This week we’re going to look into some tips on how to improve your technical agility. One of the main abilities a musician must have is to have command of the technical aspects of his/her instrument.

Tip #1: Play everything slowly

“Slow is the same as fast”. Maybe you’ve heard of that phrase. I’d like to interpret it as understanding that all movements that you make while playing rapid passages must have the same relaxed feeling as though you were playing slowly. What better way to do that than practicing slowly?

You’ll have to practice slowly and do NOT increase the tempo at any time! Breathe relaxed, concentrate but don’t let your muscles stressed or tight in any way. Practicing slowly give you a chance to hear the music exactly, listen intensively and therefore make your brain learn it “inside-out”.

Tip #2: Concentrate on problem areas

Learn to isolate difficult passages. Listen into them. Figure them out harmonically, mechanically and rhythmically. After your practiced the difficult passage, connect it back to the music a few measure before and after. This way you are “de-isolating” the passage back into the music.

Tip #3: Remember, it’s about making music

Once a new student came to me for lessons and played a few things for me that he’d been practicing up to that point. He commenced to play an exercise in a very technical, non-emotional fashion. I stopped him and asked why he has played like that. He answered, “Well, it’s just a technical exercise. It has nothing to do with music.”

So, I said, “OK, so throw it in the trash!” The point here is that we have to understand something. We play a musical instrument. We do it to play/perform music with it. In order to get the best performances out of ourselves on a consistent basis, we have to “practice performing”. So it is imperative that every time we practice, we should make music.

If something has NOTHING to do with music, we shouldn’t practice it. Think about it. When you practice your major scales, why do you do it? Possible answer are “To better my technique”, “To gain mastery of my instrument”, “to learn to hear the major key”, “to improve my intonation” , etc.

Such answer as “because it’s my homework” or “because my teacher said so” are weak answers and they are NOT going to inspire us to make good music. We need better answers. If an exercise is boring you, ask yourself “Why am I practicing this?”

Look for an answer that is going to motivate you! If you don’t come up with one, LOOK for one! Call a friend, ask your teacher, send ME an email! Do something! Give yourself good reasons and the HOW will take care of itself.

Tip #4: Practice with rhythmic variations

If you’re practicing even scale material, instead of repeating an exercise over and over again the same way (and possibly boring yourself), try playing it with different rhythms.

For example, I’m playing:

1. C – D – E – F – G – F – E – D – C. All eights. Play it 3 times.
2. Then play it as a dotted eighth and sixteenth rhythm. (Or swing eighths) 3 times
3. Then play it as a sixteenth and a dotted eight rhythm (reverse swing) 3 times
4. Then play one group of eight note triplets and a quarter note. 3 times
5. Then the opposite – a quarter note then a group of eighth-note triplets. 3 times
6. Then mix this set – 1 group eighth-note triplet, quarter, quarter, eighth-note triplets. 3 times
7. Then the opposite mix – quarter, eighth-note triplets, eighth-note triplets, quarter. 3 times
8. Then play the original rhythm from the beginning. 3 times.

What does this do? You’ve played the same exercise 24 times without it getting boring. You’ve learned to hear this combination of notes in different rhythms, which aids you to hear deeper into the notes. The speed of the fingers between the notes has varied, eventually strengthening your technique.

I guarantee that if you practice your technical exercises with this method, you’ll reach desired results faster than you have had in the past. You’ll accomplish a lot more in less time.

Tip #5: Learn how to take a break

Practicing 6 hours a day, 7 days a week can be great if you have time to afford yourself this luxury. If you do, my advice is DON’T DO IT! After spending so much time to learn new techniques, new repertoire, new whatever, you can destroy it all by practicing too much!

The brain can only take in some much information at a time and it does it best “piece by piece”, in small relaxed dosages. Even then, the brain needs a rest. Saxophonist Phil Woods has been said the he always plans a day NOT to practice. This day for him is Sunday. He goes fishing. He even stays away from music on this day.

It’s good advice to follow. Plan a day right now that you will NOT practice. Learn to relax. Do something else on that day.

Evan Tate is a Faculty member at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich, a Julius Keilwerth saxophones endorser, podcaster and author of the book “250 Jazz Patterns” and more. You can contact Mr. Tate at EvanTateMusic.com.

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1. Prepare and rehearse. Know everybody else’s lyrics, so that you can fill in and define parts of the song to get or keep the crowd hyped. Rehearsal is important in order to show that your a professional or on the brink of becoming a pro, you’d got to know where the other person should be onstage.

