Piano Lessons- Music Theory Lessons

Hi, I’m Robert Estrin. Welcome to LivingPianos.com. We’ve all been there. You’ve spent countless hours working on a piece of music, perfecting every detail. You’re excited to share it with others, but when it’s time to perform, you look out and see people fidgeting. Maybe they’re even on their phones. It’s a frustrating experience, and you might start thinking that the answer is to play louder—after all, that should grab their attention, right?

Why Playing Louder Isn’t the Answer

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who just isn’t really listening? You raise your voice, trying to get their attention, but what happens? They shut down. The louder you get, the less they’re engaged. Music works the same way.

Imagine, instead, that you start speaking more gently and slowly. All of a sudden, the other person’s curiosity is piqued. They want to know what you’re going to say next. Music, too, has a similar effect when you use soft moments to pull your listeners in.

The Power of Quietness in Music

Let me show you what I mean. Think of a piece like the middle section of the B-flat minor Nocturne. When played softly, the contrast of those delicate moments really draws the listener in. You’re waiting for what happens next, and it keeps you engaged. The surprise comes when the volume shifts, and you’re left wanting more.

The Secret to Capturing Attention

The key here is to embrace the softer moments in your playing. It’s in these moments that you can truly express yourself, and it’s through quiet playing that you can communicate with depth. When you play gently, it creates a sense of intimacy and draws people closer to you. It’s the same principle as when someone whispers to you—you lean in because you’re curious and interested in what they have to say.

When someone shouts, however, it has the opposite effect. It’s jarring and off-putting. The same principle applies to music. If you want people to listen, use the quiet moments to captivate them.

A Lesson in Life and Music

This isn’t just a lesson for your music; it’s a lesson for life as well. When you’re trying to communicate something important, speaking softly can make all the difference. People are much more likely to listen if you speak gently and thoughtfully rather than raising your voice.

Take advantage of these soft moments in your music to connect with your audience. It’s where your true expression lies, and it’s the most effective way to keep them coming back for more.

Welcome to LivingPianos.com—I’m Robert Estrin. Music, like life itself, must constantly change. You might be thinking that your music is perfectly fine just the way it is, but today I want to share a profound idea with you—one that has deep implications for both your music and your life.

The Concept of Fractals and Music

Have you ever seen a fractal image? These images are fascinating because no matter how much you zoom in or zoom out, you keep seeing the same repeating patterns. Your music works the same way. When you zoom in on your music—be it a performance, a phrase, or even a single note—you find that the expression you bring to the music is the same at every level.

Let’s take an example: you might play a piece of music and think you’ve mastered it, but when you play it again, it never sounds the same. That’s because, like life, your music evolves with you. Each time you play a piece, you bring something new to the table. You’ve lived more, experienced more, and that subtly changes how you approach your music. Your music reflects that evolution.

Your Music as a Reflection of Life

On a larger scale, your music is an expression of everything you’ve played up until this moment. The way you approach the piano, the choices you make, and the emotions you convey—it all encapsulates your entire experience. For example, when you perform a concert, the program itself is an expression of your feelings toward music and the piano. Each piece in the program tells its own story, and even within each piece, the phrases and notes are also expressions of your unique perspective.

Just as music changes with you, life is also a journey of constant evolution. You may think you have life all figured out, but as you know, life is always changing. We are never static. Every moment—every second of your life—is an expression of who you are, and it’s always evolving.

The Need for Change

This brings us back to the main idea: your music, like your life, must change. It can never stay the same, and if it does, it loses its depth and meaning. Just like a conversation, your music can never be exactly the same twice. If you try to recreate an experience, it will never feel genuine. Each time you approach a piece of music, it’s a new experience, a new opportunity to express yourself in a way that reflects who you are at that moment.

Embracing Evolution

By embracing change in both your music and your life, you allow for true expression. Whether it’s the way you approach a piece of music or how you navigate your daily life, evolution is key. The beauty of both music and life is that they are never stagnant. You can’t imitate what you’ve done before and expect it to have the same meaning. Embrace the changes as they come, and you’ll find new depth and meaning in both your playing and your existence.

I’d love to hear from you!

