. Remember that they are not there for the same reasons you are – they are simply there to test.