philbestmusic.... I believe music helps us make sense of life in all its complexity and confusion. So that means I have to share the complexity and confusion of my life. Yikes!
I have the sense that wanting to share, wanting to tell your soul, and feeling embarrassed to do so because of someone else' bad example is holding back. As artists, the need to express ourselves is what drives our art. Chain it up, by limiting what you are prepared to say, holding back our base feelings and emotions, particularly the darker memories in us, will leave a huge creative potential untapped. You have spoken about soul music. The blues, of which Motown and the Philadelphia sound are direct Descendants, was born out of frustration, anger and grief. One of the problems for artists who have a technical training to a high level is that the control exercised in the practice can inhibit expression. I think your choice of music presented in these videos and the way you improvise so fluently is indicative of the gentle and beautiful person you are. I wouldn't want to change that, though your obvious sadness, even anger at the store of things you would like to tell but don't want to be seen as dumping, looks to me like a burden. Say it in your improvising, tell the piano your darkest thoughts. You don't need to share those with us until you're ready. The C# minor prelude is in you and it is a dark and suffocating prison if you don't ventilate it. ❤
I have been letting the piano express my darkest feelings, whenever I had the solitude, in free improvisations ever since I was a child. And I think I'm ready to share that now. Thanks for your very encouraging and wise words!
You play beautifully, Phil. If I may, you have a very independent mind. You subconsciously or perhaps also reactively do not want to have any rules imposed on your music expression. You do not like any rules, especially strict adherence to them and judgment. Neither classical music nor even jazz allow you to be free.
Thank you! No, your judgment of my nature is way off the mark. I'm not reactively or subconsciously rebellious. Being confident about doing things in ways that diverge from the norm, or being an independent thinker as you kindly put it, is something I've had to really work on. I'm very obedient and compliant by nature - although this unfortunate tendency is gradually weakening as I get older, thank goodness! Also, I must point out that my way of studying music also has some very strict rules that I follow with great discipline. Discipline is very important, in my opinion. Of course, you're right that my approach to making music goes against the norms in many ways but my motivation for doing it the way I do is purely because I love to make music this way (fluently) and not because I like to be different or free from other people's rules.
Beautiful! I closed my eyes and let the music take me places. Complexity and confusion were in there. But the thought that came to me was the old saw, 'The best revenge is living well', to which I heartily subscribe.
My current favourite action is Roland's PHA50.(various models of piano have this action). But Yamaha, Kawai, and others make actions that mimic those of acoustic pianos perfectly, too. For sound, I like Roland, but prefer the vst-i, Pianoteq. In the end, it's a matter of personal taste.
Can I ask a question? I am still confused If we internalize the sounds of all harmonic blocks, how can we do the melody. I have a little bit background on movable do solfege where we taught that melodies are related and will gravitated towards the tonic note same goes with the harmonies. When I listened to the music, I feel that the notes (scale degrees) even the harmonies will gravitate towards the tonic. I don't know if your approach is the same as what I learned in movable do solfege and functional harmony. If they are not the same, maybe I am still thinking in terms of keys not harmonic blocks. But you say you must think of Harmonic blocks. How can I think in terms of individual harmonic blocks? It sa'ys on step 6 when you relate the harmonic block to it's relative minor, you must tag it's root note as it's tonal center. My understanding to this is when you change harmonic block for example C to Am, where C harmonic block is home and Am is away. In the C block C is my tonal center and in Am block A is tonal center It's hard for me to recognize this. It's like you are trying to change keys all the time when you change harmony because you're changing tonal centers everytime you change harmony. Or maybe I'm studying the material in the wrong way.
Yes, you're stuck on keys. A key is a linear, inflexible system. So solfège is absolutely not what I teach. It's linear. A tonal centre or root within a block is essential. Try practising on a diatonic block with a single harmonic block plugged into it, using auxiliary notes too. The easiest harmonic block would be the central major block (ionian): so, for example A within 3 sharps. With a little practice, notice how you can tag every melodic or harmonic sound that you choose within this composite structure. Once you can do this, try it changing between 2 harmonic blocks. Change after each cycle of the mantra. Make one of the blocks home and the other away - e.g. A=home, D=away. The root of each block is still important and does not disturb the relationship between the 2 blocks, nor does it affect the diatonic block which contains them both. Umnderstanding comes from practising with focus on these simple principles and letting go of everything else. Letting go is hard.
@@PhilBestMusic Okay I Understand Now. I also now understand that this is important to do this with rhythm. I also watched your other video on how to practice tonality to really get a clearer sense on how the model works. I am truly appreciate your help and feedback. Thank You.
@PhilBestMusic I have a last question on this. When intending and hearing musical sounds, do I really need to change the way I hear music to become fluent in the language of music? or just stick with my natural inner sense of tonality? It sounds like we are naturally hearing harmonic blocks nested in a pentatonic or diatonic blocks working all together instead of individual harmonic blocks like (developing perfect pitch but instead of recognizing individual notes, recognizing individual harmonic individual blocks). or maybe I am just overthinking or not really mastered diatonic blocks. That's all. Thanks
Oh, it's all completely natural. When you listen to music, it makes sense tonally because you possess an intuitive grasp of how all the harmonic blocks combine in pentatonic, diatonic or chromatic relationships with all the auxiliary notes sitting in-between. All you're doing is learning to have a clear, conscious grasp of this structurally (knowing where everything lives in the keyboard map spatially/proprioceptively without working anything out). This way, your body and mind can process it all instantly. This is very easy and requires LOTS of childlike practice and no thinking. Or... it would be easy if people didn't have psychological blockages. The main blockage is making results the goal. The point of musical fluency is expressing your inner feelings (body and soul) using the language of music; it is NOT to achieve some result - some objective, external idea of music. Music must stop being a "sound-object" that exists outside us to get right. Seeing music as notes, theory, melody etc. turns it into an external object. Skills are also results - like having perfect pitch or being able to transpose at sight etc. etc. - and must be viewed as by-products. By-products are important. When we burn fossil fuel, carbon dioxide is a by-product. It wasn't the goal but it's still important as it has consequences. Carbon dioxide is an unhappy by-product. Fluent musical skills are happy by-products. So the goal of your musical fluency practice must simply and always be self-expression. Expressing feelings directly from the body and soul using the language of music. This expressiveness must never be "put on" or contrived, as is conventionally taught, as that's just another result. We must play completely naturally. We must let go! The rhythmic matrix holds the key to letting go. When we devote our mental attention to its structure in all its detail and at all levels of scale, whilst simultaneously enjoying the rhythmic (poetic/storytelling) feeling that arises naturally from this structure in a childlike, mischievous way, the mind becomes open and free. The groove comes first! Everything is built into it. Rhythm is the primary thing and tonality simply enhances the musical story that rhythm is already telling. That childlike, playful defiance of results in favour of pure delight in the musical "telling" is EVERYTHING. Even if you are practising the simplest thing in the world, it must tell with authentic, honest feeling from the body and soul. This is not difficult in the slightest. Giving up results-focus... now that's a serious challenge!
