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scott joplin piano solo elite syncopations live great performance

Scott Joplin Piano Solo – Elite Syncopations Live – Great Performance

Hans Joerg Fink performs Scott Joplin’s “Elite Syncopations”. Fink is a marvelous performer, giving this Joplin piece a very lively and precise treatment. It’s a very amusing video, as his son enthusiastically runs and dances around the room, while his dad plays the keyboard without distraction.

Scott Joplin (1867/1868? – 1917) was an African-American composer and pianist. Joplin garnered fame for his many ragtime compositions, being known as “The King of Ragtime”. His career was brief, composing 44 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. He is best known for his the “Maple Leaf Rag” which served as a model for other composers composing classic rags.

Joplin was a serious and ambitious student and took piano lessons after school. He had several teachers, receiving most of his music education from Julius Weiss, a German-Jewish music professor who immigrated to the United States from Germany. Weiss was greatly impressed with Joplin’s musical prowess and after noting his families financial distress, decided to teach him without charge, also helping his mother acquire a used piano. Joplin took lessons from Weiss from ages 11 to 16.

Weiss also taught Joplin to appreciate music not just as art, but as entertainment. This was instrumental in Joplin developing an excellent grasp of how to compose music that was commercially viable. Joplin never forgot Weiss’s tremendous contribution and years later, after achieving considerable fame as a composer, he sent his former teacher money to help him in his elder years.

Video – Randy Newman Sings and Plays Piano – Song From Toy Story

Randy Newman playing acoustic piano and singing “You’ve Got A Friend In Me” from the movie “Toy Story”. This video was recorded live at the Macworld convention in 2008. The song is about two of the film’s characters Woody and Andy, and their strong friendship. Randy Newman, as always, does a great job in delivering a clear message in his song, along with his special vocal style and keyboard playing.

As a piano teacher, here in Portland, I also work with students who are learning to accompany voice with their piano playing, as well as learning composing and songwriting. I often use songs like this to use as examples of how to work with a strong foundation of melody and chord structure to build a song that is memorable, well written, and to the point.

Randy Newman grew up in Southern, California where he began taking piano lessons when he was 6. After moving to in New Orleans, Louisiana, at the age of only 17, Newman started his illustrious career as a songwriter. His influences include blues and gospel, the music he loved when growing up. His songs, many of them controversial, often take the form of a parody of individuals who are socially intolerant, such as his song “Short People”.

For decades, Randy Newman has been making music, singing and writing about the culture around him. He has composed music for numerous films, including “Ragime”, “Toy Story”, “The Natural”, “Maverick”, “Awakenings”, and “Bean”. Newman’s inspiring film scores and songs have earned him awards from the Academy Awards, Emmy, Oscar, and Grammy organizations. The world of American music has been greatly influenced by Randy Newman’s music.

more about Randy Newman

piano solo sweet georgia brown oscar peterson piano lessons portland

Video – Amazing Piano Solo Sweet Georgia Brown in Oscar Peterson Style

Here is an amazing piano solo of “Sweet Georgia Brown” played by Gyuri Villas. This piano style is very much like Oscar Peterson, and includes some nice Art Tatum elements.

This is a high level example of piano mastery by a very good player. Learning to play Jazz can be challenging. At my piano studio, here in Portland, students taking piano lessons or keyboard lessons who are interested in learning improvisation can get a good start by learning Blues Improvisation. Blues is a much simpler and easier style to learn than Jazz and includes many of the same basic concepts of jazz. I’ve taught Blues Piano to many students who are just starting out. It’s great fun, very exciting, and fairly easy to learn.

Video – Arlo Guthrie Plays Piano and Sings – City of New Orleans

A great video of Arlo Guthrie playing piano on his famous track “City of New Orleans”, showcasing Arlo’s voice and piano playing. “City of New Orleans” was written by Steve Goodman. It’s about a train trip from Chicago to New Orleans. Arlo recorded the song in 1972 and it has become one of his biggest hits. Arlo took that train ride for the first time in December of 2005, traveling with other musicians to New Orleans to raise money for local musicians needing help after the devastating Hurricane Katrina.

Arlo Davy Guthrie was born in 1947, in Brooklyn, New York. He is the son of the famous singer Woodie Guthrie. Like his father, Arlo is known for singing songs about social injustice. One of his best known songs is “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree”, a 18 minute satirical blues song. Arlo Guthrie is best known as a singer, songwriter, and musician. He also has done some acting in films and television. His most noted role was in “Alice’s Restaurant”, an adaptation of his song in which he play’s himself. He has recorded numerous albums and made a huge contribution to American Folk music.

While taking piano lessons and keyboard lessons, some of my students express interest in being able to accompany themselves on piano. There are some basic technique that we work on to make the switch from solo piano to accompaniment. This video is a great example of how to play piano while singing.

Some Songs by Arlo Guthrie
Alice’s Restaurant (1967)
Arlo (1968)
Running Down the Road (1969)
Washington County (1970)
Hobo’s Lullaby (1972)
Last of the Brooklyn Cowboys (1973)

more about Arlo Guthrie

Video – Beginner Classical Piano – Minuet in G – Johann Sebastian Bach

This video is of the Minuet in G by Johann Sebastian Bach. It comes from a songbook called the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach, that Bach had written for his wife.

Beginner piano lessons start off with learning to read music. Once students have achieved some basic skill, we begin looking at the wide variety of styles and pieces that they might like to try. Classical music is a great introduction and Bach is a good choice in learning to play piano and keyboards. The Minuet in G is often the first true classical piece that my students play. It’s a great place to begin.

Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer of the Baroque period, and played organ, harpsichord, violin, and viola. He wrote sacred and secular pieces for orchestra, choirs, and solo instruments. He is well known for his unparalleled mastery of contrapuntal technique and his complex use of rhythms and textures in his music. His music was heavily influenced by composers from France and Italy. Some of his well known works include; Brandenburg Concertos, the Goldberg Variations, St John Passion, the Cello Suites, and Toccata and Fugue in D minor

Bach was highly regarded as an organist all throughout Europe. Bach was a prodigious composer. He wrote and arranged hundreds of pieces. His notoriety as a composer was later acknowledged in the beginning of the 19th century and he is now considered one of the most accomplished composers of all time.

more about Johann Sebastian Bach