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Hi Everyone,

Glad to hear that many of you respect the art of cocktail piano playing. It's not for every pianist—you need to check your ego at the front door, be willing to play music that will probably be ignored, and deal with a variety of social situations that are funny, annoying, or (sometimes) unnerving. I've managed to make a living for the last three decades playing every place from roadside dives to swanky Manhattan hotels. For the last seven years I've had a gig in a German castle.

There are concert artists who will fall down laughing when they read this, but in a way, I consider this kind of work to be one of the purest forms of music artistry. Because the cocktail pianist is not the center of attention, the pianist can be self-indulgent, playing pieces that please his/her artistic sensibilities, allowing the changing vibe of the room to inspire and influence the flow of the music.

I've used my jobs to work out new compositions, arrangements, or to simply sit there for hours and improvise on my current mood.

When I sit down at the beginning of gig, I have no idea what I'm going to play. I play what I feel. How often does a musician have this kind of freedom?

Many years ago my dad (a musician) advised me to always play the music I love, not to copy anyone's playing, not to try and be something I'm not. It turned out to be great advice.

Best of luck to any of you who choose this profession. Below are a couple of quotes from the intro to my book, maybe you'll find them interesting.

Regards,
Robin Meloy Goldsby
www.goldsby.de

From Piano Girl: A Memoir (ISBN-13: 978-0879308827)
Backbeat Books (reprinted with permission)

"Every job presents the chance to be a musical fly on the wall—providing a piano score for life as it’s served, straight-up with a side of olives, to the droves of people who pass through the world’s bars and restaurants. Over the years I’ve been appalled, attacked, blown away by kindness, cajoled into fits of giggles, and moved to tears by the tiny dramas that unfold before my eyes and ears. I cry. I laugh. Laughter is a kind of music—the best kind. I’ve always wanted to write the score for a film. But maybe this is better. I’m writing and playing music for life, as it happens. It’s like recording live on tape, without the tape.

One day I’m eighteen years old, sitting down to play my first job. Startled, I wake up on a bright spring morning and realize that I’m forty-six, and that my entire adult life can be documented by a series of forty-minute sets and twenty-minute breaks. I fret about missed opportunities—how I’ve spent the peak years of my life behind an instrument that fights back more often than it complies with my wishes—and the way real time slips away from me like runaway triplets at a children’s piano recital."

Hello Robin

Blimey! welcome to the ABF


Loved your book BTW


Lee

Thanks Lee,

I enjoyed reading some of your blog entries. Not easy to write about music, but you're doing a great job!

Best,

Robin

Wow, thank you very much (blushes)


I Know, maybe one day I'll turn it into a book?...darn! that's been done already :p (only kidding )


Lee

*BUMP*

Just wondering how people who are interested in this are doing? I'll never be a really great classical or jazz pianist, but I do love that wonderful creative mix, guess you call it "cocktail piano" sound and am focusing on that. What did you wind up doing, Harcourt?

In my experience it takes real talent to become a cocktail pianist. I thought all I had to do was learn a ton of chords, inversions, voicings, learn to play from lead sheets and I'd be done. I got to the point where my teacher had me make my own arrangement of a piece, and while I did it, it was exhausting. I then switched to learning to play the piano in the "classical" tradition, which by contrast, was relatively easy. All you have to do it play the notes. Of course, that's an over-simplification, but in cocktail piano you have to be able to do everything the classical pianist does, but you have to make up the notes too. For players like me, that's just too hard.

So Harcourt, I would suggest you take a ii,V,I chord sequence, and fool around with the right hand trying to make up some interesting melodies. If it comes easily and you like it, you are on your way.

As a gigging musician, I've always used the tried and true method of just getting out there, meeting people, and talking to them.

It's not so much what you can learn and improvise from books and programs, as much as it is getting in the right mindset, and you can learn that best by listening and observing the people who are already doing it. Find a few really solid people who have the gigs you'd like to have, and become their best friend

Good luck!

It is getting harder to find piano bars and live piano in restaurants like it used to be in the 80's-90's. I really miss the piano bars as I have sat in and got to play a few tunes myself...

There are many books out that show some cocktail piano techniques plus offering some tips playing from fakebooks. If possible, there maybe a piano bar in your area where to can hang out and find out if the performer is teaching and try out a few lessons.

I have heard a lot of good things about the Sudnow Method, but don't have personal experience with the lessons, but it might be orth checking it out

I have never seen a formal study but I believe Most "cocktail" pianists have developed/perfected their style, by listening to other pianists. And I can say that in my case, what I listen to has a big influence on how I play. I think a lot of formally trained "classical" players rely too heavily on written music - as opposed to actually listening to another musician and hearing what is being played and how it is being played - don't listen with your eyes - listen with your ears - let the sound guide you, not the printed page. The best players are always the best listeners - not the best readers. Don't get me wrong - I'm not trying to discourage you from looking at and reading the music - and books are all well and good - I'm trying to get you to listen to various players, let their music influence you, and let it come out as you refine it in your mind's ear.

