Practice Journal: "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise" - George Gershwin - Part One

A few years ago I began learning - and got quite far into - 'Rhapsody in Blue'.

I say quite far - I got to the end. However, it was a challenge and one that I still struggled with from beginning to end in its entirety without its share of hiccups, false starts and more along the way.

In time, I will get back into it, but I was at the time so excited by my newfound love of Gershwin's unusual yet hugely distinctive jazz influenced music that I ordered a book:

"Meet George Gershwin at the Keyboard"

I picked this book on account of it having a song I remembered from the musical 'An American in Paris' titled 'I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise' - my favourite Gershwin song!

However, I didn't assume the transcriptions would be along the same lines of jazz complexity for his songs as they are with his instrumental pieces.

For the sake of one double page spread - that's a mere chorus that will play for about 30 seconds, I got cracking with this piece. And here are the obstacles I came across:

Note Precision

The note precision I refer to is almost entirely exclusive to the left hand when considered a problem, because it has both a walking type bass and vamped chords. Fair enough, except they appear in completely different octaves. This means that the left hand needs absolute precision when jumping - especially seeing as a lot of those chords are unpredictable (that's jazz!).

Many of the chords feature accidentals. This piece is transcribed in C major, yet there are sharps and flats and natural signs in every bar!

Slow practice in the left hand only was essential! And it got better in time.

Grace Notes

In the right hand, notes at the high point of the melody are often inflicted onto from a grace note one semitone lower. Because of the way this piece works, it is usually one of the weaker fingers (usually finger 4, typically!) that was needing to take this responsibility. Because this wasn't always the easiest to achieve - especially with the top note feat. grace note being doubled up in the thumb an octave lower (minus the grace note, thankfully!) it made it even more awkward!

So two things:

• Slow practice for the right hand (and hands together, to be fair) AND

• finger strengthening exercises still a big thing!

Strict Tempo

Although it is quite refreshing to see a non-Italian term (or even German term) on this music, the word 'vigourously' proudly starting, it is fair to say that you start this piece as you mean to go on. Yes, the dynamic can be raised and lowered according to interpretation (there isn't much by way of dynamic marking save for 2 'f' and 2 'p' across the score), but the tempo needs to remain strict here. And that's hard to do when you've got one hand jumping about between low octave bass notes and jazzy chords and the other trying to navigate a melody with awkward fingerings and grace notes. But by slowly building it up, it was achieveable!

Quavers vs. Triplets

Perhaps the most unusual thing about this transcription which I very much like and so am honouring is that sometimes it used triplet quavers, and sometimes it uses what I term 'poor man's triplets' (e.g. a dotted quaver followed by a semiquaver - not as swingy as using a crotchet and quaver triplet together but on its way). Furthermore, there are times when it seemingly forgets either rhythm - such as in bar 7, in which you have 4 pure crotchets in the right hand (fair enough) and a rhythm in the left hand made up of quaver, crotchet, quaver x 2.

It's been a challenge to honour these rhythm markings fully because your mind instinctively wants you to go elsewhere, but it actually creates an interesting - albeit unusual - adaptation of the song.

So here it is - false starts aplenty:

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Week One as a Private Piano Tutor

Private Piano Tuition is something that I've wanted to do for a fair while - especially since the end of 2021 at which time my brand new upright piano was delivered to my home in Macclesfield and taken to its own designated music room in which it could be enjoyed to its fullest potential.

Yet something was stopping me from pursuing piano tuition. I wasn't quite sure what.

Yes, I had done musical directing in the past. However, the thought of somebody paying me to learn piano (especially if they were learning from scratch) seemed utterly terrifying to me!

Nonetheless, I took some steps towards this and am delighted to say I have concluded my first week as an official piano teacher as I gave taster lessons and kept on two new pupils!

Phase One - An Online Course

Much to my surprise, private piano tuition is not something that you actually train for. You can, of course, get teaching diplomas, but these are qualifications you do during teaching as you are assessed on your technique. But nobody really tells you how to start!

Well, thank you Udemy and a delightful 5 part course by a chap called Matthew Clayton. Lots of useful tips and tricks for not only how to teach (which was more my concern) but also on how to run your business (e.g. what to charge, how to deal with latecomers and absentees etc.). All of it extremely valuable, and lots of it giving food for thought.

