Tag Archives: music lessons

Can an Adult Learn a Second Instrument?

Many times we let fear get in the way of learning something new or pursuing a new hobby. As we get older we might tell ourselves that learning a new language or learning a new instrument is something we just can’t do. There are number of excuses people come up with: I’m too old, I can’t learn like I used to, I don’t have the time, it’s a dumb idea, or anything else we might set up as a roadblock to prevent us from doing something new. So let’s examine this concept and find out if there are any truths to these claims or are if we are just being our own worst enemy.

So let’s get this out of the way right at the beginning, The answer to the question of whether or not an adult can learn a new instrument is yes, you can learn a new instrument! Unless you are physically or mentally compromised you can learn to play an instrument, even if you have limited or no musical experience in the past. However, for some people learning a new instrument is going to be easier than for others.

If you have no experience whatsoever with music or playing an instrument it is still possible to learn but it’s going to be a much greater challenge. If you are up for it and it’s your calling, then you should continue to pursue it. Don’t let age get in the way of your dreams. You just have to have realistic expectations. It’s not to say it’s impossible, but becoming a virtuoso musician as an adult with no prior experience is going to be extremely difficult. Is it impossible? It depends upon the person and the level of commitment. Can you learn to play and enjoy it as a hobby? Absolutely!

Music is a language and if you’ve never been exposed to it before it would be like learning a new language. It’s going to take time and it’s going to be something that’s a little harder to learn as you grow older.

The good news is that if you have a foundation in music it’s going to be much easier to learn a new instrument or a second instrument even as an adult. The fundamentals of music are the same from instrument to instrument and while the keys, strings, and methods of performing are different, the foundation of the language stays the same. If you are looking to start playing a second instrument it’s going to be much easier for you – especially if you already know how to play the piano.

Do not stop yourself from pursuing something you want to do. If you think it would make you a happier person, then you should not get in the way of trying something new. I have many people who contact me and say that they are learning the piano as an adult and that my videos as well as others have helped them to progress to a level they are very happy with and are thrilled to be playing music!

Thanks again for joining us here at Living Pianos. info@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729

What Does Rubato Mean?

Rubato is a technique typically used during Romantic period music, such as Chopin, Schumann, and other composers. It is not something used as much during baroque or classical era music: Bach, Mozart, Haydn, and others.

Simply put, Rubato is a give and take in the timing of music – it adds an expressive element. Some people make the mistake of gaining or losing time when it comes to implementing rubato; this is not what rubato is at all. Instead of gaining or losing time, it’s simply playing ahead or behind the beat but always coming back to the correct time. This provides an incredible amount of tension and release to the music.

In the video example above I play the Chopin Nocturne in b-flat minor both with rubato and without. You will notice that you can tap along to the beat of the music whether I am playing with rubato or not. This is something to keep in mind, when playing rubato. You should be able to tap along rhythmically even with the give and take of the beat.

If you lose the pulse, your music will die. What does this mean? It’s not the eight notes; it’s the longer notes that create the pulse of the music. When playing rubato it is important to keep the pulse.

My father demonstrates rubato playing with the metronome getting ahead and behind of the metronome without losing a beat! This is an incredibly difficult skill to master but it can bring your music to new levels. The secret to playing good rubato involves being able to feel the large beat and not just the subdivisions. You will find that you have a lot of freedom to mold the tempo and add an expressive element while keeping the pulse alive!

Thanks again for joining me, Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729

How To Establish the Key in Music

First, why is it important to be able to establish the key? If you have a room full of people and you want to sing a song together, you must all start on the same note or you will have chaos! If you have ever sung Happy Birthday with a crowd of people, you know how confusing an experience that can be with everyone starting in a different key!

So, how do you establish the key? The dominant 7th chord or V7 is ideal for establishing a key, which would be a G7 in the key of C major or minor, the notes G – B – D – F. But there is an even stronger way to establish the key and that is with a Perfect Authentic Cadence. This is a chord progression as follows: I – IV – I6/4 – V7 I. So, in C major that would be CM – FM – CM with a G on the bottom – G7 – CM. There is no doubt where the tonic or “Do” (the first note of the scale) of the key is when hearing this progression – even with Happy Birthday! Although, since Happy Birthday begins on the dominant (G in the key of C Major), an additional V7 (G7) at the end of the cadence will assure your crowd sings in key!

