Tag Archives: music lessons

What is the Best Age to Start Music Lessons?

This is a very difficult question since no two people are the same and different instruments have unique challenges.

The piano is a classic instrument that many people start learning when they are very young. The same thing applies to violin and cello. Other instruments take time to grow into. You could not expect a small child to play the trombone and reach all the outer positions or to hold a flute properly until they are old enough (and have long enough arms) to hold and play properly. Some of these instruments just have natural disadvantages for young children and are simply not possible for them to learn until they are big enough, perhaps 9 or 10 years old.

When it comes to instruments that younger children can play, such as the piano or string instruments, age is not as big a factor when it comes to physical limitations. If you search online you can see videos of children as young as three or four playing on a high level on the piano or string instruments. So, knowing that a child can achieve this level of success, when is the right age to get them started learning a musical instrument?

When it comes to learning an instrument, one size does not fit all and the individual child is the determining factor in whether or not they are ready to learn an instrument. Some kids will simply be drawn to an instrument and no matter what you do, you simply can’t take them away from it. If you have a very young child who seems drawn to an instrument and has a willingness to learn and play you shouldn’t stop them from learning. What’s more important than allowing them to play though is finding the right teacher for them.

Most teachers do not specialize in teaching very young children how to play musical instruments. Even if they are a very accomplished teacher and have many great students, it can be a real disaster to have them teach a child younger than they are used to teaching. It takes a very special teacher to teach a young child in a nurturing, enjoyable way which engages them and encourages their progress.

In addition to having a good teacher, a younger student should always have a parent or other adult in the home who is willing to play and learn with the student when they are not at their lessons. It is not reasonable to expect a child of 4 or 5 to work independently. They will need someone to guide them in their learning and help them along on a daily basis.

The keys to starting at a very young age are:

– Willingness to play and learn an instrument
– Finding a good teacher for their age level
– Having a parent or guardian who is willing to practice with them

So what is the proper age to start learning a musical instrument?
Starting to play the violin or other string instruments is something a child can start learning as early as 5 or 6 years old. String players and pianists can potentially start younger if they are in a special program geared towards very young children like the Suzuki program which has them working together in groups to learn and share – it becomes more like playtime with music which enforces the activity as being enjoyable rather than a chore.

In my experience with teaching piano, the lessons should start when the child is ready to take direction independently. I find that when kids can start doing homework on their own they are generally ready to start learning piano. If I had to put an age on it I would say around 6-9 years old depending on their patience, willingness to learn and ability to work independently.

As for starting an instrument at a later age, there are no limits! You can start learning piano or any instrument in your teen years or even as an adult and become a very accomplished musician. Keep in mind though, starting early in life (just like developing language skills) increases the potential for development. Parts of the brain develop much more quickly and easily at a younger age and as you get older it can become a greater challenge to begin learning a musical instrument.

If you have any questions about this topic or any others, please contact us at: Info@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729

How to approach the Ocean Etude Op. 25 No. 12 by Chopin

Today we have an answer to a viewer question about how to practice Chopin’s Ocean Etude. Chopin wrote two books of etudes, brilliant works. Incidentally, there are two types of etudes in this world, those that strictly exercise, and those that explore technical problems in great pieces of music. And the Chopin etudes are certainly in the latter category of monumental compositions that tackle different technical challenges.

Has Technology Ruined Art? Part II: The Connected World

Welcome back to our series on technology and art. If you missed Part 1, we discussed technology’s impact on art throughout history and how it has affected musicians in modern times. Today we are going to talk about the influence of social media, the internet, and the connected world’s impact on music and art.

At the end of the 19th century, the Vorsetzer was invented. It was the first of its kind, a player-piano type of technology that could record performances with technical and musical accuracy recreating the original artists’ interpretation. No longer would you have to see a performance to hear it. Now you could sit and listen to the performer as if you were there – by having it re-created on a player system! Suddenly, the world of music became more connected and global.

When I was growing up and studying a piece of music, I would go to the store and buy a couple different recordings of the piece by different artists. I would get a good sense of how other pianists would approach the same piece but I was limited to what was available at the store. Today, things are much more accessible. All you have to do is open your internet browser and you’ll have access to dozens of different pianists playing the same piece!

What does this accessibility do to our music and art? You would think that it would be a great benefit, right? Not necessarily.

While music is much more accessible now, a somewhat vanilla approach has evolved. If you listen to recordings of performers from the 1930’s, you will hear a lot of differences in individual performances. The same piece played by Rachmaninoff is incredibly different from Hoffmann, Lhévinne, Horowitz or Rubinstein. The differences in each of their performances are drastic and very apparent. Today’s differences between artists don’t exhibit the same type of individuality in their performances. Why is this?

With the advent of technology and the availability of content and recording capabilities so accessible, we have experienced a deluge of content. With the quantity of content has come a homogenized approach to music – performances tend to sound more the same. This is because when there are countless examples of particular pieces, people will tend to emulate influences in their playing. Dramatically different interpretations may be considered “wrong” by some people accustomed to the norm created by the massive number of established performances.

On the other hand, music from other countries and cultures is more accessible and able to be heard by a global audience that has never been accessible before. Suddenly, we are able to experience music we have never heard before! This helps to develop musicians from different cultures with unique influences. Some of the most interesting new music being written today is a hybrid of different styles from around the world – much like culinary artists creating fusions of Asian, French, Spanish or other elements in their creations.

So the social reach and accessibility of music has both good and bad qualities. On one hand, everyone can hear new music and have access to new sounds and influences. On the other hand, we have somewhat of a simplification of style for musical performances as a new “normal” is established through recordings, and people tend to be somewhat fearful to stray from the established standard.

