Day 295

Here we are at yet the end of another year, and at the beginning of a new piano year….What have I accomplished this year is mostly a familiarity with clusters used in Sudnow arrangements of songs.

So as we start a new year, where am I going with piano this year? Any goals? Glad I asked….

Foremost, I want to play full arrangements of songs that are presented in fakebooks and sheetmusic. On the fly. But I do not want to play just bare-boned arrangements. I want to sound good. I want to have good left handed and right handed movements with nice fills. I’d like to also play written music, like Scott Joplin, but hey, that just ain’t a priority at this stage in my life….

I know, I know, I’ve changed Methods and goals before…..But so what!

Here’s my new goal for this year……drum roll please……
I’m going to be working on Alan Swain’s Four-Way Keyboard System Book 1 (and 2 if I get to it). I’d like to learn how to play chords on demand, because I think that is what I’ll have to do to get this on the fly fakebook stuff “on the fly.” And I think the Swain stuff can help with that.

I thought about taking piano lessons, but hey, I don’t think my finances can handle that. Thanks to my piano buddy Swingin' Barb for helping me have confidence in self-learning.

These books are going to take discipline, but I think I can handle it. I’ll still have to learn how to play nice piano fills, and maybe I’ll add something in along the line there.

Some more piano dreams, while I’m at it…….
I’d like to play pop and jazz standards in a restaurant even if there is just a tip jar….. I'd like to just sit down and play songs for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of friends and family...
Not a big enough dream? Well how about this….I’d like to write songs using some of the things I’ll be learning! I’ve written songs before, but I want to take it to a new level of sophistication…
So there you have it.

Short-term goals: Work through the Swain books. Consider getting some material on learning fills. Long term goals: Restaurant playing and songwriting!

Worked on p.4 of the first Swain book....