Who else wants to learn the
secrets of piano improvising -- making up music as you play?
7 Months From Today...You Could Be Improvising On The
Piano Freely -- Making Up Your Own Music On The Spot!
Dear Friend:
I'm
about to tell you a true story. If
you believe me, you will be well rewarded. In
fact, it could change your piano-playing life. If you
don't believe me, I will make it worth your while
to change your mind.
Let me
explain:
When I was in the
8th grade, there were lots of kids who could play piano
better than I. For example, there was this guy named Scott
who had the same piano teacher I did, and at the annual
recital he played "Kitten On The Keys" -- a jazzy up tempo
novelty song with lots of frills that really got the audience
going. I played right after him, and my song was "Minuet in
G" -- hardly an exciting song, and much easier than "Kitten
On The Keys". It was embarrassing, because he was my age, and
had only taken piano lessons a year longer than I had.
Now fast forward 3 years. We are in our 3rd year of
high school at Placer High in Auburn, California. I had
gotten interested in jazz a couple years earlier and had sent
off for a "Chord Chart" in the mail. As I recall, it cost me
two bucks. Working all by myself with that chord chart I had
learned a dozen or so of the most-used chords. Then I went to
a jazz concert at the Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento where
I saw the great Erroll Garner play a solo concert. I had no
idea that a piano could sound like that, and I perceived that
what he was doing was breaking up chords in some complex ways
I didn't understand at the time -- but wanted desperately to
find out.
So I immediately bought some of his records and started
playing along with them, running my hands up and down the keyboard as I
heard him get higher and lower, pretending that I was the one making
those incredible sounds. I did that by the hour -- not only at home, but
also in the practice rooms in the music building at Placer High.
Plus you get these
bonuses:
A Free Big Binder
to keep all your books in, plus
A Book of Lead Sheet Songs
(a lead sheet shows just the
tune and the chord symbols) so you can rehearse what
you've learned, plus the
Bonus
DVD on "Using Chords To
Improvise"!
All this comes
free
!
One day as I was doing this, Scott happened
to walk by
the practice room I was in and noticed what I was
doing.
"What in the world do you think you're doing,
Shinn?
That sounds terrible!"
He
was right, of course. It did sound terrible, but that wasn't the point.
The point was -- I was gradually learning which
chords Garner was using, and how he was breaking them up and moving so
deftly between them.
Now fast forward another 2 years. We are in our first year of
college at Sierra Junior College, and I am playing in the college dance
combo. Scott sees me playing and comes over to the bandstand and stares
at my hands for a long time. Finally he shrugs and says
"I can't believe it. I actually used to be
better than you, Shinn. Now all I can do is play what's in front of me,
and you can improvise all over the place."
I tell you this story not to brag, but to demonstrate that
it is possible to learn to improvise --
even by yourself, with no one to help you but a chord chart and some
recordings.
But
YOU don't have to learn by yourself. You can
take advantage of all that I have learned about improvising over
the past umpteen years since that happened. Instead of sweating by
yourself, trying to figure out "how they do that", you can
stand on my shoulders and learn piano
improvisation correctly right from the start.
Here's how
the program works:
I'm going
to take you on a 7-month journey
into piano improvisation. Each month for seven solid
months you will work through a
new book. You'll
receive the entire course all at once, but you will take it
gradually, month by month -- so please don't skip ahead!
This is a course for people who don't know how
to improvise -- not for pros who already do. It takes you by
the hand, step by step, and shows you how to actually start making up
your own melodies and arrangements.
Piano
Improvising -- The Exciting 7-Month Home Study Course!
The
1st month we will lay
the foundation for improvisation, including the 12-bar blues.
You'll improvise through the blues sequence many,
many times, until you get the "feel" of it. You will work out of a 28 page book so you will
SEE every note, every chord,
every progression
in the book. That makes learning fast and secure.
The
2nd month we will learn
how to create a "motif"
-- also known as a theme, for our improvisations, then develop that motif. We
will also cover "razzles" on various beats of
the measure. (This will also help your rhythm
-- an added bonus!).
During the
3rd month we will
learn how to play
popular ballads,
using an arpeggio pattern in our left hand. You'll play a half-dozen beautiful
ballads, and learn to improvise on each one.