Piano Teacher Values

One of the earlier exercises that was encouraged was to write down what values you would hold as a piano tutor. Looking back at mine, I don't think they've changed. I still stand by these now;

1. To always enjoy teaching and piano at the heart

2. To encourage a student / pupil's strengths and passions

3. To recognise problem areas and assist

4. To instil passion over accademia

5. To direct when necessary to useful sources of help

6. To always radiate my own passion for piano

7. To manage a pupil's expectations and be open and honest

8. To encourage inquisitive thinking

9. To develop a plan of action with pupils and not on my own for them

10. To recognise my own limitations

Fundamentally, I needed (and still need) to ensure that my passion for piano does not dwindle and that I still play for pleasure myself.

Phase Two - Visiting My Teacher

I haven't had a piano lesson with my teacher since 2016, but I have been in touch every now and then. Regardless, I asked her if she was willing to give me some pointers as to how to approach. She was more than happy to oblige.

Whilst she confirmed that my own enthusiasm and passion for the instrument should always be forefront, along with ensuring that the pupil is doing things that they want to do (as well as their usual exercises), she gave me some useful tips on approaching different styles of teaching based around level of experience (if any), age and more.

Phase Three - My Pupils

Having put a few calls out on social media last week, I was delighted to received two enquiries that resulted in two taster lessons taken up on.

Both pupils proved to be extremely different. Whilst they both consider themselves as beginners, my pupil from Tuesday was an absolute beginner who had just decided - at 70 - that she wanted to delve into it!

Whereas my pupil on Wednesday used to play, favoured the violin more but equally hasn't played that for a long time now, yet because of this background she still has a good grounding of music.

The Taster Lessons

On Tuesday, my pupil had given me the heads up that she just wanted to learn for her own leisure. She wished to play for fun and be able to just play - specifically citing prior to the lesson that if she could just play 'Happy Birthday' at her grandson's birthday party in July she'd be thrilled!

Naturally, I used this as the 'theme' to base the lesson around.

Not giving too much by way of accompaniment (one note bass notes and chord names on the top) and ensuring I transcribed it in C major to ensure we didn't have to worry about black notes or key signature, it gave us something to focus on.

Of course, with it being a taster lesson we only got so far before our 30 minutes was up. Especially seeing as we spent about 10 minutes just on basis exercises to start to get her fingers moving properly!

However, whatever was picked up worked, and I gained a regular pupil! It is likely we'll have to strip it back to basics completely and start afresh, but all the while we'll make time for 'Happy Birthday', of course!

On Wednesday, my pupil had a little prior musical knowledge.

Those exercises we did on Tuesday were repeated except this pupil picked it up a bit quicker. In fact, she was able to do a one octave C major scale hands together from memory without any prior hints.

She wasn't sure exactly what she wanted to learn, but mentioned that she'd like to be able to play some classical pieces (if not too ambitious) by, for example, Debussy.

And I have an iPad!

With Sheet Music Direct subscription!

So up we fired a very basic right hand only with chord names transcription of 'Clair de Lune' and worked on it. She was way past the standard that it was, but she did mention that she was happy to strip it back to basics. We did a little chord work to give a little accompaniment to this piece.

And to both of my pupils this week I assured them:

A taster lesson is just you feeling as though you've achieved something. If you join me on your musical journey then we may strip it back a tad so that we work a bit more thoroughly through things until you are confident in each area. During the taster, things may still. That's great! Or they may not, but that's not an issue. This is just to see if you enjoy it before you commit!

Well, they both committed!

Encouraging Different Areas of Musical Skill

There are many areas of musical skill, but I will be trying in my teaching to develop the following:

• Technique: this one goes without saying. This is literally the way that you play piano. How you sit. How hard or soft you play. Which fingers you play which note with. Tempo etc. - so this is a non-optional!

• Reading Music: Whilst it's not essential to read music to learn piano, I don't feel that a student will be any better off for making the effort to come to a piano teacher if they don't. You could easily teach yourself piano by ear or based around notes without reading music. However, if you do read music - even if only a little - you'll open up your repertoire massively, not to mention it actually makes it easier to teach piano!

• Ear: We don't all need perfect pitch. I regret to say I don't have it! But being able to pick out just basic chord progressions is a strong skill! In order to achieve this, I'll encourage my pupils to be inquisitive (remember by point from earlier!). If I teach chords, don't just take my work for it that they exist! Play around with them. On their own. Invert them. Play them in a different order or different pitch and see how they sound different! It all develops an ear!

• Instinct: Related to playing by ear, instinct is just knowing what will sound good - even if you can't imagine. The most obvious was to develop this is through standard technical exercises such as scales etc. - if you recognise you're in the key of G major and wish to improvise a passage, for instance, then playing the note F (natural) will create some bizarre sounds that you may wish to avoid. That's instinct.