2. The lead vocalist should almost always take center stage, then move from right to left interacting with the crowd. Always, go center stage when your verse starts this brings the attention to you, especially if you have multiple people on stage.

3. When being the leading vocalist of a song whether it’s a hype song or mellow, use apart of your body to keep the beat or rhythm of the music such as; dancing, moving the mic to the beat, move your hips to the beat, etc…. This shows the crowd your into it, and pulls them into your world.

4. Setting up your song- People want to be able to connect with you as a performer. Talk to them, tell them a short story about yourself that leads up to a song. Either, the story can be funny or serious, as long as it leads into a song that emphasizes the feelings of the story, your audience will be able to connect with you.

5. Have fun- the audience knows when your nervous or having a bad day. Being able to perform in front of people should get you amp’d anyways. But most importantly have fun, show the crowd that your enjoying yourself, and they will enjoy right along with you.

TIPS:

A. Rehearsal is the building block of all performances. It can bring you great ideas and x out the bad ones. Rehearsal is important because it makes your shows tight, meaning like a well taught karate move, you do it without thought or thinking. Rehearsal is the only thing that can make your show cohesive and eliminates the stars from the fakers.

B. Mirrors- If you have the means to do it. Mirrors can be great in fine tuning a act. As in step 1 on this “how to”, in a mirror you can see where everybody is and what there doing when your in the middle of your verse.

C. Back to rehearsals- If you ever get pre-stage jitters rehearsal can fix that. Just when you rehearse imagine yourself and how’d you want to feel in front of a audience, even the nervousness. It will help you cope with.

WARNING

DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT turn your back to the audience unless it’s incorporated in your show plans. If you turn your back it may show that your disinterested in the performance and you may loose touch with your audience.

DO NOT try to get the crowd hype and follow you if the crowd is honestly not feeling you yet. You may totally loose touch and you may be faced with a crowd full of blank stares. Or worse, you may loose your mojo totally and get the infamous booooooooooo…

http://www.lokey210.blogspot.com

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In singing proper breathing support is very important, because it is one of the foundation. Proper support must be observed for you to have quality voice and it makes singing a joy. If you have proper support, in the eyes of the audience the production seems effortless and magical. In this article I’m going to share to you helpful tips and learn to sing with proper breathing support.

Stand Tall

In singing perfect posture is very vital as well as good breath control. In doing this, you have to look at the mirror by standing sideways and observe your posture. You must see to it that your back is as straight as a board.

Shoulder

To have proper breath support, your shoulder should stay down and avoid hunching up every time you breathe. You stand in front of a mirror and watch closely your shoulders and observe. You must focus on your stomach and imagine that the air is going in there.

Tight abs and buttocks

Just like any other weight lifters, singers should also work on their abs and buttocks. Tightening those parts is the most crucial part of support, especially to good vocal production. Your abs and buttocks must remain tight as well as firm every time you are emitting a sound, especially hitting those notes.

Keep your body still

This time observe your entire body and stand in front of the mirror. Stay as still as you can every time you breathe in. Take a very deep breath as you would when you yawn and do not gulp. Do not move also your head, except for opening your mouth. Make it appear in your body movement that you are taking a deep breathe.

Proper breathing support is one aspect in singing that can be developed overnight. I also sometimes have people coming to me asking for a few lessons, learn few tips in singing and improve their singing performance for some audition in the future.

In most cases, the things that they want can all be improved by proper breathing support. And these things include hitting high notes powerfully, large voice range and many others. Personally, I also think that even pitch control can also be improved with better and stronger breathe support.

Proper support also takes time to develop, it does not happen instantly. This support makes vocal product very smooth and easy, and it makes your voice seems like it is floating and soaring.

With proper support you can do things that at first you imagine would be impossible or difficult to do. You just have to take the time and make extra effort to learn proper breathe support.

In doing this proper breathe support, constant practice is also the key. It pays to practice in front of the mirror everyday and in no time you’ll have the kind of voice you dream of. Proper breathe support also avoids straining your voice and your larynx. It is one of the basic in singing and is therefore very important.

About the Author: Get tips on how to learn to sing here! Click to get vocal training online.

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So your friends have been telling you that you are a talented and good singer. You have a rich clear singing voice, a unique performing style and that you could even make it to the finals of the American Idol show or the singing idol contest of whichever country that you are in.

