- This topic has 16 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 10 months ago by
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Hi gang – good to ‘see’ you. Just to remind you, if you use the ‘edit profile’ link on your home page you can change how your name gets publicly displayed on the forums – first name only, first/last, nickname.
And if you set up a ‘gravatar’ associated with your registered email address that will automatically display too.
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Hello All, I’m purchased the course in the early 2000s. Didnt have a decent keyboard and never really got started. Started again after Christmas with the CD and the original downloads. Was making slow steady progress on Misty when I noticied that Web site was being updated by David. Great job. The organization makes the study much better. I loved Dave Sudnow’s orignal recordings, but we all have to admit he did tend to get off track during the seminar sometimes. I love the way Mr. Haynes added musical notation to the dot songs. I grew up with guitar and took had to match tempo based on written notation. It was hard for me to relate timing to Davids original course without knowing the song very well in advance.
Anyway great site.
Greg
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Hi Joyce – thanks for taking the time to post in the public forum. If you’re asking whether or not you can interact with other students–or me–about specific songs or issues with the Method, the answer is ‘yes’.
Unless you’re a student (and logged in) you won’t see the other forums available on this site. I suppose I could make them all visible and restrict posting but there’s a certain civility that the Sudnow forums have always protected, part of which comes from knowing you’re ‘talking’ to other students.
If you have a different view (or a different question) please let me know.
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I wanted to share with the forum something that may help anyone struggling with getting the rhythm straight for Misty. I came at Sudnow Method after being a guitar player for many years. I thought that would give me a leg up on learning piano. Wrong, I think it may have hampered my progress. Long story short, after what I thought was a very long time I was able to play through Misty in a kind of mechanical way. After thinking about it for a while I realized my melody and harmony were out of sync. Guitar players usually play rhythm (chords), or lead (melody). The great guitarists can play both just like a pianist. Dave Sudnow’s method clearly states playing perfectly and in time. Easier said that done for me. Couldn’t quite get the timing right. My solution has been to strip out the melody and concentrate on the rhythm of the chords, playing them in time perfectly. After working on this for a few days I went added back in the melody and it all began to mesh. If any of you are coming from a melody only instrument or guitar and having timing issues you might want to give this a try.
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Glad it helps Joyce, I’m using the same process to sync up my sustain pedal. Next I’m going to play along with Dave Sudnow on the recordings. Guess what, if you listen closely to the rhythm its obviously not straight 4/4 or straight eights. Dave wanted us to embrace syncopation which is what jazz is all about. Like he says, you need to get the chords and melody in your hands first, then your head.
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Keep in mind that many students are complete beginners. I’m not aware of other approaches to learning the piano that would dump you into a fully voiced version of ‘Misty’ right from the beginning. You’d be doing exercises and starting with very simple tunes.
David Sudnow created a much different approach for two main reasons: first, because he felt that once you learned a simple version you’d be less likely to go back and learn a more complicated one, and second (and more importantly), he knew that busy adults needed to be engaged in the music they were playing in order to have any chance of staying at it long enough to really convince themselves it was worth it.
None of which changes the fact that playing the piano is a very big skill. So, to begin with, part of the tradeoff is often a rather mechanical-sounding version of ‘Misty’, as Greg notes. If that’s where you are, don’t worry about it. Your goal is to create enough repetitions of ‘Misty’ so that you no longer have to think too much about ‘what’ you’re playing and can then think more about ‘how’ you’re playing it.
There will come a time – if you let it – when you’ll suddenly play more freely and more musically. It may disappear when you recognize it but be confident that you’ll get it back.
It all takes time. As I’ve often said, your two most important attributes in this endeavor are patience and perseverance. Both of which are enabled by a healthy dose of joy – why else would you want to play?
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Well said, I forget that I have learned to improvise and listen attentively in a guitar environment. I know well how difficult it is to get to that point. How important it is when you are starting out with any instrument to play something that another person can recognize and appreciate as music even if its rough around the edges. Sorry if I was deep diving a little too much.
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