When you play the piano or any instrument for that matter, you usually have to follow a set time, for example, you can play in 3/4 time or 4/4 time. This means 3 beats per measure or 4 beats per measure. I call this strict time. You hear it everywhere and is especially adhered to in the West.
When you first start making music don't worry so much about strict time. Instead, think about internal time, or the timing we all have naturally. For example, if you start improvising using two chords you, as the beginner, have to consider certain things such as when to change chords, what melody notes to play and so on. What I'd like you to learn is to trust your internal time first so when it comes time to learn and play in strict time you won't be bound by it.
Most of the music I play is played Rubato (robbed time). This means the music has an elastic feel to it. You can hear this in Sunrise on the Cove from La Jolla Suite. I'm not concerned too much with playing in time because it can become (and usually is) mechanical. The "new age" style of piano playing is usually a rubato style of playing. You can also hear this in the works of Chopin and most of the great composers. They too, weren't too concerned with strict time.
What all this means for you is learning to trust your intuition first. So again, the question arises, "How do I know what to play and when to play it?" The answer is that I will give you exercises to help you know what to play. As to how to play it you must stay in the present and let your fingers do the walking. Thinking is no good here. It won't help you. You must rely solely on feeling. While I can teach you technique, I can't help you when it comes to your own special approach to when to press a certain key. Nor would I be doing you any service by telling you which notes to play. How would you find your own voice?
Author By: Edward Weiss
When you first start making music don't worry so much about strict time. Instead, think about internal time, or the timing we all have naturally. For example, if you start improvising using two chords you, as the beginner, have to consider certain things such as when to change chords, what melody notes to play and so on. What I'd like you to learn is to trust your internal time first so when it comes time to learn and play in strict time you won't be bound by it.
Most of the music I play is played Rubato (robbed time). This means the music has an elastic feel to it. You can hear this in Sunrise on the Cove from La Jolla Suite. I'm not concerned too much with playing in time because it can become (and usually is) mechanical. The "new age" style of piano playing is usually a rubato style of playing. You can also hear this in the works of Chopin and most of the great composers. They too, weren't too concerned with strict time.
What all this means for you is learning to trust your intuition first. So again, the question arises, "How do I know what to play and when to play it?" The answer is that I will give you exercises to help you know what to play. As to how to play it you must stay in the present and let your fingers do the walking. Thinking is no good here. It won't help you. You must rely solely on feeling. While I can teach you technique, I can't help you when it comes to your own special approach to when to press a certain key. Nor would I be doing you any service by telling you which notes to play. How would you find your own voice?
Author By: Edward Weiss