I’m very interested to hear your opinions on this topic and how it’s affected your own music and performances. Thanks again for joining us here at Living Pianos, if you have any questions or comments about this topic or any topic at all please contact us directly Info@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729.

The Importance of Repeat Signs in Music

You’ve probably seen a lot of repeat signs in your music:

There is a mentality a lot of musicians have that these are optional – but are they really?

As a teacher, I would commonly be asked by students why repeat signs are used. The simple answer is to save paper! It really is that simple. Often it’s easier to utilize repeat signs then to write all the notes again. There are times when repeat signs are used in a piece in one edition, and in another edition, the notes are written out. You would probably never consider leaving out the written notes in this case. So why leave out the repeat in the other instance?

You should never go into a piece expecting repeat signs to be optional; they should be respected just as if the notes were written down in their entirety. There are times when I’ve heard musicians take extremely slow tempos in pieces and inevitably leave out the repeats. If repeats don’t seem to work, maybe your tempo is too slow.

So to answer the question, are repeat signs really important? Yes! Try playing the repeats in your music whenever there isn’t time constraints in your performance and you will be rewarded with the musical form as the composer intended.

Thanks again for joining me Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com

What if You Don’t Get Accepted to a Music Conservatory?

Today we are going to talk about a tough subject, not getting accepted to a music conservatory. This is a very real fear for any music student but it’s not the end of the road for your potential career. Today we are going to talk about the options in front of you if you don’t get accepted into the school of your choice.

I know a number of students who worked very hard to get into the schools of their dreams and they ended up getting denied by all of them. This is not necessarily because they are bad students or musicians, it may have more to do with the admissions process for schools than anything else.

Getting into a music conservatory is largely a random process. Picking qualified students is based upon so many random factors that are simply out of your control. How many students are applying that semester? What are students applying? How many openings are there? What is the temperament of the teacher selecting the students? There are dozens of factors that can impact your ability to get into a school every semester – it’s too random a process to guarantee results.

Don’t get discouraged. I have had illustrious students have gotten substantial scholarships to top conservatories yet other schools wouldn’t even let them audition! These are very accomplished students but for whatever reason, some schools didn’t think they fit their program and didn’t even invite them in.

There are options. Other than simply re-applying another semester (which you can definitely do), there are options if you didn’t get into any of the schools you applied to. Whether you are a performance, conducting, or composition major, the most important thing is your private teacher. If you can get a great teacher for your instrument you can progress (arguably) just as fast as you would at a music school. This is a very important investment that should not be overlooked.

Reach out to other musicians in your area. Getting experience playing with other musicians in community orchestras, quartets or small groups is a great way to practice performing with other musicians as well as develop great contacts and more experience and exposure. You can get a lot of music education by utilizing these resources without ever having to set foot in a classroom.

Community College is a great option. If you want to pursue a degree in music and you haven’t been accepted right out of high school I encourage you to attend your local community college. Many of them offer amazing music programs with very accomplished teachers and musicians. Right here in Southern California, there are a number of community colleges that offer great music programs and the instructors are top-notch.

Not only can you gain musical experience at a community college, you can get a lot of your academic classes out of the way (at much lower cost) before you transfer to a university. I know a number of students who have taken this route and gone on to great success.

It’s not the end of the road. Don’t get down on yourself, there are many factors beyond your control that go into the selection process for a music conservatory. If this is your passion then you should never give up; time, work and persistence really do pay off and you can achieve your goals if you keep working towards them.

Thanks again for joining us, if you have any questions or comments about this subject or any music subject at all, please contact us directly info@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729.

How to Identify Chords in Music – Chords Part 1

Welcome to the first part in a multi-part series on chords. Today we are going to talk about how to identify the chords you are playing. I’ve had questions from people playing certain sonorities and wondering what exactly they are playing. In this lesson, we are going to talk about the basics of identifying chords.

The most basic thing to know about chords is that they are (almost always) built on the interval of a third. What is a third? A third is any notes that are on lines or spaces (not both) – they are two letter names apart. Here are some examples of thirds: A-C (leaving out B) or C-E (leaving out D).

Some chords are more sophisticated and they have what is called altered tones. This means that there might be an augmented or diminished chord that will have raised or lowered notes.

So knowing all this, how are you supposed to figure out what the chords are? It’s easier than you might think. Simply arrange the notes into thirds on the staff.

When you are reading your music, make sure that the notes are arranged in thirds. To do this, simply look at the notes that are on lines or spaces. Sometimes this can be tricky because there is something referred to as inversions. An inversion is done by taking the bottom note of a chord and placing it on the top (or the top note is placed on the bottom) – in the end, it will be exactly the same chord. So how do you know which chord it is? In an inversion, the notes will not be arranged in thirds, if you rearrange the notes until they form thirds (all lines or all spaces) you will find the root of the chord which is on the bottom. Take the bottom note and place it on top, or the top note on the bottom and the notes will arrange into thirds – all lines, or all spaces.

So how do you handle chords with more than three notes? The same principle applies to these chords. You can actually build chords all the way to the 13th utilizing only the interval of a third. Why is a 13 chord the limit? Because if you play one more third you will arrive back at the note you started on. This is because there are only seven possible notes within a scale and a 13 chord contains all of them!

This might sound confusing but once you start applying the basic principles in this lesson you will see that it makes perfect sense and is an easy way to identify chords. Next time we will be covering how to approach expanded chords.

Thanks again for joining us here at Living Pianos. If you have any comments or suggestions for future videos please contact us at: info@livingpianos.com (949) 244-3729