Welcome to LivingPianos.com—I’m Robert Estrin. Achieving a lyrical, singing quality at the piano is a goal many pianists strive for. Whether you’re playing a beautiful melody or trying to add more expression to your performance, understanding how to create a smooth, flowing sound is key. Today, I’m going to share some techniques that will help you make your music sing—techniques that go beyond just hitting the right notes at the right time. Let’s explore how you can bring your melodies to life with the piano.

The Technique of Fluidity in Melodic Music

When playing a piece with a beautiful melody, like in many movements of Schumann’s Scenes from Childhood, there’s a natural inclination to focus on the notes themselves. However, simply playing the notes without considering their connection to each other can make the music sound mechanical and stiff. To truly make your melody “sing,” it’s important to approach it with the same attention to phrasing that a singer would.

Imagine a singer performing a melody. A singer doesn’t just hit each note precisely; they allow larger intervals or leaps between notes to flow together smoothly. Did you know that a true slur has all the notes between the slur? This technique of slurring, is what makes the music sound continuous and organic. While the piano lacks the ability to physically slur notes the way a wind instrument or the human voice can, you can still achieve a similar effect through careful control of your playing.

Understanding Slurring

In musical terms, a “slur” means connecting two or more notes in a smooth, uninterrupted manner, without a break in between. This is a natural technique on wind instruments or for singers, who can transition between notes seamlessly. On the piano, however, each note is played distinctly, with no natural connection between them.

To simulate this effect, the secret is taking more time with the larger intervals in your phrases. For example, when you have a leap from one note to another, try to make the transition feel fluid, as if the notes are gliding into each other, instead of playing them like separate, isolated events. This extra time isn’t about stretching the rhythm, but allowing the interval to “slur” just enough to give the music a sense of fluidity.

How Mechanical Playing Can Sound Lifeless

If you play a melody with no consideration for the slurs, and instead treat each note as isolated events, the music can sound stiff and lifeless. You might find yourself hitting each note like you’re pressing a button on a machine, without any connection between them. When you play mechanically, it removes the natural flow, making the music sound more like a series of disconnected notes rather than a continuous line.

To avoid this, think of the intervals in your melody as opportunities to let the music breathe. When you reach a larger leap, think of it like a singer would—allow the notes to blend together, and give them a little extra time. This subtle adjustment will make the music feel more alive and engaging.

Bringing Your Music to Life

Once you start adding more time to the larger intervals, you’ll notice a dramatic difference. The phrase will feel more like a flowing conversation or like a singer gracefully moving from one note to the next. This is what gives the piano the illusion of a “singing” line, even though the instrument itself lacks the ability to physically blend notes together like a voice or wind instrument.

By connecting notes in a more natural, flowing way, you’ll start to hear the music in a new light. The transition from one note to another will sound less mechanical and more expressive. You’ll be creating the illusion of a continuous, singing line, which is the ultimate goal when making your music sound more lyrical.

Subtlety is Key

While the idea of adding time to the larger intervals is essential, it’s crucial to do so with subtlety. If you overemphasize this technique, it can start to sound unnatural or overly mannered. The key is to enhance the fluidity of the music without drawing attention to the technique itself. If the listener notices that you’re doing something special, it can detract from the overall effect. The goal is to make the music feel as if it’s singing, without making the technique too obvious.

Using the Pedal for Support

In addition to controlling the length of your notes, you can also use the pedal to support your slurs. Using the sustain pedal can help create a sense of connectedness between the notes, adding resonance and fluidity to your melody. Just be careful not to overuse the pedal, as too much sustain can make the sound muddy. Instead, use it selectively to enhance the swelling effect of your slurs and create a more natural, organic sound.

Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, Opus 27 no 2, is one of the most famous piano pieces of all time. While many people are intimately familiar with the first movement, which is slow and contemplative, the three movements as a set offer a wide range of expression, creating a true musical journey!

This performance was done at Treelawn Music Hall in the Waterloo Arts District in Cleveland, just up the street from Living Pianos showrooms. It was performed on a rebuilt 1951 Steinway model D 9-foot concert grand, which was acquired from Living Pianos and has been featured in concerts by world-class jazz artists such as Fred Hersch and Bill Charlap.

