"Yesterday"

Finished learning the song. But timing and smoothness of playing need to be worked on. (A friend has a Gibson acoustic guitar and we may work out a deal for me to have it).

Piano

Still working on "Yesterday." I'm still liking it, though, of course, I've had thoughts of focusing back on guitar. Noticing that it might take me about a week or so ro learn this song. That's encouraging! Learning one tune per week can be quite cool; however, I realize it's not going to actually pan out that way. If tunes pile up in my repertoire, that would mean there has to be more and more time spent reviewing them and not confusing their parts.

Yesterday

Just a really good piano day. Takin' it slow, almost have the verse in Yesterday done. Memorizing a song may be difficult, but it really helps in maintaining a nice tempo. Actually tried a little improvising with two left hand chord notes and it sounded ok for where I'm at now!  Really have to take care of my health better.

Piano Wins

Well I went to guitar today and played "Yesterday," chord melody style. Here it is:

https://youtu.be/N7TfABfvUto

Then later on, I continued to work on it on piano, using the Sudnow Method. Well I didn't even finish the verse, it's very choppy, but.......I like it better than the guitar version.

Perhaps I just like the sound of the piano over the sound of the guitar; combine that with the great chord voicings in the Sudnow Method, and perhaps that it explains it.

But I'm glad I tried the guitar experiment. Can always revisit it. But for now, I'd like to stick to my song list, the Sudnow Method, and the piano.

On a side note, my favorite football team (the Philadelphia Eagles) beat the New York Giants with an unbelievable 61 yard field goal with one second left on the clock!

Piano wins

Was tempted to go to chord melody guitar, but the piano won. Continue to work on "Yesterday," Sudnow style, on the piano. Played at Church tonight.

Sudnow / Yesterday / Day 1

Decided to go back to what was fun. Back to The Sudnow Method. Started working on the song "Yesterday." I like it. Wouldn't it be cool to learn and memorize all the songs I listed in the post below?

Songs

Here's my current list of songs that would be cool to play on the piano:

When I Fall in Love / I've Got a Crush on You / Misty / Over the Rainbow / If / Yesterday / I Will / Blacckbird / Something / In My Life / Someone to Watch Over Me / And So it Goes / Georgia / My Funny Valentine / My Heart Will Go On / Godfather Theme / When You Wish Upon a Star; A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes; You Are the Sunshine of My Life / Unforgettable / Can You Feel the Love Tonight / All My Lovin / Just the Way You Are / The Long and Winding Road / Polla Dots and Moonbeams / Somewhere / Till There Was You / Unchained Melody / What a Wonderful World / I'll Be There / Never My Love / God Only Knows / My Cherie Amour / Goodnight / Blue Eyes / Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me / I've Loved These Days / She's Got a Way / New York State of Mind / If I Only Had the Words to Tell You / If I Fell / It Never Entered My Mind (George Shearing version) / Here, There, and Everywhere / I Loved You Porgy / Willow Weep For Me / Danny Boy / Witchita Lineman / Send in the Clowns / Moon River / As Time Goes By / Autumn Leaves / What Child is This / Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire / I'll Be Home For Christmas / Bridge Over Troubled Water / Music from the "Rocky" movie soundtrack / She's Leaving Home / White Christmas 

New Change

I think I'm also going back to learn chord melody on guitar using what looks like a pretty cool resource I have had. 

To learn lead guitar, I looking to go back to Robert Conti's material.

I have a list of songs that I'd like to learn how to play solo piano. I think I'm just going to learn how to play one at a time, using the Sudnow Method.

Piano

Continue to make some progress learning chords in the Caruso book. Had an insight about where an open chord begins on the right hand: 4 half steps above the root except for the minor chord which is 3 steps above the root.

Slow Start

Started getting into the section in chord voicing in the Caruso book. Slow start, but that's ok.

A New Change in Record Time

Trying to not make things more complicated than they need to. Major goal is to play songs and be able to improvise around the changes. I'm changing methods again. Got into this book awhile ago then stopped. I'm going to get into it again. It's called "Piano Improvisation: A Powerful Practical System," and its by by Frank Caruso and Karl Mollison.

I'm going to jump right to the chord voicings chapter. 

Susman

Well I changed my mind again. I'm going to go back to the Bill Susman material. I just don't know if I have it in me to go through all of the material I had hoped to with other stuff. 

