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Shawn Cheek is a very popular www.webpianoteacher.com and I have bought many of his tutorial videos.

Recently he has uploaded five new videos demonstrating how he plays a songs from the bottom up in 5 steps. The entire tutorial lasts 45minutes.

Today I downloaded all five movies and was quite impressed at how simple the process of arranging a recording can be done. Shawn takes you through examples and explains the method and technique of playing by ear and lets you into to secrets of how he uses the well-known 'white-board' technique to play piano by ear.

I've seen his video they are great but most of the time he sings and it's only the accompaniement without the melody.

Serge

Serge88, what is your playing style?

Have you previously tried either youTube videos, Sudnow or Piano Magic. What are your opinions of them?

I have no style, I just want to play what I like to listen on my ipod, popular music and a little bit of classic.

Yes Sudnow and PianoMagic, I learned from both course and I still use what I learned. I didn't renew my subscription at Pianomagic because playing by ear was not my priority and I think to become good at playing by ear you have to only focus on that.

Serge

Serge,

"I think to become good at playing by ear you have to only focus on that."

I'm sure you are correct with the above. Indeed it is only loads of practice that fills the subconscious brain with the relationship of the sounds of each note in an octave so that your memory can automatically play the correct notes for the sounds you want. So with chords and all improvisations in jazz.

Is that what you mean? Take a trumpet player, they have to use their lips to form the sound I suppose, how difficult that is. I tried it once.

swingal

Can anyone elaborate on what the 'white-board technique' is?

Ref above.

quote "Can anyone elaborate on what the 'white-board technique' is? "

I have never heard of the white-board. Or am I just not 'with it' ?

swingal

Ref above.

quote "Can anyone elaborate on what the 'white-board technique' is? "

I have never heard of the white-board. Or am I just not 'with it' ?

swingal

"White-Board Technique"

He has a white marker board behind the piano keys. He marks the actual notes to be played on the marker board.

You can find many of his videos on youtube.

OK, thanks dannac for that explanation. I wonder if that method develops the brain to transfer a song in the subconscious brain to the sounds that all the keys have,into the piece you wish to play. Or,memeorise the song then play the correct notes from the memory of the sounds each key gives.

The white board method could be a help in playing by ear, provided you remember the sounds from the indicated white board key connections. Just one complete octave would do I guess.

Alan. Swingal

Recent productions that Shawn has done were pretty poor/ I sunscribed to his latest offerring and found the actual presentation was terrible, the white board was difficult to read and generally lighting and clarity were poor.

I emailed him at least 8weeks ago about this and did not receive a reply!

I have bought nothing since.

Ragtime Clown ------ I too had purchased an item from Shawn Cheek about a year ago which was a nightmare trying to get them to get my order to me. I have several times emailed them for one thing or another since and have never received a response back to any of my questions or concerns. Great way to run a business, eh? Apparently he just makes the "videos" and his wife does all the rest -- accounting, orders, duping DVD's, and "responding" to emails and requests. I think they are in way over their head.

had same experience, i sent him an email over a year ago just saying great work because i think i actually am friends of one of his relatives... no answer...

Actually, having played both in college. I thought trumpet was far easier than piano. Maybe it was just me. Blowing the trumpet gave me a more or less constant headache, so I eventually gave it up. It was more fun than a barrel full of donkeys, though.

I still feel the best way, other than learning to play correctly with reading music,is to learn to play by ear. This may be confusing as there does appear to be more than one meaning of the subject. I took the 'term' by ear to mean that you memorized in the sub-conscious brain the relationship of the piano keyboard and the sounds each note and chord you played represented. As an example a singer can produce a sound from their vocal chords without any technical or mechanical means.

So therefore the keyboard should be easier to master as the sounds are there in front of your eyes. Your brain and memory work together I suppose and with practice and time the keyboard is mastered, at least we know some people do play this way.

A lot of practice is required to build up a memory of the whole ability. It does work with me and others in jazz. Though classical would be a different story, however you rarely see concert pianists playing form the written score.

Does this ability ring any bells from member's of this forum ?

swingal

I have been looking at Shawns videos again and I am in the process of working my way through the Beatles song 'Blackbird'.

Today I plan on printing out the 'whiteboard' by taking a 'screen dump' of the actual video and working through the song. I think I was a bit critical on his presentation which may be an unfair comment but he does have the knack of playing these songs really well. I'll report back later!

Dennis,
How long would it take a pianist to become proficient at the trumpet? Are those headaches the result of noise or air pressure? I'd like to learn a second more portable instrument for when I'm out of the house. Trumpets get attention that's for sure.

Arabesque

I've played trumpet approx 5 or 6 yrs ...longer than piano (3 yrs) ... play nearly every Sunday with church choir.

No offense to TX ... but if you get headaches from blowing a trumpet, you are doing something wrong ... probably not using air/breathing correctly.

Trumpet is physically demanding now ... but it should not cause pain.
It takes tome to build endurance.

If you can get a buzz sound with just your lips, you can blow/get sounds out of a trumpet.

.... and about the thread .... Shawn Cheek

I subscribed for a 3 month.

Downloaded many video's using Quicktime.
(you need the pro version of QT)

All videos are well done and he is a fantastic player.

But looking back, I wish I had put my money to something that would show me the how/why this could be played this or that way ... more theory behind the playing I guess. I will not subscribe again.

If you want to learn a certain song, it's good.
But thats all it teaches.