Welcome to LivingPianos.com—I’m Robert Estrin. Have you ever wondered why certain intervals in music are called “perfect”? What makes them perfect, and why do they hold such a special place in music theory? The answers lie in the unique characteristics of perfect intervals and how they relate to other types of intervals. Let’s break it down in a simple and digestable way.

Two Categories of Intervals

First, it’s important to understand that there are two main categories of intervals in music: perfect intervals and major intervals. While there are more types of intervals, these two categories help you understand the foundation of music theory. Perfect intervals include the prime (unison), fourth, fifth, and octave. Major intervals include the second, third, sixth, and seventh.

What Makes Intervals “Perfect”?

The term “perfect” in perfect intervals comes from their unique ability to maintain their quality even when inverted. For example, the prime (also known as a unison) occurs when two notes are the same, like two middle Cs. It doesn’t matter if one of them is altered slightly with an accidental (a sharp or flat), the relationship between the two notes is still a prime.

Perfect intervals—prime, fourth, fifth, and octave—have a special property: when inverted, they remain perfect. For example, if you take a fifth and invert it, you get a fourth, and it’s still perfect. This is a fundamental difference between perfect intervals and other intervals, which I’ll explain shortly.

Major Intervals and Their Inversion

Now, let’s move on to major intervals. When you take a major third (for example, from C to E in C major) and invert it, you end up with a minor sixth (from E to C in this case). This is a crucial point: major intervals become minor when inverted, and vice versa.

What makes a major interval distinct is that it’s built on the notes of a major scale. So, in the C major scale, the second, third, sixth, and seventh notes of the scale are are all major intervals.

Inversion and the Change in Interval Quality

Inversion plays a big role in how intervals are perceived. As I mentioned earlier, when you invert a major interval, it turns into a minor interval. But what happens when you invert other types of intervals?

Augmented intervals (which are made by enlaring a perfect or major interval by a half step) become diminished intervals when inverted.
Diminished intervals (which are made by decreasing a perfect or minor interval by a half step) become augmented intervals when inverted.

It’s this inversion rule that sets the behavior of intervals apart and gives us a structured way to think about intervals in music.

Why Does This Matter?

Understanding these interval relationships can truly open up a deeper understanding of music. When you start to grasp how intervals change through inversion and how perfect intervals maintain their quality, it brings a sense of clarity and even enlightenment to your music.

A Quick Recap

Perfect intervals (prime, fourth, fifth, octave) remain perfect when inverted.
Major intervals (second, third, sixth, seventh) become minor when inverted.
Augmented intervals become diminished when inverted and vice versa.

It’s a lot to take in at first, but when you explore these concepts yourself, you’ll start to see how they impact the way music is structured.

Want to Learn More?

Welcome to LivingPianos.com—I’m Robert Estrin. If you’re like most pianists, you’re always looking for ways to improve your practice time. The truth is, you can save a lot of time by practicing smarter, not harder. And while this may sound simple, the approach is incredibly effective and can make a huge difference in how quickly you progress on the piano.

Maximize the Effectiveness of Your Practice Time

As a teacher, one of the main goals of my method is to help students maximize the effectiveness of the time they spend at the piano. In fact, it’s something I’ve spent my entire career perfecting. Even for professional musicians and touring artists, finding time to practice can be challenging, but with the right approach, you can make the most of the time you do have.

The secret to saving time in your practice sessions is to avoid learning anything wrong. This sounds simple, but it’s often overlooked. Let me explain.

When you sit down to learn a new piece, the typical approach is to read through it, maybe many times, to familiarize yourself with the notes. But what often happens is that you miss certain things, and then you start trying to correct those mistakes as you go. This is time-consuming, and it often leads to frustration.

The Checklist Approach

Instead of jumping straight into playing the piece, think of it like a pilot preparing for takeoff. Before a flight, pilots go through a checklist to ensure everything is in order—even if the plane has already been inspected. Why? Because the stakes are high. In the same way, your practice time is precious, and if you’re not practicing efficiently, you’re wasting valuable time.

To avoid learning anything incorrectly, start by breaking the piece down systematically after reading it through no more than two or three times, the first day only!

Break It Down: Start Small<\b>