KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL KEYBOARD MASTERY:
Always ask yourself the following questions every time
you practice or play the piano:
1. Am I sitting correctly so that the bottom of my elbows
are level with tops of white keys?
2. Are my feet FLAT on floor (or foot stool/foot rest)?
3. Am I balancing my forearm/hand over the fingers?
4. Are my wrists level with my hands and forearms?
5. Is the balance of my torso and arms toward the piano?
6. Am I using a natural hand position? (avoiding curling, stretching, twisting etc.)
7. Am I balanced and resting down in 3 places:
-seat
-feet
-hands on keyboard?
If the answer to any of the above questions is "no", you might as well
not be practicing your KT&T at all. KT&T (Keyboard Theory and Technic)
is not just about learning what notes comprise the major and minor
scales, chords and intervals.
It's mostly about HOW YOU MOVE when you play these
scales, chords, and intervals. So, when you work on your KT&T at the
beginning of each practice session, choose a slow enough tempo that
allows you to EXAMINE your form and motions at the keyboard carefully,
and LISTEN CRITICALLY for a rich,beautiful tone
and an even, rhythmic pulse.
Pop stars ...
Long before Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and the latest American Idol, there have been musicians who made audiences cheer, women faint, and entire cities light up with gossip.
Believe it. In fact, many of these "idols" were classical pianists.
Case in point --- Franz Liszt.
Born on October 22, 1811, Liszt was a Hungarian composer and virtuoso pianist of the 19th century. He was a very famous performer throughout Europe known especially for his showmanship and great skill with the piano.
To this day, Liszt is considered by some to have been the greatest pianist in history.
"Liszt's concerts were famous for the fainting and swooning of women in the audience, and while Liszt may have played Beethoven in his studio, his public concerts at this period were not short on display music, mainly composed by himself. In fact, it was Liszt in his egomania who invented the modern solo recital, at first calling them soliloquies." --- Allen Krantz
Curious? Just check out this amazing video of Liszt's Transcendental Etude No 10 (performed by a modern pianist)!
What is a virtuoso? A virtuoso is someone who has outstanding technical ability at playing a musical instrument. So, a piano virtuoso is a performer whose technic is SO amazing that the public is simply dazzled. A virtuoso is capable of displaying feats of skill well above the average performer.
What do piano virtuosos have that other pianists don’t? It’s easy! Great virtuoso pianists know how to move when they play piano so that there is no tension or limitation. They can play as fast as they want, they can play as accurately as they want, they can play as softly or loudly as they want, and they can play the most difficult piano pieces ever written because they have “cracked the C Code”.
What is “The C Code”?
If you are reading this you are a VERY lucky pianist because you’re about to discover the secrets to “crack the C CODE”. During your lessons you’ll receive clues to help you discover the secrets behind becoming a piano virtuoso.
Some piano virtuosos, (like child prodigies), often don’t know exactly why they’re able to play so well. They just stumbled on these fancy motions naturally -- “by instinct.” However, YOU will be a step ahead of the gang because you will actually KNOW what these secret motions are! Once you Crack the C Code, you will know things that even a piano virtuoso might not know! Cool, eh?
How will you “Crack the C Code”?
By mastering the C Major Scale! It’s that simple. However, by “Mastering the C Major Scale” we don’t just mean simply learning how to push down the keys C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C.
Any monkey can do that.
We mean learning how to play these keys like a true virtuoso! Throughout the year, you’ll be using the C Major Scale to help you discover virtuosic motions at the piano. You’ll use the C Major Scale as a sort of “test tube” where you can add and mix all the ingredients, (motions), until the perfect formula is found -- the formula that will allow YOU to become a virtuoso pianist one day!
Technic Treasure Hunt
So, you’ll be going on a sort of Technic Treasure Hunt. At each of your lessons throughout the year, you’ll learn a new secret motion that will help you “crack the C Code” and become an awesome pianist.
Treasure Chest
To help you “Crack the C Code”, your teacher will provide you with CLUES in your lessons – CLUES to the secret motions behind virtuosity. Then, it’s up to you to go home and practice this secret motion over and over until your next lesson. At the next lesson, if your teacher thinks you have sufficiently mastered the motion for the time being, then you’ll receive a GOLD COIN to place in the treasure chest and a STAR for that day on your TREASURE MAP C CODE GAME BOARD.
Deciphering the code.
However, since piano students are so smart, there will be an EXTRA challenge to DECIPHER each clue! We’ve made a code based on a special CODE WORD which only you know about. We’ve chosen the word “VIRTUOSO”.
Codeword = Virtuoso
This is how the secret code works. First of all we write down the normal alphabet (it's called the Plain Text alphabet), and below it we write the Code alphabet, starting with the codeword, and following the codeword with the rest of the alphabet. BUT, there's a trick to this - remember that you don't want repeated letters! So you have to leave out the second O in VIRTUOSO, and when you get to the normal alphabet you write down ABCDFGI... leaving out the I, the O, the R any other letters in the codeword.
