Duane Shinn (that would be me) has good news for you if you want to play the piano. He (me) has little fat hands & stubby little fingers - not at all suited for playing the piano - more suited to making mud pies or some such. I am also fairly uncoordinated with just average musical ability - certainly not a great piano player. But I've learned a ton about music over the years and people tell me I'm pretty decent at explaining how music works & how to progress more rapidly on the piano. Over the years I have developed about 150 techniques for conquering the piano. Most professional pianists can do these techniques, but very few can explain them in a way people can understand. I specialize in making complex techniques simple. I invite you to watch a few of my free videos and see some of these for yourself before making any decision about taking any of my courses.
The word “octave” is related to “octopus”, “octagon”, etc — in other words, eight. In music, an octave is 8 diatonic scale notes higher or lower than the note of the same name.
Continue reading →George Gershwin was born on the 26th of September, 1986 in Brooklyn, New York. His roots were a mix of Ukrainian and Jewish roots, from Russia. The key to his interest was a violin recital by his childhood pal Max Rozen. He liked what he had heard. His parents bought a piano for his brother and future lyricist, Ira Gershwin. He took it from there and took to it more than his brother Ira.
Continue reading →Auld Lang Syne
Continue reading →By adding color tones to your chords you can create a much fuller sound in most any song: Color Tones in “Hark The Herald Angels Sing”
Continue reading →You have likely seen the US Army band “Pershing’s Own” at various occasions or playing taps, the beautiful and stirring music played as a final tribute to fallen soldiers. Started in 1922, the US Army Band has played a significant … Continue reading →
From amongst all the jazz legends and pop legendary pianists, Thelonious Monk is most known for what can be called ‘straight forward jazz’. He influenced the the bebop style of playing so much that he has arguably been referred to as the founder of bebop.
Continue reading →Music is simpler than most people make it out to be. There are only scales, scale fragments, intervals, chords, and rhythm. Look for the lowest possible denominator whenever you can. Ask yourself “Is this song made out of a scale? Out of a chord?”
Continue reading →You can pump some energy into a song by playing two chords instead of one, or 4 instead of 2. In other words, use a 2 to 1 ratio. Watch this short video and see how easy it is to do.
Continue reading →Alberti was a composer around 1730 or so, and used this style so much that it was eventually named after him. Mozart and many other composers use his style.
Continue reading →Passing tones are notes that are not in the chord, but “pass through” between chord notes. An ostinato is a sustained bass note — usually the 5th of the chord — that is held while different chords occur over the top of it. Watch this short video on O Come All Ye Faithful and you’ll understand quickly
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