billkeis.com

I know many people don’t like year-end letters but I couldn’t resist.

2016 was a wild year for many reasons.  I am very happy to be working in the music biz.  This is what I love to do and I’m looking forward to 2017.

Last year I had fun playing gigs with 11 different bands/artists.

I enjoyed working in my studio as a player, engineer, producer with 9 different clients.  Additionally, I wrote numerous songs, TV/Film cues, arrangements, charts and transcriptions.

A CD I worked on was released in 2016 – Chico 45th Anniversary ~ CHICO [latin, variety] (Bill Keis, mastering engineer, keyboards).  I’m looking forward to three more CDs being released in 2017.

As a teacher, my niche is teaching adults.  I cover many things including accompaniment skills, composing and how to play in a band.

Super cool news:  a student wrote and recorded a song for his wife for their anniversary, several students played casuals and sat in at nightclubs, one student (who was failing) got an “A” in her College music class.  In 2016 I reached a milestone…all 10 of my music books are now available on Amazon Kindle!

Wishing you a happy, healthy, prosperous 2017.  Let’s get together and make some noise!

Bill

(818) 246-6858

http://www.BillKeis.com/
http://www.BillKeisMusicLessons.com/

Piano technique refers to how one plays the piano, or the physical motions of piano playing. There are numerous theories and approaches to this, and even players taught in the same method end up with their own unique style.

The following data is a summary of technique basics that I have learned in more than 40 years of studying, playing and teaching piano.

Position

The following is a description of what could be called “optimum playing position”. Sometimes this is not possible, for example if you are playing multiple keyboards. I usually try to get as close to this as I can. Much of this can be applied if you are standing up playing a keyboard as well.

When playing the piano, it is better to sit on a piano bench rather than a chair or stool. Sit about halfway back.

The height of the keys should be even with your belly button. Some players find it more comfortable to have the height of the keys a little higher than their belly button. Having the keys lower is not recommended because it can lead to wrist pain, etc.

Move the bench to a place so that you’re not too close or too far away from the keys. If you are too close, your arms will be too bent. If you are too far, your arms will be too straight.

Your forearms should be parallel to the floor, wrist flat and fingers curved.

It is most common to sit a little to the left of the middle C. However, depending on what you’re playing, you might want to sit to the right. Basically, center yourself around what you are playing.

Approximately 90% of the time, you should have all your fingers touching the keys, even fingers that are not being used at a particular moment.

Mechanics of the Piano

It is helpful to know a little about how the piano works. I recommend looking inside the piano while you play some notes. Notice what happens when you push down a key, when you push down each pedal, etc.

Also, see what happens when you try to play a note when its key is already half down. (Usually it won’t make any sound)

The main thing to realize is that the piano keyboard is velocity sensitive. This means that the faster you depress a key, the louder the note will be. This is true of most electric keyboards as well.

It is not how hard you push a key or how much pressure or weight you apply that increases the volume.

So, the correct way to play is to push down a key quickly if you want a loud note, slowly if you want a soft note.

When you hold a key (or several keys) down, it is best to do it lightly. Someone should be able to easily lift your hand off the keyboard. As soon as you play a note, you should relax! If you play too heavy, you will be wasting energy and will probably get tired more quickly.

Overall, you should be relaxed when playing the piano. You can play so much better when you are relaxed. There are times when you will want to tense up, but only for a moment.

Always release any tension quickly.

Part Two of this article will explain more details about piano/keyboard technique.

An interesting question which could be debated.  I won’t mention any names, but recently a Latin/Jazz/Funk band leader I played a couple gigs with told me he thought so.

That statement didn’t sit well with me and after playing 5 more gigs with 3 different bands, teaching several private lessons and mixing a piano/vocal demo for a client, I got to thinking more about this.

I looked up the idiom ‘A DIME A DOZEN’ and found several similar definitions: “something so common that its value is little or nothing”, “easy to come by, next to worthless”, “cheap, easily replaced, not valuable”.

I guess some people might think that there are so many musicians around that it is easy to replace them.  If that is true, then perhaps carpenters, doctors, firemen, etc are also a dime a dozen?

What I thought of is this: how much training, education and experience do musicians have?  How does that compare to other professions?

