I get frustrated with always practicing and studying alone, and sometimes wonder what's the point of all the effort and time when I don't have anyone to play with or play for. I recently found your channel, you are quite inspiring and I always want to practice after I watch your videos. You are one of my favorite musicians/teachers. Thanks for the work and time you put into your videos.
It's remarkable to me how many pianists grew up hating lessons and later found their own motivation (often as an adult, like me). Working out modulating, jazzy pop was what finally "caught" me.
Thanks Aimee for sharing your story .. it's very inspiring for me, an adult beginner piano student .. even though this video is over 5 years, it never gets old!
You sure have a gift for talking to the camera and drawing us in. Accomplished musicians must just do everything well! Your Mom had just the right touch and your mentors cared enough to give you great advice and continue the guidance. They all are smiling now to know they may have been a small part of your success. Thanks Aimee
When i left my ex wife, i thought how many years i haven't laughed, and i remember when i was very young, i smile when i heard jazz songs, i will never leave jazz, no one can take that away from me. now i study jazz in conservatory, study CPA in internet, i go to sleep at 19:00 and work at night 3:00, these days are hard, but i feel i'm alive.
That was fascinating! Although, I don't think John Coltrane could sing what he played and I know Keith Jarrett can't :) Great story!! I want to know all of your favorite jazz records and the transcriptions that you showed us in one of your episodes.
Rick Beato Great point, Rick. You are right. For sure, they couldn't, well, maybe Keith Jarrett can in his own special way. LOL but, that's why I said it was unique to me. I don't hold anyone to that standard know I do I think anyone necessarily have to hold them selves to that standard. For some reason though, I chose to.
I think what +Rick Beato was talking about singing as you're playing, or when people ask you (often pretentiously, IMO) if you can sing what you just played. It's a different thing altogether to learn to sing them after the fact.
That's how I started too. At 5 years old I was able to quickly play melodies with one finger on a neighbor's piano. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star etc. I was also singing along with my parent's albums of popular musicals with accurate pitch. If you can hold a tune you're in the game. I remember George Benson saying "If you can sing it, you can play it".
I'm 67 years old and have fallen in love again! How could that happen? Thanks so much for the videos, Aimee Nolte. I've learned a lot from you in just one day, and I have been thoughtful about how different life might have been if I had been able to connect with a teacher like you. What a gift you have! Thanks again.
drmichaelshea im 72 years old and fallen in love with ms. nolte! wow what a great musician and artist. listening to jazz since i was 14yrs. old growing up in minneapolis. we need more women in jazz.
I am also 72 years old an am so enjoying you and your videos. I studied with a retired professor from Julliard for a year or two, but basically, am ear trained. I have played for church since I was 14. I' have never forgetten the first Ralph Carmichael arragements that feaured major 7th chords, and then 9's 11's, 13's. Gene Puerling, Hi'Lo's,, then Take 6, Bobby Mcferrin, and now Aimee Nolte and Jacob Cpllier. (I'm sure I left out many other favorites!) It runs in the family: My 1st cousin, Dr. Gerald Eskelin, directed the L.A. Jazz choir for many years, but we never lived anywhere near each other. I just had to thank you for all you are doing. My husband bought me a tablet and blue tooth speaker so that I could place it on the music stand on my piano and play along with you.....What a treat! Thank you SO VERY much for who you are and what you are doing.
That emotional response from communal singing - my daughter's grade school choir used to regularly choke me up when those sweet sopranos soared. I got some funny looks - big rugged dad sniffing & mopping eyes with a handkerchief...
Not boring at all! Love the part about wanting to sing what you play - that explains a lot about your talent the awesome posts you upload to Jam of the Week.
I became interested in Jazz late in life after hearing a tune called "Idle Moments" with Grant Green. It crossed my mind that while everyone else was listening to The Beatles and Rolling Stones there was an entirely different genre of truly exquisite music going almost completely unnoticed.
