Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Piano Magic Users Thread

dmd, jotur…

I was referring to the piano bar here in the ABF. As far as what is posted on the PMMO website, 99% of those are posted to box and then linked to PMMO. I recently (last year) began the practice of double-posting and including Soundcloud, because the quality is so much richer. I also thought that format would allow Mike to comment instantly on posted tunes without going to the trouble of a full response in the PMMO forums. That idea never really caught on, though one or two members are also including a link to SoundCloud.

There are some great players in this forum, especially when you consider it's named: "Adult Beginners Forum." My beginning in no way compares to these! Lol!

By the way, is Elssa one and the same as the "Elssa" who was a member at PMMO? Beautiful playing!

Play On!
H.K.

HK:

A PM member who's been photographed playing barefoot … hmmm, that must be the member leaving on a cruise tomorrow then swinging by London, Amsterdamn and Paris?

Members recordings at PianoMagic are mostly posted in each member's thread (if they decide to start a thread of their recordings) in the recital hall followed by comments from other members. But there are many recordings scattered all over creation, many of which will be in a thread started by Mike like “The Boogie Challenge” , the “Proud Mary” thread, the original Music Challenge, the “Go Rest on that Mountain Challenge”, The Concert Hall (about 20 member's recordings who wanted to participate), Mike's recordings at The Seadream Cinema, etc.

Larry, click this link:

http://www.pianomagic.com/index.asp


edit: Hk, I see you posted while I was typing. : )

Good afternoon, Rerun…

Good guess on that new participant! I know you'll know the answer the the question I added to my earlier post. Is Elssa posting in the ABF Piano Bar one and the same as "Elssa" formerly a member at PMMO?

And… have you checked your e-mail? A special request of you, Kind Sir!

Play On!
H.K.

I had to pause and watch the derby ... yep,she was a member at PM when I joined. I'll check that email box in a sec and get back with you.

Pop

"Adult Beginners Forum." is just a name !! To submit to the Piano Bar in "Adult Beginners Forum." you just have be an Adult and a Beginner at some point in time not necessarily the present

Thanks, EM Deeka! Good to know!

Just wanted to respond and say that I had progressed to the level I am before I joined PMMO but was curious as to what the site offered, so that is why I joined back then.

I've had a grand time communicating though PM's with several PMMO former members, and a couple of interested members. I've learned a lot! Thanks for all the great responses!

Here's the question I'd like to ask, and have some of you answer. There are many "learn to play by ear" sites on the web. Aside from PMMO, from what other internet teachers/sites have you received the most helpful insights?

Over the past five years, I think I've sampled some of everything out there including, Hear and Play, Shinn, Hilton, Sprunger, Matt Stephens, Pianology, Dr. Keys, Mangold Project, Dave Frank, 7notemode, quaverbox, Piano by Elssa, et. al.

While PMMO is my basic go to material, I have something from all of the above. What are you own experiences? Who would you highly recommend for learning to play by ear, and why?

Play On!
H.K.

May have been mentioned elsewhere, but there are a couple of new vids at quaverbox. Well done, Mr. SH!

1) The Am Chord
2) Piano Improvisation Lesson ("Less is More")

Play On!
H.K.

Glad to see that Cats1 has joined the PW forums. She is an accomplished member of PMMO, with a great personality (and singing voice). Cats I see you received a royal welcome from a former PMMO member, Starr in another thread.

Please feel free to chime in here in the PMMO User's Forum. I would love to hear your evaluation of PMMO, as a long-standing member!

Welcome to the Piano World Forums!

Play On!
H.K.

I recently joined PMMO. I'm at the very beginning: still working through listening to the ups and downs in my list of songs. I'm pathetic at by-ear stuff so anything I learn will be up from where I am now.

Hey PS88, the PM method sneaks up on you ... one day soon you'll sit down and just start playing tunes as they come to mind and as your ears get better at what they are supposed to be doing, you'll start playing more complicated tunes you've always wanted to play without need for scores and lead sheets.

