Steps To Become Better at Pop Piano

www.MyPianoRiffs.
com

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Heres What & How to Practice to
Become a Better Pianist
7 Ways to
Become a Better
Pop/Jazz Pianist
A Step-by-Step Guide to Practicing
Your Way to Better Piano-Playing
Nicole Lee
www.MyPianoRiffs.com

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Important Notice
This e-book is free and not for sale and does not come with resale rights.
Although free, that does not diminish the quality of information within.
All material within this book is copyrighted and as such cannot be reproduced
in any format without my prior approval.
Copyright 2009 Nicole Lee @ www.MyPianoRiffs.com.


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Introduction
7 Ways to Become a Better Pop/Jazz Pianist
This e-book is an expansion of my article of the same title, first published in
Ezine@rticles November, 2009, and also available at my blog. It requires no
reading of music notation and, hence, is an invaluable resource to those who
play by ear as well.
Very often as piano students, we are told by our teachers to practice after
every lesson. How many times have you heard this phrase: Practice makes
perfect? And how many times have you actually gone home and practiced
and when lesson time came, your playing or performance is still not up to
mark? Is it because you didnt practice enough? Perhaps. Did you forget what
you were supposed to practice? Possibly.
More often than not, I find that most people just dont really know what and
how to practice. Also, some teachers seem to only work on playing songs with
their students. Learning songs and working on perfecting them are fine.
However, that should not be the be all and end all if you are serious in
perfecting your craft, i.e. piano-playing.
In learning a song, we should not just be focusing on getting the notes right.
We should really study the song inside out by breaking it down in terms of its
melody, harmony, rhythm, form and style. And then we should work on
understanding and perfecting every musical element that is associated with
the song.
If practice makes perfect, then it is also true that imperfect practice makes
imperfection! And we definitely dont want that. To become really good at
our craft, it is important to know what to practice and how we should go
about practicing it. Hence, to me, the saying should really be knowledgeable
practice makes perfect.
In this e-book, I will elaborate and demonstrate in detail the seven important
areas to cover and to diligently practice in order to become a better pop
and/or jazz pianist. The seven areas are:
1. Scales

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2. Chords
3. Rhythm
4. Cycle of 5ths
5. Form
6. Styles
7. Listen
Since there are 7 areas to work on altogether, these can be put to efficient
practice, one for each day of the week! And remember only knowledgeable
and perfect practice makes perfect. Have fun!


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Quick Summary
Scales:
All contemporary piano players know that scales are the basic building blocks
in music. The notes of a melody come from a scale, as are improvisational
lines in jazz solos. Essential scales to master are: major (ionian mode),
melodic and harmonic minor, modes (dorian, phrygian, lydian, mixolydian,
aeolian [natural minor], locrian), major and minor pentatonic, major and
minor blues, diminished and whole-tone.
Chords:
From scales, we build chords. Its vital to memorize all the diatonic chords of
the major and minor scales. Diatonic chords are chords that are built on every
note of a scale and whose notes come from that very scale; there are seven
altogether for each scale. Learn up its chord quality and function within the
scale or key, regardless whether the chords are triads, sevenths, or 13th
chords. Essential chord families to master are: major, minor and dominant.
Rhythm:
The best melody and harmony in the world will be quite boring without a hint
of rhythm that goes with it. Rhythm gives life to music. Inherent with rhythm
is feel, i.e. the interpretation of rhythmic units. Essential rhythmic feels to
grasp are: straight and rolled 8ths, straight and rolled 16ths, swing and
triplet. Additionally, it is also important to work on other rhythmic aspects
such as syncopation and anticipation.
Cycle of 5ths:
Imagine the face of a clock and instead of the hourly numbers, replace these
with the 12 notes in music, i.e. starting at the top at 12 with C, then moving
clockwise down five steps to F, then Bb and continuing this until you end back
at C. This is what you will get: C-F-Bb-Eb-Ab-Db(C#)-Gb(F#)-Cb(B)-E-A-D-G-C.
Memorize this movement because a lot of chord progressions in songs move
naturally in this way, either down in perfect 5ths or up in perfect 4ths. For
example, the A section of Fly Me to the Moon: Ami7-Dmi7-G7-Cma7-Fma7-