Great story!!! I'm always inspired by how people accomplished great things. You have a wonderful talent. As someone once told me, play what you feel on the inside.
2 things: our jazz band (tiny town in Montana) was also told to listen to a lot of jazz 🎹 And I also built my CD collection the same way 😂 Now my kids listen to some of those original cds
That is a great story Aimee! So similar to mine in many ways and although I'm way, way older than you (67) it just brought a smile to my face because a I could relate to so much of that what you shared. My mom taught my 3 sisters and I to harmonize singing hymns in the car going to church each Sunday and we all ended up loving to sing. We didn't have many rules in my house growing up but the one I do remember was this..."No singing at the dinner table!". Why? Because we would all sing and wouldn't eat our food. My grandfather played 10 different instruments (best on violin) and my grandmother played some piano. We all sang and performed something every time we went to grandma's. (West LA). You followed through on so much that for me got left in the dust as I got distracted with friends, sports, etc but I have always come back to music as the one constant in my life. So at 65 I heard a song on Pandora and had an epiphany...I would not reach 70 without becoming a decent piano player. So I'm plugging along. Been through s few teachers trying to find one to "fit" considering my musical knowledge and background. I've played guitar since I was 17 but never "studied" it other than enough to accompany my singing. I don't care to sing that much anymore but a I really want to play and I practice 1-3 hrs/day, I know you give lessons and if you're willing maybe I could pay you for an hour of FaceTime "consulting" and get your thoughts on the most effective path for the next few years. phil4id@gmail.com.
Thanks for sharing your story, Aimee Nolte. I’ve been fascinated by jazz and want to be able to be a jazz pianist, and now I’ve learnt that I need to listen to more jazz.
Great story. Relatively recent fan so just caught this video this morning in my feed (SO much better than the morning news gag!). I completely relate to your emotional connection experience in elementary school. I've been that way since I was a kid up to this day - something visually captivating, musically beautiful, a truth well told, unguarded self expression... usually always grabs me. It can be embarrassing at times. Ha! But whatever. I believe that's how we understand our values and callings, through recognizing those moments. They are somewhat divine IMO. My connection to drums and jazz goes back to when I was 5 or so. Drums - my parents always seemed to be playing KC & The Sunshine Band or Stevie Wonder and I was either performing a dance on the coffee table or going to the garage and dragging in buckets or pulling all the pans from the kitchen and rigging a kit on my dad's recliner. :D They finally broke down and bought me a starter kit so that they could just keep the house clean. Jazz - every single day I watched Mister Roger's Neighborhood, and every major holiday it was my TOP priority to watch The Peanuts cartoon specials. Those programs captivated me. Fred and Charles were pioneers, but it wasn't until I was older that I realized my gravitational pull was mostly due to the genius of Johnny Costa and Vince Guaraldi. That musical wallpaper became unwittingly embedded in me and though, through the years I immersed myself in more and more varied instruments and different genres of music, I'll always consider that soundscape to be at my core DNA and sort of the perfect soundtrack to my life at it's best. :) Thanks for sharing your story. I love being able to understand and break down where cool and talented people are coming from and to understand that all of our stories are very "normal" and relatable.
Creativity brings lots of joy, and happiness into your life, keep smiling, and laughing. I enjoyed the way you expressed you self telling your story. Keep it going, and doing the things that brings you joy.
Hi Aimee! I loved your story time, I had a similar experience learning to play piano, but never got to have the privilege of getting to play what I want to play during those piano lessons, so I quit for four years. I only got back when a friend thought me how to play chords around high school, but I play very light jazz, more like pop music. Thanks for sharing your wonderful experience as a musician!