You are basking with joy with all these compliments pertaining to your singing ability and is toying with the idea of becoming a professional singer, but you do know that to break into the music and entertainment industry is a very stormy ride. So the question is how are you going to become a successful professional singer and to be a good one at that?

First of all, let us be realistic. Making the all important transition from an amateur to a professional in any field can be a daunting task and even more so in a the entertainment industry like singing or acting.

By having a good singing voice and vocal talent do not necessarily mean that you can make the cut. Have I surprised you?

Ok, just take a look at major singing contests like the American Idol for instance. There are many contestants who have fantastic singing voices and talent that can make many professional singers blush with embarrassment and yet, they don’t even make it to the finals of their respective contests. Why is that so?

Singing for fun with friends at a karaoke bar, a local jam club or in your church choir is a far cry from performing on stage professionally and getting paid for it. There are so many other factors to consider and to master other than just being able to sing well.

Most people just thought that by having a good voice, an accurate pitch and being able to stay in time to the rhythm are all it take to be a successful singer. Well, this may land you a gig or two, but not enough to go big!

So what does it actually take to be a good and successful professional singer? Needless to say, the first thing that you have to master is your voice quality. You may think that your voice quality may be excellent or even your friends think so, but do understand that it may not be the case and is usually not the case albeit with some exceptions!

Forgive me for bringing back the American Idol analogy again. Thousands of aspiring American Idol wannabes auditioned every year for a chance to become the celebrated winner of the country’s most watched singing talent show, right? Then let me ask you a question. Weren’t you laughing till your belly ache at the antics of thousands of those American idols wannabes in the early stages of the competitions?

You did, didn’t you? I’ll bet you agree with me that many of the contestants can’t even hold a proper note, not to say they sing atrociously, right? Then what on earth make them think that they can win the nation’s most prestigious singing contest? I hope I have made my point.

The reason is simple. They must be thinking that they have fantastic voices and all their friends must have been telling how them how great singers they are or how else would they have the gumption to think that they could have a chance of being the American Idol unless they are off their rockers?

This brings us to the stark reality that it would be useless to try and make it as a professional singer if you can’t sing well. Period! So the first thing to become a good professional singer is to develop your voice quality!

Don’t you ever make the mistake of asking family and friends to give you an honest appraisal of your singing because they won’t want to hurt your feelings by giving any negative comments. Even if they are honestly frank about their opinions, what do they know about professional singing in the first place? Ask those American Idols who were knocked out in the auditions and you will know what I mean.

Don’t even ask Simon Crowell for that matter as he will give you a comment that will probably bury any of your singing ambition forever. Just check with anyone whom you don’t know well but are well qualified to give you an objective and professional opinion.

To be a successful professional singer you must master the way you present yourself to your audience. This is crucial to how you will be perceived and received by the listening public. Like in any profession, if you don’t look presentable you will not be taken seriously.

If you sing in a rock band where jeans and T-shirt are appropriate, then make sure they are clean, fit you well and make you look as though you are indeed fired up about what you’re doing.

The same can be said if you are performing a club or cabaret act, your attire and deportment should be immaculate. Common sense, you say? You would be surprised how many so called singers lack these basic “common sense”.

If you are using sheet music and are working with live musicians, do make sure that you have professional arrangements for all the musicians. This is critical. You do not want to be messed up by other people making you sound bad although you are singing very well!

The next thing you must look into is your presentation and performing material. This may seem obvious but there is no use singing the wrong songs to the wrong audience. C’mon buddy, you can’t be singing gospel to a bunch of roughneck bikers in an outdoor rock concert, can you? But these kind of things do happen, very often because the singers have limited repertoire, limited style of music and songs or worse, are completely unprepared! This is absolutely inexcusable for a professional singer!

As a good professional singer, you must be able to present yourself to an audience.This means you have to speak to them and show your personality. I have personally seen many good singers who can whip up the audience into exciting frenzies without any problems but when asked to talk, lost all confidence and don’t know what to say. They just simply went blank and start to stutter on stage!

I mean look at all the great singers from Frank Sinatra to Michael Buble or even Madonna, all of them, without fail can speak so eloquently when interviewed on stage even when the interviews were on impromptu basis!

You must know that you are a performer entertainer first and then a singer. Good singing only make up about 40% of your performance with 35% on presentation and the other 25% on your personality and that is why your whole act must be well rehearsed, including introducing yourself as well as the songs you are about to sing. Hey, this is showbiz and not your kindergarten poetry reading man!