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Bmi7(b5)- E7-Ami7. The roots of the chords move perfectly around the cycle,
diatonic to the key of C major!
Form:
All the elements of music -- melody, harmony and rhythm -- will be pointless
or meandering if not held together or structured in specific forms. Pop songs
are known for their verse and chorus structures, or AB form. It is also
common to find modern pop songs these days with the following form: intro-
verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus-outro (ending). Blues music, of
course, has its 12-bar structure, and its less common 16-bar form. And the 32-
bar song form in jazz with its many variations, i.e., AABA, AABC, et cetera
are all important to note and remember.
Styles:
The beautiful thing about contemporary music is its many styles: pop, rock,
R&B, reggae, gospel, bossa nova, swing, bebop, et cetera. Each and every
style has its inherent melodic, harmonic and rhythmic characteristics. Break
down every facet of a style and learn how to interpret it correctly. Master the
styles and make your playing more colorful and multidimensional!
Listen:
Last but not least, because contemporary music comes in many genres,
styles, shape and form, we need to develop a healthy listening habit. Every
area from 1 to 6 above can be consolidated through a good listening session.
As you listen to a piece of music, be it something from Coldplay, Sara
Bareilles, Michael Bubl, or Keith Jarrett, look out for and analyze all the
elements - the melody/scale, chord/harmony, rhythm/feel, form and style.
Music is an audible art. Hence, as a musician you need to build up your
analytic listening skills!


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Table of Contents
Cover ...................................................................... 1
Important Notice........................................................ 2
Introduction ............................................................. 3
7 Ways to Become a Better Pop/Jazz Pianist................................ 3
Quick Summary ......................................................... 5
Table of Contents....................................................... 7
Way #1: Scales .......................................................... 9
What to Practice................................................................... 9
How to Practice.................................................................. 11
Way #2: Chords ........................................................ 12
What to Practice................................................................. 12
How to Practice.................................................................. 14
Way #3: Rhythm ....................................................... 15
What to Practice................................................................. 15
How to Practice.................................................................. 16
Way #4: Cycles of 5ths ............................................... 17
What to Practice................................................................. 17
How to Practice.................................................................. 18
Way #5: Form .......................................................... 19
What to Practice................................................................. 19
How to Practice.................................................................. 20
Way #6: Styles.......................................................... 21
What to Practice................................................................. 22

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How to Practice.................................................................. 23
Way #7: Listen ......................................................... 24
What to Listen ................................................................... 24
How to Listen .................................................................... 26
Conclusion............................................................... 28
Private Piano Lessons................................................. 29
Notes ..................................................................... 30


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Way #1: Scales
All contemporary piano players know that scales are the basic building blocks
in music. The notes of a melody come from a scale, as are improvisational
lines in jazz solos. Also, when you are learning a song, the first thing you
must determine is the key of the song. This is another way of saying, whats
the scale that is being used in the song for its melody and chords?
In Western tonal music, the first and most important scale to master is the
major scale. One easy way to learn scales is by memorizing its pattern of half
and whole steps. The smallest interval (or the distance from one key to the
next nearest) on the piano is the half step. Two half steps make one whole
step.
What to Practice
The major scale is made up of seven notes with a combination pattern of half
(H) and whole steps (W) as follows:
Major/Ionian Mode
Scale degree: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8/1
W W H W W W H
C Major scale: C D E F G A B C
The other essential scales to master are: melodic and harmonic minor, modes
(dorian, phrygian, lydian, mixolydian, aeolian [natural minor], locrian), major
and minor pentatonic, major and minor blues, diminished and whole-tone.
Below and on the next page are the patterns of half (H) and whole steps (W)
for each of the abovementioned scales.
Melodic Minor: WHWWWWH C Melodic Minor: C D Eb F G A B C
Harmonic Minor: WHWWH(3H)H C Harmonic Minor: C D Eb F G Ab B C
Dorian Mode: WHWWWHW C Dorian Mode: C D Eb F G A Bb C

