Author: Dan Cropper

Getting Your Child’s Instrument

Written by Dan Cropper on June 16, 2019. Posted in Music 101.

So your child is ready to take music lessons, and there is only one problem…you don’t have an instrument yet. You may be wondering if you should invest in an instrument before you know if your child likes it, or you may just not know where to start in the buying process. The tips below will help you make a decision about when and how to buy your first instrument.

Purchase the instrument after the first few lessons:

Borrow an instrument from a friend

You may know lots of people that wouldn’t mind lending out their instrument for a few weeks.

Have the first lesson at at a neighbors house with the instrument

Most in-home music teachers will be happy to go to neighboring house for the first lesson or two (i.e a neighbor with an upright piano).

Use your teacher’s instrument

It is usually not possible to transport larger instruments like keyboards, but for smaller instruments often times a student can use their teacher’s instrument for the first lesson. This is the case for guitars, ukuleles, violins etc. Be sure to ask about this in advance.

Rent an instrument

Try a store like Rental Instrument or Carroll Music Instrument Rental, many piano stores will also allow you to rent monthly.

Ready to buy an instrument? Read on!

Keyboards are okay!

If you would prefer not to invest in a piano, start with a small keyboard. Eventually you may decide to upgrade but a keyboard is fine to start with. Need information on what kind of keyboard to buy? Check out this blog Find The Best Keyboard For Your Budget.

Buy a used instrument

Look on Craigslist or put out an email to friends seeing if anyone would like to sell their instrument. If you buy used, be sure to get an intrument that still functions at a quality level. In the beginning of learning a new instrument, not only is your child learning the notes, but learning to physically make the instrument sound good. If your child is playing a poor quality instrument (i.e, a guitar that won’t stay in tune, a keyboard with broken keys etc.) it will likely cause a lot of frustration in the beginning. Of course, this doesn’t mean you need to go out and buy a Gibson guitar, but getting an instrument that functions well is important.

Try out different models in a store

Go to a music store try out different models of the instrument. Stores like Sam Ash or Guitar Center have samples of most intruments that you can play.

Find the Best Keyboard for Your Budget

Written by Dan Cropper on June 16, 2019. Posted in Piano.

Starting piano lessons? Using a keyboard is a fun and effective way to learn piano. Many piano players opt to buy a digital keyboard over an acoustic piano for convenience, space, affordablility, and easy transport. When buying a new keyboard, there are several important factors to consider.

Sounds

Some keyboards offer 100’s of different sounds such as organ, clavinet, wurlitzer, and even drum grooves to play over. Think carefully whether or not you will actually use these sounds. If you are a classical pianist you will probably only have the need for a very good piano sound.

Action

Action is how the weight of the keys feel when you press them down. Some keyboards have keys that are “weighted” and others do not. If the keyboard does not have weighted keys, the keys will press down with very little resistance, which will not feel like the sensation of playing a real piano. Keyboards that are “touch resitant” are not weighted but will recognize when you are playing in different velocities.

Size

A full size piano has 88 keys. Keyboard typically come with 88 keys, 73 keys, or 61 keys. Any of these sizes are fine for a beginner, once you get smaller than 61 keys it starts to become hard to play with both hands on the keyboard. For more advanced classical music it is helpful to have a full size keyboard.

Polyphony

Polyphony refers to the number of notes a kyeboard can play at the same time. Some low cost toy keybaords can only play one at a time. Greater polyphony allows smoother and more natural transition between notes. Digital pianos usually come with polyphony of 32, 64, 98, and 128.

Speakers

Some keyboards feature built-in speakers and others can only make sound by plugging into a separate set of speakers. You will get better sounds by plugging your keyboard into high quality speakers but it is more convenient and affordable to use the built-in speakers. Almost all keyboards with built-in speakers have the option of plugging into alternative speakers.

Here are some great keyboard options:

Yamaha YPT 300

This is a great beginner’s keyboard, featuring 484 instrument sounds. Jammin’ With You is now pleased to offer this models to our students at a discount price.

