At some point you may want to create your own lead sheets. Especially if you’re doing your own reharmonization and your notation gets crowded out on your standard lead sheet – or if you’re trying to harmonize a song by ear. (I have some interesting – at least to...
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Everybody wants to go to heaven…
David Haynes, , Misc, 0
“…but nobody wants to die.” It’s a lyric (of course). Apparently from a country music song written by Marty Dobson and Jim Collins. I refer to it often. In the pertinent variant it goes something like, “Everybody wants to play piano but nobody wants to practice.” A familiar notion to...
What I learned from Dot Songs – part 2
David Haynes, , Misc, 0
The other thing I learned from trying to play from Suds’ dot songs is that I (and maybe you) tend to get lazy about working through voicing choices. At some point you’ll find yourself familiar enough with chords in certain general places on the keyboard that you’ll just voice...
What I learned from Dot Songs – Part 1
I recently slogged through the unexpectedly tedious task of building the dot songs for the new Dot Songbook from David’s original notes. Made somewhat more tedious by my decision to expand the notation and create a better connection to the more typical lead sheet format, I nonetheless often found...
Who owns music-making?
David Haynes, , Misc, 0
I had a short email conversation the other day with Ted Gioia, the author of numerous fascinating books on the history of jazz and the origins of songs. You can order his books and read his articles here (and you should). My lament was that adult amateurs were largely ignored by...
What’s in your way?
“Atychiphobia” – I stumbled upon this word some years ago. It’s pretty fun to write and more fun to say. And no, it’s not the fear of ticks. Here’s the Wikipedia definition, which I quote for a specific reason: “…the abnormal, unwarranted, and persistent fear of failure.” And please...
Remembering David Sudnow
I first heard David Sudnow’s voice, in person, in 1984 – I still remember, and miss, his distinctive timbre (what other word could there be) and outsized enthusiasm. His message: anyone could learn to play something they’d enjoy listening to – was beguiling if not completely believable, but his siren...
Welcome to our new web site!
David Haynes, , Updates, 2
Well it’s been a long process (at least for me) but the new site and revised material is now available. I hope you find it easier to use and understand. Here’s basically what has happened (which won’t mean much to new students): 1. David’s weekend audio seminar has been...
Food for thought…
“Anyone informed that the universe is expanding and contracting in pulsations of eighty billion years has a right to ask, 'What's in it for me?'” --Peter De Vries
Your course notes:
I’m just saying…
“If one plays good music, people don't listen and if one plays bad music people don't talk." –Oscar Wilde