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Phrygian Mode: HWWWHWW C Phrygian Mode: C Db Eb F G Ab Bb C
Lydian Mode: WWWHWWH C Lydian Mode: C D E F# G A B C
Mixolydian Mode: WWHWWHW C Mixolydian Mode: C D E F G A Bb C
Aeolian Mode/Natural Minor:
WHWWHWW C Aeolian Mode: C D Eb F G Ab Bb C
Locrian Mode: HWWHWWW C Locrian Mode: C Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C
Major Pentatonic: WW(3H)W(3H) C Major Pentatonic: C D E G A C
Minor Pentatonic: (3H)WW(3H)W C Minor Pentatonic: C Eb F G Bb C
Major Blues: WHH(3H)W(3H) C Major Blues: C D Eb E G A C
Minor Blues: (3H)WHH(3H)W C Minor Blues: C Eb F Gb G Bb C
Half-Whole Diminished:
HWHWHWHW C H/W Dim.: C C# D# E F# G A Bb C
Whole-Half Diminished:
WHWHWHWH C W/H Dim.: C D Eb F Gb Ab A B C
Whole Tone: WWWWWW C Whole Tone: C D E F# G # Bb C


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How to Practice
Play each scale (ascending and descending) in both hands for one octave. I
recommend that you practice all 12 keys following the Cycle of 5ths [Refer to
Way #4 Cycle of 5ths]. I also suggest that you play the scales in flowing 8th
notes, alternating between a straight and rolled feel [Refer to Way #3
Rhythm].

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Way #2: Chords
Once you have mastered the scales, you will find that a scale is actually the
foundation upon which chords are built. The smallest chord unit called a triad
is a 3-note chord which consists of three notes with each note stacked up on
top of the other (skip a key each on the keyboard).
What to Practice
Diatonic Chords of Major Scale
Every note of a major scale can be stacked with two other notes in this way.
That will make seven different triads to the seven notes of the scale, i.e. on
the C major scale or key of C major, we will have:
1. C-E-G, 2. D-F-A, 3. E-G-B, 4. F-A-C, 5. G-B-D, 6. A-C-E, and 7. B-D-F.
These chords are called the diatonic triads of the major scale. And each of
these triads have a specific quality based on their position in the scale, i.e.
1. C major, 2. D minor, 3. E minor, 4. F major, 5. G major, 6. A minor, and 7.
B diminished
The proper chord symbols will read as such:
1. C, 2. Dmi, 3. Emi, 4. F, 5. G, 6. Ami, and 7. B dim.
[For more on diatonic triads of the major scale, visit my post here.]
Do the same for the next set of diatonic chords, i.e. the Diatonic 7
th
chords
made up of 4 notes.
1. C-E-G-7 (Cmaj7), 2. D-F-A-C (Dmi7), 3. E-G-B-D (Emi7), 4. F-A-C-E
(Fmaj7), 5. G-B-D-F (G7), 6. A-C-E-G (Ami7), and 7. B-D-F-A (Bmi7b5).
[For more on diatonic 7
th
chords of the major scale, visit my post here.]


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Diatonic Chords of Minor Scale
The next sets of important diatonic chords to master are the ones from the
three important minor scales, i.e. natural, melodic and harmonic.
Here are the diatonic triads of the C Natural Minor scale:
1. C-Eb-G (Cmi), 2. D-F-Ab (Ddim), 3. Eb-G-Bb (Eb), 4. F-Ab-C (Fmi), 5. G-
Bb-D (Gmi), 6. Ab-C-Eb (Ab), and 7. Bb-D-F (Bb).
And these are the diatonic 7ths the C Natural Minor scale:
1. C-Eb-G-Bb (Cmi7), 2. D-F-Ab-C (Dmi7b5), 3. Eb-G-Bb-D (Ebmaj7), 4. F-
Ab-C-Eb (Fmi7), 5. G-Bb-D-D (Gmi7), 6. Ab-C-Eb-G (Abmaj7), and 7. Bb-D-
F-Ab (Bb7).

Here are the diatonic triads of the C Melodic Minor scale:
1. C-Eb-G (Cmi), 2. D-F-A (Dmi), 3. Eb-G-B (Eb+), 4. F-A-C (F), 5. G-B-D
(G), 6. A-C-Eb (Adim), and 7. B-D-F (Bdim).
And these are the diatonic 7ths the C Melodic Minor scale:
1. C-Eb-G-B (CmiMaj7), 2. D-F-A-C (Dmi7), 3. Eb-G-B-D (Ebmaj7+5), 4. F-A-
C-Eb (F7), 5. G-B-D-F (G7), 6. A-C-Eb-G (Ami7b5), and 7. B-D-F-A (Bmi75b).