Size: 61 keys

Polyphony: 32 note

Built-in Speakers: Yes

Action: Touch sensitive

Price: $170-$250

Casio WK-225

This is a great keyboard to learn piano on while having access to many of the technology featutes of a full-featured digital keyboard. This Casio features 600 sounds to choose from and a 6 track recorder.

Size: 76 keys

Polyphony: 48 note

Built-in Speakers: Yes

Action: Touch-sensitive

Price: $179-$230

Casio Privia PX130

This keyboard gives you the most bang for your buck. It is a superior keyboard for it’s price point and is suitable for a performance setting. Many musicians prefer this keybaord over more expensive models because of it’s light weight at just under 25 lbs.

Size: 88 keys

Polyphony: 128 note

Built-in Speakers: Yes

Action: Weighted

Price: $499

Yamaha CP33

This keyboard has excellent action that comes very close to the touch of a real piano. The CP33 has a superb piano sound and is a great choice for someone only looking for great acoustic piano sounds. This product lacks in competitive organ, clavinet, wurlitzer sounds.

Size: 88 keys
Polyphony: 64 note

Built-in Speakers: No

Action: Weighted

Price: $999

Nord Stage 2 88

The Nord Stage is the Ferrari of performance keyboards. The Nord Stage is well worth the money for anyone looking for a library of excellent sounds. The Nord is ideal for playing funk, soul, R&B, and electronic music with its wealth of very quality instrument sounds such as electric piano, organ, and Wurlitzer. Note that this product comes in smaller sizes.

Size: 88 keys

Polyphony: full

Built-in Speakers: No

Action: weighted

Price: $4,199

Stage Fright: A New Perspective

Written by Dan Cropper on June 16, 2019. Posted in Music 101, SuperJAM.

“I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life, and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing I want to do.” – Georgia O’Keefe (painter).

When you’ve encountered stage fright and told yourself to “just calm down,” how well has it worked? Most likely, the more you tell yourself to stop being nervous the more nervous you get. The fear of stage fright causes you to have more stage fright, and the cycle continues making you feel miserable. This article will explore new perspectives for understanding and reacting to stage fright.

Mary Fensholt, a consultant and author of The Francis Effect: The Real Reason You Hate Public Speaking and How to Get Over It, states that stage-fright dates back to a fear of being eaten alive! Being singled out and scrutinized was a precursor to being gobbled up by a predator. When our ancestors were being chased by lions and tigers they relied on the sensations of anxiety to keep them alive in immediate danger. Sensations such as rapid heartbeat, shakiness, rapid and shallow breathing, tensing muscles, dry mouth (sounds familiar?) were essential for their survival. However these symptoms are no longer helpful to us, especially in the case of performing. So we have to learn how to get along with these feelings so ingrained in our DNA.

We can begin to embrace performance anxiety through a process called mindfulness. Mindfulness is defined as bringing one’s full attention to the present experience and observing your feelings rather than controlling them. In the case of stage-fright, we don’t try to force the fear to go away but rather acknowledge it’s existence and allow space for it to be there without engaging in an inner dialogue with it. It seems counter intuitive to not fight back against the fear, but imagine this scenario: You are sitting in a seat above a tank of sharks with a lever that can dump you into the pool at any time, and you are told that the only thing you have to do in order to not get dumped into the pool is to “not panic.” Most likely the first thing you would do is panic. The more you tell yourself not to have a thought, the more likely you will be to have it.

World-renowned Zen master, spiritual leader, and author Thich Nhat Hanh summarizes this point well in his book Peace Is Every Stepsaying: “It is best not to say, ‘Go away, Fear. I don’t like you. You are not me.’ It is much more effective to say, ‘Hello, Fear. How are you today?’ Then you can invite the two aspects of yourself, mindfulness and fear, to shake hands as friends and become one. Doing this may seem frightening, but because you know that you are more than just your fear, you need not be afraid. As long as mindfulness is there, it can chaperone your fear […] You calm your feeling just by being with it, like a mother tenderly holding her crying baby (53-54).”