The
4th month we will
learn chord substitutions,
how to apply
triplets to improvisation,
how to use inversions -- all the stuff
that makes for exciting, lush arrangements!
The use of good chord substitutions makes your
playing not only professional,
but individual as well. You put your own "signature" on each song.
The
5th month we will
work with 7th chord improvising
and various accent patterns. (And don't
forget -- you get a new book to work out
of EACH month, including this month!).
7th chords are so important in all kinds of music, because they are
"pregnant" -- they want
to "deliver" you
to the next chord. You'll not only master
them, but you'll also improvise
on them!
During the
6th month we will
drill on the arpeggiated bass
using 6th chords, the altered 9th chord, and what to do when 3 or
more chords are in the same measure. When you create a
"flowing river of sound"
with your left hand arpeggio, your playing sounds
full and
lush and
exciting.
The
7th month we will learn
and work through the
blues scale
(which notes to flat to create a "bluesy" sound) and
mixed up motifs, and we'll put it all together so you can see
how everything relates. You'll learn the importance of the
flat 5th, the flat 3rd, and the flat 7th,
and how they work together to create that
"jazzy" sound!
So there you have
it.
Seven months from now
YOU WILL
be improvising -- and understanding what you're
doing!
You'll be making up your own melodies
(made out of 2 or more motifs you learned back in month #2). You'll be
playing exciting chord progressions
based on the blues scale (which you learned in month #7). You'll be
creating moods. Playing the blues. Playing ballads.
And many other improvisational styles.
And remember -- once you learn the principles of improvisation, you can
improvise in any kind of music
-- gospel, praise, pop, rock, C&W, R&B -- any
style!
Sign up now,
and get started on your seven month journey to improvising!
Cordially,
Duane
P.S. I know
the tuition for this course is embarrassingly low
for a course of this magnitude. The same material at a
conservatory or university (IF you could find such a course) would cost
many times this amount -- (if you have attended college recently, you
know about this!) But this is first-class material
using seven excellent books that illustrate each
improvisation technique. So even though it's
extremely low-cost,
it is the highest quality course you could
possibly take!
P.S. again:
The course is so clear and easy to
understand that you really don't need me to
hold your hand as you go through it. But it will be like me sitting on
the piano bench with you, guiding you step-by-step.
Plus you get these
bonuses:
A Free Big Binder
to keep all your books in, plus
A Book of Lead Sheet Songs
(a lead sheet shows just the
tune and the chord symbols) so you can rehearse what
you've learned, plus the
Bonus
DVD on "Using Chords To
Improvise"!
All this comes
free with your course!
Duane has a very unique gift...not only a talent, but a
very special "gift" from God. He can communicate understandable musical
information by way of audio and video tapes to students in a very practical way
and at the same time teach on a very personal level. It seems as though you've
met him in person when you listen or watch any of his tapes. He is very
personable and his Christianity soon shines through in his comments. He has a
wealth of knowledge to share and is happy to do so.
By way of those two
media (video and audio taps), doors were opened to me, and they are still being
opened when I again view or listen to the tapes. There are patterns and theory I
had never before connected in my mind. He presents techniques and theory in such
an comprehensive and practical way that it's easy to remember and immediately
put to use. I have had many "ah-ha" moments due to his instruction.
I was
fortunate enough to not only have several videos and numerous audio tapes by
which to learn piano techniques, but I also was privileged to take his
personalized one-on-one piano lessons for almost two years before his retirement
by taped lessons tailored just for me at my level. It was always a joy to
interact with him on the audio tape. The lessons were something I always looked
forward to...even though I knew the new tape would mean lots of work and hours
of practice. The work always paid off in fulfillment and reward of learning new
musical facts.
I once asked Duane, "Where have you been all my
playing/musical career?" It's never too late to learn, so I'm thankful for the
knowledge he was able to extend to me those two years as well as through his
many videos and audio tapes I have purchased.
I would recommend his
teaching videos and audo tapes to anyone wanting to learn more about music.
There is a wealth of information stored on each and every one of his tapes.
Sincerely, Renay Goodman Grand Junction, Co. Email on File 12/22/03
Because of copyright restrictions we are
not allowed to record this course on DVD, so you get the entire course -
7 books in a big binder - for just $99. PLUS you get the free bonus DVD
on "Using Chords To Improvise" AND the book of lead-sheet songs!