In my case, I started piano lessons when I was 5 years old.  I had 7 teachers over the next 25 years.  And I went to Berklee College of Music.  I had 2 teachers on cello and 2 on trombone over a 10 years period.  Throughout my schooldays I had several orchestra and band directors teach me as well.

I also have 35 years of on-the-job training which means playing gigs, rehearsals, recording sessions, etc.  A rough estimate of all this would be 50,000 hours. Additionally, I’ve had the pleasure of teaching over 30,000 private lessons to students from 2 to 80 years old.  I know many musicians who have similar backgrounds.

All this tends to make me think that musicians are not “something so common that its value is little or nothing”.  But there are other factors.  What about musicians that don’t have all that training and experience?

Friendship and professionalism play a big part and are, in my opinion, vital in a group of musicians.  Certainly if someone has these things, they would be valuable even if they lacked years of education.

All the best bands I’ve ever been in had these attributes.  I’ve observed that musicians play better when there is a good vibe in the band.  Often guys get called for gigs just because they have a good attitude.

I believe, as has been said many times before, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”.  One musician could sound great and be well-received by a particular audience but a different audience wouldn’t dig them.  Does that mean anything regarding their value?

I often encourage my students by saying, “Keep in mind that there will always be someone better than you, but there are also musicians that are not as good as you.”

“There are millions and millions of people who can’t play at all and who look up to anyone who can. You are important and so is your music.”

So, you decide: Are musicians a dime a dozen?

The metronome is a valuable tool for learning and playing music and should be part of every musician’s equipment.

Metronomes are useful for helping to develop good time,  If one has “good time” it means they have the ability to create a steady, even tempo, to play “in the pocket” to “groove”.  This is arguably the most important skill a musician can possess.

It is a good idea to separate the various parts of music (melody, harmony, rhythm) and practice them to a good level before you combine them. So, working on your rhythmic skills without playing your instrument is highly recommended.

The most important thing to know is you should play with the metronome, not follow it.  One way to develop that skill is to clap beats precisely in time with the metronome.  If you are accurate (clapping at the same speed as the metronome) the sound of the metronome disappears!  This will “tell” you if you’re right on it or not.

This phenomenon doesn’t occur when you are playing a note your instrument unless you play with a percussive sound e.g. drums, or keyboard set to a drum sound, also muted electric guitar and bass will work.

So, part of your daily practice routine should include this simple yet challenging drill; clap beats along with your metronome until you achieve a stable ability to keep time. That is the most fundamental rhythmic skill.

This procedure works best if you practice medium speeds before tackling faster and slower tempos.  Make sure your metronome has a clicking sound rather than a beep. If you clap to a beeping or chirping sound, it will be difficult to make the sound disappear. And the absence of the metronome sound is an important indicator of your accuracy.

Tempo

In addition to being a learning tool, metronomes are useful for determining the correct tempo for a song. The numbers on metronomes, such as 126, represent how many beats per minute. If you set it at 60, the tempo is equal to one beat per second. What do you think 120 would be? You’re right; it is two beats per second.

In the past, before the invention of the metronome, numerous terms were used to describe different tempos: Largo, Andante, Allegro, and Presto are four such examples. You will find these words written on your metronome. They indicate various ranges of speed. For example, Largo is from 40 to 60 BPM (beats per minute). Andante is from 76 to 108 BPM, Allegro is from 120 to 168, Presto is from 168 to 200 BPM.

As you can see, there is quite a large span or wide difference of speed for each term. The old system is workable; it’s just not as precise as the modern system which uses BPM. If the stated tempo of a particular song is 120 BPM, you can set your metronome to 120 and know exactly how fast it should be played.

Additionally, BPM numbers are helpful if you want to figure out how long a song is without having to play the whole song. You can simply add up the total number of beats in the song and then divide that number by the metronome marking (the number of BPM) and you will have the length of time for the song.

Quartz Metronome

Many modern day metronomes are quartz metronomes. Some people don’t understand what quartz means so I will briefly define it. Quartz is a crystalline mineral found in rocks of all types, usually colorless and transparent.