I found you a few days ago and I knew we were kindred spirits for some reason, but not quite sure why. Now I'm sitting here just reminiscing while listening to your story. I'm much older, but you could have been telling my story from my early years almost verbatim. Got a lump in my throat about half way through because I knew that I knew you the first day I saw you explain the Basie lick. Not personally understand, but I knew your heart. Now I see why. You're special and I'm glad I found you! Once you discover that special love that you described at 6 or 7, it never leaves you. I think I always had it from the first time I found I could find melodies on the piano at yes, 3 or 4. If you have music in you, any instrument is fair game. When you learn to drive a vehicle, it doesn't matter if it's a car or a tractor or a boat, you just know how to drive if you understand the basics of driving. I've been retired from performing since I was about 65 though I still record some and have a bit more time for my wood working hobby, but you inspire me to try some new things musically again at 72! Thank you!! Going back to my rock roots, though I've played all kinds of music, I just recently finished this little song for my cat Bella lol! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ipzVNypt1Ic.html
Thank you so much for sharing. I have learned quite a lot from your informative vids. I needed some one like you when I was a kid. I am like learning backwards and it is very challenging. So thanks very much for your incite and simplification of music in general.
Thank you for sharing you story. It is so nice to just sit and listen someone's journey in their own words. Very enjoyable in deed! Today is not music but your story bouncing in my head... :)
I've only become acquainted with your channel for a few days but in that time have become addicted to the many wonderful clips and your way of instructing and I have learned so many 'tricks' from you. I too was making up little tunes on the piano when I was 4 or 5 and my parents sent me for lessons...we're talking about the mid 40s...after one month the teacher told my mother "I can't teach Clive, he wants to do what he wants not what I want" that was the start and end of my education in music....as others have mentioned here, if only I'd had a teacher like you.....Over the years I have done a lot in the field of music....found my own style but have only gone a short way.....pity I didn't stick with a formal education...I know I've got it, but I fear it's too late in the day...one day if ever we meet, I think you'd be interested in some of my tales!... anyway, thanks for all you hard work on these videos ....very much appreciated.
Cool story!!! You are very talented. You seem like someone that has strong determination to do something. I really enjoy watching your videos. I keep watching one after another. Thanks for making the videos.
I knew the moment I recognized the talent. This was only after watching 3-4 videos. The more I watch the deeper I want to dig to understand learn and am constantly being impressed with each video. Well rounded, very musically inclined and talented with a warm inviting teaching method that is both encouraging and makes it fun to be near and learn from. From one musician to another ... See ya at the top !!
I really enjoy watching your videos, Aimee! The idea of singing what you play is a good one! I think it helps learn improvising, to form sensible melody lines. Thanks!
Being able to sing what you play; I think this ties into higher level play. I agree, and feel that you could almost think of it as tapping into your soul and opening the valve. All the licks players want to learn I think are important. I believe they are building foundation as they do. Getting the muscle memory established is important, then you can forget about that stuff and feel. Tap the soul, open the valve and keep it open. It invites the thought of learning methods and techniques. Learning licks and scales/ chromatic runs or what have you is foundation, then tapping the soul is the high level learning. You certainly don't see great pianists thinking about what lick they should play next, they are feeling what wants to come out next. Thanks for sharing your story!
I think your point about making your playing lyrical is so important. My favourite rock guitarists are all lyrical and I love Ben Webster and Coleman Hawkins for the same reason. I would love you to tell us about some of your favourite jazz albums, especially the ones which stood out for you when you started to listen to it. Thanks for sharing your story.
Music is beautiful, it impacts us in many ways, and sometimes we are not even aware of it. My dad used to play music all the time. He would play all types of music. Classical, opera, rock, latin - a bit of everything. Over the years I developed a deep love for music, and today appreciate all types of different music. I did not discover jazz until i was 13 years old. My mom (divorced) was dating an english fellow that loved jazz. He introduced me to Dave Brubeck, Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett and many more. It was a wonderful discovery and it expanded my appreciation for music. I play a bit of piano, but never had lessons (wish I had as a kid). I always had a great ear and can pick out any tune on the piano. Some of my favourite pieces are: Comptine d'un autre été from the movie Amélie by Yann Tiersen (talented composer), Goodbye Lenin - Yann Tiersen, On Earth As It Is In Heaver - from the movie The Mission, by Enio Morricone. Anyhow, thanks for sharing, and thanks for your fantastic channel. Keep up the great work. I am a big FAN!