Was tempted to go back to the Sudnow Method to at least learn a number of songs that I listed. But again, I'm not sure about memorizing and there's so many variations of chords that are possible that I'm not sure I can internalize all of that. Dang it, I still may go back to it. 

But for now, I want to make things no more complicated than they need to be. Susman's stuff seems to be a good compromise of offering sophisticated sounds that are not extremely complex.

Gig Day

We played s good gig for charity today.

Getting Ready

Listened to the first three Tim Buckley albums today: Impressive; some beautiful stuff, some jazz, some poetry.

Will be playing a charity gig tomorrow with the band. Getting ready to start yet another "piano journey of me."

Stop the Presses

Yes, I will still be focusing my musical learning back on to the piano. But I'm using selections in a few books authored by Mark Harrison. Looking forward to it. I want to give this a try, but I can just hear the negative criticisms getting ready. Will try to plough through them, even if they are there. Going to start this weekend. 

Charity gig coming up this Saturday.

Had some radio music on today. Listened  to some newer music this evening on the radio on apparently one of those radio stations that isn't a very popular, or mainstream one. The music was quite nice....was in a band format and melodic. Listened to some jazz too, which may have been on a different station. I just cannot seem to get into some modern jazz. (By modern jazz, I mean any stuff that might be described as bop, bebop, or similar titles). Rarely does that stuff talk to me. 

I remain a sucker for a melody, whether it be in the body of a song, or an improvisation. Some stuff to me in jazz sounds like just notes. To each his or her own.

Youngest Daughter

Oldest Daughter

My Wife and Daughters

Piano

Looks like it's time to switch gears and get back seriously into the instrument whose sounds to me are really beautiful: the piano.

Thought of using a new method, but concluded that it's not for me now. Thought of using the Sudnow Method, but I'm not sure that I want to use so many different versions of one chord. Thought of using another method but it seems too demanding.

So to cut to the chase: Going back to the Bill Susman material. Seems appropriately challenging. Might challenge myself to memorize songs or at least memorize chords as I learn songs! I think memorizing chords is crucial to learning....and memorizing songs may help facilitate my learning of getting around the keyboard.

Would be really great to be patient with this, commit to this, and perhaps down the line implement ideas from the piano improvisation book I have... 

However, my experience tells me that when I eventually become frustrated, bored, or both, I switch focus to a different musical instrument (guitar vs. piano). Wouldn't it be great to commit to a long term project?

Piano Les Paul

Into book one of a different piano system. Trying a more basic approach. Didn't play piano today; just reading some stuff in the book. Started the book before, but restarted today. It's approximately a 6 book series. Trying to figure out what to do with piano playing.

At band rehearsal yesterday I played my Gibson Les Paul Studio into a Fender amp. (Usually at rehearsal I play a friend's Gibson SG into a very limited amp). Man, my guitar sounded really nice yesterday! Having second thoughts about trying to sell it in order to fund the purchase of an acoustic. Listened to some nice classical guitar today. Trying to figure out what to do with guitar playing.

Stalled

Get into piano? Stalled with guitar -

Sudnow Method? A newer downloaded method? Stalled with it all. Band rehearsal tomorrow fior a charity gig scheduled for next week.

It

We lose our childhood when we give in to our fears.

Robert Conti

Liking my transition to the Conti products. Maybe I should spend some time on "The Jazz Lines" while working up a new chord melody songs (using "The Assembly Line"). 

Patience

Commitment 

Dedication 

Robert Conti

Going in a different direction.....back to Robert Conti's jazz guitar materials.....love his approach. I had one of his products ("The Jazz Lines") that I'm revisiting. This time, I'm watching the DVD. 

His book, "The Assembly Line," which taught chord melody, was one of the best music learning books I've had (and I've had many!). I'm thinking of revisiting his "The Formula!" book also to help with chord melody arranging. 

Youngest Daughter and Me

Learning to Play a Musical Instrument

I go in cycles. I think I'm now in the piano mode. I hear that the ideal way to learn is to:

Memorize

Everything.

Now that's intimidating to me because I doubt my ability to do that. 

So what am I to do on piano? The Sudnow Method? Tempting. The Play Like Me program? Tempting. Or perhaps the Piano For All program.

But whatever I do piano-wise, I have to be be committed, persistent, and dedicated.