Is stage fright really such an “unacceptable” feeling? What about the feeling you have when you are at a wedding, a birth, a surprise birthday party? These feelings of adrenaline are comparable to performance anxiety, yet we would never label them as anxiety, but simply as excitement of being in the moment. If you are unwilling to experience the feeling of anxiety when you perform, you will most likely never feel comfortable with performing. In “Don’t Panic”, R. Reid Wilson offers “to conquer panic, then, you must intervene at the point of interpretation (133).” The reaction of fear is very powerful, but you have a choice in how you react. Acknowledge the fear, then stay present and let it be. Ride with the fear and the fear will lose its power. By not trying to control and fight against your stage-fright, you will actually diminish it.

Of course, there are many steps you can take in preparation for a performance to mitigate stage-fright. Being well-prepared, positive visualization, and mock rehearsals will all lead to a better state of mind on performance day.

In the words of the great Stevie Nicks: “If you have stage fright, it never goes away. But then I wonder, is the key to that magical performance because of the fear?”

Preparing For Your Music Recital

Written by Dan Cropper on June 16, 2019. Posted in Music 101, SuperJAM.

Music recitals are always an exciting event. Performing helps you grow as a musician and is a great confidence builder. Here are some tips to help you feel awesome on performance day. Be sure to invite all your friends and family to share in your big moment!

Song choice

Make sure that you pick a song for your recital that you have had enough time to work on. It should be a song that you really like and won’t get bored from practicing a lot. Sometimes it’s tempting to want to change songs a week before the recital because you learned something new, but generally it’s best to stick with your prepared song.

You can never be too prepared

You should feel so comfortable with your song that you can do it in your sleep. If there are any parts in your piece that you feel uncomfortable about, slow them down and practice them separately until you can do them 10 times in a row with no mistakes. When nerves are in the picture, mistakes are more likely to happen so it’s helpful to have the material in your muscle memory.

Dress rehearsals

Leading up to your performance do as many run-throughs of your song as possible. Practice walking up to your intrument and finding your starting notes. If you make a mistake during your run-through, keep going as you would in your real performance. Then go back and work on any areas that felt uncomfortable.

Clothing

Sometimes clothing can restrict playing or make it feel uncomfortable, particularly tight sleeves, collars, and dresses. Be sure to try out whatever you’ll be wearing and make sure you feel completely comfortable in it.

Mistakes happen!

If you end up making a mistake don’t worry! Just keep going and you’ll be amazed that most people don’t even notice. The audience wants you to succeed and will be cheering you on the whole way.

Have fun

Everyone says it but it’s so true! Don’t put too much pressure on yourself and go up with a smile 🙂

How to Prepare for a Music Audition

Written by Dan Cropper on June 16, 2019. Posted in Music 101.

Many students are getting ready to audition for music high schools and colleges in the fall and wondering what the audition will be like. Auditions can go very well as long as you are prepared. Although auditioning for a panel of judges can seem intimidating, the auditioners are usually very friendly and supportive. Remember that you are auditioning to study music, if you were perfect at everything in the audition you wouldn’t need to go to school! Before your audition make sure you collect as much information as possible about what will be required.

Additional practices to follow:

Do what you do best

If you’re great at playing country music.. play a country song, or if you’re great at playing R&B music, go with that. Unless the audition guidelines explicitly say you have to play a certain style of music don’t play a song just for the sake of it’s style or complexity. Do what you do best and you will shine.

Read the guidelines

Make sure you come prepared with exactly what you are supposed to. Be sure to bring extra copies of the sheet music you are playing from.

Prepare early

Don’t wait until a week before the audition to pick your piece. If you leave months to prepare instead of weeks you won’t have a thing to worry in the audition room and can focus on playing musically rather than worrying about the notes or lyrics.

Dress nicely

Wear something comfortable that also makes you look professional. For most auditions you can’t go wrong with black slacks and a nice shirt.

Arrive early

Make sure you arrive with plenty of time to get settled and warm-up.

Poker face

Don’t assume what the judges are thinking based on their reactions during your performance. Often times the judges try to stay very neutral in their reaction so as to be fair in the process. They may be only say a few words, even if they were completely blown away by your performance.