"Find a few really solid people who have the gigs you'd like to have,.."

Thanks for the good advice, but there aren't any solo cocktail pianist gigs around here, no piano bars or anything like that, unfortunately. The only one I knew of was at Nordstrom's, but they've gotten rid of all their piano players now. I did find a teacher that is the keyboardist in a jazz group that performs locally, but he didn't like the cocktail style that I wanted to learn to play. Every time I played an arpeggio as a run/fill, he'd have a fit! Oh, well.. guess will just have to keep at it. I'm still with PianoMagic and also get some good stuff from YouTube, Scott Houston, etc.

Elssa, sounds like your biggest problem is a teacher who doesn't have a clue about the purpose of playing music - self expression.

You're already being creative. That's the most important thing. "How To Play From A Fake Book" by Michael Esterowitz includes a number of accompaniments, along with examples of tunes for which they'd be appropriate.

"The only one I knew of was at Nordstrom's, but they've gotten rid of all their piano players now."

What, Nordstrom's quit hiring piano players? Did they get rid of all their pianos? What a shame. Ant particular reason?

kaa

Thanks, Fog! That book looks terrific, and I'm going to order it.

Hi Katt:

Here's an article about Nordstrom's:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20071130-9999-1n30piano.html

Apparently not all stores have gotten rid of their pianists, but it sounds like most of them have, unfortunately. When I lived near NYC, I took lessons from a great teacher, who played at a Nordstrom for many years (www.rosscarnegie.com). I recently called up that Nordstrom where he played, and the manager said they have let all the pianists go at that store and just have the canned music now. They say it's not a cost issue, but I don't believe them.

Thanks Elssa for the link to the Nordstrom's article about the unfortunate removal of the grand pianos, as well as letting the players "retire." In the name of progress right, younger crowds, rap music in the lead.

For what it's worth I enjoyed the piano music and being a piano player myself, I became aware of what tunes the pianists were running through and the arrangements.

Another job bites the dust for the performing musician.

katt

Great thread. I don't know if the original poster belongs in the adult beginners forum, I don't either, but since the thread is here I'll make my contribution.

1. Cocktail piano is not cheesy, it's awesome.
2. I have for a long time felt that a classical background is not adequate preparation for playing other forms of music because it doesn't train you to play by ear and it doesn't teach you to improvize.
3. Most pop musicians are better soloists and improvizers than classical musicians. Any performing blues, rock, jazz, or country musician is way better at playing solos than any classical pianist. I say this as having been trained classically, meaning for a long time I had no clue about soloing.
4. Cocktail piano is not simply playing arpeggios over the chords of the song. It's knowing which scales to play to connect one chord to another.
5. Transciptions of jazz pianists such as Bill Evans is not going to help because these guys are playing jazz improvization, not cocktail music.
6. Cocktail pianists are true musicians in every sense of the word. They know all the jazz chords and scales, the difference is they don't improvize in the way jazz musicians do.
7. For learning chords and voicings, fake books are not as good as books like "Broadway Ballads" which show you all the voicings. Going through one of these books is great for learning the standards and for learning the voicings. Fake books don't show you this, they assume you already know it.
8. Wanna learn to play cocktail piano? Ask a cocktail pianist to give you lessons.
9. Even if you're not a cocktail pianist, you can fake it good enough to where people think you are and will ask you to play at hotel bars, etc., as long as you know enough songs and know enough chords and melodies to be able to noodle around with it.

There's lots of cocktail pianists. Remember the Chinese guy in the classic movie "The Apartment." Another one is Van Craven who has a bunch of CDs. These guys are nothing to sneeze at. They're great musicians.

This only works if you have the right foundation first, which in this case is the jazz voicings for the standards.

I agree. There are different ways to get that knowledge. I was lucky to find it with Sudnow.

I see you are a newbie here. Welcome to the forum. Good to have you on board.

Barb

You are bang on 80 keys. I was taught classically as well and it was woefully inadequate to show me how to improvise. Luckily I found jazz and the rest is history.

Hey Barb, how's that Round Midnight coming along? =)

Great post, 80skeys. Thanks.

Hey Wiz -- Ahhh -- you remembered.

Ok -- I recorded this in mid December. Haven't played it much since but, you have reminded me to get back to it. I love this tune. I hope Monk is getting a good laugh from this:

http://www.box.net/shared/6qvfo5sfsr

Where is your version?

Barb