Here are the diatonic triads of the C Harmonic Minor scale:
1. C-Eb-G (Cmi), 2. D-F-Ab (Ddim), 3. Eb-G-B (Eb+), 4. F-Ab-C (Fmi), 5. G-
B-D (G), 6. Ab-C-Eb (Ab), and 7. B-D-F (Bdim).
And these are the diatonic 7ths the C Harmonic Minor scale:

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1. C-Eb-G-B (CmiMaj7), 2. D-F-Ab-C (Dmi7b5), 3. Eb-G-B-D (Ebmaj7+5), 4.
F-Ab-C-Eb (Fmi7), 5. G-B-D-F (G7), 6. Ab-C-Eb-G (Abmaj7), and 7. B-D-F-Ab
(Bdim7).
[For more on diatonic triads and 7th chords of all three minor scales, visit my
post here.]
How to Practice
Play each set of diatonic chords in the following manner:
1. Right and left hand plays the chord in solid block chord form.
2. Right hand plays the chord in broken chord style or arpeggio while
the left hand still in solid block chord form.
3. Right hand plays the chord in solid block chord form while the left
hand plays in broken chord style.
4. Right hand plays the chord in solid block chord form while the left
hand plays the roots of each chord.
As with the scales, I recommend that you practice in all 12 keys following the
Cycle of 5ths [Refer to Way #4 Cycle of 5ths].


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Way #3: Rhythm
Melody and harmony are two of the three elements in music. However,
without the third element, rhythm, melody and harmony will be quite lifeless
and static, because rhythm breathes life into the melodic lines and chords.
Rhythm provides the movement and space in music.
What to Practice
Rhythmic Feel
In pop and jazz music, rhythmic groove and feel is so essential in defining the
style. Hence, it is important to understand the following feels: straight,
rolled and triplet 8
th
; and straight, rolled and triplet 16
th
.
Straight 8
th
and 16
th
refers to the conventional way we interpret a row of 8ths
or 16ths, i.e. in even 8ths or 16ths. For example, in 4/4 time, there will be
eight 8ths notes in a bar, with the counting of 1+2+3+4+ (one-and-two-and-
three-and-four-and) or 16 16
th
notes, with the counting of 1-e-+-a-2-e-+-a-3-
e-+-a-4-e-+-a (one-e-and-a-two-e-and-a, etc.)
Song Examples: Most classical compositions (e.g. Beethovens Fur Elise)
and pop songs (e.g. John Lennons Imagine)
Rolled 8
th
and 16
th
on the other hand gives an uneven interpretation to the
row of 8ths or 16ths. The first 8
th
or 16
th
note gets two-thirds of the beat or
half beat. So in 4/4 time, with eight 8
th
notes in a bar, you will now count 1-
e-a-2-e-a-3-e-a-4-e-a (one-e-a-two-e-a, etc.) but not tapping on the e. For
the 16
th
feel, with 16 16
th
notes in a bar, you will count 1-e-a-+-e-a-2-e-a-+-e-
a-3-e-a-+-e-a-4-e-a-+-e-a (one-e-a-and-e-a-two-e-a-and-e-a, etc.) but again
tapping every note except the e.
Song Examples: Rolled 8
th
any Blues music; Rolled 16
th
Daniel Powters
Bad Day and most hip hop music
In triplet 8
th
and 16
th
feels, it simply means that every beat or half beat is
now subdivided into three smaller units, respectively. So in 4/4 time, there
will be 12 8
th
note triplets in a bar counted as 1-e-a-2-e-a3-e-a-4-e-a (one-e-
a-two-e-a, etc.). The, 16
th
note feel will have 24 16
th
note triplets in a bar of

