LearnJazzPiano.com archives: Playing Bach " How My Heart Sings"

pjpastir -- 03/13/2007, 21:35:10 -- #33768

Hello Group, I am reading the biography of Bill Evans  How My Heart Sings,  and early in it he is quoted as to how much the practice of Bach was to his playing.  I am in my early fifties and play piano for my living, jazz and standards. I studied clasical music when I was young so I had some simple early Bach. I recently started working on the Chopin Etudes and have noticed benifits within days !!   So where would you suggest I start with Bach                                Best Regards                                                        Paul

Mike -- 03/13/2007, 23:48:59 -- #33768

heya Paul.  All the Bach is great all the time.  I am a year short of fifty.  I read that book some time ago..., no pun intended... great book!!! I have been meaning to read it again for some time,  Ill get to it one of these days.  I use Bach to bring along all my students.  I find using a lot of Bach's compositions indispensable to bringing along a students abilitly to acurately understand and be able to play the Quarter note and the eigth note, to be able to devolope a senxe of propeer fingering and to begin an ability towards hand independence.  After teaching for over twenty five years now I do not know how I would do it with out the use of Bach's "First Lessons" otherwise known as the "Book for Mary Magdalena"... I think.    Once a student makes it through these (how well they do with book is how I decide whether to have them do book two or not) then I move them along to The "Two Part Inventions"  Then the Three Part Inventions and finally the Well Tempered Clavier.  Each time I have a newer student that finishes primary levels and is ready for the First lessons book...  I love it because I still love to re learn those pieces.  I still love playing duets with new students while teaching those and I imagine I always will.  I still hate it when I get a student that gets good enough to tackle the Well Tempered Clavier...   No matter how many times I have learned fugues they are still hard.  I have a student who is there now.  I am relearning the first fugue for the fourth or fifth time in my life... its still a MF.   Well I could go on and on about Bach ... and I am afraid I have started to ramble let me simplify.    Learn Bach in this order.  (In my opinion) 1.)First lessons   book 1 and 2 2.)Two part inventions 3.)Three part inventions 4.)Well tempered Clavier.    Learn to play each piece to perfection before moving on. to not treat these like some other music and allow your self to move on before you have mastered them.      Allow your self a good year at least each for the completion of One two and three.  The Well Tempered Clavier personally I doubt I will finish in this lifetime.

charlp88 -- 03/14/2007, 06:10:54 -- #33768

BILL IS THE BEST

Maree -- 03/19/2007, 19:07:43 -- #33768

Not that Mary Magdalena is unworthy of a pianist's devotion but the Bach piano literature you reference is ANNA MAGDALENA'S Notebook.   Other than that, I agree with everything you said.

Jazz+ -- 03/21/2007, 00:22:12 -- #33768

I like those Chopin LH arpeggios for jazz balads.

pjpastir -- 03/21/2007, 21:20:48 -- #33768

Thanks Mike,   From your reply I can tell by the way you write that your students are very lucky to have you as a teacher. I started as you suggested with simple Bach, and what a challenge !!                 Best Regards                                    Paul

Copyright © 2005 by Scot Ranney. All rights reserved.

Click Here for more information about performances and clinics. Click Here to sign up for Scot's music announcements.