PS88…

PMMO technique really works if you'll be patient enough to do over and over again what seems so simple (playing songs where every other chord is C). It's all about training your ears to hear the sound of changing chords, and to anticipate the proper changes. By just rotating a list of songs you can play over and over, the ability to anticipate the upcoming chords becomes second nature. Given the fact that most any song can be played with a 1,4,5 chord, it's just an easy step from there to color tones and chord extensions! Stick with it, and I promise you'll reap a huge reward!

Play On!
H.K.

Michael Anderson has stated on various occasions in the PianoMagic Forums that before he began his website, he taught a workshop during which attendees learned to play by ear. I understand that there was a book printed that is no longer available to the public. I've always wondered about the workshop. Any Piano World members who have ever attended one of these workshops? If so, how would you evaluate what you learned?

Cats…

Congratulations on the birth of your first grandchild - Jaxson! Cat's doesn't have as much time these days to play her new MP7, so I've offered to take good care of if for her. Funny, she has yet to respond! Lol!

Play On!
H.K.

Hi,

I was wondering why in the FAQ for Piano Magic, Mike states that "If your primary interest is to play accompaniment (harmony and rhythm) while SINGING the melody, I would not recommend PianoMagic."

It would seem to me that if I want to play Billy Joel/Elton John-style music, a good course in playing by ear is just what I need since I don't want to rely on the printed sheet music (which is pretty complicated and well beyond my capability).

Most of the samples that I have seen of Piano Magic students have been in the "cocktail piano" style. However, Michael states that the skills taught in Piano Magic are applicable to nearly any genre of music.

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Alan

It's been a while so I don't remember his explanation for this but I would assume it was because the hand positions he teaches are built on having the melody note as the top note in the right hand, starting with octaves. accompanying yourself while playing the melody (except occasionally) is not good accompaniment

Thanks, Starr Keys.

I really enjoyed your rendition of "My Funny Valentine" and many of your other videos on YouTube. If I wanted to do the sort of piano accompaniment you are doing, would you recommend Elssa's materials over Piano Magic (sorry, I know this is a Piano Magic thread).

Thanks,
Alan

Hey Alan, I haven't seen that comment. We have a number of singer members on board right now ... a professional singer joined last week. Mike has been a church pianist for many years and I think I remember a training video or two that he's done on accompaniment. But you're spot on about ear playing Joel/John stuff imo. You can come out of there playing a very wide range of music because he'll tune those ears up where it's possible. Even tho the skill set you're after may not require a melody line, he'll begin you with tunes you already know (melody/rhythm).

I've been there since 2007 and it's easily been worth 10 times the cost for me but I didn't start with any talent. If you want to learn to just sit down and play a lot of stuff by ear, I doubt you can find a place which can teach you quicker.

Thanks, Alan, for your kind words about my videos. I think Elssa's tutorials are a wonderful tool for accompanists as she focuses a lot on runs and fills which are what you need to embellish the pauses and responses to your lyric as a singer. But Elssa's materials are not for beginners. They are for intermediate and advanced players and assume a certain level of theory and familiarity with key signatures and the ability to identify scales and chords on the keyboard.

IMO PM is geared primarily to beginners and all the lesson tutorials teaching the basic method are in the key of C. Rerun is right, PM can teach you how to develop your ear and it will also give you the basic theory and keyboard skills you can use to develop your own style, but IME it is geared to soloing not accompanying. I agree, though, that once you develop your ear, it is much easier to learn to apply it to learning accompanying skills. So, PM might be a first stop on your way to learning this skill.

My one caution would be not to stay too long with the structured lesson stage of this method (I was at PM for a year) playing only in the key of C. If your primary goal is to accompany yourself, as a singer you will need to play in other keys beside C, which will not always be the best key for you to sing in, and the sooner the better. Most PM members need never play in any key but C and, with the exception of those who had previous musical training, I rarely heard any of them do it.