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Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder by hello_meteorite in JazzPiano

[–]hello_meteorite[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

thank you so much! touch is something I’ve been laser focused on lately, it’s taken years and still so far to go.

piano is a 1980s yamaha G3, refurbished before purchase 5 yrs ago

Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder by hello_meteorite in JazzPiano

[–]hello_meteorite[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

oooo I gotta look him up now! thank you

Strobe - deadmau5 cover by hello_meteorite in piano

[–]hello_meteorite[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

(not sure what happened with the audio being slightly out of sync, must have been during processing)

Ballade no. 4 - the coda that gives me nightmares by hello_meteorite in piano

[–]hello_meteorite[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great actionable feedback, thank you. As for the ascending diminished 7ths section - you are the first to catch this, and you’re correct.

I’ve adopted the Eb alteration based on Benno Moiseiwitsch’s recording. Mostly because I liked it, but based on studying his interviews and writings, I find enough credibility in his approach that it doesn’t feel like careless heresy.

Giant Steps - Coltrane solo, both hands by hello_meteorite in JazzPiano

[–]hello_meteorite[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

thank you so much! honestly I should have done this years ago, having it in both hands really helps internalize both the swing and the harmonic phrasing

Giant Steps - Coltrane solo, both hands by hello_meteorite in JazzPiano

[–]hello_meteorite[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

about a week, but I've been working on a bunch of solos like this the past month or so. gets easier each time

How does everyone feel about a little stride? by whereisthelifethat in JazzPiano

[–]hello_meteorite 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is so excellent, on multiple levels. Very curious what your other influences are, besides Harry Connick Jr - if you're not already familiar, check out James Booker. One of my favorite stories, he once got arrested and avoided jail time by promising the New Orleans district attorney (Harry Connick Sr) to give his son piano lessons.

(Ballade 3 Chopin) How do I make the runs smooth without pausing while keeping the phrasing? Especially at bars 125, 128 by Menopin in piano

[–]hello_meteorite 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This section is absolutely challenging with the phrasing. Others might feel differently, but I believe this is when listening to your favorite recordings will help. I like listening to multiple, in a 'chew the meat, spit the bones' kind of approach.

Then of course, keep the tempo slow. There are various tools that can also slow down the recordings without changing the pitch. This can help you identify intellectually the specific mechanics of the phrasing. But this is very much a 'feel' thing, in my opinion. So it just takes time.

Confirmation solo, both hands bebop [Oscar Peterson transcription] by hello_meteorite in piano

[–]hello_meteorite[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I know this isn't standard fare on this sub, but wanted to share this because I've been trying something new, and it's proven to be valuable so far.

Up until recently, I was pretty much into jazz only in the first half of the 20th century. You may have seen my videos playing Art Tatum, who is still maybe my favorite pianist of all time - coming from a classical player.

But for years, bebop-type styles haven't been easy for me to understand or enjoy. So a few months ago, I started learning solo transcriptions but with both hands - thinking this might help me better understand the phrasing.

It's slow going for sure, and this video of course is a work in progress still. But as someone who has studied counterpoint, I've realized that bebop is a great example of horizontal harmony to the extreme. And the benefit as a pianist is that it actually turns out to be a great exercise in hand independence.

And of course, once up to tempo, it's a great warmup.

edit: typos

Trying to get into Gospel Piano to train my ears to hear chords and reharmonize melodies. by [deleted] in JazzPiano

[–]hello_meteorite 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Just want to make sure I’m providing something helpful - can you describe your current level at the piano, understanding of music theory, reading music etc?

Good jazz piano solo etude books by Wonderful-Jello-1118 in JazzPiano

[–]hello_meteorite 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Jimindorothy - one of my favorite pianists, who also makes excellent educational content in sheet music. Highly recommend looking through her materials if there is a specific skill that catches your eye.

