Don't Put the Piano On a Pedestal

The piano. It’s a musical instrument that many would love to play. Yet for most, it’s got a rarefied air about it. Something almost mystical as if touching a key would cause a Steinway lid to shut tight around unworthy fingers if the note wasn’t perfect.

The above scenario is humorous yet sad. Because my friends, in the classical music world, this is what we have. A reverence for ritual and the ‘masters.’ God forbid one should just go over to a piano and play off the top of one’s head. No. This isn’t usually the case as children are taught that to make music, ‘real’ music, one must study. And study hard!

It’s not enough to just learn a few chords and go off exploring. That wouldn’t be right now would it?

It’s so sad that some children learn the ‘Tiger Mom’ approach and then, after the policeman with a stick is gone, the adult never goes near the piano again. There’s no one threatening to punish them if they don’t practice so why bother.

Think I’m kidding about this? This is the rigmarole that some kids are put through right from the beginning. If a creative approach is taught, and that’s doubtful, it’s relegated to background status - a thing not to be valued.

Yet I argue that the creative, playing part is where the value really is.
I’m not saying that one shouldn’t practice. But music should be a place primarily for play and recreation, not a testing ground to see if one has mastered a piece or not. The reward for getting it right of course, is an atta boy or that’s great from an authority figure - the dreaded piano teacher.

And sadly, this turns into deadly approval seeking as the child now is programmed to give a good performance for a pat on the back. The piano is a great instrument, there's no doubt about it. But don't make the mistake of making it more important than you - that is, don't put it on a pedestal. It might be hard to reach.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 16 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Visit Online Piano Lessons by Quiescence Music now and get a FREE piano lesson!

The Piano and Music Therapy: A Perfect Match!

If there was one genre of music perfect for music therapy, it would have to be New Age piano. Soothing and relaxing, the piano offers many benefits to those in need of respite.

The wonderful thing about this style of music is that it's also easy to learn how to play!

A few chords, a scale, and you're able to make music. And not just any kind of music, but one that's conducive to alleviating stress.

Let's look at how one might go about learning how to play piano in the New Age style.

First, it's best if you learn one chord position that will give you a nice modern sound right away. The open position chord structure accomplishes this. It's easy to learn and can be used by the beginner right away to make music with. And it uses both hands as well to cover more than 2 octaves of the piano keyboard.

Once this chord structure is practiced, it's time to add in a few chords. Just a few chords is all that is necessary for the beginning adult to experience the joy of improvisation. The hands are placed on the open position chord structure and the fingers move around creating melody. Nothing more is required than an openness to explore the possibilities.

And once students get started, they find that they can't stop playing. The therapeutic aspect of this comes from the free-form improvisations students are able to play only after a few minutes of practice. They begin to unwind, relax, and forget about the problems and cares of the day. It's a music therapy that goes one step above just listening to music.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Visit now and get a FREE piano lesson

How To Capture Your Musical Ideas!

Have you ever watched an artist demonstrate how they create a painting? If not, you’re missing something wonderful … how to go from nothing to something.

How to create beauty where before there was only blank canvas.

Let’s take a landscape artist as an example and assume the subject has already been chosen - a peaceful woodland scene.

Now, how does the artist go about capturing this idea? Easy! They have a working method already in place! In art, the background is usually composed first.

Foreground details are added in later.

We can apply this same concept to music composition as well; specifically New Age piano composition. You see, we can also lay in the background and set the mood for the entire piece of music. And the best part about this is it’s quite easy to do.

This is the technique George Winston uses in much of his early work. A left hand pattern lays in the “wash” so to speak, while the right hand creates a lovely melodic foreground. Why this isn’t taught by most piano teachers is a mystery to me. Especially since the use of this technique gives immediate satisfaction.

Entire pieces of music have been and are created using this technique. All we need to know are the chords and when the chord changes occur. This is done by placing the chord symbols on something called a chart.

The chart is simply bars of music drawn out that indicate when you change chords. The cool thing about creating harmonic backgrounds is you don’t have to chart out more than 8-bars to create your musical canvas. Even 2-bars is enough. Why? Because once you have the chord progression down, you simply keep playing it over and over.

Eventually, this will get monotonous. But if we wanted to, we can add in a new harmonic background and keep the piece of music fresh!

Learn how it's done! Visit Quiescencemusic.com now for a FREE sample lesson and more! 

Chord Changes for Piano and How to Chart Them Out

As much as I like to just "fool around" on the piano, there comes a time when I want to remember or capture what I've been doing. But what's an easy way to do this you ask? I'll tell you.