One way of breaking into professional singing is to do some charity shows. Find out about any local charity events and offer your services free. By doing this, not only are you doing good deeds, you also get the opportunity to gain public performance experience and who knows, may even get noticed by some entertainment venue owners or the local press starts giving you the publicity that you need for your break!

Furthermore, you get to practice in front of a live audience and the audience will be more tolerant if any part of your act goes wrong.

Getting your first paid gig depends on what type of music you want to perform. If you want to be lead singer in a band, a good place to start is to get information from your local music shop. Most of these shops have advertisements looking for singers and musicians to perform gigs and show engagements. They may even provide you studios for free practices and link you up with other musicians if you do not have a band of your own!

So you still want to be a professional singer? Then keep in mind the above pointers and don’t make the mistakes other aspiring singers do.

The American Idol series can provide you with many tricks and tips and you can even learn a lot from the judges’ comments. Do learn from them and you will be on your way to become a great professional singer!

About the Author: Chris Chew is the editor of music education website at Effective Singing Lesson and a relationship consultant at Effective Pick Up Lines

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To sing backup is much harder than it looks. Backup singing requires a great amount of listening and being very sensitive to the main singer, much as an instrumental accompanist would. You must learn to breathe and begin and end your phrase as the main singer does. You must, in effect be the singers shadow.

Hopefully you have some input or control over where you sit or stand on stage. See to it that you can see the singer at all times. The job of backup singing is much harder if you can’t see the singers face. Watch the singer to learn where they are going. The singer will change course or make a mistake and only if you are aware can you react. Watch the singer intently and always. Be on the lookout for a simple nod of the head or gesture that may indicate a repeat or change of course.

Learn to blend your phrasing to the will of the singer. You can start your phrase just behind the singers phrase if you want to blend properly. If you are not sure of how loud they are going to be, start your phrase quietly and raise your level as the phrase develops. Do not pronounce consonants too hard at the start of a melody. Two consonants sung slightly after each other will sound unpleasant and is largely avoidable.

The end of melodies are just as critical as the beginning. As the singer approaches the end of a line, gradually decrease your volume so you can avoid the embarrassment of ending after they do. Listen, watch, blend melodies and you can be a professional backup singer every band would love to have.

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Making music demos is probably the number one way that bands seek to get themselves a record contract. Unfortunately, as is the case with unsolicited manuscripts sent to publishers by aspiring writers, most of these demos will go unnoticed.

The fact is that record company A&R people have a ton of material thrown their way every day and there simply isn’t enough time in the day for them to listen to all of it. When they do listen to demo CD’s sent in by artists, however, there are definite limits to how much time they can be expected to invest.

Demos should essentially give a broad overview of a band, their style and their flexibility in writing and performing music. Each of the CD tracks should be well-produced and have a professional feel. While there is certainly some charm in material that isn’t overly-produced, A&R people need to hear the band unencumbered by poor recording techniques to make a decision as to whether to call the artist or simply toss the CD into the rubbish bin where, sadly, a great many demo CD’s do end up.

Depending on the range of the band, a demo CD should include at least 3 but no more than 5 selections. The three strongest songs a band has should be included on the CD, of course, and should be varied enough to show range and skill on the part of the musicians. Making music demos is as much of an art as is making music in general.

Like a good song, the CD tracks, as a whole, should engage the listener, stick in their mind and complement one another. It’s generally better to have three songs which are somewhat similar in composition, but good, than to have three which are vastly different and show no continuity of sound.

The CD’s tracks should also be selected for length. Having a three song demo where every track is a 10 minute jam band excursion into improvisation defeats the purpose altogether. Generally, A&R people function from the idea that, if something is good, they can tell right away.

Even if they truly like your demo CD, there’s a good chance that they may only listen to one track before deciding to follow through. On demo’s, that first track is of the utmost importance. Make it your strongest one overall.

Where longer demos are concerned, don’t assume that sending five tracks means that the A&R department is going to listen to the entire CD. Making demo CD’s is, essentially, making an advertisement.

Longer advertisements may appeal to people who are already interested in a product but, for those who haven’t been sold yet, they want the advertisement to instantly appeal to their desire to satisfy a need. For record labels, that need is for talented artists who have the potential to sell a lot of product.

If particularly long songs are the norm for you or your band, consider making edited versions for use on demo CD’s. While it may not accommodate the entirety of your artistic vision, there is something to be said for leaving the A&R person wanting more. In fact, when making demo CD’s, that’s the entire point.

