Foundation Songs
Songs using Honey Dew Chords
Can anyone think of any well known songs that use the Honey Dew chord progression? I would like to demonstrate some to my students when teaching Honey Dew. Justin Beiber’s “Baby Baby” song. Lame but it gets a response every time. Blue Moon “Brave” by…
Dark Blue Tailpiece Chords
Can anyone please tell me: what are the chords in the tailpiece of Dark Blue? Pretty sure those chords are Db6/9, Gb13, Cm6/9. So, what Maureen said – 9, 11, 13th chords must include the 7th. With the 6 and 9 added but no 7th,…
SHM After Discontinuing Lessons
I have a question about the SHM. I talked to my boss at the studio the other day and she was concerned about students possibly discontinuing lessons with me and then proceeding to use the videos and purchasing additional levels to learn the songs. She…
Shoo-Fly LH and Generativity
I’m learning Shoo-Fly. Any thoughts on reminder clues for the LH runs in the second part? It starts on D and goes up, then starts on C and goes up, and both have a black note but in a different spot. I find myself coming…
Learning from Video Demonstration
I have a level one student (7 yo) who learned the whole AMB (2 and 3) by watching the level 1 demo. Argh! Naughty, naughty! I point out to students when they do this, they are missing out on vital learning clues (I don’t tell…
Sit By My Side Hands Together
My adult (late 50s) student loves the playing-based tools but told me today that for Sit By My Side (F5) he finds them hard to use (think about) when putting his hands together, though he uses them well for hands separate on that song. Besides…
Walk at 11
Any advice on “Walk at 11”? I’m struggling with this one. Do just one level per week (advanced levels may need more than one week). Level 1 LH isn’t too challenging because it is based on Honey Dew chords. Make sure you have them stick…
Readiness to Learn
Is there any such thing as readiness in the Simply Music process? I am teaching a very bright little girl who is 6, but she is struggling even with the five fingers over five notes after 6 lessons. She can play the right hand of…
Webinar Series: 03/12/2019 – Piano Stories Behind the Songs, Part 2
Continued from Piano Stories Behind the Songs (Part 1), Neil shares the inspiration behind many of his songs and song names, beginning in Foundation Level 5 through Development Level 12. Topics include: Introduction Introduction (00:05) (FL5) Shoo-Fly, The Gaz, Sit By My Side (02:59) (FL6)…
Webinar Series: 2/12/2019 – Piano – Stories Behind the Songs
This is a fascinating look at Neil’s compositions and the inspiration behind them. You will learn some things about Neil by listening to these stories, and have some cool things to share with your students as they learn them. Topics include: Background & Context (00:05)…