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4/4 time, with the counting of 1-e-a-+-e-a-2-e-a-+-e-a-3-e-a-+-e-a-4-e-a-+-e-a
(one-e-a-and-e-a-two-e-a-and-e-a, etc.).
Song Examples: Any 12/8 ballads or slow rock music (e.g. Louis Armstrongs
What A Wonderful World)
[For audio examples of all these rhythmic feels, visit my post here.]
Rhythmic Anticipation
One of the most important rhythmic aspects in contemporary music styles is
the anticipation. Anticipation occurs when a beat that is normally on a
downbeat is played a rhythmic unit earlier - commonly, this rhythmic unit
may be the 8th note or the 16th note, depending on the feel of the music.
Anticipation is also enhanced in two ways - either followed by a rest or tied
over to the next beat.
Check out a detailed breakdown of anticipations with various audio examples
at my blog here and here.
How to Practice
Rhythmic Feel
With your foot tapping on the downbeat, clap and verbalize the subdivisions
of each feel. [Read my previously mentioned blog post under the subheading
Getting Anticipations Right! for a more thorough practice method.] Do this
over and over again, until you settle into the pocket of each beat and
rhythmic subdivision. Remember and understand what each feel means and
really feel how it grooves. Then tap and/or play along to the examples in my
blog post here.
Rhythmic Anticipation
Go through in-depth and practice all the given examples in both my blog posts
on rhythmic anticipations here and here. Make sure you always maintain a
steady tempo with your foot. Using a metronome or a simple drumbeat is also
highly recommended.

Way #4: Cycle of 5ths

The Cycle of 5ths (also commonly known by other names like Circle of 5ths,
or Cycle or Circle of 4ths) is a circular representation of the 12 different
notes in music. Within this cycle, a number of musical aspects can be
inferred.
What to Practice
In clockwise motion, you can see the notes moving down in perfect 5ths (7
halfsteps) or up in perfect 4
th
(5 halfsteps.) This can represent root
movements of chord progressions or key centers, starting with the outer
circle in C major (no sharps or flats), to F major (one flat), all the way to C#
major (7 sharps), Cb major (7 flats), and on to G major (1 sharp). The inner
circle represents the related minor keys.
In anticlockwise motion, the notes move up a perfect 5
th
or down in perfect
4
th
through the sharp side of the keys first.

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How to Practice
Play each letter of the 12 notes around the Cycle of 5ths and sing along with
the roots. Listen to how smoothly and naturally one note flows into the other
around this cycle. You dont necessarily have to always start with C. Start
with any note and just play and sing around the cycle until you arrive back at
the beginning note.
In conjunction with the practice of scales (Way #1) and chords (Way #2), this
cycle will also be reinforced and strengthened.


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Way #5: Form
Form is the gel that holds all musical elements of melody, harmony and
rhythm together and gives these meaning and direction. Just like writing an
essay, where you need an introduction, a few paragraphs to expound on the
topic and a closing, forms in music need similar structures to make the
musical materials cohesive and meaningful.
Understanding how a piece of music is structured will help in your playing
because it makes memorization of melody lines and chord progressions so
much easier as each section will usually have a set of melody/chords and
similar sections will usually have similar progressions and melody.

What to Practice
12-bar Blues
I / / /| / / / /| / / / /| / / / /|
IV / / /| / / / / | I / / /| / / / /|
V / / /| IV / / /| I / / /| / / / /||
The easiest way to remember the basic 12-bar blues progression is to note
where the chord changes take place. Notice that the chord changes are at bar
5, 7, 9, 10 and 11. So they are mainly at odd-numbered bars. Interestingly,
after playing the blues progression a number of times, your musical ear will
eventually take over and you will be able to feel the changes. It just comes
naturally!
32-bar Song Form
There are many variations to this classic jazz song form. Regardless, a 32-bar
song form always comprises four sections of 8 bars each. For example, a
common one will be the AABA (e.g. Take the A Train, Misty), where a
different letter represents a different section. The A sections generally retain
the same melody and chord progression, with perhaps slight changes at
phrase endings; the B section will contain a new melody and chord

