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Thank you rvillate, as I am glad that I started it too. This thread is a great place to ask Pete questions about the books too, as he seems to always answer everyone very fast.

Dale

Haven't seen any recordings here lately. I'm assuming everyone has been taking it easy this summer. Here is my recording for Not Mad at the World Anymore. Some of you may have heard it on the most recent ABF recital.

http://www.box.net/shared/caxxqnoka4


If you are not recording yourself, let me encourage you to do so. This was about my 10th take on this. Even though I had been practicing it most of the summer, I was suprised how bad it sounded on the first take. Now, it still may be bad to some, but it is a whole lot better after recording/listening/recording/listening.

On to Sleeping Through September..

Later,
GregF

Greg: Thanks for posting your efforts. I agree that recording your efforts can reveal a lot of things (good and bad) that you would never notice just playing. Listening back after not hearing the recording for a few weeks or months can also reveal things like "Hey I sound great"!

I think the most difficult thing to get right when recording a digital piano is the pedaling. It is either full on or full off unless you have a piano capable of 1/2 pedal. You have a done an amazing job of the pedaling on your recording.

I like the balance between the hands. Your LH in the into is nice and light. The melody stays prominent right through the verse and chorus. I like your dynamics on measure 21. Slight crescendo and then easing off on the F at bar 22. Nice ritard on the final arpeggio.

I hope you are having as much fun playing the songs as I had writing the material. It is such a privilege for me to be able to hear the material get performed. -Peter

Walking Bass lesson: http://www.box.net/shared/18xjebtn0k

Hi Pete:

Can you explain specifically how a self-learner can incorporate your stuff into fakebook playing?
For example, can you suggest some thing like, "after you get past page X of the Take the Lead 1 book, try the stuff you've learned so far on songs like 'Love Me Tender' and 'Jingle Bells' in the Key of C."

I'm going back into your material again, and I'd like to express my appreciation for all your help keeping the dream alive for us!

Angelo

Angelo: The Take The Lead and Pop Pro books are designed to get you playing chords, in various patterns, stride and arpeggio. The LH staff is getting you to think by chord function not by notes, This will aid you in understand the harmony and figuring out the nuts and bolts of how the music is put together. It is the skill of putting the music together that you need to play off a fake sheet.
So, right off the top of song one in Take The Lead 1, simply applying roots of the chords to the melody should work on pretty much any song. Next skill, Root and 5, will work anytime you need to play a power chord. (Play like that on every song and I will think you are a guitar player making the switch to keys). Here is a preview a song in Take The Lead 2. This is an exploration of the minor blues scale using Root and 5 in the LH. http://www.box.net/shared/2vnfmtgz9u


Next you will find primary chords in root position. Once you have the primary chords down in a given key, the next time you play a tune in that key you will have encountered the same batch of chords. Your fingers know the shapes and your head knows what the chords are doing. It takes practice, all you need is the desire.
As your skill level improves you get a bit fancier with the LH patterns. I only use about 10 LH patterns when I go out and play a wedding. The patterns need to be down in all keys.

On the blog you will find a list of songs that can take a certain pattern. As well the song titles in Pop Piano Pro strongly hint at a song that can take the LH pattern. You may also find you need only play a new melody to make a go of it. I hope that helps. -Peter

I will explain the blog to the new people joining the thread. Pete's beginning book, Take the Lead, volume 1, has a CD included with it containing all of the songs in the book. Everyone that buys any of the books from Pete's site, poppianopro, can join a blog that he has set up for his customers. The songs are also on the blog, so you don't always have to put the CD in to hear the songs that you are working on.

Angelo: Thanks for asking your questions on this thread. They are helping me too when you get your answers.

Pete: This song that you just posted from Take the Lead volume 2, Burnin it, sounds Great!!!

Dale

Peter,

You undertook TTL Vol. 1 and ended up carrying over to a Volume 2. That is great news for us. Obviously, the 2 books are meant to get people ready for Pop Piano Pro Vol. 1. So, do you now view PPP Vol. 1 as the 3rd step in your series? Do you envision a PPP Vol. 2 one day?

Thanks,
GregF

Greg: It is shaping up that PPP vol1 will be the fourth book in the series. With the Take The Lead books, I am trying to cover all the keys up to four sharps and flats. The goal is to get fluent in all major and minor scales and the primary triads. TTL Vol 2 covers pentatonic and blues scales. The outline for Vol 3 will be styles and flat keys up to four sharps. I will try to write Vol 3 over the next year. I hope to have it complete by September next year when I present the material to the provincial music teachers conference.

The goal of the Take The Lead books is to get major and minor scales and chords into the fingers through the pieces. Figuring out how to make the material logical and accessible to the beginner was a fun challenge. I think I managed to get the scale and all primary chords into every song. All the songs are entirely diatonic so if you play the left hand part and mess with the scale tones as you improvise in the RH, everything should work out.

My plan was to continue Pop Piano Pro Vol2 composing with scale tone seventh chords. (4 note chords appear in the last song of Vol 1.)
However, this thread ended up in the Adult Beginner Forum so I thought it important to supply appropriate material. As long as the new songs keep rolling down the pipe, I will write Pop Piano 2 next year after I finish TTL 3. That should give you enough time to get through all of VOl1.

I'm bumping this up to let you know that Take the Lead Level 2 is hot off the press. I have my copy. The songs are great!

Barb

My book is on its way too Barb. Thanks for bumping the thread up. I think there are a lot of new users here on Piano World, and many of them would probably like the way that Pete writes his materials, and gives all of the help you need, whenever you need it, right here in this thread.
There are free mini lessons back in the beginning of this thread, and you can check out the site where the books can be purchased at Pop Piano Pro

Dale

OK, Pete, I'm getting into your book yet again!

Angelojf;
How are you coming along with these books? I want to dive back into them again too.

Dale

Dale,

I restared Pete'e first "Take the Lead" book, and I intend on going through all three. Where are you in his books?

I am going to be using Pete's ideas to work on the Beatles song "Something," and I'll be posting my progress on this thread.

Among other things, perhaps we can use this thread to follow each other's progress, hear how we are sounding, and push each other forward? Perhaps others who are using Pete's books may feel inclined to jump in!

Good luck, and keep me posted!

-Angelo

Hi Angelo,
I am only about half way thru the first book. I did not get to practice much for the last year. Getting back to it now. I want to review a lot of the beginning of book one and work on a song called Fields of Gold. I think that one may be a little easier for me right now as I get back into playing again.
If you are in book one, what page are you up to?

Dale

Hi Dale,

I'm on p.20 of Pete's first book. I'm dissappointed because my USB jack broke on my computer; I was going to post how the Beatles' song "Somethng" sounds, using Pete's ideas - - I'm working on that song too, and hopefully I'll get the computer fixed soon.

If you feel like it, it'd be great to hear "Fields of Gold" either as you progress through it, or when you are done.

Good luck!

Angelo

Hi Pete, Dale, and whoever,

Here's how "Something" sounds at this point.....
Any ideas, let me know!

http://www.box.net/shared/4jst9xj3y8

Angelo, that sounded cool! I've been trying out some "by ear" stuff (for years, but since just before Christmas - ) quite a bit, and you have some nice arranging going on there.

Cathy

Angelo;
Sounds like you are moving along fine on that song. I started practicing Fields of Gold today, and maybe after a week or so will send any progress that I make.
Keep up the good work...

Dale

Angelo: Nice work! A couple of LH patterns and you have created a nice arrangement.
I hope the books are helping you gain experience applying patterns and working in new keys. -Peter