Cute story and thanks for sharing your passion and knowledge in your videos. Mark Levin's Piano Book is great. I was able to study with him years ago when I moved from Trumpet to Piano. Thanks again for sharing Aimee : D Jazz is awesome !
Hi, and thanks for your story. I never thought that Brigham Young would be so encouraging for Jazz. The irony for me is that I was raised in New Orleans, and I was taught to be estranged from Jazz. (Yes, I capitalized Jazz.) The bandmaster in high school was French and hated Jazz, which he defined loosely, but not even in our own time or with friends. If he found out, expulsion from the band. Nuts huh. When I retired,I took up piano at 66 to try to learn to write songs; I had lyrics and could hear them, but how to get them down? I couldn't relate to the keyboard too well, but I still have it. My teacher said one way to write music down was to learn piano, which was what he taught. He only played Jazz. I had posture problems and it hurt my back too much. I also had family challenges so I stopped. On a whim, I bought a cornet online. As a sophomore I started with melophone, and the next year I had a difficult transition to French horn. I was just beginning to make progress with the horn when I graduated high school. That was 1962. By coincidence the Olds Ambassador cornet I found a few months ago was made that same year. The last owner was a middle school kid, so a cleaning kit and method book came with it. To my surprise, after some confusion, I am making progress. I should find a teacher before I make bad habits. I think I want to find a singing teacher too. Now I'm attracted to the keyboard again. I just set it up. It was put away because we're remodeling. My little bit of keyboard should help me work some tunes, so maybe I'll put some songs together. I still have them in my head. Now I've heard of the 12 bar structure. I was thinking more like open ended show songs. We'll see. I'll listen to your list of 25. A song I like to sing is Ruby as done by Ray Charles. I kind of slipped into singing it to myself on the job before I retired, and coworkers were staring at me. Funny moment. I'm playing little beginner melodies that a the middle school kid played not long ago on the same horn, but I think I put some feeling into it, or at least continuity. Hot Cross Buns, Go Tell Aunt Rhodie are beginner stuff, but there's a little bit of singing on my second attempts in practice. All this helps with my real adventure that had to wait for my retirement: I'm writing plays. Did I say the story was complicated? I've had some readings, and I hear, "that story could be set to music." Would I try to compose? No, but I might find someone. Write lyrics? Why not? Thanks for reading. Good for you for doing what you have always loved. I'm an old dinosaur with a sense of adventure.
That was great. Thank you so much, Aimee. People use words like "gifted" to describe people who can do what you do, but that doesn't even begin to recognize the passion, effort, discipline and determination that are all so evident in your story. I also took classical piano lessons and advanced but was utterly frustrated with it because because I couldn't identify with the music. I wanted to boogie and swing but didn't have a clue so I have up. Tben 30 years later at the tender age of 49 I began taking guitar lessons with my 10 year old son who is now very talented. We both began with blues but my previous background made me want something more interesting. my teacher, Dave Sharp suggested that I sit in with the Washtenaw County jazz orchestra. I had no idea what I was playing then, but I loved it and kept working out basic drop 2 and drop 3 chord voicing until I could put 4 on the floor like Freddie Green. Learning to make sense when I solo took a bit longer. my current teacher has me look at every chord tones of every chord, but I'm beginning to realize that putting down a good line takes more than knowing where the chord tones are. So I want to think about whole lines or ideas, then how I can develop it into a kind of dialog. That's music! You just reminded me that I need to listen a lot more. I try to pull it all out of my head which is really a guessing game. Never too late! Thank you so much for these videos Aimee. They are fantastic.