Find out more about my private piano tuition services in the Macclesfield and Congleton areas.

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#pianoteacher #pianotutor #pianist #piano #learnpiano #cheshire #macclesfield #congleton

Practice Journal: "Pathétique Sonata" - Beethoven - Part One

Last year I undertook the challenge of learning Beethoven's incredible Piano Sonata in C Minor (a.k.a 'Pathétique'), and whilst it is true that I can play fairly fluidly from beginning to end, it is true that much of it still demands attention.

This is for two reasons;

• Until about one month ago, I hadn't looked at any of this music since last year as I was focusing on other pieces, and...

• Even then it wasn't quite perfect as there are some technical points that I need to perfect.

In Beethoven's iconic first movement; 'Grave' / 'Allegro Molto e Con Brio', he spectacularly contrasts between the feel of the sections in keeping with what their tempo markings suggest. 'Grave', for the most part, is straightforward to play with accuracy, although it is one that requires control to create a pleasing performance both dynamically and rhythmically (it doesn't want to be too dictated and wants to appear quite 'loose').

The 'Allegro Molto e Con Brio', on the other hand, is another story.

I have chosen as my area of focus this week, the second mention of this marking (bar 137 onwards) - and have taken this to bar 221. Sadly, my metronome is still broken and as I don't wish the volume to interfere with the recording from my phone, I have played without;

So, how have I gotten it to this stage?

Slow Practice

In keeping with the tempo marking, this passage should be fast. The translation of the full term 'Allegro Molto e Con Brio', in fact, is quite literally 'lively with brightness'.

In both this passage and the preceding passage of the same marking, the left hand is working a lot. In fact, it is notated as rapid tremolo notes, however if this were taken too literally then its rhythm would not stand out. It is rapid quavers alternating octave notes (using fingers 5 and 1, predictably). In itself, this is fairly standard, but the speed of it against some less than usual fingering in the right hand to create its delightful harmonies is somewhat of a challenge.

Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that I practice slowly so as to not get my fingers in a tangle! Only when I am more comfortable playing it slowly will I start to increase the speed gradually, incorporating below methods too to ensure the most confident (and comfortable) performance possible.

Power Ball

One thing that struck me immediately with this piece was that if I were to attempt to do it at a suitably fast speed in its entirety, it would cause me quite a lot of pain. For a few years now I have owned a power ball - a lovely device that takes a little getting used to but exercises the wrist and finger strength by creating kinetic weight. They do still cause me pain, of course, so I will not use one at this moment for longer than a minute at a time in one hand. But overall because you are exercising lesser used muscles and strengthening your overall hand and wrist you really can feel the difference. You can read more about them here.

Controlled Trills

As with my Scarlatti Sonata, there are trills in this piece. Because I am practicing quite slowly still, this isn't the end of the world, but I just needed to ensure that I was appropriately treating the four trills the same. Especially important because it appears once in a group of two bars which, just a few bars later, is repeated three times exactly.

For some reason my right hand wished that finger 1 (the thumb) hold a long note on underneath the trill and its preceding bar - even though this wasn't notated! I did, however, recognise my error and rectify for the repeats in the video above!

Relax the Wrist

There are three main issues with tensing the wrist up - even though this is the natural thing to do when playing so many rapid quavers in the less dominant hand (left) :

• It takes concentration away from the right hand, rather than treating both hands with equal importance. Bearing in mind how I said that some of the progressions in the right hand had some unusual fingerings of their own, it hasn't been at all unusual for me to completely hesitate, mess up or even give up as a result of my left hand using all my brainpower! (NB whilst fingering is often open to interpretation, the ones in 'Grave' and 'Allegro Molto e Con Brio' are extremely effective, and I genuinely can't consider other ways around them myself - believe me, I tried!)

• Dynamic control is 100% better with a relaxed wrist. When tensing up, it is extremely difficult to get notes out that are not - at best - mezzo forte. In this passage, the crescendos are a large part of what makes it so dramatic. Sure, the right hand can still maintain an OK control whatever the left hand does, but at the same time the left hand doesn't want to dominate! They both want to compliment each other and rise (crescendo) together.

• It causes pain! Fair enough, I'm using my Power Ball now, but that shouldn't be an answer to a potentially avoidable solution. Because I'm starting slowly, I can get into the habit of not tensing my wrist up now and still be able to play through the whole piece with minimal pain by the end of it. If I persist like that, I should be able to build on that and gradually build up the tempo without demanding too much more physical exertion from my wrist.

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