Neil Moore

HI everybody – any tips for growing skills to line up fingers accurately to play fast passages like the beginning and end of Ballade? Of course – play slowly and gradually increase speed. That alone doesn’t seem adequate. I feel like all the things I…

• Last updated 6 months ago
• audio, audio materials, audio recording, Audio recordings, audio SHMs, Ballade, control the events, controlling the events, CTE, drills, exercises, external speaker, external speakers, fast playing, finger exercises, getting student to slow down, importance of playlist, keeping playlist alive, keeping playlists, keeping the playlist alive, learning slowly, Neil Moore, Neil's Responses (YouTube Videos), playing along with audio, playing fast vs slow, playing slowly, playing speed, playing with audio tracks, Playlist, practicing slowly, single thought process, single thought processes, slow practice, slow-steady-musical-even, slowing down, speaking instructions out loud, SSME, STP

I’ve got a question for you. During each lesson, I have my students do an improvisation or play their composition. I just received a short composition in which the piece doesn’t end on a tonic key. I texted her mom about that, and she said…

• Last updated 6 months ago
• chord, chord theory, chords, comp, comp & improv, comp and improv, complex chords, composing, composing with chords, composition, compositions, deceptive cadence, ending, ending chord, final chord, imperfect cadence, last chord, Neil Moore, scale theory, student composition, theory, tonic, writing compositions

I just reread Laurie Richards’ book yesterday ‘I Found Your Keys’ on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. It is so packed with good information. Every now and then we need a 30,000 ft view of what it is that we are all apart of and why…

• Last updated 10 months ago
• books, I Found Your Keys, Laurie Richards, Neil Moore

Hi all, I wanted to let you know that my TEDxTalk has been approved for public release, and is now Live on YouTube. Over the years, many people have said to me that I should do a TEDTalk about Simply Music. And whilst promoting oneself…

• Last updated 11 months ago
• applying PB strategies to music, benefits, benefits of piano lessons, brain health, brains and patterns, communicating benefits, comparing traditional to Simply Music, competing methods, creativity, critical neurological nutrition, developing creativity, developing musicality, expression, FIS, free information session, future of simply music, How music can future proof your brain, info session, information session, method, method comparisons, methodology, methods, music making species, musical expression, musicality, musicianship, natural musicality, natural musicianship, Neil Moore, Neil's Responses (YouTube Videos), neurological nutrition, other methods, PB, playing-based, playing-based strategies, playing-based tools, profoundly musical, self expression, simply music, Simply Music Philosophy, Simply Music's value, talking about Simply Music, TED Talk, TEDTalk, TEDx Talk, TEDxTalk, traditional vs. Simply Music, trust the method, trusting the method

(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 2 years ago
• Alma Mater Blues, BH, complex rhythm, control the events, controlling the events, coordinating LH and RH, coordination, counting, counting as lyric, counting rhythms, CTE, difficult rhythm, dosage, dose, doses, humpty, humpty dumpty, information processing, isolating rhythm, microdose, multiple thought processes, Neil Moore, Neil's Responses (YouTube Videos), physicality, processing, processing issues, processing rhythm, processing rhythms, rhythm diagram, rhythm diagrams, single thought process, single thought processes, small doses, smaller dose, smaller doses, STP, swing rhythm, swing rhythms

I’m generally very rigorous about following Neil’s instructions, since time and again I’ve come to understand why he does things the way he does. I’ve recently had a situation where I felt I had a good reason to do something a little differently from what…

• Last updated 2 years ago
• changing chapter order, context, control the events, controlling the events, CP, cross pollination, cross-pollinate, CTE, dosage, dose, doses, down-level, fragmenting, Fragmenting-Layering, fragments, Fur Elise, Fur Elise A Section, Fur Elise complexity, Fur Elise left hand, Fur Elise LH, Fur Elise order, hybrid, Laurie Richards, microdose, Neil Moore, out of context, re-teaching pieces, re-teaching songs, re-working pieces, re-working songs, single thought process, single thought processes, small doses, smaller dose, smaller doses, STP, technique for Fur Elise, up-level

I’m wondering if ‘Here To Stay’ from the Jazz program commences in the key of D minor and then modulates to A minor around the third line. I’ve had a student ask me why the g in the A11 chord is natural. Any thoughts? It…

• Last updated 3 years ago
• 2-5, 2-5 chord progression, 2-5-1, 2-5-1 chord progression, changing keys, common chord, deceptive cadence, harmony, Here to Stay, jazz, jazz chords, jazz clues, Joe Gilman, key, key change, key of the moment, key signature, leading tone, minor keys, modulation, Neil Moore, parent key, pivot chord, relative key, relative major, relative minor, tonality, tonic, tonicization, tonicize, tonicizing

The below question was asked in response to a video Neil posted to help answer a question about what key Dark Blue is in, covered in a separate Simpedia post: https://simpedia.info/what-key-is-dark-blue-in/ Neil Moore hearing Joe’s playing also made me realize you don’t put tempo markings…

• Last updated 3 years ago
• adding expression, Dark Blue, developing generative skills, dynamics, expression, expression marks, generative, generative students, Joe Gilman, learning clues, lyrics, musical expression, Neil Moore, Neil's Responses (YouTube Videos), playing with expression, self expression, self generating, self generative, self-generate, self-generation, sleeping, tempo, tempo marks

What key is Dark Blue in? Look at the music book for FL4. 3 flats. Also, the first and last bass note is C hinting at the tonal center. Ian Yes. And yes. And yet: it doesn’t really ever sound like C is a definitive…

• Last updated 3 years ago
• changing keys, chord inversions, chord voicings, chromatic, chromaticism, Dark Blue, harmony, inversions, jazz, jazz chords, Joe Gilman, key, key change, key of the moment, key signature, minor keys, modal, modes, modulation, Neil Moore, relative key, split chords, tonality, tonic, tonicization, tonicize, tonicizing, voicing, voicing chords, voicing jazz chords

I’m curious about the psychology behind the brain’s ability to increase the speed of muscle memory (play a song faster), but its struggle to decrease the speed of the same task. Anyone? Not an expert neurological answer, but: Speed comes with familiarity and comfort. Slowness…

• Last updated 3 years ago
• adding expression, automatic, automaticity, competence, control the events, controlling the events, creating awareness, CTE, deliberate practice, expression, expressive playing, fast playing, flexibility, getting student to slow down, knowing, learning slowly, memory muscle, mindfulness, muscle memory, musical expression, Neil Moore, neurology, playing fast vs slow, playing slowly, playing speed, playing too fast, playing with expression, practicing slowly, psychology, self expression, slow practice, slow-steady-musical-even, slowing down, speed of learning, tempo, thoughtlessness