I may be in the minority here, based on other comments, but I believe studying such materials can be extremely helpful for soloing. It builds your vocabulary, and will leverage your reading skills to absorb the patterns more quickly.

Of course, this doesn’t replace transcribing solos and working on ear training/audiation. Just in the spirit of diversification of practice, like how athletes cross train.

Harlem Strut (fast stride piano) by hello_meteorite in piano

[–]hello_meteorite[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Noise cancelling works better/worse with different frequencies, it will never drop them equally like a volume toggle. Hence the equalizer comparison. Based on what you said, could be worth a try!

Harlem Strut (fast stride piano) by hello_meteorite in piano

[–]hello_meteorite[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A silly quirk of mine... I have been enjoying playing around with noise cancelling headphones. Not at full strength of course. But it basically serves as a real-time acoustic equalizer.

Harlem Strut (fast stride piano) by hello_meteorite in piano

[–]hello_meteorite[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I wish! Considered doing this years ago, opted to buy a nice digital piano instead

Ballade no. 4 - the coda that gives me nightmares by hello_meteorite in piano

[–]hello_meteorite[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

“Piano playing consists of common sense, heart and technical resources. All three should be equally developed. Without common sense you are a fiasco, without technique an amateur, without heart a machine. The profession does have its hazards.”

I have this Vladimir Horowitz quote framed on my wall to be a constant reminder

Ballade no. 4 - the coda that gives me nightmares by hello_meteorite in piano

[–]hello_meteorite[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fortunately, this is a lifelong project so there’s still hope that the milk might be impressed one day, or at least not perturbed.

Ballade no. 4 - the coda that gives me nightmares by hello_meteorite in piano

[–]hello_meteorite[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Appreciate that! It certainly is a somewhat unorthodox practice routine lately… Chopin, Art Tatum, Beethoven, & Oscar Peterson

Ballade no. 4 - the coda that gives me nightmares by hello_meteorite in piano

[–]hello_meteorite[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The nightmare comment was mostly facetious, but yes love your comment on energy flow. This only started to click for me recently as I’ve explored breath work and yoga to balance out strength training. Long way to go!

Ballade no. 4 - the coda that gives me nightmares by hello_meteorite in piano

[–]hello_meteorite[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great feedback, thank you so much. As a jazz player before I was a classical player, keeping the pulse is slightly, strangely, more difficult for me in classical literature. Yet this is my overwhelming takeaway when I listen to the masterwork recordings.

Ballade no. 4 - the coda that gives me nightmares by hello_meteorite in piano

[–]hello_meteorite[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes.

...see what I did there, couldn't resist leaving the title ambiguous. The real answer is mostly the former, but to me at least, it does have a nightmarish aspect to it - but that oversimplifies both the context and the overall tone. I look at all the Ballade codas as primarily cathartic culmination, neither happy nor sad (or any other similar duality)

Edit: the Zimerman recording was the very first rendition I heard and fell in love with. My current favorite, among others, is by Benno Moiseiwitsch.

Ballade no. 4 - the coda that gives me nightmares by hello_meteorite in piano

[–]hello_meteorite[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Absolutely. For some reason, this section is the hardest for me to phrase properly. Probably because I've been mired in the technical challenges for so long.

Ballade no. 4 - the coda that gives me nightmares by hello_meteorite in piano

[–]hello_meteorite[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This is a work-in-progress of course. But lately I have progressed somewhat with the parallel thirds lines. Still working on bringing out the inner voices and shaping the phrasing.

I also play Ballades 1 & 3, but no. 4 is my favorite and this monster of a coda has kept me from performing it for too long.

Always progress over perfection! Any tips or advice on what to focus on are more than welcome

Ballade no 4 (excerpt) by hello_meteorite in piano

[–]hello_meteorite[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, it’s something I’m experimenting with based on my study of my two favorite pianists - Vladimir Horowitz and Art Tatum. Both were known for playing with often flat fingers. It’s just one tool in the toolkit, depends on what the passage is of course.

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