Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum 2 new video lessons for beginners from me

Hi Folks

I have just made a new post in my blog with regards to beginning to Noodle (its a technical term ) at the piano and I have made 2 videos with my new video camera

this is what I say:-

After posting my recent noodling session .mp3 I have had quite a lot of mail. One person even reckoned I was some sort of "freeeky genius" but, of course this is not true! LOL

I have had a few requests to explain how I do it so, I have bought myself a new video recorder this week and decided to make a video for y'all which I had to split into 2 parts as "youtube" only allow 10 minutes maximum.

These 2 videos are for those that wanted to know more and learn how easy it is to do

DISCLAIMER: The singing isn't very good so don't be alarmed and keep young children away from the computer whilst watching this! LOL

I hope you enjoy watching them and that they help you to spend more time having fun at your keyboard/piano.

I have checked with Mike over at pianomagic.com and he is happy that there is nothing in the videos that would tread on his copyright material (even if he is much better at teaching this kind of stuff as a small part of what he teaches over there)

You can go to my blog to see them

http://seasidelees.blogspot.com/

or heres the links for the videos

Beginning Noodling with Seaside Part One [click here]

Beginning Noodling with Seaside Part Two [click here]


Please let me know if the quality of the video is okay for you because I had to reduce it a little for youtube and for the size of the file (dial up make take forever?) and let me know if you find the angle okay as its the best I could do off the tripod.

Thanks

Hope it helps you to have a try at noodling/improvising - BTW I can expand on these if you like them and would like me to do some more?


Lee

Lee,
I thoroughly enjoyed both of these and learned a lot! I've had trouble following some of your earlier videos, but I understood what you doing thru both of these (maybe I'm just paying better attention. ) In any case I hope to see more!

Hi Seaside,

Your videos are terrific! You make it look so easy. For all the time I spend practicing chords and arpeggios it never occurred to me to put them together like that. It's astonishing to see you build it up gradually in that way and create such a nice sound.

I had to rewind to hear again the part where you introduce the 1-6-2-5 series in the first video as it wasn't quite clear to me where that came from, but it works well.

Anyway, you did a great job. I'm sure there will be a demand for more, but I think there's plenty for anyone to work on after studying just the two you've posted so far.

Carol

Thanks Seaside Lee!!!!! Please post more and more. You are helping me "unlock" my right brain by not listening to the "detail"!

Please keep sharing

Hi,

Thanks for letting me know that you watched and you enjoyed them

Bluekeys: maybe you understand because you see things more clearly now?

Carol: Yup, that's the beauty of video you can always rewind (or fast forward past the singing!

Hi Lee,

The videos are great! You make it look so easy.

Thanks for taking the time and effort to post them.

Best regards,

Rickster

Seaside, that was great. Yeah, it looks easy

And it *is* easy -

It's the way I do my "semi-improv" like the Black and White Rag I had in the last recital(of which I'll have another example in the next recital). I play around at slow speeds - I have to noodle slower than you do here - until I hear something I like and can repeat it, and then I can *memorize* that at higher speeds. At slow speeds I can eventually mix and match licks I've discovered noodling around, and can sometimes do so at high speed.

But the process of building on a simple start is excellent, and it really *does* lead to being able to do a little more complex things over time. It also, thank goodness, introduces some *mistakes* that turn out to be really fine variations - not just your basic triadic chords and triad notes in the right hand.

I had to work for a *long* time before I could do the bass/chord left hand you use part of the time here, but I can now do it at the speed at which you do it here pretty comfortably. Rhythm noodling, as you show here, also comes more easily to me than melodic noodling.

But I think you do an excellent job of showing the whole process, and it's a really good base for people to work from. It shows that noodling and improvising can be a calculated risk, and not just random banging around , and I think it's the impression that improvisation is random that intimidates some folks.

Really well done, and with a good understanding of your watchers' needs.



Cathy

Seaside - in the second video I had more trouble understanding some of your words. Partly they didn't carry over the piano, and partly they were spoken as fast as one speaks in regular converstation, I think. I think, since we can't *lip read* in these kinds of videos, maybe playing more softly while you are speaking, and slowing down and articulating more than we might in every day speech would help.

Of course, I'm deaf as a post -

Cathy

Steve Sensation

Cathy

Howdy lee.

First off, what you did by instructing your method is really cool. I'm actually fascinated by how different our learning methods are but you explained your method in a way that made it very easy to understand for others and I'm sure they are very grateful for that.

Also, I think some of the chicks on this forum will really dig your english accent so be prepared for more fans! .

