Curriculum
Looking at Hands While Playing
A new adult student with a small amount of previous experience told me that it’s hard for her to watch her hands because she took a beginning piano class in college with a teacher who insisted that students never look at their hands and would…
- Last updated 3 months ago
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Reading Rhythm and Previous Knowledge
If a student already knows the names of the rhythm ingredients (whole through sixteenths) can we use those or should we actively use the informal terminology anyway before the note naming process? This comes up from time to time with students with prior experience! Personally,…
- Last updated 7 months ago
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Diminished Chords with Jazz Clue 1
Jazz Clues…doing clue one with Here to stay. The Bmin7-5 sounds bad with 1 and 5 LH because the 5 is supposed to be flatted. So do you have the students flat the 5th or stick to the clue? I don’t recall this being addressed…
- Last updated 9 months ago
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Lament and Modes
Just wondering if the sheet music for ‘Lament’ in the Jazz program is treated as a completely separate exercise to the improvisation in the reference book. Alternatively, do we work out what 4 note chords to use in the LH for the sheet music version…
- Last updated 10 months ago
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Family Tree Variation Rhythm
I am finding the variation on Family Tree a challenge, even after leaving it for a time and coming back to it. Can someone give me some tips please? (Or should I just leave that one out?) It is challenging, indeed, in a very similar…
- Last updated 11 months ago
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Adult Walk at Eleven Challenges
I have a student in her 70’s who is working on Walk at Eleven. We have been over all the clues many times (C to A to D to G, focusing on the notes a half step above or a half step below, etc.); despite…
- Last updated 1 year ago
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Reading Rhythm Tips
READING RHYTHM TIPS For students who struggle to play the MORs using 5SS – especially those who have trouble keeping the 3 ingredients even within a steady beat 1) Match a metronome playing only singles until smooth and even. Then only doubles until smooth and…
- Last updated 1 year ago
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Halloween Jackson Blues
I just remembered a Jackson Blues variation I like to teach around Halloween that makes it sound a little creepy: RH – for each chord, move finger 3 down a 1/2 step (makes them minor chords – they don’t need to know that if they…
- Last updated 1 year ago
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Alma Mater Blues Rhythm
(Over time, different teachers have faced situations in which a student finds it challenging to process the Alma Mater Blues rhythm. Here are Neil’s thoughts on how to handle such situations, video posted September 28, 2022. Below his video tip are two representative posts/questions within…
- Last updated 1 year ago
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Location Points Diagrams
Here ya go folks! There are 2 versions. One with and one without G and F. Scroll down to see the other one. (You may want to draw the C ledger lines a bit longer with a felt tip.) Keyboard-staff-landmark-notes Original discussion started October 4, 2022
- Last updated 1 year ago
- location, location points, reading notes, RN