Music Before the Money

In a previous blog I gave you a chilling account on how we used to learn songs before the advent of the tape machine. We would dump a couple of quarters in the jukebox and play the same song 6 times. Then, we would compare notes and fill in the blanks with whatever we thought would fit. To learn the solos took a lot more concentration. For this we really needed the record.

The key was to take a 45 and put the speed at 33rpm or an LP down to 16. Then you could hear the individual notes of a fast player like Alvin Lee or Johnny Winter. But it was not a perfect art and there were still gaps to fill.

Seen an artist in concert was a good way to see how the guitar player commanded certain licks. (Eddie Van Halen used to protect his unique style from other LA guitarists by turning his back on the audience) I saw Gordon Lightfoot in 1976 and sat up front so I could watch him play Don Quixote.

In Concert and Don Kirschner’s Rock Concert night on T.V. was another way to get the lowdown on licks. Because it was live sometimes the artists never played it like the record but you got to see how they held their guitar and even what pickup position they were using ontheir Strat ot Les Paul. However, there was really no way to see what the keyboardist was doing because he was always surrounded by banks of keyboards. For the most part each one only did one thing.

The came the videos and DVDs which are really great. If you live in a decent-sized town you can even borrow them from the library. I got an instructional video showing how to play Jerry Lee Lewis chops and it opened up my rock piano style immeasurably.

A few weeks ago my daughter showed me how she plays a Five for Fighting song. I was really impressed and asked her where she learned it and she pointed me to You-Tube. As it turned out there were 5 or 6 entries on the band and one lone guy from Sweden who was demonstrating how to play the step-by-step. This was the guy who taught her how to play the tune.

I wanted some more Jerry Lee and there are dozens of videos showing him performing in all stages of his career and other piano players demonstrating his style. Of course I watched a few of these and it perked up my playing again. Then I went on to Floyd Cramer and Chuck Berry. In all I blew 5 hours watching You-Tube and and running to the piano.

This is a great site for instruction. In fact there are a few teachers who give demo and then ask you to subscribe to their instructional videos. The prices are nominal, like a year’s worth of grabbing whatever you want for the price of a month’s lessons in a studio - and you get to learn what you want.

My next pedagogical endeavor will be the piano solo in The Way It Is by Bruce Hornsby.