Three to five songs of 3 to 4 minutes length is generally ideal. It’s enough to establish that a band is talented and potentially beneficial to a record company and short enough that it doesn’t impose great demands of time upon the A&R person to whom the CD is sent.

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About the Author: Clare Knight is an experienced copywriter who has helped establish a lot of new indie music bands within the uk. Helping a lot of different best new bands

Ever wondered why some singers catapulted to stardom rather quickly, some sparkled, flickered a little and then faded into obscurity while most singers stayed the same for years if not forever at mediocrity level?

Why is it that most singers never make it big in their singing career, not to say becoming superstars? Well, for starters, most singers begin their career as a lounge singer, singing in small clubs and belting out cover versions of established and popular singers. They selection of songs will be dictated by their audiences and so they must cover a wide genre of songs.

At one moment, you can enjoy a Barbara Streisand ballad and then the next song will be a fast Chaka Khan number followed by latin inspired Michael Buble’s ‘Sway’. Yes, it is good to be versatile and able to sing songs of various styles and genre. In fact it is even admirable if you can sing a Celine Dione number and sounded like Celine and then a Frank Sinatra swing sounding like ol’ blue eyes himself.

However, as a famous vocal coach, Brett Manning once said, ‘I have coached dozens of young women who can now sing almost exactly like Celine Dion. But then again, who wants a counterfeit when the real Celine Dion is already available?’ This quote is taken from Brett’s article ‘How to build a successful singing voice’.

In other words, most singers just take it as part of their job to sound like the original cover versions of songs and never try to create a distinctive sound and style of their own. Now, if all singers sounded alike, how would you get noticed and recognized for who you are? How to make it big as a singer when you can only sing other people’s song and imitate other singer’s style of singing?

Let me ask you a question, how many times have you heard a song being sung and immediately able to identify the singer although you have never heard that particular song performed by the singer? Many times isn’t it? Why? Because every prolific singer’s voice and style are like their thumbprint. It is distinguishable from the rest of the pack. That is why they stand out and get noticed.

If you want your singing voice to get noticed and make it big as a singer, develop a distinctive style and voice of your own. After all, you have sung so many singer’s style that you can use these influences to develop your own and stand out from the crowd.

Till next time, happy singing.

About the Author: Chris Chew is a personal development trainer and is still jamming and singing with bands at his leisure. See more articles at his website PlayMusicSing.com.target=”_blank”>LearnSingPlayMusic.blogspot.com

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Do you find it easy to write songs? Too easy? Well, I at least have had a problem with this.

If you would visit our home and my garage you would find a lot of unfinished songs and a lot of manuscript paper with some notes on them showing that I wanted to say something with music but never finished it.

Maybe you always finish your songs, record them or have well documented lists with your songs for easy access. That’s the way I work now but obviously didn’t work before.

Nowadays I have started to realize the importance of finishing songs that I have found enough important to start writing in the first place.

I think it is important for you and me to complete songs we have started to write for the following reasons:

1. It is when songs are complete that other people can benefit from them and you can feel that you have contributed something to the benefit of others and to yourself.

2. It has a positive effect on your subconsious mind to take your composition the whole way to completion. It will give you the realization that you can write songs. It’s that simple!

3. As I mentioned before you will avoid having a lot of unfinished songs hanging around. It can be unfinished recordings or pieces of paper with a few words on them indicating an attempt to create something that probably meant a lot then but now is just words.

If you are signed to a recording company you will be more or less forced to produce things. The product will hopefully be a CD with maybe twelve songs on it and a show for your promotion tour.

It seems like slavery to be forced to produce a product like a CD. But having this obvious goal to work towards and the pressure involved can actually promote creativity.

If you are not signed to a record label you can benefit from working with your songs in a similar way.

1. Set a goal to produce for example three songs and set the prerequisites like writing one love ballad, one uptempo song and a waltz.

2. When you have made the songs record them and burn them on a CD.

3. Learn the songs by heart and sing and play them for your friends.

Doing this will increase your faith in your ability to produce songs and I think you will feel a greater joy and satisfaction in your great enterprise to write songs for the benefit of mankind and, of course, yourself.

Peter Edvinsson is a musician, composer and music teacher. Visit his site Capotasto Music and download your free sheet music and learn to play resources at CapotastoMusic.com

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Knowing how to get your band on at venues is vital if you’re going to get your band heard and seriously market your music. But how do you go about getting someone to book your band when you don’t know where to start?