Common tasks you will be asked to perform at an audition:

Performance piece

One to three pieces that showcase your talent. If you are asked to play more than one song, make sure they are different tempos or styles.

Improvisation

You will usually be asked to improvise over a blues form. If you aren’t familiar with improvising, practice playing or singing the blues scale in different keys, then changing around the order of the notes. If you are singing, remember you don’t only have to you scat syllables, you can also pick a word or phrase sing over.

Sight reading

You will often be asked perform a sight reading exercise. You will usually start at a very basic reading level and be asked to proceed to more advanced reading exercises until your level is determined. Get an exercise book at home to practice out of. For singers, learning solfege can be very helpful.

Listen and repeat

You may be asked to repeat a melody that’s played to you or repeat a rhythm that is tapped to you. You can practice these exercises with your teacher.

How to Clean Piano Keys

Written by Dan Cropper on June 16, 2019. Posted in Piano.

Dirty hands, sneezing, and the occasional yogurt spill can take a toll on your sparkly white piano or keyboard keys. The easiest fix is to remember to wash your hands before playing each time- or better yet keep hand wipes beside the piano so you can’t forget. Nonetheless, most pianos need a little tender love and care every once in awhile.

If you do find that your piano or keyboard keys need cleaning consider the following tips:

Nothing too harsh

Refrain from using any kinds of chemical sprays or household cleaners, these can destroy the finish on your keys.

Create a water based solution

If your piano keys are plastic, use a solution of vinegar and warm water. If your piano keys are ivory, use a solution of warm water and gentle soap. White toothpaste can also be used to clean ivory keys!

No dripping

Dip a soft cloth in your cleaning solution. When you use the cloth on the keys make sure that it is NOT DRIPPING AT ALL. It’s very important to make sure no water drips between the keys. If water gets in between or under the keys it can do yucky things like warp the wood, moisten the felt (making the piano sound weird), and rust the strings.

One at a time

When cleaning the keys, clean each key individually instead of wiping across the whole keyboard, this will prevent water from getting in between the keys.

Dry right away

Make sure to dry the keys with a dry cloth right after you’ve washed them.

How to Ease Sore Fingertips from Guitar Playing

Written by Dan Cropper on June 16, 2019. Posted in Guitar.

Many new guitar players experience sore and painful fingertips in the early stages of learning guitar. This pain comes from the indenting your skin over and over again on hard guitar strings. Remember that this pain will eventually subside once you build up calluses. In the meantime here are some tips to get you through the beginning!

Start out slow

In the beginning your fingers will be very sensitive and easily irritated from pressing the strings. Experiment with multiple shorter practice periods throughout the day instead of long sessions, or taking a day off between practice sessions to let your fingers heal.

Get correct strings

The thickness of your guitar strings will affect how irritated your fingers become, the thicker the string the harder you have to press. Strings come marked in Heavy, Medium, Light, and Extra-Light. Try starting with light or extra-light strings which will be easier to press down on.

Adjust your action

Action refers to the distance of the strings from the fretboard. Strings with higher action are further off the fretboard, requiring you to push harder on the strings. Lowering the action will help ease finger pain. Ask your local guitar store about lowering your action and see the difference!

Practice without pressing the strings

Practice your fingers positions and shapes without actually pressing on the strings. This is especially helpful to break up a practice session when your fingers start to hurt. You can practice any song this way and still have a productive learning experience.

Let the calluses develop

Eventually your body will create armor for you in the form of calluses. Once the calluses have hardened playing will be much more comfortable. Keep on going!

Tuning Your Piano

Written by Dan Cropper on June 16, 2019. Posted in Piano.

After working hard on a piece of piano music, the last thing you want is to hear the music on an out of tune piano. For beginning and advanced students alike, tuning can make the difference in feeling satisfied with their piano playing. It’s much more encouraging to keep practicing if the work produces a beautiful sound. Having a tuned piano is more than just the right pitches, the overtones add inspiration and beauty to a piece of music. Especially when playing complex chords or transcribing music it is very important to have a well-tuned piano. I once had a student with a very out of tune piano, when we played complex music we would say “it sounds bad right now, but just remember it will sound right once the piano is tuned.” The student was so thrilled when they were finally able to hear all their beautiful playing on a tuned piano.

