Tag Archives: lessons

Video Lang Lang Plays Live Solo Piano Performance – Chopin Valse Brilliante

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A great live video of Lang Lang performing Chopin’s Waltz Brilliante Op. 34, No. 1 in A Flat Major.

Lang Lang was born in 1982 in Shenyang China. He is a concert pianist and lives in New York City. He has performed with many orchestras throughout Europe, the U.S., and in China. He is very well known for his live concerts, T.V. appearances, albums, and film soundtracks. Lang Lang began piano lessons at the age of three. At the age of five, he won a first place award at his first public piano recital. Lang says that his first exposure to Western music was what made him want to study the piano. His flamboyant style and tremendous keyboard power have garnered both praise and criticism. His performances have been described as; “mastery of the piano”, “dazzling technique and charism”, “soggy rhythms and heavy phrasing”, “truly boring”, “vulgar and lacking sensitivity”. Lang Lang has also spent much time encouraging young musicians and children to learn about classical music. Lang Lang has said that his mission is to bring classical music all around the globe.

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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 – Abdullah Ibrahim Plays Jazz Piano – Lugano Jazz Festival 1999

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This is a wonderful video of Abdullah Ibrahim playing “Cape Town Flower” from the Lugano Jazz Festival, recorded in Lugano, Switzerland in 1999. His trio playing in this recording is superb, and they are one of the very best groups he has performed with. I love listening to Abdullah Ibrahim. He is a superb pianist and composer. His music is so diversified, with major influences from his native Cape Town, South Africa, and more from musicians from all over the world. His playing is a rich composite of elements from Jazz, Blues, and Ethnic African music.

Born in 1932 in Cape Town, South Africa, Abdullah Ibrahim began his musical journey early on. He was eager to take piano lessons at the age of 7. He studied recordings of Jazz music brought over by American sailors. His professional career began in 1949. He later moved to Europe, New York City, and then back to Cape Town for a while.

Much of his music revolves around musical memories from his childhood. Distinct features of African, Gospel, and Blues, are the foundation of his unique Jazz sound. Thelonius Monk and Duke Ellington were strong contributors to the sound he has created.

Learning to play improvisation has much to do with listening to and hearing what other musicians have done. I teach piano in Portland, Oregon. When my piano students express an interest in studying Jazz or Blues Piano, I often suggest Abdullah Ibrahim as someone to study. His music is accessible compared to most mainstream Jazz. Piano students will find it easier to understand. Abdullah Ibrahim has recorded many albums, and has contributed immensely to the world of Jazz piano history.

Some of Abdullah Ibrahim Best Albums
Banyana
Anatomy Of A South African Village
African Sun
African Suite – For Trio And String Orchestra
African Marketplace
African Magic
Africa – Tears And Laughter
African Dawn

more on Abdullah Ibrahim

norah Jones playing sunrise live in amsterdam

Video – Norah Jones on Piano Playing Sunrise – Live from Amsterdam

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A great video of Norah Jones and her band playing “Sunrise” live from Amsterdam in 2007. Norah plays piano and sings.

Norah Jones is one of the most celebrated and accomplished artists of the day. Famous for her lovely voice and wonderful piano playing, her recordings have made her and overnight sensation. Billboard magazine named her the top Jazz artist for the 2000-2009 decade.

Jones started her professional singing career in 2002, and immediately she was recognized as an extremely talented singer and performer. She started singing in church and taking piano lessons as a child. Norah Jones sang in the High School choir and joined a band. At the University of North Texas, she studied jazz piano and sang with the UNT Jazz Singers group. She then returned to New York City and started a band with Jesse Harris, whom she had begun collaborating with. Her music has been greatly influenced by Billie Holiday and Bill Evans. Norah Jones also writes songs, plays guitar, and has acted in several movies.

Some of most popular songs are:
The Nearness of You
Don’t Know Why
Don’t Miss You at All
I Think It’s Going to Rain Today
Sinkin’ Soon
Cry Me a River

more about Norah Jones

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Studies Show Piano Lessons Can Increase Your IQ At Any Age

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Piano teachers have known for years, that children who take piano lessons or keyboard lessons, do significantly better in school. Now, new research has validated this.

Many people think of IQ as a genetic trait you’re born with it. However, research is now showing that a person’s IQ can rise and fall over the years. IQ Scores can change gradually or quickly, after as little as a few weeks of cognitive training. In one study, IQ scores increased as much as 15% or more for some students.

Recent studies by several researchers have made a connection between music lessons and IQ level. The most pronounced results were in younger people. According to research by E. Glenn Schellenberg, psychology professor at the University of Toronto at Mississauga, music lessons are linked to higher IQ throughout life. He states that six years of music lessons increased children’s IQ scores an average 7.5 points.

In a 2011 study, researchers at the University of Kansas found that practicing musicians who are active for a decade or more continue to post higher IQs beyond age 60. A score in the 90 to 110 range is considered average. A “genius” may score 140 and above. A person’s IQ score fluctuate over their lifetime and is influenced by complex musical training, jobs, advanced schooling experiences, and new experiences. It has been discovered that learning new tasks stimulates the brain the most.

People can take practical steps to increase their long term improvements to IQ. People whose work involves complex relationship or problem solving perform better long term on cognitive tests. Peoples whose jobs little thought will experience declining IQ scores. A 30-year study at the National Institute of Mental Health found that people whose work involves complex relationships, setting up elaborate systems or dealing with people or difficult problems, tend to perform better over time on cognitive tests. Test scores of people whose jobs are simple and require little thought actually tend to decline, according to the research.

from the WSJ