Tag Archives: piano

hiromi uehara piano solo live george gershwin i got rhythm

Hiromi Uehara Piano Solo Live George Gershwin I Got Rhythm

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In this fabulous video, Hiromi Uehara plays an absolutely beautiful version of George Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm”.

Hiromi’s playing is boundless, with unbelievably intricate rhythms and stunning melodic development. Her styling covers bebop, stride and more. Her performance is from the Jazz in Marciac International Jazz Festival in southwestern France in 2010. George Gershwin composed the music and his brother Ira wrote the lyrics to “I Got Rhythm” in 1930 for the musical Girl Crazy. The song quickly became a jazz standard.

Hiromi Uehara displays the highest level of jazz playing you will see anywhere. Her performance and execution are flawless. Only a handful pianists worldwide can do this. There’s lots of value in watching this video over and over again to see what is possible on the piano and glean elements of style, chord progressions, and voicings from her tremendous keyboard playing. This is one of my favorite jazz piano videos. 

Hiromi Uehara, a jazz composer and pianist, was born in Hamamatsu, Japan. She started taking piano lessons at age six. She is known for her virtuosic technique, immensely energetic live performances, and superb blending of musical genres such as bebop, progressive rock, classical and fusion.

 more about Hiromi Uehara

silvan zingg blues solo piano prodigy silvan's night train trip video

Silvan Zingg Blues Solo Piano Prodigy Silvan’s Night Train Trip Video

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Here is Silvan Zingg playing his composition “Silvan’s Night Train Trip” with his trio.

Beyond basic piano lessons, I get a lot of requests for Blues piano. It’s lots of fun to play and very relaxing. Anyone with moderate piano skills can learn to play Blues. The key to learning Blues is to get to the very foundation of how Blues is constructed and learn the essential rhythmic components that make it sound so great. At my studio, here in Portland, we also work a lot on ear training. A good improvisation depends on the keyboard player being able to hear what they are going to play before they play it. This is a learned skill, and one which develops over time. 

More About Blues Piano

coldplay paradise piano solo video from mylo xyloto album

Coldplay Paradise Piano Solo Video from Mylo Xyloto Album

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Here is a cover video of the Coldplay track Paradise, from their Mylo Xyloto Album

Coldplay is a British alternative rock band started in 1996. They quickly gained worldwide notoriety with their single “Yellow” in 2000.  Their debut album, Parachutes, was nominated for the Mercury Prize. The band has won many music awards, eight Brit Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards, and seven Grammy Awards. Coldplay has sold over 60 million records worldwide. Rolling Stone readers voted Coldplay the 4th best artist of the 2000s. Will Champion  and Chris Martin both play piano and keyboards for the band.

 

 

chick corea

Chick Corea Terrific Solo Piano Performance Legends of Jazz Video

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Chick Corea does a beautiful acoustic jazz performance of “Armando’s Rhumba” from the series Legends of Jazz with Ramsey Lewis. His artful keyboard expression makes his playing wonderful to listen to. Crafty ethnic inspired melodies and precise playing is a hallmark of Chick Corea performances. I love the opening with Chick playing the strings with his left hand.

Chick Corea was born June 12, 1941. He is an American jazz and fusion pianist, keyboardist, and composer. Many of his compositions are jazz standards, played by musicians everywhere. He started taking lessons at age eight. He was a member of Miles Davis’ band in the 1960s, and was instrumental in developing early electric jazz fusion music. In the 1970s he formed the revolutionary band Return to Forever. Corea joins Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner and Keith Jarrett, as one of the major jazz performers in the post John Coltrane era.

 

 

stop motion animation flower piano keyboard lessons studio portland small

Stop Motion Animation Flower Combining Keyboard and Camera

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A Stop Motion Animation called Flower. I created this video to show my piano students how to combine a video with music. Creating Stop Motion Animations and Time Lapse Videos are great fun, and an excellent way to give students a practical avenue for their creativity. I like to do projects with students, so they can learn to think for themselves and enjoy the satisfaction of completing something they have personally made. A music keyboard and a camera can inspire a world of adventure.

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