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#40774 - 05/14/02 06:54 PM
Re: Practise
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Member
Registered: 01/17/02
Posts: 480
Loc: The Plantation, Leesburg, Flor...
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Practice - necessary, but distasteful! I try to practice scales to limber up my stiff fingers, but learning a song is a whole new world. I play all my songs from memory with the sheet music there for a quick backup peek if I need it. I have mostly played by ear from my earlier days when I was learning guitar and couldn't read music. I would listen to a song on tape for a few bars then practice until I had it down pat, then move on to the next measure. It was a lot of work but the only way I could learn a song, and when I switched to console organ, things just fell into place and playing by ear worked well. I forced myself to learn basic notation so I could read simple music scores from fake books, etc., and that's how I do it today. Learn the song from the sheet music, play it over and over until it becomes second nature, make changes you like to hear (arranging), then record it. Sometimes I will listen to an earlier song I recorded and wonder how I managed to do that - forgetting the hours I put into the preparation. Playing by ear is something you just acquire after years of practice, plus it helps to have an ear for music.
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#40776 - 05/14/02 07:36 PM
Re: Practise
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Member
Registered: 01/17/02
Posts: 403
Loc: United Kingdom
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Hi Jan and Carol,
Know what? Your comments give me great comfort because I obviously have some company. My experiences parallel yours. I, too, play chords more easily by practicing a song over and over while committing it to memory. On the other hand, Carol, I've experienced the same problem you spoke of i.e., losing my place in the music when I forget a phrase and have to refer to the music to carry on playing. Maybe I need a collar? Ha! And this is the truth - sometimes I get so engrossed in listening to the lush sounds the keyboard is producing that I lose concentration on my playing and forget where I am in a song, then have to start from the beginning again!
Lrngkybrd, you raised this issue and it is a good one. I think the answer to your question is this: if you want to sit down and play without music like other people do, you have to memorize, memorize, memorize. I am finding that the more I try to memorize, the easier it becomes. May I suggest you begin by selecting a song you really like that has an easy melody line and a limited number of chords and chord changes. Memorize it. Then select a second song to memorize. And this is important - play the first song every day while you work on the second.
One final word. I don't know if Jan and Carol have had the same experience, but I find that by playing my repertoire of memorized tunes every day, I begin to hear little things that I can add to each song which gives them a personal touch - and hopefully adds to the listening pleasure of the listener. The ultimate benefit is that your playing skills are improving - DAILY!
Best Regards, Chuck
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#40780 - 05/15/02 01:23 PM
Re: Practise
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Member
Registered: 01/17/02
Posts: 46
Loc: Sonora, CA USA
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In answer to your last statement, "What do you suggest?" TALENT! All the lessons, fancy runs and technical skills you have learned won't help you unless you have that God given ear to play a melody on a keyboard without music in front of you, and equally important, to be able to hear harmony in your head. With the aforementioned, it is just a matter of doing it. I started out picking melodies out on the piano when I was seven years old. I had no lessons and by the time I was eight, I was winning first place in local talent shows - a precocious kid, is what I was. Later on, I learned to read music, which was difficult for me, for I found it boring to sit and play mediocre simple things. I wanted to close the book and play by ear. Rich harmonies, few ever learn. By listening to great artists over the years and in this case, practice, I have been able to do pretty well with advanced harmony. At a very early age, (5 or 6 years) I was very interested in not only a beautiful melody but also the way the piece was arranged. It no doubt played a major part in my ability to arrange later on. People who know me give me a lot of compliments on my arrangements. Not long ago, a professional organist heard some of my arrangements and playing skill and said, " Being a professional musician, how are you able to arrange music so well the way you do?" I thought to myself, how strange this person asks this question. He is a musician and why can't he do this. Anyway, if you can play the melody of a song (one finger) without sheet music, there is hope for you. It comes down to the way you approach this matter. Good luck.
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#40781 - 05/15/02 01:38 PM
Re: Practise
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Member
Registered: 01/17/02
Posts: 480
Loc: The Plantation, Leesburg, Flor...
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You said it, Carol, the days aren't long enough! After a few hours of work at the keyboard I like to fool around (noodling) with notes...like see how long I can sustain a melody in one chord using two octaves, just run up and down scale trying to make the notes pleasant but unique. Or, just make up a song bar by bar, measure by measure, without worrying about words, and after a bit you have a song that's all yours. I did that with an old Wersi style that I couldn't seem to fit to any songs, and it's on Bebop's next 20 for 1 disk. It's fun to do and no body can ever say you played it wrong, or missed some notes, and best of all - you've opened up a door to a whole new world. Your music! So, bottom line...keep practicing!! ![](http://www.synthzone.com/ubbs/biggrin.gif)
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#40782 - 05/15/02 03:18 PM
Re: Practise
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Member
Registered: 01/16/02
Posts: 203
Loc: york england
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Hey nsr can you play Wonderfull Baby (don mclean i think) I cannot find the sheet music and the melodies quite easy to pick ouk but the descending chord progression over the words: / - / -/ / - / Wonderfull baby / - / - /- / Living on love if you could just send me the numbers of the chords will not matter about the key or a recording would be really great many thanks jan ![](http://www.synthzone.com/ubbs/smile.gif) [This message has been edited by kozykeys (edited 05-15-2002).] [This message has been edited by kozykeys (edited 05-15-2002).]
_________________________
jan
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