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progression.
A: / / / /| / / / /| / / / /| / / / /|/ / / /| / / / /| / / / /| / / / /|
A: / / / /| / / / /| / / / /| / / / /|/ / / /| / / / /| / / / /| / / / /|
B: / / / /| / / / /| / / / /| / / / /|/ / / /| / / / /| / / / /| / / / /|
A: / / / /| / / / /| / / / /| / / / /|/ / / /| / / / /| / / / /| / / / /||
ABAB: e.g. Blue Bossa, Ladybird
ABAC: e.g. I Could Write A Book, My Romance
AABC: e.g. Autumn Leaves
Pop Song forms
These are more varied in terms of sections and number of bars within each
section. However, the common ones usually contain sections like verse,
chorus and bridge and each of these sections may vary from eight to 16 bars.
For most pop songs, the chorus is also usually where you will find the song
title and the most catchy melody, so this makes the chorus the most
important part of the song - the most memorable, (e.g. The Beatles Let It
Be, Michael Jacksons We Are the World, The Frays You Found Me,
etc.).
How to Practice
Every time you play a piece of music, remember to identify the form first.
See whether it fits nicely into any of the common forms, e.g. 12-bar blues,
verse/chorus, AABC, etc. Then learn the melody and chord progression
section by section. Remember, similar sections will contain similar melody
and chord progression. Not only does this give a proper structure to the song
and creates cohesiveness, it also makes memorization of the piece so much
easier.


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Way #6: Styles
Playing contemporary music is exciting due to the many styles. The stylistic
characteristics of each genre of music are unique and these are usually
focused on the main elements of music, i.e. melody, rhythm, harmony and
form. For every song or composition that you listen to, use the following style
analysis to determine which genre it falls into.
What to Practice
Style Analysis
A style analysis helps you break down each facet of a style by examining the
following: a) Melody b) Rhythm c) Harmony d) Form e) Instrumentation
Ask yourself the following questions when confronted with a piece of music:
a) Melody:
What scale does the melody come from? Is it major, minor,
pentatonic, blues, Phrygian mode, etc.?
Is the melody mostly diatonic to the scale or does it have
chromatic notes?
What is the overall intensity of the melody? Is it light or
heavy, driven or mellow?
How are the notes articulated - smoothly or detached or
punctuated?
b) Rhythm:
What is the common time signature?
What is the tempo of the song?
What feel does the song utilize?
Does it employ a lot of anticipations, or none at all?

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c) Harmony:
What types of chords are being featured?
How big are the chords - triads, 4-part, slash chords, etc.?
Does it use common chord progressions -- I-IV-V-I; I-VImi-IImi-
V-I, Imi-bVI-bVII-Vmi, etc.?
d) Form:
Does it have an intro? How long?
What is the structure of the song?
Does it have an ending, or just a fadeout?
e) Instrumentation:
What are the instruments being used?
How big is the sound - orchestral, small band, 4-piece band,
etc.?
As an example, a Simple Pop Ballad style analysis arranged for the piano will
look like this:
f) Melody:
Generally, the melody comes from major, natural minor or
pentatonic scales.
The melody is mostly diatonic to the scale, with occasional
chromatic notes.
The touch and intensity level is generally medium, dependent
on different sections of the form
Articulation of the melody is generally legato, with occasional
staccato and marcato notes.
g) Rhythm:
The common time signature is 4/4, although some ballads,
especially of the 60s and 70s do feature 3/4 time

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The tempo ranges from slow to moderate (between 60-80
bpm)
Mostly in straight 8
th
feel with occasional 16
th
notes
May or may not have anticipations
h) Harmony:
Diatonic chords are mainly used
Triads and 4-part chords are very common, V7s are prominent
as well
Use common phrase-ending chords like V7-I or IV-I.
i) Form:
Intro is usually four to eight bars in length.
Usual structure is one or two verses, then a chorus followed
by another verse and repeat of the chorus again. Some songs
may include a bridge.
The ending is usually two to four bars long.
j) Instrumentation:
Since we are arranging for the piano, we will only focus on
the piano itself. Pop ballads of the early 60s usually feature
acoustic piano sounds, while those in the late 60s and early
70s use both the acoustic and electric pianos quite a lot.
How to Practice
From now on, each time you approach a piece of music, ask yourself the
series of questions as laid out in the styles analysis. That will help you
determine the appropriate characteristic of each style, necessary to be
reflected in your playing. Always aim to play stylistically, not meandering
between a little bit of this and a little bit of that e.g. the consistent left-hand
arpeggiated pattern of so many piano pieces being represented as the pop
ballad style. There are so many other ways the pop ballad style can be
performed and presented pianistically. Explore and listen (check out Way #7).

