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Monthly Livestream #69!

Thanks for tuning in to Monday's livestream! Here's the recording.

I started off with a free improvisation - something I've never actually done here on a livestream before. But before Monday, I hadn't touched the piano in over a week, and just felt like "re-acclimating" to the instrument and exploring some sounds.

Then this led to a question about a famous Chick Corea device he called "10 Little Drummers", which is something that I had first seen on a GREAT educational video of Chick's called "Chick Corea: Keyboard Workshop". This gem from the 80s is very worth watching, and I believe most of it is here on YouTube now: "Chick Corea: Keyboard Workshop" . And here's the "10 Drummers" excerpt.

Then I played a Thad Jones classic called "Three and One" - which was on my mind because later that night I was subbing with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra! The band often still plays this classic chart, although we didn't last Monday. (Although we did play "Groove Merchant", which I played briefly here!) Also mentioned that I was proud to record "Three and One" 10 years ago with the great trombonist Michael Dease on his record "Decisions".

  • Then had a question about how to feel "free" over a tune, and about improvising freely in general. Basically this led a discussion of the power, and necessity, of imposing"limits" in our playing.

  • Then a question about "triad pairs", and how to use them to develop lines in our solos. I demonstrated a bit over Stella by Starlight, as well as mentioned some advice for fingerings.

  • Then had a question about warming up, and some exercises for flexibility, speed, and touch control. Although I don't have an "official" warmup, I was happy to share some things I like to try to get used to an instrument.

  • Then another question about practicing a song in sections versus running the whole thing in tempo. Perhaps this applies more to learning a classical piece, but I was happy to share a few thoughts on this.

  • And finally a question about root movement in the "Clare Fischer" exercise, and how we might be able to explore possibilities there. (By the way, here's my original post about the Clare Fischer exercise - I talk about it a lot so if you haven't seen it this might be good background viewing!: My favorite piano exercise! (from Clare Fischer) )

Thank you again everyone! Wishing you a happy holiday season and new year, and looking forward to seeing you again in 2026!

Glenn