Piano keys have strings attached to each note. The piano tuner goes through each string and adjusts it’s tightness so that the string resonates at the correct frequency. The piano tuner uses tools such as specialized hammers, screwdrivers, pliers, mutes, and tuning forks to adjust the tuning.

The most common factor that causes pianos to go out of tune is changes in humidity. These changes in the air cause the soundboard to expand with moisture (causing the piano to go sharp), or have moisture drawn out (causing the piano to go flat). A piano will go out of tune even if it is never played.

The general recommendation is that a piano be tuned twice a year. However, pianos in professional recording studios or concert halls are tuned 3-4 times a week. Each piano and it’s set of environmental factors is different, adjust your piano tuning schedule accordingly.

Check out these piano tuners in NYC:

Big Wrench Piano Care, (718) 599-9434

Ethan Janney, (718) 283-4283

PianoLand, (718) 376-2415

Let’s Talk Ukulele!

Written by Dan Cropper on June 16, 2019. Posted in Ukulele.

The ukulele originated in Portugal and was brought to Hawaii in the 1880’s by a group of Portuguese woodworkers who emigrated to Honolulu. The ukulele looks like a very small guitar (ranging from 13-19 inches) with four strings. Ukuleles are typically made from wood, although some cheaper models can be made from ply or laminate woods.

One of the best features of the ukulele is how easy it is to carry around. The uke is ideal for busking, traveling or bringing along to the beach!

Ukulele is a particularly good instrument for young kids to learn as a introduction to guitar. Although the ukulele has a different string count and tuning than guitar, it can give a great basis for the skills needed for guitar. The ukulele sounds like a higher pitched guitar and can be used in many of the same songs as guitar.

Ukulele has become very popular in contemporary music and is used in performance by artists such as Ingrid Michaelson, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, and Colbie Callait. Check out the links below to learn chord positions and songs!

Cool Links To Check Out

Ukulele Hunt

Sheep Entertainment Chordfinder

Ukulele Underground

Music iPad Apps

Written by Dan Cropper on June 16, 2019. Posted in Music 101.

Learning a new musical instrument is a great adventure but in the beginning practice can feel tedious at times. For young students especially, it’s important to mix up practice and keep it fun, after all fun is the point! These iPad games are a great way to supplement in-home music lessons and practice. They are especially handy to bring along for weekend trips and holidays. Rock on!

WildChords

This is one of the coolest music games I’ve come across. A group of wild animals have escaped from the zoo, and the object is to save the animals and the city from impending madness. Each animal likes a particular chord, and you must play that chord each time you see the animal. You use a real guitar to play the different chords. The game uses high-tech audio technology to distiguish the different chords, turning the guitar into a game controller. I prefer WildChords over games like RockBand because the student uses a real guitar and the goal of the game is to really hone the students skills rather than having them ‘appear’ as a rockstar.

Fret Tester

Fret Tester is a fretboard trainer that improves ability to read music and find notes on guitar, mandolin, and bass. Fret Tester was written by professor William Wilson, author of the book “Guitar Games: Learn Guitar, Read Music, Fight Space Monsters.”

There are 4 modes of play:

1. Name Note: A dot is shown on the neck and you name the letter of the note.

2. Find Note: A note name is shown and you find it on the neck.

3. Notation: A note is shown in standard notation, you tap on the screen to select the correct location on the fretboard.

4. Notes on Staff: A pitch is notated in treble or bass clef, you name the note letter.

Etude

Etude is a piano app that lets you pick sheet music, then shows you how to play bar by bar. The app highlights the correct notes on the keyboard as you go. There are thousands of songs to choose from in genres from Lady Gaga to Beethoven.

Be wary! It’s important to learn how to read music without relying on the notes being highlighted. However, this app can be a fun and inspirational supplemental tool for students who are just learning how to read music and want to try more challenging material.