I tried many instruments growing up, but I never found one that did it for me. Until I was 15. Then I took up singing and I really found my instrument. But I regret nor starting earlier, but back in those days boys didn't take singing lessons. You played an instrument.
Really interesting story Aimee. I love the bit about your Grandpa teaching you chords, helping your ears get trained up and all the singing to-o -o-o. So you've had a really excellent and sustained education in music, which probably goes back to when you were in your mothers' womb! Your joy comes alive with your lessons. Thank-you for sharing.
pdn11141 you're such a nice man. Don't be so hard on yourself. Mistakes are part of music and they are a part of life. All you have to do is keep going.❤️
Not boring at all Aimee! You're a very good story teller. And your story is interesting. I wish I had thought to ask my piano teacher to let me learn other stuff besides classical. I might have stuck with it. Now that I'm older I appreciate classical music but I couldn't back then.
I just discovered you today. You are a fantastic teacher. Weaverville? I've been there. What a gem of a great little town. Count yourself blessed to have been brought up there.
Who would have imagined that such a cool jazz player like you learned some of your downbeat chops at BYU. My wife is a BYU alumn and for her it was Barry Manilow and Bread. Again thanks for being awesome.
I'm from small oil town Texas. I never had a desire to stay in shitty little towns. NYC for me and other European cities, such as Florence, Berlin, London, etc, etc...Trombone is my axe been playing for 5j0 years maybe.
I Love this! Aimee, you have a real gift for teaching. I'm voraciously going through your videos even though I'm primarily a guitar player and my piano skills are pretty rudimentary. Getting better, though :-) My father was a piano player and the first jazz I remember was a 45 with Oscar Peterson doing "Tenderly" on one side and "C Jam Blues" on the other. I've been a huge Oscar fan ever since. Maybe one day I'll get to hear you live - we have kids in SoCal. Keep up the good work!
Wonderful story of your musical part of your life, and the interest you have had. It was so nice to listen to you tell it. I grew up in a small town too. Still live in a small town. My mom used to always play, but with 'chords' on Keyboard. She did square dance type music. Seemed she liked music like that the most. Swing really is more of where my interest lies. Really did not learn from her as was interested in dancing and di that and even taught at one time. But now see that this would have been right for me to learn. Cannot sing, but was in choir at church and they said I was an "alto" and did not even know what that was, but would tune my voice to theirs ( could not read notes ) Guess key of C / middle C works best for me? Thank you for the help you are giving on You Tube, to teach !
I started on a Yamaha keyboard that my parents bought as "family instrument". Nobody except me seemed to play with it at all but I especially liked the cheesy comp automatics (still love them). I put it on "Rock & Roll" (which had this stereotypical boogie woogie bass figure everybody knows), put it really fast and hit some high keys in staccato like I had heard Jerry Lee Lewis doing it. That's how I discovered dominant 7 chords. After some time I asked my parents for piano lessons. Later they even baught a real piano! I mostly learned to play pop and jazz stuff and even performed some small gigs with a teenage "buffet jazz" combo, but I never practised enough to become actually good. I enjoyed it though and I still make music today. It's not quite jazz (I'm in a group with synthesizers, bass guitar and a bunch of electronics) but my chords and my approach are still quite jazz influenced. Inspired by your channel I'm thinking about practising more and singing some Realbook standards by myself! :)
Lovely insightful video, Aimee. One thing I think you’d like to hear is about the totem pole. The ones at the top are not the strongest but the weakest. It is the duty of the bottom to hold up the weak and the elderly. They are lifted onto their shoulders.
Just found this video. Sounds similar to me growing up in Colfax CA in the 70's. Thankful I had the stuffy piano teacher who made me learn good technique but didn't want me learning Tie a Yellow Ribbon. LOL
Cool story. I remember being on a plane (fam holiday). I was 13 and I watched the Talented Mr Ripley. I'm pretty sure that I couldn't follow the plot but that is not what kept me captivated. It was the late-50's jazz music, the beautiful images of Italy and the great actors. The film is a great mood piece and that's how I remember it, a beautiful dream/escape/fantasy.
