Ah, to sit down and play. One of the joys of being able to play the piano is to know how to play it. But so few can or do. What I mean is this – if you can’t walk over to your piano, sit down and just play whatever you feel, you are shortchanging yourself on a wonderful experience. Plus, it’s not as difficult to do as many might have you think.
The thing that stops more students from being able to improvise freely is self-doubt. They just don’t believe they can do it. And of course, they lock themselves with this belief. I can relate. I had to work long and hard to give up my own set of self-limiting beliefs about what I could or couldn’t do on the piano. One of the biggest of these was “I’m not good enough.”
This thought in particular will freeze you and keep you stuck. Look at it this way. No one is good enough! That’s right! No one will ever be the best at playing piano because there will always be someone better – technically speaking that is. That’s why it’s very important to free yourself from such inane beliefs. Listen, you are good enough and you are ready to express yourself at the piano. Here’s one method that will have you improvising freely in no time.
We’ll begin with the piano lesson “Reflections in Water” as an example. It’s a free lesson that everyone has access to. The beautiful thing about this lesson in particular is that you are given a way to play the chords that sound modern and you are given the chord progression to play. You are free to create your own melodies to these chords. You see, another thing that students often don’t get is that you need a set of limitations to improvise freely. Why? Because there are so many choices!
By giving you a certain Key, chords, and chord progression to play, I’m limiting your choices so you can focus on expressing yourself rather than trying to decide what chord to play. Eventually, when you understand how limitations work, you’ll be able to create your own set.
Now, with these parameters in place, we can sit down at the piano and spontaneously create music!
Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music’s online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!
Native American Drums And The History Of Native Americans
Native American drums are probably the most recognizable Native American instruments among American Indians and non Native people alike. Drums for generations have been at the center of Native lifestyle, forming what has become the foundation of religion and spirituality as well as social gatherings where a pow wow drum is center stage.
Indian tribes in North America history have all used drums in various ways to connect with a higher power known to most as the Great Spirit. To Native people, Indian drums are much more than just decorations or interesting musical instruments. American Indian drums are believed to speak to the drummer. Native drums being made in a circle represent the earth and life. The most well know being hoop drums and shaman drums which are Indian hand drums used in many personal healing and religious ceremonies as well as public ceremonies such as a Native American powwow.
The hide of the animal that is stretched over the ring brings with it unique characteristics of the spirit of the animal and brings life to the drum when played. Many people think of pounding a drum to make a sound, but to Indian drummers and those involved in modern drumming groups and drum circles, the desire is to draw out the sound. The beating drum is compared to the beating of a human heart and is said to represent the heart beat of the earth which is a belief that is classic Native American. Drums in this way become the vehicle to connect one’s spirit with that of the earth and the Great Spirit through out the history of Native Americans.
Native American Indian drums have a rich culture and because they are so important they are used in not only music but art and dance as well. Decorating a drum becomes a very personal task to the owner. The Indian drummer becomes an artist and communicates impressions of his inner feelings and beliefs in his Indian art. Some American Indian tribes use animals to decorate their drums and others use geometric patterns and everything in between. In some tribal cultures the drummer will place something of personal value inside the drum to permanently join himself with his hand drum.
The Native American designs that the artwork on the drums depict is often painted with natural earth colors taken from nature. Some are dull and others are bright coming from flowers, roots, berries, bark or herbs that are boiled to release their unique earth tones. Other Native American drums are adorned with iron oxide which is a naturally occurring red rock that can be easily crushed. When mixed with water, it produces a rich orange red dye that is much like paint and is indicative if the surrounding hillsides and rock formations like those of the beautiful Arizona red rock canyons. The region of Sedona is thought to be a special place with spiritual power like the energy created by American Indian drums.
Native American Education except for those Indian boarding schools that have tried to stamp out Native culture has always involved the sharing of beliefs through music, songs, stories and legends. It is in harmony with these forms of learning that the communication and cultural importance has been found in the use of drums. If you are interested in the spiritual aspects of life as pertain to Indian beliefs, you will enjoy owning and playing Native American drums.
Craig Chambers is an expert on Native drums and drumming. Extensive information on Native American hand drums is available at www.nativeamericandrums.net