Back Stage Pass w/ ISAAC CARREE

Take a few minutes to hang out with PCH Lead Teacher, Carlton "C-Dub" Whitfield, as he takes us back stage of an Isaac Carree concert that he was played for.  Keep your eyes peeled for a quick cameo appearance from another PCH Teacher....Comment at the bottom if you find out who it is!!!

Words Of Wisdom: DIVERSIFY

Ok, so last Friday I was having lunch with and working on a project/business venture with one of the living legends of gospel music, Fred Hammond. At first glance, knowing Fred's background, i'm sure you would think this is a music project, or something to do with the gospel industry, or maybe a new group or band. While the project itself is in the music industry, it is definitely out of the scope of what you would normally think Fred would be lending his time and resources to.

Walking out of that meeting, I saw a teachable "moment" that I wanted to pass on to you in today's blog, that I think can apply to not only you and your music, but into all areas of your life!

The one word I would reflect to you from that meeting is DIVERSIFY. Its a word that is used in many walks of life, more so in the financial world, when referring to how one distributes their investment monies.  The ideology is that the more diverse your portfolio is, the more safe and stable your investment strategy is.

So, back to this "moment"...it was interesting that someone who, for their whole career, has been most known for singing gospel music, would be interested in doing something that isn't centered in that genre....and my challenge to you is to take Fred's lead and NOT be stuck in just doing one thing! Get out of your comfort zone a little:

• Don't just learn gospel songs. Branch out and learn some R&B, rock, or some jazz, or learn some theory.
• Don't just play in the key of C, F, and G. Invest the time to learn new keys.
• Don't just learn the piano...try your hand at another instrument (organ, drums, guitar, bass, etc.)

There are many more examples, but I think you see what I'm getting at...DIVERSIFY!!!

Post your comments below, let me know your thoughts!

Best Regards,
Tj

NO EXCUSES!!!

I was browsing through YouTube and ran across a video that I wanted to share with you. I'm not going to spend an entire message "preaching" like i planned too...i'll let the video speak for itself.  But just know that if God has given you the activity of your limbs, and given you the desire to play the piano, then thats all you need...and as Bart Gee will show you in the video below, you don' t even need the full activity of your limbs!!!!

Put in the work, use the resources that are available to you here at PCH, on Youtube, and locally in your own community. Keep pressing forward, and improve each time you sit down at your instrument.

I hope this video is as much of a blessing to you, as it was to me:

Best Regards,
Tj

Have an Android and need flash?

Like myself, many of you have an android phone or tablet, and may have found out the hard way that with the out-of-the-box settings, your device won't play our flash-based videos. Unfortunately, android devices does not ship with the software called Adobe Flash, and that is the main software that drives
our standard video players.

So, us Android users have to do a little extra extra work to get the videos to play. We will actually need to manually install the FLASH PLAYER on your Android device. It only took me a few minutes do to it, and I was up and watching PCH videos in no time!

If you have an Android device and need help getting it top lay, here is the link from Adobe that walks you step-by-step through the download and manual install of the Adobe Flash Player.

http://forums.adobe.com/message/4675670

I hope that helps!

Tj

"I am ready to play the piano, but where do i start?"

So you have embarked on this journey to become a keyboard player, but where should you begin? There are 100's of piano teachers on YouTube, each with 100's of videos to choose from...it can be very overwhelming when you are just jumping in, but don't know how to get started. This post will be the basics of what I tell most people that pose the question of "where to begin?"

STEP 1:

LEARN THE NAMES OF THE PIANO KEYS

This is obviously the most important lesson when learning the piano, learning the names of all of the piano keys, so that you can understand what the instructor is telling you.

This video will teach you the names of the keys and the layout of the piano, and will break it down so that even a child can learn it!

STEP 2:

FINGER EXERCISES

Your fingers are muscles, and you will only be as good as your fingers are strong.

Just like an athlete has to go to the gym and work out routinely to get/keep their body in shape, pianist have to do the EXACT same thing to get our fingers strong and quick. Without that endurance, your fingers will get sore quickly from playing.

Below is the best basic exercise I know, that will promote finger strength and endurance. Its the exact same exercise I still do to this day, and I would recommend that you learn it, memorize it, and make it a part of your regular practice schedule.

The first video is the tutorial that will show you step-by-step how to play the finger exercise. The second video is a play-along video that allows you to play the exercise with me at various speeds. The more days/weeks/months that you continue to do the exercise, you will immediately notice that you will be playing it faster and more accurate!

Equipped with the information above, you will be setting yourself up to learn great things on the piano!!

Well, that's it for today. Stay tuned for more videos on playing the piano!

Thanx for your visit,
Tj