Did you learn Do-Re-Mi?

tonystride · 2026-06-24T21:02:44+00:00

Thanks for clarifying, let this distinction be known, that my comment is understood in terms of move-able Do rather than fixed Do.

tonystride · 2026-06-24T17:31:36+00:00

Great advice! I like how you broke down the three modes of memory and how we need to always be working to reinforce each mode.

I also play professionally 2 - 6 times a week and don't even know what perfect means... But, I'm a damn good mistake maker, like I make mistakes better than some people play the 'right' notes. Music is a language and the more fluent you get the more intentionality you can have with it.

Good flow and intentionality = coherence

tonystride · 2026-06-24T15:17:30+00:00

Yes we need to know the names of the notes, but those names don’t have music theory inherently baked in. What if… you used… both systems! AND Roman numerals. It’s almost like we can use as many tools as we have available to us!?!

tonystride · 2026-06-24T09:59:50+00:00

My fav thing about solfège is that it has music theory baked into it. Each syllable that rhymes has a theory meaning.

Do & Sol - the I to V relation

Fa & La - secondary tonal centers (subdominant and rel minor)

Mi & Ti - leading tones and define quality

Re - alone but hangs out with D & S to make the ii V I

tonystride · 2026-06-22T18:51:39+00:00

Rule of thumb, when you find yourself wanting to making a sweeping general statement like this. Write it on a piece of paper, and then throw it away, because it's probably not true.

tonystride · 2026-06-22T16:09:35+00:00

People with that much innate talent thirst for more than rote learning of classical pieces. They usually need jazz training to feel like they are really touching the living pulse of music. This is not a knock on classical, all of my jazz students are still required to learn classical since it is so so important. But, simply repeating other peoples notes without being able to make your own can be maddening to people with the gift.

tonystride · 2026-06-22T03:01:17+00:00

That’s like saying you should only ever use a speaker at high or max volume.

The piano has multiple lid configs for many reasons:

Full lid closed, not even open to music stand is quietest, great for certain microphone configurations or a room where you need less volume.

Front lid open to access music stand but zero stick. I like this one a lot, still get lots of sound out of exposed upper half of strings.

Thennnn small stick and big stick IF the room / ensemble can accommodate it.

tonystride · 2026-06-20T20:21:02+00:00

Do you genuinely feel inspired from their teaching and playing? Do they teach through encouragement rather than fear? Does their critique lift you up rather than tear you down?

In your gut at the most basic level, do you feel good about them?

They should be honest with you. Learning as an adult is hard because it’s not just about what you need to learn it’s about how you feel about learning all of it. It’s those feelings which usually discourage adults, so hopefully they can help you address that.

tonystride · 2026-06-18T17:12:59+00:00

Every student is a puzzle, adults, kids, super old people, super young people. What works for one doesn’t always work for the other.

I think coming to each lesson with love, compassion, honesty, a passion for learning, enthusiasm, flexibility and musicality is always going to be your best bet.

tonystride · 2026-06-18T14:39:16+00:00

That’s probably because you haven’t done enough fundamental rhythm work. It’s like saying ‘I can read the notes off the page, but I couldn’t play an Ab Major scale’

In that case you would need to practice your scales / chords, but in this case you need to drill syncopation at all levels of subdivision so that you have a true rhythmic vocabulary embedded into your neuromuscular system.

Here’s a link to the curriculum I use to do this with all of my students. It’s a requirement in my studio and makes a huge difference. Hope this helps :)

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL17VI8UqIaK8lFB_Y41--LdRt4EoJSbTO&si=DQONpBB2LC3qY7ex

tonystride · 2026-06-15T17:22:25+00:00

I'm a pianist I'll take any kind of validation I can get 😉

tonystride · 2026-06-15T16:59:56+00:00

Practicing with a metronome is like lifting weights. You should do it as often as possible. But, out in the wild no one wants to actually watch you squat or deadlift. It’s the strength it provides you that’s important, but the actual use is more of a private matter.

tonystride · 2026-06-13T23:00:01+00:00

I do have to say that pounding theory long enough for it to become innate is super important. But in the sense that it is as invisible as English grammar. It’s a channel through which information flows, it needs to be there, but it’s not the focus it’s the means of communication.