By charting out your chord changes on a piece of paper, you'll remember the harmonic background easier. Here's how... First, get a sheet of paper. Any paper will do. It doesn't have to be lined or ruled and it doesn't have to be music paper. Next draw out 8-bars. I usually just draw 4 bars, skip down some and then draw another 4-bars.

This is your chord chart! It doesn't have to be more complicated than this. In fact, this quick sketch method will serve you well when inspiration is running high and you want to very quickly jot down your chord changes. You can do it anywhere! On a napkin, on a piece of paper in your purse or wallet. In fact, I've actually used ATM receipts to jot down chord changes on.

After you draw out 8-bars, you know have a template to use. You simply write your chord symbols on top. The chord changes may last for 1 bar, 2 bars… whatever. Eight bar frameworks are excellent to work in because they give you your first section of music! Plus, it's a nice space of time to work in. In fact, you could use just 2 chords and fill out the 8-bars, i.e., C Major for the first 4 bars and F Major for the next 4.

After you fill up this 8-bar space, you have basically captured the harmony aspect. But, you'll probably want to jot down the first 2-bars of melody as well. This will really help you remember what you are creating. You might also want to sketch out the arrangement of your chord changes. For example, if you are playing arpeggios in the left hand, indicate the pattern by writing it in for 2-bars. Well, there you have it. My quick sketch method for creating with.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons . He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Visit now and get a FREE piano lesson!

Move Over Classical Piano lessons: New Age a Hit for Spring

When most people think of taking piano lessons, the names Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart spring to mind. But not anymore. At least that’s according to Edward Weiss.

Weiss is a pianist, composer, and webmaster of Quiescence Music - an online site that teaches, you guessed it, New Age piano.

When asked why he teaches piano in this style, Weiss responds:

“It’s a very freeing style. You don’t have to read music. You don’t have to spend years playing the ’masters.’ The whole idea is to just learn a few chords and then jump in and improvise. Something I’ve always wanted to do and now that I can, I enjoy teaching others how to do it.”

The course Weiss teaches now has over 2000 members and keeps growing at a steady pace. Students receive over 150 New Age piano lessons when signing up and also receive a free workbook and more.

When asked why he thinks so many people want to learn how to play New Age piano now, Weiss says:

“I think people just get tired of playing other people’s music - no matter how good. They want to create on their own and the New Age style helps them do just that.”

Mr. Weiss is currently offering a try it risk-FREE offer at his site Quiescencemusic.com   

Arpeggios for New Age Piano Playing

Chopin used them extensively. So did Beethoven and Mozart. Arpeggios are beautiful and are perfect for the New Age piano style too!

You can hear them in George Winston's music. David Lanz uses them in many of his compositions, and of course, I use them as well. Why? Because the piano is well suited for this technique!

The left-hand is used mostly to create this cascading flow of notes. For example, in the Video 'Autumn Serenade' you can hear me use over an octave of the keyboard in the left hand. This creates a very nice background over which we can improvise (or compose) our melodies.

Because the New Age piano style focuses a lot on improvisation, the arpeggio is an excellent vehicle to use. We pick a Key to play in, choose a few chords from that Key, then create an arpeggio with them.

What gives many students problems with this technique is the crossing over part where the left hand does its main work. But once this technique is mastered, the rest is easy.

Then, you simply practice playing the arpeggio until you can improvise a melody in your right hand. You go slowly and smoothly at first; not rushing but taking your time. The rewards are great because the sound that is created by using arpeggios is full, rich, and very appealing to the ear!

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Visit http://www.quiescencemusic.com now and get a FREE piano lesson and more!

How to Use an Ostinato Pattern to Make Your Piano Playing Sound Incredible!

Did you know there are only a few patterns used on the piano? For example, there's the arpeggio, the bass-chord technique, crossed hands, and of course, the ostinato.

What's so special about the ostinato pattern? It's very easy to use! We take a chord (or an arpeggio) and create a loop with it. This allows the right hand to freely improvise melody. Even a complete beginner can get a simple chord pattern down. For instance, in the lesson "Ocean Dreams," we use a few chords to create a very pleasant harmonic background over which we "paint" our melodies!

It doesn't have to get more complicated than this for an absolute beginner (or pro) to experience the joy of improvisation. The chords used for this lesson are modern sounding and are used frequently in both jazz and new age piano music. We take this four-note chord and break it up creating a lovely textural sound. We vary the dynamics (loud and soft) to make our playing more musical and from this we get 2 or more minutes of music!

It's all done with chords. Chords and phrases. Actually, "Ocean Piano" is simply a 2-bar phrase repeated a number of times. By thinking "in phrases" the improviser and composer learns how to use the art of repetition and contrast to advantage. No longer thinking in just chords, it becomes easier to block out entire sections of music quickly and easily!

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Visit Quiescence Music now and get a FREE piano lesso