How to Use the Metronome

It's a little soft, but here's a neat tutorial on how to use the metronome (you know, that ticking device your teacher tells you to use but everyone hates). More importantly, this guy talks about why we should use the metronome and why we should play steadily.

As a bonus, he talks about the history of metronome.

His hair's pretty wild, eh? Reminds me of another musician I know.

Learning Rock Grooves from Willie

Summertime is the perfect time to learn a few pop and rock grooves and licks! Even during the school year, I hop onto Youtube to listen to a few grooves for piano or cajón for choir. Here's a place I found recently.

Willie offers online lessons but he also has some free video tutorials on his website and his Youtube Channel.

Check out Rock Groove #2. It's pretty neat:

I like how he gives you ideas to vary the pattern.

Give it a try!  Have fun.

How Pianos are Made

When I was visiting Michael Lipnicki's Fine Pianos in the spring, I learned that pianists know the least about their instrument. I'd have to agree. Some things, you learn with years of lessons and performing, but with over 12,000 parts - there's a lot to know! The very first session I attended at the 2013 CFMTA Music Inspires Convention was The Physical Piano by Katharina Normandeau. That was only the tip of the iceberg.

Earlier this week, I attended a session at Steinway Pianos of Calgary. What I loved is that we got to stick our hands in and (gently) check out some of those 12,000 parts.

Interesting tidbits I learned:

• the inside of the grand piano must sustain over 20 tonnes of pressure from the strings (some sources say 30).

• the piano rims have to cure for months

• wood grain does affect tone

• the piano contains 10,000 moving parts

• the piano construction has to take into account the dynamic nature of steel (which changes with temperature fluctuations) and wood (which changes with humidity fluctuations).

• double escapement looks really cool close up

You can check out my Look Inside the Piano photo album here.

Another area of interest is piano construction, especially, outside-in versus inside-out construction. Does it make a difference? I think this is something people will debate about.

Instead, I will share with you some interesting videos for you to check out. Try not to mind the marketing slant. They all do things a little differently, so they are trying to maximize their competitive edge:

Making of the C. Bechstein Piano (12-part series):

Making of a Steinway Piano:

Yamaha Factory Tour

If you can, schedule some time (or ask your piano teacher to organize and event) at your local piano dealer. It's one thing to see a video but it's much better to see this up close.

Actually, if you have the time and the inkling, visit more than one piano dealer. I will be taking my students to visit the other showrooms as well.

"Why?" you ask? Each piano is unique. Each dealer, like teachers, is unique. Pianos are a huge investment, so you want to find the right fit for you and your family.

And, if you're blessed to be in a city that has a piano factory - book a tour! I know that when I finally make it to Japan, I will ask my contacts with Yamaha, Steinway (which also produce the Boston and Essex pianos) and Roland to book factory tours.Thankfully, they're all in the same area - Hamamatsu.

Playing Ensemble Music for Pleasure

You're all probably familiar with this image: cooped up in your practice room, staring at the clock and trying to decide just how unproductive you can be in your allotted practice time. Or this image: You're frantically racing to get your repertoire or technical exercises to a passable state for your upcoming exam or music festival.

Well, how about just playing for fun? With a friend? Or two or three? 

One of my music colleagues and fellow "tech teacher", Kevin Thompson of White Rock, BC, has a delightful collection of piano duets and trios on his Youtube Channel. There's a neat mix of different styles, from Baroque to Latin and from Classical to rock. It's worth checking out to get some ideas of music to play with friends and members of your family.

I leave you with Total Eclipse(which I think my students would love to play).

Exploring Online Discussion Forums for Music Teachers

Online discussion forums and groups are a great way for solopreneurs to brainstorm and troubleshoot with colleagues. Think of them as virtual coffee rooms or water cooler areas.

My first introduction to online music teacher groups was the Canadian Piano Pedagogy Group. Shortly thereafter, I joined a couple of music teacher groups on LinkedIn.

These days, I've been more active in two groups. The first is the Alberta Piano Teachers' Association's Facebook Group (APTA). The second is worldwide - The Art of Piano Pedagogy. 

What I like about these groups is that they aren't limited to where I teach. APTA's FB group has over 70 members from across Alberta, while The Art of Pedagogy has over 3,100 members worldwide. There are variances to how each city state or town, province or state, country or continent tackles the art of music teaching.

By plugging into these groups and into this "world brain" of music education knowledge, music teachers young and old can draw upon this highly dynamic library. Not only that, just like another famous online community that I am part of, these groups also provide encouragement and support when teachers are going through challenging times or life transitions.

If you are feeling a little isolated (which is common for any solopreneur), or you feel like you need to re-energize your teaching without having to travel far, online discussion groups are a great way to go. The solopreneur does not have to be alone!