What are Double Stemmed Notes?

I just recently received this question from a viewer and I thought it would be a good thing to address. If you play piano – or other polyphonic instruments – you probably have seen these before:

If you’re a singer or you play the flute, clarinet, trumpet, or perform another monophonic instrument you may have never seen these before in your notation.

These notes typically only occur in polyphonic writing. For example, on the piano you have multiple parts and sometimes you will have two different parts that play the same note. Imagine for example if there was a choir and there was the same note being sung between both the altos and the sopranos. Instead of writing the note twice, it would be easier to write the note on the same line and just add a line going up for the soprano and down for the alto.

Sometimes you might even see double stem notes for different rhythms. You might have a half note and a quarter note on the same note. This might sound confusing and it can be but it’s best to break down the music and understand how it is supposed to sound.

Hopefully this clears up the mystery for some of you out there! Thanks again for joining me Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com

What is a Concerto?

The Concerto goes back centuries and is a very important musical form. You might have seen my video on What is a Sonata?; This is a good follow up.

When we talked about Sonatas, I referred to the famous C Major Sonata K545 of Mozart. We discussed the structure of a Sonata extensively in the last video and we talked about how Sonatas can be written for any instrument and usually feature piano accompaniment.

A concerto, by contrast, is a piece of music written for a solo instrument or a small group of instruments along with a symphony orchestra. Symphony concerts often feature soloists at the start of the second half of the program. You will usually see a pianist or a violinist playing solo in front of the orchestra as they back them up. In the Baroque era, Bach wrote the Brandenburg Concertos for small groups of instruments accompanied by a small orchestra. There are countless Classical and Romantic period concertos which feature more than one soloist with an orchestra as well.

Many of you are probably familiar with the famous Tchaikovsky B flat minor Piano Concerto which starts with the thunderous chords on the piano. (You can hear them in the video example provided above.) While the piano is playing these huge chords, the orchestra is playing a beautiful melody which accompanies it.

There is a structural similarity between Sonatas and Concertos that is significant. Concertos are often written in the Sonata-Allegro form! If you want a detailed explanation of this please check out the link for the Sonata video provided above.

Thanks again for joining me, Robert Estrin: Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729

What are Etudes? Music Theory Lessons – Musical Etudes

If you’ve played music for any length of time you may be familiar with etudes. What they are exactly is a two part answer, because there are fundamentally two different types of etudes. Even though they are both called etudes, these two different types are radically different from one-another. So let’s explore this topic and explain the differences in etudes and how they relate to your music.

Etude comes from the French word meaning, “study”. Etudes generally focus on overcoming specific technical challenges. One type of etude is strictly an exercise. There are famous Czerny and Hanon etudes that are famous exercises, but they aren’t pieces people generally perform. Their main purpose is to develop technique on an instrument.

Most Hanon etudes are simply a series of repeated note patterns. They are valuable for younger students to develop strength. Hanon Virtuoso Pianist in 60 Exercises also contains the standard fingering for all major and minor scales and arpeggios, a staple for serious pianists. Brahms and Czerny also have etudes that are used for developing technique as opposed to necessarily providing great musical compositions. However, some Czerny etudes are quite enjoyable to listen to.

The other type of etudes are musical etudes. Chopin, Liszt, and others have created masterful pieces of music called etudes. These etudes explore different technical issues such as double thirds, sixths, octaves and other unique challenges. Yet, they are masterful works of music.

Musical etudes from Chopin, Liszt, Moszkowski, Scriabin, Rachmaninoff and others are sometimes extremely complex and can be daunting for intermediate students to attempt to play. But the good news is there are some musical etudes from composers such as Burgmüller that are very nice pieces of music which help develop technique, yet provide intermediate level students with richly rewarding music to play! There are musical etudes that range from student level to virtuoso. Mastering a musical etude can greatly benefit your development as a pianist and give you music to perform as well.

I hope this is helpful and if you have any questions about this topic or any other, please email me Robert@LivingPianos.com for more information.