Matrix Theory – What is a Beat?
Play by ear fans, could there be any more of an obvious question than this? I hear some groaning “We’re not in kindergarten anymore, ya know. A beat’s a beat, alright?” Okay, but first let’s delve into your full understanding and clarify a few things. The conversation usually goes something like this: Me: “How…
Thinking In The Music Galaxy
Playing by ear is easy after you learn command of the 24 basic chords and their inversions. Keep adding new ones until you’ve gone through all 12 majors and minors. It’s okay to play well in certain keys and not in others. In the beginning, it’s more important to get a good feel for what…
The Greatest
How Great is Great? I aspire to be as great as I can be without killing myself. I have advanced play-by-ear abilities and sight-reading skills and that keeps me happy. I’m a homebody, love singing and having fun playing for the grade school choir. However, the time I enjoy the most is when I’m exploring…
Hilarious 4th of July
On the 4th of July many years ago (when I was 11), I nearly blew up my mother with an M-80. Like many kids that age I was obsessed with figuring out how to get some firecrackers. I would scour the ground with anxious hopes of finding a once-lit (yet unexploded) firecracker. All my friends…
The Embarrassing Question
My piano teacher at 14 was our next door neighbor, Mrs. Bohn. She was a concert pianist with strong, shortish hands and medium pointy fingers. She smoked cigarettes heavily and drank Coca-Cola like it was going out of style. She was a big woman with a confident, outgoingness to match her very loud husky…
“Play Something” The Dreaded Request
Keyed Up Piano was already a reality when I bought my first piano at age 20. I found it in a vacant house I was looking at and it won my heart. It was in tune with a sound so true, I knew immediately it was a rare find. C. Kurtzmann & Co. was a…
Where to Begin Learning Chords
Piano play-by-ear hopefuls would be wise to take a lesson from a beginning guitarist. A beginner doesn’t think much about theory or rhythm, the names of notes, scales, numbers, reading or timing. They barely know how to tune the guitar. . . . but they do know, to be successful, they’re going to have to…
The Master Speaks
I am the master. You may be a master too. Whatever you already know is your plateau. It may reach to the heavens in knowledge and dimension but your plateau is just one of many. There are mesas and mountains of brilliant musical minds. Every musician has one, high or low in proportion to their…
History Of The Guitar – The Beatles
Playing by ear on the piano is the same as playing the guitar. Both require you to play chords as a condition of mediocrity. Both can be learned with about the same amount of effort. Yet, the piano is not viewed or taught that way. There’s no reason it shouldn’t be the #1 instrument, but…