Had almost forgotten this video – it’s the kid that makes it.

We were out hustling the new tracks – always thought this track had a chance:

Via Scoop.it – Background Music

I have yet to come across a study that says Music is bad for you!

There seem to be an ever increasing number of arguments for having more music in your life – I like this study – somebody should wave it in front of government before they kill music in schools!

Brain function better in older people who studied music early in life Read more by David W Freeman on CBS News’ HealthPop.
Show original

Go Ashton Clinger! She seems like a girl after my own heart. Click through and read the article as not only is it an interesting read but her results seem to match up with the much larger data generated by Dr. Haake when she studied the effects of music in the work place. Bottom line – it seems that if you like the music you’re listening to – or at least have control over it – then it does aid performance – make people to listen to music they don’t like or normally listen to – and that’s when it becomes a distraction.

Cascade sophomore takes her analysis of the effects of music on studying to …Great Falls Tribune”Classical music won’t be on the radios of any high schoolers’ trucks,” she said.
Show original

Via Scoop.it – Background Music

Hearing specialist and sax player Charles J. Limb says that studying the brain during flights of improvisation may provide new understanding of creativity—as well as insight into the musical genius of John Coltrane

Via Scoop.it – Background Music

Hearing specialist and sax player Charles J.
Show original

Via Scoop.it – Background Music

Research finds music festivals create good vibesUQ NewsAttending music festivals could have a positive impact on the psychological and social well-being of young adults, according to UQ researchers.
Show original

Download audio file (reason-101-click.mp3)

Basic rock piano is not about scales, chords, arpeggios or riffs – it is about the relationship between your right and left hand. The best way to teach yourself basic rock piano is to investigate what sounds good when your hands are playing something different.

Practice with a metronome

As a piano player, a rocking groove only works when your hands are agreeing on time. The only way to really understand time is to practice with a click – a metronome.

If you practice to the click you will be surprised at how quickly your chops develop.

Learn the basic “rocking” rhythm

You are going to create a 3 finger chord with your right hand and then “rock” it back and forth while keeping time with your left hand.

Set your metronome to 101 beats per minute – if you have a digital metronome you can set the signature to 8 / 4.

Start out in C major so you don’t have to worry about any black keys. With your right hand, place your thumb on middle C, your index finger on E and your little finger on G (This is also known as placing your fingers on the 1,3 and 5 of the C major scale.)

Listen to the metronome and count out loud, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8.

On the 1 count, play the E and the G (index and little finger)
- on the 2 count play the C (thumb)
- on the 3 count, play the E and G
- on the 4 count, play the C

repeat.

Once you have the rocking motion down with your right hand, add the left hand.

Place your left hand thumb on the first C below middle C and then using the same 8 count, play the C on the 1, the 4 and the 5.

Initially for most people this feels pretty weird but after a couple of passes – it starts to make sense. Once you understand how it feels – then practice it – a lot. The more you play it – the more it makes sense – you start to think about finger velocity, about tone, about expanding the octave, about syncopating the left hand, about playing in different keys, etc…

Learn the blues scale

Rock and roll comes from the blues – and the blues is awesome. In C – the notes in the right hand are:

C, Eb, F, F#,G, Bb,C

With the blues you tend to have the left hand keeping time and structure with the right hand hitting the melody and doing all the fancy stuff. The most basic introduction to the blues would be a classic 12 bar blues.

In C major the left hand would play the notes that make up the following chords.

C, C, C, C, F, F, C, C, G, F, C, G,

Set the metronome and start playing – once you can play different things in the right hand without falling off time in the left hand then you can start to experiment: make chords of the notes in the left hand, play with sliding off the black notes onto the white notes, play with not hitting every note in the bar, slow the tempo down, speed it up – practice.

Play – a lot!

Once you have these tools “under your belt” – play as often as you can – the more you play the more your ears change and the better the whole experience becomes

Quora post text:

Further development of the Coyote theme this weekend threw up this charming little lullaby development – needs work but I think it is going to sound fabulous with a couple of string patches underneath it.

Download audio file (108-top.mp3)

This set of developments all worked around 108, 109 and 107 Bpms – 108reflects the numbers I’m actually working with but 107 and 109 are both prime and as you probably know – I love prime numbers!

Final piano track this week and strings by the weekend – hope to have this posted and out a week today.

Image Credit: Cellogirl5874 Flickr CC