Similar to a fine watch or clock, a quartz metronome’s time keeping mechanism is controlled by a quartz crystal that vibrates at a fixed rate. This tiny crystal has been cut into the shape of a tuning fork (a small, metal object with a thin handle and two prongs that vibrate at a specific rate when struck thus giving a certain pitch which is used as a reference pitch when tuning a piano or other instrument).

The quartz crystal in a metronome is set into motion by the electric current from a battery. This technology provides an extremely accurate pulse.  Wind up type metronomes do not keep a steady time.

More than a Click

Some metronomes just give you a click, which is fine. Other more elaborate models will also indicate the first beat of the measure by the use of a different sound. The subdivisions of the beat can also be indicated.

So, you can have three things going simultaneously. You could have the first beat of the measure, which is called a downbeat, all of the main beats of the bar, and the sub-beats.

The Seiko metronome is a really good brand. The Doctor Beat, which is made by Boss, a subsidiary of Roland, also has all the stuff on it.  The Frozen Ape Tempo app on the iPhone is an excellent metronome.

Used correctly, metronomes are invaluable.  Try it, you’ll be glad you did.

Dear Bill, 

The book is great. Got me thinking that anyone can learn music 

and you really can use drills and practice to hone any level 

of innate talent you might have. 

Thanks, Matt

Triads are three note chords. Even though they are the most basic chords, they are very important to learn because there are many songs that use only triads. Other more complex chords would be inappropriate. Additionally, triads are the building blocks of larger more complex chords.

There are six different triads; major, minor, augmented and diminished, suspended 4 and suspended 2.  Examples in C:

major C E G

minor C E flat G

augmented C E G sharp

diminished C E flat G flat

suspended 4  C F G

suspended 2 C D G

Root

The “home tone” of a chord is called the root. For example, in a C major triad, C is the root, in an F minor triad, F is the root, etc. This is similar to the first note of a scale which is called the tonic. The tonic is the “home tone” of a scale.

So, triads are made up of a root and two other notes which determine the type of chord (major, minor, etc)

The root of a chord is probably the most important note. It is most often played by bass players, in the left hand by piano players, as well as other applications.

Of course, the root is often played in the right hand on a piano, with the other two notes of the triad.

Practice Procedure

Beginner piano players should practice all the triad exercises on a piano or keyboard with right hand chords and left hand roots (one note). Advanced piano players should also practice with both hands playing chords.

Of course, these chords should be practiced from each of the 12 roots (in other words – all keys).

For more information see my eBook “The Basics of Harmony”

Of the three main ways to play the piano, solo piano is probably the most difficult. The reason is because you only have two hands, but you need to play all 3 elements (melody, chords, and bass notes). There are many ways to do this, which can be mixed and matched.

The best way to approach solo piano is to become very proficient with all the basic tools of music; scales, arpeggios, chords, rhythms, reading, etc., and then practice making up arrangements from melody and chord symbols with:

1. R.H.melody L.H.chords and then 2. R.H.chords L.H.bass 3. Then you’ll be ready to work on solo piano.

If you’re a beginner, you should learn several solo piano pieces before trying to make up your own arrangements. There is a vast amount of sheet music available with full grand staff arrangements for piano which will give you ideas that you can use for your own arrangements.

The basic idea is have the melody in your right hand be the highest note, and fill in notes from the chords under that. The left hand would commonly play roots in octaves or roots & 5ths or broken chords (1-5-10) or roots and 7ths.  The left hand could also play walking bass or other bass parts, depending on the style of music.

It is common to practice one hand at a time and then both hands together.

Once you’ve got the basic tune, the next step would be to add fills and then practice improvising the melody line (take a solo).

The end goal is to be able to look at piece of music that has only the melody and chord symbols and be able to instantly make up an appropriate arrangement. Of course an arrangement can further develop over time.

For more information see my eBook “For Piano & Keyboard Players Only”

If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard that!

I’ve been a piano teacher for over 25 years and I’ve heard countless people say, “I love the piano, I wish I could play,” or “oh, you teach piano, I used to play piano,” or “we had a piano when I was a kid,” or “I wish my mother had forced me to practice,” or “I never learned to read music, I always memorized what my teacher played. When she found out, I was in trouble!”

