Arrangements & Variations

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 5 months ago
• administering the dosage, audio, audio materials, audio recording, Audio recordings, audio recordings for learning arrangements, audio SHMs, Chester, chester chills out, Chester Chills Out Variation, Chester Samba, Chester Variation, clapping rhythm, complex rhythm, control the events, controlling the events, counting rhythms, CTE, difficult rhythm, dosage, dosage of arrangements, family tree, Family Tree Variation, feeling rhythm, helping students feel rhythm, how to play, humming along, improving rhythm skills, isolating rhythm, lyrics, playing along with audio, playing with audio tracks, processing rhythm, processing rhythms, rhythm, rhythm difficulty, singing along, single thought process, single thought processes, STP, using audio recordings, using audio tracks, what to play

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 8 months ago
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I’m still having difficulty with the variation of Light Blue. Watching Neil over and over with the rhythm in the hands hasn’t helped me. Either it needs to be slowed down or written out for me so that I can SEE it. Could someone maybe…

• Last updated 1 year ago
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I have one student who is really struggling to get the “swing” feel for Alma Mater Blues and also Rocking Honey. It seems for some it comes so naturally, and for others, it’s a huge effort. We verbalise the “here’s humpty dumpty”, we clap the…

• Last updated 2 years ago
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I have an adult husband and wife team who are in upper SM levels and reading fairly well. I would love to find a book of duets of pieces that might be familiar to them. They love classical music and are in their early 70’s.…

• Last updated 2 years ago
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I have been through the library of ECL posts on the topic of duets and gleaned the following ideas: Honey Dew with Melody on top Jackson Blues (or any other blues song) with blues scale improv on top Amazing Grace with melody on top Chester…

• Last updated 2 years ago
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As I am getting students ready for the end of year recital I thought I would share this simple level one idea with you for a duet. While one student plays Chester in the normal position, another student can play Jackson Blues with changes on…

• Last updated 2 years ago
• blues, Chester, chester chills out, Duet Ideas, duets, foundation duets, Jackson Blues

Hi all,

Had a very bright little 7 year-old boy start lessons this summer. After learning Dreams and Dreams 2 he came back the next week with “Chinese Dreams.” He played the entire song on black keys—10 fingers over 10 notes, but all black keys, ranging…

• Last updated 2 years ago
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I have a question about the Amazing Grace Variation from book two. How would you write the last line in I IV V format – from the vi, then F/D, F/G, and Fm. You wouldn’t write IV/2nd would you? Is it IV/6th? I have a…

• Last updated 1 year ago
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In the Happy Birthday materials Mark S. Meritt do you have a Chord sheet for your variation with the split chords, etc? I didn’t see one unless there’s just the audio. Just like with the original Foundation 2 materials for the Amazing Grace Variation, a…

• Last updated 3 years ago
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