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Way #7: Listen
The internet and the advancement of digital technology have made listening
to music (even downloading of music - legally or illegally) so easy and widely
available. Even recordings of music long thought to be forgotten and rare
collection of albums are now available if we only take the time to find them.
So there is no longer room for the excuse of not being able to get hold of the
appropriate music to listen to. Short of going down to the music store and
picking up the actual CDs, there are videos and music clips from websites like
YouTube, CD Baby, Amazon.com, etc.
What to Listen
Obviously, you will only listen to the music that you like or are inspired by.
That is fine. But also try to expand your listening horizons. If you have never
given jazz music a listen, maybe give it a try today. Or if you have never been
a fan of classical music, its not too late to get to know the works of
Beethoven or Mozart! Maybe because youre a pianist, you have been listening
only to piano music. Its time to listen to other instrumentalists as well.
Below, I list a few artistes by genres that you should check out (its not
exhaustive but is a good start):
Pop, Rock, Country
The Beatles
Billy Joel
Chicago
The Eagles
Elton John
Floyd Kramer
Jerry Lee Lewis
Little Richard
Michael Jackson

25
The Police and Sting
Queen
Tori Amos
U2
R&B, Blues, Gospel, Soul, Funk
Alicia Keys
BB King
Earth, Wind & Fire
James Brown
Jamie Cullum
Jamiroquai
John Legend
Norah Jones
Michael Buble
Ramsey Lewis
Ray Charles
Santana
Jazz, Latin-Jazz, Salsa
Bill Evans
Chick Corea
Duke Ellington (big band)
George Shearing
Oscar Peterson

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Herbie Hancock
Hiromi
Keith Jarrett
Michel Camilo
McCoy Tyner
Stan Getz
Stanley Clarke
Tito Puente
Fusion, Smooth Jazz, New Age
Casiopea
Dave Grusin
David Benoit
Eric Marienthal
Keiko Matsui
Kitaro
Spyro Gyra
T-Square
The Rippingtons
Yanni
Yellow Jackets
Note: Use the search engines like Google, Yahoo, etc. to help you find these
artistes and their definitive albums or signature tunes.
How to Listen
The most important thing to remember is to start devoting some time to do

27
active listening, i.e. do not put the music as background. Once upon a time,
one could only listen to music in a concert hall or at a rich mans music
courtyard. Nowadays, music has become so disposable, its everywhere --
from the car radio to piped in music in the washroom!
Active listening means really paying attention to and concentrating on the
music being played. If it is vocal music, obviously, you will focus on the words
being sung, the emotions in the singers expressive voice. When listening to
musical instruments, try to discern the different timbres of the various
instruments, the lines that are being performed, the chords and voicings that
are being played by chordal instruments like the guitar and piano, the groove
and rhythms of the drums, the beautiful tone and solo of the saxophonist,
etc.
When listening to piano music or pieces that contain piano parts, pay
attention to the following:
How the player articulate the notes -- long phrases, rhythmically
punctuated, light or heavy touch, etc.
How are chords played? Solid block chords, broken chords (or
arpeggios), with rhythmic patterns, held down in long duration, etc.
As an accompaniment, how are chords executed? Sparse, held-down
chords; steady quarter note comping; pattern-based arpeggios; light
fills, etc.
In jazz, what chord voicings are being used? Clusters, A & B, quartal,
etc.
With jazz solos, what scales or improvisational techniques are being
employed? Pentatonic, blues, modes, out-of-chord tones, thematic
improv, intervallic approach, etc.

Conclusion
There is no shortcut to mastering the piano. Knowledgeable practice and a
consistent practice routine are essential.
Passion + Hard Work = Beautiful Music!
I strongly believe that if each day you put aside the time to work on the
seven ways to practice, you will see results -- slowly but surely.
To your musical success!
nicole


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Private Piano Lessons
If this e-book has inspired you to want to play better piano, you can contact
me here. All lessons are customized to each students requirements and/or
playing ability.
If you would like to provide some feedback, or just to drop a note to say
Hi, you can do it here.


29


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