professional piano techniques tips

PROFESSIONAL PIANO TECHNIQUES TIPS      It's no secret that professional piano players use techniques that amateur piano players don't. So what else is new? Professional golfers use techniques that amateur golfers don't use (at least not very well), and pro ball players use techniques that sandlot and weekend athletes don't use or again, not very well. So it's not surprising that professional piano players have some tricks up their sleeves that the rest of us don't have. But that doesn't mean we can't try to emulate the great pianists. We may not pull it off as well as them, but we sure can have a lot of fun trying, and who knows? Maybe a few of us can actually learn these techniques well enough to win some admiration from our friends, join a group, play for our own enjoyment, or whatever. 1.Half-Step Slides- Every time you move from one chord to the next, you have the potential for a chord substitution through the simple use of half-step slides. You can slide up, or you can slide down, or even both, if you have the time. This one element alone can make your piano playing ever so much more professional! 2.Turnarounds- Turnarounds are chord progressions that occur at the end of phrases to keep the interest level up, so the song doesn't "sag" between phrases. learn at least half-dozen turnarounds that will keep you busy for years applying them to all kinds of songs,popular, gospel, standards. 3. Modulating-Different than transposing, this is the process of getting from one key to another key smoothly, without anyone hardly noticing the change. Once you understand the basic principle, it is very easy to do. 4. Altering a Melody To Create a New Melody- Did you know that many of the best pianists do exactly this when they "improvise"? People think they are making things up out of their head, when really they are playing the existing melody inverted, contorted, inside-out, compressed, and so on. 5. Inversions- Turning chords upside down in lighting-flash speed is one of the keys to a "pro sound." Not just triads, but extended chords, such as 6/9 chords and others. 6. Creating Original Chord Progressions- The boys and the girls are separated from the men and the women when it comes to ORIGINAL chord progressions. The stamp of professionalism is on anyone who can come up with a truly original progressions. But it's not that hard. 7. Echoes,Rhythmic, Melodic, & Harmonic- Probably the simplest way to improve your playing dramatically is through the use of echoes. Almost no one uses them as much as they could be used, and I have noticed recently that the masters such as Mozart, Bach, Chopin, Beethoven, etc. use them extensively, much more than the average pianist,does that tell you something? It can be used to build continuity in the rhythm, melody, and harmony of most any song. 8. Touch-Have you ever seen a pianist who had a nice "touch"? What does that mean? How can YOU get it? It has to do with fundamentals, but more than that, it has to do with mind-set and your way of thinking about the FLOW of the music. 9.Two-Handed Arps: "The Flowing River of Sound!" -- When you are able to arpeggiate chords with both hands at the same time, and those chords include 7ths and 9ths, you have a "flowing river" of sound. Few pianists can do this, and fewer can go up with one hand while going down with the other (contrary motion). 10. Passing Tones - Passing tones are any tones that are not in the chord, but "pass through" the chord to create a sensation of movement.