Great post.

Very interesting style

Hi Folks

Thanks for the comments

Cathy: thanks for the advice on how my voice is coming accross I shall try and speak a little clearer and slower next time...and yes it is easy!

Glad you enjoyed the vids Rickster

Ragtime: interesting that you find it interesting LOL - thanks for watching

Hunkster: How about we can talk you into making a video about your style now, that would be cool ...and ahem...I may get 'em on the accent (if they can tell what I'm saying LOL) but, I'll lose 'em on the singing

Still, I could do with a few groupies this single life aint all its cracked up to be :p


Lee

that s really cool, cheers mate! i ll have a go at your exercises starting tonight

Hi Seaside,

Just watched your videos. Very interesting. Looks like you shot it on the Titanic (tilted keyboard)

Just kidding though. Very helpful to newbies.

I also have a video that shows beginners how to improvise. It's titled "Reflections in Water" and uses open position chords to get students improvising right away.

Find the video at my site http://www.quiescencemusic.com

-- Edward

Seaside, thank you for posting your noodling videos. I found them to be quite helpful, and I expect other viewers will as well. It was somewhat eye-opening for me to see/hear the pleasant sounds that can be generated with creative noodling.

Thanks to your video, I have a pretty good idea of what is to be done to make the music you demonstrate. One would think it would be a simple step to then actually do it myself. It's interesting (and unfortunate) that that isn't so I wonder what's missing. I'm suspecting that it is more than just repetitions.

Perhaps this may be difficult, but if the camera could be positioned so that it more directly and clearly focused on your hands, viewers could more easily pick up exactly what you are doing and further benefit from your instruction.

Once again, Seaside, thanks for the valuable post.

Lenny

Hi izaldu: glad you liked them

Hi Edward: Yes the Titanic! LOL - of course I'm sure you'll know that I've previously been a member of your site for a few years - sadly, not your greatest student as it was always something I meant to knuckle down with but, never got round to kicking my lazy butt into - but its a great site especially for those that like new age music and I know that Rosa and Alene are very fond of you and your teaching method

Hi Lenny: yes I need to figure out a way to get my tripod higher because I tried it behind but all you got to see was my head? Maybe Edward can tell me how he gets his camera totally over head?

Remember though Lenny I've been noodling almost everyday for the past 5 years so a lot of the stuff I do is on automatic - infact, its harder than I thought to teach it (and video it) without making a boo boo here and there! - so people like Edward and Mike at pianomagic have my deepest respect already.

Still at least I don't have the pressure of having to be totally professional and I am kinda free to make a total hash of things seeing as I'm just a hack doing it for the love LOL


Thanks again guys


Lee

Lee, I actually did once post up a sort of "how to" Super-Hunky style video in which I showed my method (if it even is one!) while playing Stairway to heaven.

It was several years ago and would need to be updated but I could possibly attempt another video in the future.

Btw, just a side note and not meant to derail this thread but how about hooking up with some of the hot gym bunnies from your gym? .

Seaside, in the instruction video, you demonstrate with a melody note of E. E alone, E octave, E (maybe minor) chord, E ending a short runup or rundown, etc.

I was wondering why you selected E. Is there something special about E (in your key of C) that makes most combinations sound good? If so, are there other notes that share this characteristic (or is the third of the key scale just especially attractive)? Or did you pick it so it would be a comfortable note to also use in the second video where you demoed using A minor (E being the fifth of that scale)? Or what?

Hi Mr SH

Yes a new video from you would be fantastic I'm sure many would like to see it

Sadly, I lost the gym (and it was mainly guys anyways as the focus was bodybuilding)


Hi Lenny good question thanks

The truth is I just picked any note from the C scale there was no deeper thought than that?

The excercise is best for beginners (either new to piano or just new to noodling and listening to the sounds created) to keep it at one note in the right hand whilst they practise playing different left hand rhythms.

Always keep things simple and grow from there

If you can already play rhythm easily then try different notes and listen to the sounds the notes create.

I've got 3 more videos for y'all in a moment that are expanding on this concept...I am hoping they will bring up more questions than answers so that you all can guide me to present this thing better and to inspire you all to mess around and noodle when you've done practising.


Lee

Okay here goes

Now please bear in mind these are only ideas that I'm throwing at you.

The feedback I get will help me present the videos more clearly but, I think these are the direction I am wanting to go with this

Video 3 [click here]

Video 4 [click here]

Video 5 [click here]


As I say these are just rather rough...the feedback I get will determine how I need to present them to make things easier for you


Thanks in advance


Lee