Tag Archives: keyboard

Video – Keith Jarrett Piano Solo – Danny Boy – Tokyo 2002

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Here is a video of Keith Jarrett playing a piano solo of Danny Boy, originally known as Londonderry Air. This performance is from a live concert in Tokyo, Japan in 2002. Londonderry Air is an old English song that has been modernized in recent decades. It is a simple song, but Jarrett creates a deeper and more emotional performance by using many chord substitutions.

Keith Jarrett is known for his mastery of the piano keyboard. His expressive and beautiful piano playing is also deepened by his remarkable improvisations skills and superb melodic and chord variations. Keith Jarrett began playing piano before he was three years old. By the age of five, he was already taking piano lessons. Jarrett is known for his classical recordings and many jazz and blues performances as both solo and trio player. Jarrett’s remarkable music talent is unmatched today by any other pianist in the jazz and blues idiom.

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Video – Randy Newman Sings and Plays Piano Louisiana 1927

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Randy Newman sings and plays piano in this live video of a performance in Stuttgart, Germany 2006. “Louisiana 1927” was written and recorded by Newman in 1974 and tells the story of the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. The flood devastated Louisiana and left 700,000 people homeless. In this recording, Randy’s keyboard playing and voice combine to make a beautiful and powerful performance.

Randy Newman is an American, singer, songwriter, pianist, composer, and arranger. He has written countless songs and scored the soundtrack to over two dozen films. His style of writing satirical and sarcastic lyrics is unique and has gained him many loyal followers during his long career.

Newman was born in Los Angeles, California in 1943. When he was a youngster, his family moved to New Orleans where he stayed until he was 11. Newman took piano lessons as a child at the age of 6, and again at the age of 16. He became a professional songwriter at the age of 17. His music was greatly influenced by Ray Charles. After Hurricane Katrina, Newman’s recording of “Louisiana 1927” became extremely popular, and was played repeatedly on American radio and television.

Randy Newman has received 20 Academy Awards and has won twice. Newman also garnered 15 Oscar nominations with one win. He has also received 3 Emmys, 5 Grammys and many other acknowledgements from the industry. Randy Newman has made a long and lasting contribution to American music and film.

Some of Randy Newman’s Albums
Randy Newman (1968)
12 Songs (1970)
Randy Newman Live (1971)
Sail Away (1972)
Good Old Boys (1974)
Little Criminals (1977)
Born Again (1979)

Some of Randy Newman’s Film Scores
Performance (1970)
Cold Turkey (1971)
Ragtime (1981)
The Natural (1984)
¡Three Amigos! (1986)
Parenthood (1989)
Major League (1989)
Awakenings (1990)
Avalon (1990)
The Paper (1994)
Maverick (1994)
Toy Story (1995)
James and the Giant Peach (1996)
Michael (1996)
Bean (1997)

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Video – Beginner Classical Piano – Minuet in G – Johann Sebastian Bach

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This video is of the Minuet in G by Johann Sebastian Bach. It comes from a songbook called the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach, that Bach had written for his wife.

Beginner piano lessons start off with learning to read music. Once students have achieved some basic skill, we begin looking at the wide variety of styles and pieces that they might like to try. Classical music is a great introduction and Bach is a good choice in learning to play piano and keyboards. The Minuet in G is often the first true classical piece that my students play. It’s a great place to begin.

Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer of the Baroque period, and played organ, harpsichord, violin, and viola. He wrote sacred and secular pieces for orchestra, choirs, and solo instruments. He is well known for his unparalleled mastery of contrapuntal technique and his complex use of rhythms and textures in his music. His music was heavily influenced by composers from France and Italy. Some of his well known works include; Brandenburg Concertos, the Goldberg Variations, St John Passion, the Cello Suites, and Toccata and Fugue in D minor

Bach was highly regarded as an organist all throughout Europe. Bach was a prodigious composer. He wrote and arranged hundreds of pieces. His notoriety as a composer was later acknowledged in the beginning of the 19th century and he is now considered one of the most accomplished composers of all time.

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Video – Mary Lou Williams – Fabulous Solo Blues Piano – 1980

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Here is a wonderful video of Mary Lou Williams playing a great solo blues piece in 1980 at the age of 70. Her playing exhibits strongly developed blues melodies coupled with a beautiful stride left hand.

Piano legend Mary Lou Williams (May 8, 1910 – May 28, 1981) was an American Jazz piano player, composer, and arranger. She composed hundreds of pieces and arrangements and recorded more than 100 records. She composed music and did arrangements for the bands of Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman. Among her acquaintances were Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, and numerous other artists.

Williams was born in Atlanta Georgia. She never took piano lessons, but taught herself how to play. By the age of six, she was already helping to support her family by playing piano at parties. Remarkably, by seven, she has already begun her professional career. By her teens, she was already well known as a performer. At the age of 15, she began playing concerts with Duke Ellington. She impressed everyone around her with her mastery of the keyboard. Famous for her stride piano, Mary Lou Williams’s superb agility on the keyboard brought her great recognition with her peers and fans alike. Her career spanned over 70 years. She recorded with many famous artists, and performed at countless concerts and jazz festivals. Other famous stride piano artists are James P. Johnson, Fats Waller, Art Tatum and Willie “The Lion” Smith.

Some Mary Lou Williams Recordings
The Circle Recordings
1944-1945
Solo Recital (Montreux Jazz Festival 1978 – Live)
My Mama Pinned a Rose on Me
Free Spirits
Zoning

more about Mary Lou Williams

Video – Boogie Woogie Blues Piano by Silvan Zingg

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Here’s a video of Silvan Zingg and his band playing his composition “Silvan’s Night Train Trip”. Enzo Muci is on Bass and Michel Denis on drums. This is a very typical Boogie Woogie style. Silvan Zingg is a Swiss pianist, specializing in Boogie Woogie, Blues and Jazz. In 2002 he created the International Boogie Woogie festival located in Lugano, Switzerland. Zingg was born in a musical family and was already playing piano before he started school. He has performed all over the world, having given his first concert at the age of 18. He has performed with Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, B.B.King, Michel Petrucciani, and many other artists.

Blues Piano is very popular today. At my piano lessons studio, here in Portland, many of my students love learning to play Blues Piano. Students who have basic reading and playing skills can learn to play Blues on piano or keyboard. We start with the basics of a 12 bar blues, the chord progression and the blues scale. Although there is sheet music of blues songs, our focus is to learn to play blues completely by ear. We do this by listening to blues, working on developing good melodies and rhythmic elements, and trying out different improvisational techniques. I provide all the direction. Students only need to play and have fun. Blues can be played on either an acoustic piano or keyboard. Compared to the time it takes to master classical music, players can start sounding very good playing blues in much less time.

There are many styles of Blues Piano, including Boogie Woogie, Swing, Jazz, R&B, Rock and Roll, New Orleans, Barrelhouse, and Chicago. Most blues is played in a 12 bar pattern, although there are variations using 16 bars and even styles of blues waltz in 3/4 time.

Here are some well known traditional blues artists:

Albert Ammons
Leroy Carr
Ray Charles
James Crutchfield
Charles “Cow Cow” Davenport
Blind John Davis
Fats Domino
Champion Jack Dupree
Cecil Gant
Dr John
Henry Gray

more about Silvan Zingg