| I wish you could have seen me play the piano when I | | | | so was my post-graduate Masters Degree at |
| was just learning. I was the nearest thing to "hopeless" | | | | Southern Oregon University. After high school I studied |
| that you could imagine. I was into baseball, not music - | | | | with several of the finest private teachers on the |
| and my heroes were Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, | | | | West Coast, including a year with THE finest teacher - |
| and Ted Williams. (And by the way, I still have a picture | | | | his name was Dave - and his studio was on |
| of those 3 guys on my wall.) My dream was to hit | | | | Cauhenga Blvd. in Hollywood. As I would come for my |
| baseballs like them, not to play the piano. | | | | piano lesson, I would often pass a big name recording |
| But an opportunity to play with a combo presented | | | | artist coming to their lesson - and anyone who was |
| itself to me when I was a freshman in high school. | | | | anyone in Hollywood in those days took lessons from |
| Seems the piano player of the group had graduated | | | | Dave. |
| the previous year, and nobody else played piano well | | | | Dave taught me 2 fundamental principles about piano |
| enough to play in the school jazz combo. I didn't know | | | | playing: |
| zilch about playing in a group, and I didn't know chords. | | | | 1. The piano is NOT played with the hands - it is played |
| But I was excited to have the opportunity to play with | | | | with the brain. The hands are just tools. |
| older guys, and so I took the job. | | | | 2. If you master chord relationships, you can master |
| The lead sax player told me I really should know | | | | music. |
| chords in order to play in the group, so I searched | | | | I've got little fat hands with short fingers. Hardly the |
| through a music magazine until I found an ad for a | | | | ideal hands for piano playing. |
| chord chart. It cost two bucks, as I recall, so I sent off | | | | I've also got a lousy sense of rhythm. |
| for it. When I received it in the mail I slipped it behind the | | | | But you know what? Because of those two principles |
| keys on my parents old upright piano, and promptly | | | | Dave taught me, I can play "above" my fat hands and |
| learned to play my first chord - Dm7. I LOVED the | | | | my weak rhythm. |
| sound of it, and was hooked for life on chords. The | | | | Above? |
| 2nd chord I learned was Cmaj7, then Em7, then Ebm7 | | | | Yes. |
| - and before that first night was over I had learned to | | | | Above. |
| play "Frankie & Johnnie" - the tune in my right | | | | Once a person "gets into the flow" of understanding |
| hand, and those fabulous 7th chords in my left hand! | | | | chord relationships and then letting the brain knowledge |
| I loved it - LOVED IT - LOVED IT! And it even | | | | flow into the hands, that person plays "above" his |
| sounded good enough to impress some of my friends | | | | ability. |
| the next day. I suppose that simple chord chart that | | | | And the great thing about it is this: It's not some secret |
| cost me two bucks has been worth several million | | | | formula hidden in the archives of some dusty music |
| over the course of my lifetime. And much more than | | | | conservatory in Prague. Instead it's an open book - |
| that, has been worth quadrillions in pleasure and | | | | there are courses galore on the internet you can take |
| satisfaction and relaxation and...... | | | | for peanuts compared to a traditional music |
| Even though I came in the back door as far as piano | | | | conservatory. The internet age has provided a way |
| playing was concerned, I learned fast because of | | | | for the average person to become an above-average |
| what I knew about chords, so college was a snap, and | | | | musician! |