Aimee Nolte It is nice that you were moved by the whole school singing together when you were young. Music has a great power socially. It brings people together and can influence their moods. It's really kind of magical.
Aimee, I love your story of how you got into jazz, I could elaborate but I'll tell you my story because it's a story of some of my happiest memories. I'm 59 y/o and before I could walk and thru preschool age my dad sang "Me and My Shadow" to me, he introduced me to many of the swing bands of the '40s. When his dad, my Grand Dad Craven gave me his entire '78 rpm collection when I was about 7; the record Ted Lewis and his Orchestra doing "Bo-La-Bo"(1920), that recording is what inflamed me for jazz. No, I'm not a performer at all since the mid 1980's. Anyway, early/mid seventies I played organ in a rock band thou I hated rock, the money added to what I made mowing yards. Played jazz in the college jazz band and bars during college. Later after college my good paying jobs interfered with jobs playing in clubs, etc. At home as a high school student I was listening to big band and Maynard Ferguson Jazz Rock and others, plus Fusion ( Chock Corea, Jeff Lober). The recordings of the late Charlie Parker, Erroll Garner, Bud Powell were the primary three who woke me up to JAZZ since the late 1970's.
Aimee, when you say you played whatever was fun to you, I did the same, but those were the creations of my own imagination. Anyway, my piano teacher called my parents when I was 8 and said: "Why isn't Jeff able to play the pieces I assigned to him; I was jiving to my own inspired Strauss waltzes and playing the blues. BOY! The hardest well deserved (posterior) whipping I ever took, soon I was playing Chopin. 2 years later I was playing T.Monk , Earl Hines and just for kicks & money Jerry Lee Lewis, and rock music in a couple defunct rock bands before I came back to my love; JAZZ......................Jazz.
When I was only 2, I was already playing 26,000 instruments. At 3, I already had a 200,000 piece orchestra, and at 4, I was the world's top-selling bandleader. We were recording 10,000 albums per year and all went gold. We recorded surf instrumentals, easy listening, Big Band, swing, jazz, ragtime, pop, doo-wop, boogy-woogy, rock and roll, classical, show tunes, movey and TV themes, cowboy music, gospel, college songs, folk, country cross-overs, pub songs, Latin (Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese), exotica, disco, Euro-dance, and Swiss, German, and Russian music.
My wife and I spent 30 years doing casuals in Orange County. Did not make a lot of money but made a good life for ourselves and our two children. One of the big payoffs to earning your living in music is that you can spend a lot of time with your children. I suspect you enjoy that same benefit. You have made me feel a little guilty because you have given so much of yourself in these videos. And I have given you nothing in return. All I cam do is give you my gratitude and admiration. I hope someday I will have a chance to see you perform in person. There is real magic in music and you should be proud that you are bringing it to so many people. Thank you and God bless.
I started much later unfortunately. Well, years back in the UK I played guitar in a funk band but then I moved to Spain and tried to learn flamenco guitar but gave it up when I got tendonitis. Then we got a piano for the kids about 8 years ago and I started following youtube videos on boogie woogie and blues etc. And at some point decided I was going to learn jazz and luckily where I am in Almeria there is a club called the ClasiJazz where those who know form groups / combos to help those of us who know less, and getting involved in those has helped a lot. Almeria is a small town in the corner of Andalucia but thanks to the energy of the owner (Pablo Mazuecos) they've managed to bring some big names here like Brad Mehldau, Joshua Redman, Benny Golson, Alison Miller, Barry Harris, Lee Konitz, Julian Lage, Ben Monder. As I speak both languages I've sometimes got to help out translating for the owner so I've got to meet and talk to some big jazz names which has been fun.