Of course studying music is a wonderful activity for a child. Whether he/she goes on to a career in music or not, it is still highly recommended. Numerous studies have concluded that children who study music do better in school. In general the world needs more art and music and even if one wasn’t interested in becoming a professional musician or making a living at it, playing music is a good thing!

The main point is, however, you can learn how to play music anytime. You don’t have to be a child to learn. I’ve taught countless people to play who never played as a child. In fact, often adults learn faster than children!

One can get many hours of enjoyment from the music. It really doesn’t take that long to get some satisfaction. Anyone can learn to play a song fairly quickly. Anyone can even learn to improvise (play by ear)! Whether you like Classical or Jazz, Rock or Pop, you can learn to play.

It has been said that the piano is the most important of all musical instruments. It is certainly the most versatile. I do think that it is a good idea to learn some skills on a keyboard even if you play sax or you are a vocalist.

The main point here is that it has been proven to me countless times with firsthand experience that anyone can learn to play well enough to have fun making music.

Good News!

Music: [< Old French musique, from Latin m?sica < Greek mousik téchn? art of the Muses < Moûsa Muse < Greek Mythology, oneoftheninegoddessesofthefinearts and sciences]

(1) MUSIC is a language. (2) AESTHETIC communication that uses SOUND as its medium1. (3) an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental and/or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner. (4) MUSIC can be divided into three parts: MELODY, HARMONY, RHYTHM. (5) any rhythmic, melodic, or harmonic grouping of sounds that is specifically composed and that forms a unity so as to convey a message, to communicate, or to entertain. 2

Musician: a person who creates MUSIC. Someone who plays, performs, composes, arranges, records MUSIC.

Musicianship: skill in creating music: His musicianship increased markedly after studying full-time for 6 months.

Musicology: the academic study of MUSIC and its history.

Music Theory (Theory of Music): information about how MUSIC is put together, for example; the subject of music can be divided into three parts: Melody, Harmony, and Rhythm.

Melody: notes played or sung one at a time Harmony: two or more NOTES played together.

Rhythm: the temporal3 element of MUSIC relating to how sounds are made into patterns.

Note: (1) a SOUND of a definite PITCH. (2) a symbol that represents a musical SOUND.

Pitch: refers to the FREQUENCY (speed) of vibration which determines how high or low a SOUND is in relation to other sounds, pitch is one of the three elements of SOUND.

1 Medium: a method or means of doing something. 2 Def. #5 of Music: from Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary. http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/ 3 Temporal: of or relating to or having to do with time.

Sound Advice for Learning Music

by Bill Keis

1 Aug 11

If you want to ‘make music’, there are definite things that need to be learned. However, you don’t need to master all of them to have fun with music.  There are many examples of ‘famous’ musicians who have very little training.

Obviously, you don’t have to learn all the words of the English language before you have your first conversation.  Similarly, you can learn a few simple things and begin to make music in a just minutes. Then, depending on how far you want to take it, you can continue to learn more.

So, where do you draw the line?  How much should one study?

Well, you could take it to extremes and try to learn every possible combination of notes, which is a staggering number!

According to Nicolas Slonimsky1; there are 479,001,600 combinations of the 12 notes of music!  Learning all of them would of course take way too long.

Frederick Chopin2 said, “Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art.” 

So, my advice is to keep in mind what you want to communicate with your music.  What style(s) do you like?  What songs?  Then proceed to learn enough to be able to play &/or sing that.

As you go along, you might find new songs or styles you like.  Then you can study more  to play those.

Whether you are just starting out or an old pro, my series of eBooks will give you a cornucopia3 of data and practice techniques you can use to improve your understanding and ability with the various elements of music.

If you want to improve your skill so you can play new things, check them out!

Good luck and happy musing4.

1 Nicolas Slonimsky: Russian-American musicologist; b. St Petersburg April 27, 1894, d. Los Angeles December 25, 1995 author of the book Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns (1947).

2 Frederick Chopin: Polish pianist and composer; b. Poland March 1, 1810, d. Paris October 17, 1849.

3 Cornucopia: an abundant, overflowing supply.

4 Musing: a made-up word meaning, playing music.