Here are 5 key tips that will show you how to get gigs. I’ve used them all personally as have other bands and musicians I’ve helped. All five have been repeatedly proven to succeed. They can help you become that most indispensable of musicians – the gig-getter.

1. AGREE ON YOUR GOALS.

Targeting yourself with the ideal number of gigs a month the band would be happy with will keep you focussed and motivated on getting venues to book your band. Agree the minimum price you’ll charge venues.

Consider building a track record by offering “Trial Price” first gigs on the understanding they will be revised (upwards) for further bookings.

2. UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT YOU OFFER.

Find out about your local competition. Research other band’s websites. Go and watch these bands and see how they differ from you. Ask friends for an honest appraisal of your best and worst aspects.

Force yourself to answer the question:

“What’s different/unique about our band?”

3. DON’T CREATE A DEMO OF COMPLETE SONGS.

Make a 5 minute medley of snatches of numbers which best showcase all your strengths.

The demo should sell itself even before it’s been listened to. Include some statement about the covers you play or your genre, a picture of the band, your phone numbers/email address and any testimonials on the CD itself.

4. DRAW UP A LARGE LIST OF TARGET VENUES.

The more venues you approach about gigs, the less important each one will seem and so the less stress you’ll feel when you talk to any one in particular. Getting venues to book your band is a numbers game and the more targets you have the more bull’s eyes you’ll hit.

5. SET A TARGET NUMBER OF VENUES TO CALL EACH WEEK.

Before and during the phone call Concentrate on what you can do for the venue – not what it can do for you. Keep your focus on how having your band on could encourage people to go to their venue and boost their takings.

The more you practise marketing your band to venues, the more gigs you’ll get and the more you’ll get your band heard.

It may take you 20 “Thanks but no thanks” before you get a booking. But with determination you’ll soon have all the work you can handle as well as a growing reputation as an indispensable gig-getting musician.

Gareth Bird is an active semi-pro musician who gigs regularly at venues like the Hard Rock Café and writes for the music press about getting gigs. He has his own Sales & Marketing business advising a number of leading European companies and is the author of “Gig-Getter: How to get more gigs than you can play”.© Visit: Gig-Getter.co.uk.

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If you’re like most people who take piano lessons, you do! Whether you’re young or old or somewhere in between, you aspire to make beautiful music and… right away!

You’ve probably heard the old joke: “How do you get to Carnegie Hall” asks the inquisitive tourist. “Practice, practice, practice!” replies the wise old responder.

But wouldn’t you much prefer to learn the secret to sounding good just for your own satisfaction and enjoyment?

That’s probably why you take piano lessons… However, most piano students forget to pay attention to the very areas that would enable them to sound great!

Do you do one or more of the following?

1. Ignore the timing by not counting or tapping your foot.

2. Play everything at the same volume.

3. Disregard the key signature and just start playing the piece.

4. Use too much pedal.

5. “Type” or bang the keys and disconnect one note from another.

6. Allow the accompaniment (usually the left hand part) to overpower or drown out the melody.

7. Listen to talk radio instead of spending some of your time listening to music.

If you recognized any of the above habits as things you do, congratulations! Now you know why you aren’t sounding like a pro yet.

(Parents: Have you noticed these traits in your children who take lessons?)

Obviously, you want to sound good! (And you parents want your kids to sound good, don’t you?) So instead of treating piano practice like a chore, here are seven ways to start you on the way to Carnegie Hall:

1. Pay attention to the timing: count or tap your foot.

2. Notice the dynamics (indications for differences in volume) and follow them.

3. Look at the key signature before you start to play and mark all of the sharps or flats if you need to.

4. Use the pedal with care. (Pedal changes are often marked in classical pieces, and should be made in songs with each chord change.)

5. Employ correct fingering as you work towards playing smoothly and connected (unless the music asks for staccato: detached playing).

6. Listen for the melody. Can you always hear it while you are playing?

7. Focus on spending some time listening to music every week. (With wonderful tools like iPods, MP3 players and the internet, it’s easy to find recorded versions of the pieces that you play as well as music that motivates and inspires you.)

Give these suggestions a try. Start today. You’ll be surprised at how much better you sound!

Copyright © 2007 by Ed Mascari – EdMascariPianoStudio.com About the Author: Ed Mascari has been teaching piano privately to children and adults for nearly three decades. He is a seasoned performer (pianist/ jazz organist) of show tunes, jazz and popular music as well as a published classical composer and church musician. Go to EdMascariPianoStudio.com for info.

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