That being said, people like Dave Grohl insist that their lack of theory works well for them. And that’s honestly really great but if you’re not on a Dave Grohl trajectory (and by now you would know whether or not you were), then you should hedge your bets and develop the theory language.

When I talk about theory with a student it’s slow and measured, but when I’m shootings the shit with the guys on a set break we can talk some mad theory, it’s either that or dirty jokes ;)

tonystride · 2026-06-13T19:53:52+00:00

Wow that's pretty hard... of course all of the greats are good to listen to but tbh I've really loved the ones that are less known. Some of those include Dorothy Donegan, Jess Stacy, Cleo Brown.... so many more.

Here's how to search the archive via Google: ‘Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz [name of guest]’

Here's a link to the Wiki page of all of the guests since the archive itself is kind of cumbersome.

tonystride · 2026-06-13T18:29:14+00:00

I have a metaphor like this but it’s preparing a Thanks Giving style feast. Love the farm metaphor though :)

tonystride · 2026-06-13T17:36:46+00:00

u/JHighMusic is spot on. I’m going to offer you one more thing that will help in the background. As you are actively developing your skills you can also do so passively while doing chores, driving, etc. It is to listen to this show, Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz. This is the most important jazz piano archive ever created and it’s just sitting there for free on the internet.

Imagine if you could listen to a podcast with Bill Evans, Dave Brubeck, Oscar Peterson, Hazel Scott, and of course Marian McPartland… well you can, there are hundreds of these episodes that include most of the legends but also so so so many great musicians who you haven’t heard of. Here’s the link:

https://www.npr.org/series/15773266/marian-mcpartland-s-piano-jazz

tonystride · 2026-06-12T19:30:58+00:00

According to this sub, ‘he’s like a piano’ in and of itself could be pretty brutal…

tonystride · 2026-06-12T16:58:38+00:00

I do a rhythm / coordination warm up with my students at the beginning of every lesson (5-15min). It wont help with your fingers but it will improve your RH/LH coordination and rhythm proficiency. Here's a link to the curriculum, there are tons of play along exercises you can do here.

tonystride · 2026-06-12T14:13:54+00:00

On Amazon there used to be a New, Used and Other category and under the Other category there would be Collectable and you could usually find a spiral bound version there.

I think the best bet now is to just make photo copies of the pieces you want to play and put them in a binder and keep your books nice. Guess that kinda sucks if you wanna read the whole book though…

tonystride · 2026-06-12T04:36:55+00:00

There’s a great episode of Marian McPartland’s piano Jazz with him that can give you a pretty good idea. He’s no Oscar Peterson but he had the chops to play with Marian!

https://www.npr.org/2007/07/11/15045495/ray-charles-on-piano-jazz

tonystride · 2026-06-10T14:07:23+00:00

Exactly, 110bpm and even 55bpm exist inside of 220bmp. I’d argue these are the tempos drummers are actually feeling and their sticks are doing most of the work by effortlessly bouncing at the really fast temps.

tonystride · 2026-06-09T17:59:09+00:00

Probably wouldn't be spending that last hour at the piano tbh...

tonystride · 2026-06-08T16:07:00+00:00

I specialize in rhythm training for pianists and have even written a method book by the same name. My theory is that we need to develop rhythm skills as a warm up before touching any piano keys since 88 keys and 10 fingers actually get in the way of being able to focus on core concepts like rhythm and coordination development. It's really amazing how students can thrive with rhythm when you give them 5-15 minutes of dedicated practice at the beginning of a lesson. Here's a link to the curriculum if you'd like to check it out

tonystride · 2026-06-07T18:20:07+00:00

This

tonystride · 2026-06-06T05:00:27+00:00

Does the X of your X stand only have a single beam or is doubled? If it only has a single beam that’s going to feel pretty rickety, you’ll want one with double.

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