Really interesting Aimee.. Thanks for sharing. Without compromising anyone's privacy, can you say something about how you have managed your own children's music education, and how your experience growing up influenced decisions you've made about music for them?
I wonder why you don't have more subscribers. Maybe you should do some varied content. Maybe that would help but you're really good. I really like your channel. I really like story time too.
Fascinating, not boring! Thanks for sharing. You sound like you have an incredible ear melodically. Is it as good harmonically? How did you develop it? Aural Training in college must have been a breeze for you. I suffered through it and all for only 1 credit...ugh!
Sam A I have two videos that address these questions. One of them, I put out earlier today and the other one is about how I got into music. I think they are easy to find. You are right. College music was easy for me, but I understand about how difficult it would have been if I didn't have a good ear. I'm glad you are still listening and learning.
Great story about your journey in music. I'm curious to know how many of your childhood instruments you still play, along with any other instruments you've picked up since then.
+DrQuizzler I will still try and play lots of things just for fun but I most often end up with a guitar in my hands at family gatherings. Such a practical instrument!
Yeah, I hated playing only stuff I was told, too. The problem is that I loved and still love the sound of classical music. But what I can't stand is the culture of classical music, playing just other people's dots and never, ever playing by ear. The whole "We want to hear Chopin, not YOU" attitude. I wish so much I had been able to strike that balance as a kid in lessons, but I can still very clearly remember my teacher (an ex-nun) telling me very scoldingly when I tried to negotiate, "When you sit at this piano, I am in charge," and pointed to herself. For years, I actually thought that Chopin was my favorite composer because he was HER favorite composer. I bet she wondered why I left the second I started college. Nowdays of course, classical music is finally reclaiming its improvisational roots, but back then? No way. I still tense up like crazy at the piano, and what I've done is decamp almost entirely to the harp, where I teach myself, arrange and compose what I like, and will brook no tension whatsoever. But I really wish I'd had a better teacher at the piano as a kid. (I do compose and arrange there, but I still get so tense that my arms are like iron claws by the time I'm finished.)
Hahaha - teenagers! That same stubbornness that kept you from your Piano for that time, was the same stubbornness that gave you the discipline to succeed and not give up when you wanted to tackle something you didn't know. Agree on the heart concept. Best music is always felt.
Ha...BMG, I remember ordering 12 cds for $1....Weather Report, Herbie Mann, Sammie Davis, Spiro Gyro. I remember filling out the order blanks and my mom asking "Really, sure you wouldn't happier with Lynerd Skynerd or Metalica?"
Ah ha! Was it the first one or Light As A Feather, which was the album that really put Chick out there, raising him to prominence? I had vinyl of both. (It was all we had then..)
I heard you ran the gamut of training in different genres from pop to country to jazz to classical. There's so much freedom, improv and creativity in jazz. Is that what drew you to it compared to other styles? Do you see jazz as your favorite?
+Brian Balloon yes. It's the freedom and the grooves. The room to create, although once you learn that in one genre, I think it's easy to apply to the others.
I was classically trained too and quit after my junior year in High School. My last recital piece was Chopin's Military Polonaise. I'd love to pick up jazz. but where in your RU-vid videos do i start? I watched the Major Scales video today, probably a good place to start.
I have been playing the piano for quite some time (15 yrs) now, preferably jazz. now, being in my mid 20s I really would like to be able to sing along while playing. I can sing without playing but it's soo difficult to coordinate both, considering that I am far more experienced in playing than singing and automatically focus on the keys EVERYTIME! Do you maybe have a technique or advice how to practice to sing&play at the same time? I would be happy to know!
Aimee Nolte Music thx! dear aimee, pls keep on sharing your valuable thoughts, stories and techniques like these with us. I've been watching ur videos for about a week now and they are soo inspiring! I feel like I am actually "playing" now, playing what I feel, instead of sticking to sheet music. thank you, sensei.
