Back to Basics - Minor Triads and Last Christmas

As a follow up to the last online lesson on Major 5-finger patterns and chords, I go over how to change any major triad to a minor triad. Then we apply that knowledge to play "Last Christmas". The song was composed by George Michael and performed by Wham! The arrangement that I teach is based off a remake done by the band, Jimmy Eat World.

Click this iTunes button to buy the Jimmy Eat World version of "Last Christmas".

If you want to buy the sheet music for the Wham! version of "Last Christmas" from musicnotes.com, follow this link:

George Michael - Last Christmas - Sheet Music (Digital Download)

Back to Basics - Major 5-finger patterns and chords

In this special Back-To-School edition of The Piano Podcast, learn how to construct any Major chord on the piano using Major 5-finger patterns. Pull up a keyboard and play along with me!

Melecio Ajero (1933-2006)

I'm going back home to New Jersey, but it's for a reason that I wish wouldn't come. According to my brothers, my dad suffered a stroke yesterday August 9 and passed away sometime around 11:30 p.m. He was supposed to celebrate his 73rd birthday on August 14. It hasn't really hit me yet, possibly because of the geographic distance between us. But I know when I see him for the first time in over a year and also for the last time in my life, the emotions might come pouring out and I might lose it.

I know this isn't a piano-related post, but my dad was really instrumental in shaping me to be the pianist that I am today. He would always push me so hard to practice when I was young, always checking on whether I practiced after he got back home from work or was just messing around. Unfortunately, it was usually messing around, so he'd sit there in the living room and watch me to make sure that I did practice piano. And if he didn't do that, then I probably wouldn't be where I am today. I wish that I was able to actually tell him that. However, he was never one for all that warm-hearted talk. Even though he spoke with very few words, I can tell that he cared for his family by his actions and how hard he worked to provide for us.

Dad was one of the toughest guys I ever knew. I hope that I can exhibit even just a little bit of that character in raising my family.

GP3 Forum with Tony Caramia

Just finished the Group Piano and Piano Pedagogy (GP3) Forum, and what a wonderful experience it was. I did a presentation on Podcasting during the lunch break of Day one, and I thought maybe 5 people would show up if I was lucky. It turns out almost EVERYONE showed up and squeezed into the piano lab where I was presenting. What was even cooler was the amount of nationally-recognized piano pedagogues who attended my session as well, such as Sam Holland, Sylvia Coats, Andrew Hisey, and Tony Caramia.
Tony Caramia, from the Eastman School of Music, showed a particular interest in podcasting and was kind enough to record an impromptu podcast with me. In this podcast, he treats us to a snippet of "Get Happy" by Harold Arlen on the piano. If you really dig Tony's arrangement and performance, be sure to check out his new solo jazz piano CD entitled "Tribute". You can find out how to get a hold of it on his faculty website at Eastman. Tony's performance is set to photos highlighting the first day of the GP3 Forum. To learn more about GP3, go to http://www.gp3forum.org.
Many thanks to to all the teachers who made my presentation a success, as well as making the whole forum a success.

Piano Duets

In this video podcast, I talk with Kimberly Dreisbach about some of the benefits of piano teachers and students playing duets. I also play some duets with Kimberly and my student, Shawn Chambers, from a new series called "In Recital: Duets" edited by Helen Marlais. The duets include: "Serenade" by Franz Schubert and arranged by Edwin McLean, "Simple Gifts" - a Shaker melody arranged by Kevin Olson, and "Maple Leaf Rag" by Scott Joplin and arranged by Kevin Olson.

Home Concert Xtreme Demo

In this video podcast, I demonstrate "Home Concert Xtreme", one of my favorite software programs. It is a learning, practice, and performance environment for pianists. It creates a "smart" accompaniment for any general MIDI file loaded into the program. You can download a free demo of the program at: http://www.timewarptech.com/Pages/Downloads/demos.html

I created this podcast episode to demonstrate the program not just because I love the program, but also because of some fun discussions with friends on the forums at pianostreet.com on using a computer to display sheet music in place of paper.

Podcasting Audiobooks

I wasn't aware that there has been a movement by podcasters to record and podcast audiobooks of literature in the public domain. This was brought to my attention when Brenda Dayne emailed me asking permission to use one of my recordings from Haydn's Piano Sonata in E-flat Major in her podcast of Edith Wharton's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Age of Innocence. Brenda had heard my recordings that I posted up on the Podsafe Music Network. She also informed me that when she is done podcasting The Age of Innocence, she will then add it to LibriVox.

Librivox is a website/podcast that provides free audiobooks from the public domain. I think this is an excellent service that they provide to the public. I think the possibilities for musicians (particularly Classical musicians) to have a new medium where they can collaborate with the storytellers of audiobooks is exciting. It's also a great way to familiarize listeners with Classical music pieces when it's presented in conjunction with these Classic novels.

Podshow PDN {podshow-26e6e26b529d7ffcaded51806865fe8a}

GP3 Forum

The GP3 Forum stands for Group Piano/Piano Pedagogy Forum. This year's GP3 Forum will be held in our own backyard of the University of Oklahoma on August 3-5, 2006. It is a relatively small conference when compared to MTNA. However, it is more focused on topics directly related to piano pedagogy and group piano.

This will the third time that this forum takes place. It will be the first time that I attend. I originally wasn't sure if I was going to be around during those dates because of the move, but it looks like I won't be moving until right after this GP3 Forum. I'm excited about it because it will be a perfect opportunity to receive and share some tips with fellow pedagogy and group piano teachers from around the country. I think it will really help energize me with fresh new ideas as I take up my new responsibilities at Stephen F. Austin State University.

If you plan on going, make sure you register before June 15 as that's when the early-bird registration fee expires. You can register online at http://www.gp3forum.org.

Hope to see you there!