Welcome to Classical Music Guide
NEW! Classical Music Videos
Classical Music In Article
George Winston and New Age Piano Playing
Edward Weiss
The first time I heard George Winston play back in the early 1980's I was blown away. I didn't know why I liked this music. All I knew was that it made me feel good and that was enough. I didn't even play piano back then but something about this music seeped into me almost haunting me. The way he let the notes ring out and wasn't concerned with pop flavorings. A new sound for the time.
When I began to play piano, I wanted to know how he did it. How did he create this music? I read somewhere that his method was to create the chords first, then improvise a melody over them. Great, but what chords and how do you know where and when to play them?
I then realized that George wasn't really doing anything radically different than most classical composers who think in sections. Composing is all about using the techniques of repetition and contrast. Now in most of Winston's music, there is a lot of repetition going on with the contrast coming from the melody. The chords are repeated in certain patterns, the melody played on top, but there still is a framework operating here.
For example, if we take 8 measures of music and call it a (A) section, we have composed. We have taken chords, put them into some kind of order (no matter how tightly or loosely) and have composed. It takes a certain skill to keep the music fresh after a certain number of repetitions. This skill has to be practiced. It can not be taught. This is a doing operation. You can listen to music, but to learn improvisation and composition, you must do it.
Now the secret is this: You may repeat a section as many times as your interest remains with the music. As soon as you become bored in your improvising, so will the listener. For most, having one section isn't enough therefore we bring in the (B) section. This could be anything from 4 to 8 bars of new material. This new material is also repeated and eventually we return to the (A) section. When you start to think in sections, you can unlock the mystery of most music.
About the Author
Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years! Visit us now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!
Classical Music In News
Classical Music - Boston Globe
BOSTON SYMPHONY CHAMBER PLAYERS Principals of the BSO come together for chamber works by Rossini and Brahms as well as a wind quintet by Ingolf Dahl and one by Steven Mackey called "Never Sing Before Breakfast." Jan. 11 at 3 p.m., $18 - $32, Jordan ...
Read more...Will classical music make your kid smarter? - Orange County Register
It seems that I am guilty of a crime. I played Mozart for my son when he was a baby and toddler. Also Beethoven, Schubert, Rossini and others. According to a recent article in The New Yorker on over-parenting, I crossed the line. "Most of us have ...
Read more...Classical Music - our picks for 2009 - Times Online
What I call “curator mentality” - an urge to repackage the old, rather than championing the new - is a powerful factor in the classical music and opera worlds at any time. Next year it's likely to be overwhelming. What may tip the balance is the ...
Read more...Britt Classical Festival 2009 - Medford Mail Tribune
When Friday, July 31, comes around this summer the Britt Orchestra will take the stage at the Britt Pavilion in Jacksonville for the start of the 47th annual Classical Festival. Peter Bay returns for his 17th season as music director and conductor ...
Read more...Swaranjali to music legend - Times of India
MUMBAI: Luminaries from the field of Hindustani classical music will gather in the city on January 8 to pay their annual tribute to renowned vocalist Pt Jitendra Abhisheki. The composer-singer, who passed away in 1998, was a fine blend of the Gwalior ...
Read more...Home news Local News Marrying music and films - North Bay Nugget
Feb. 6, 4:30 p.m. at the Capitol Centre — A free discussion will be held on the benefits of collaboration between filmmakers and musicians. Feb. 14, 7:30 p.m. at the Capitol Centre — The North Bay Symphony Orchestra will perform live to the top ...
Read more...