“Don’t play everything (or every time); let some things go by. Some music just imagined. What you don’t play can be more important than what you do play.”

- Advice Thelonious Monk gave to jazz saxophonist Steve Lacy

Monk was wisely telling us to leave some space and let the music breathe when we are improvising.   To read all of Monk's advice to Steve Lacy, check this out.  

Recently, the world celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' groundbreaking television performance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964.   This got me thinking about the Fab Four, one of my favorite groups to listen to, play, and teach, and I decided to write an arrangement of the beautiful Paul McCartney tune "Yesterday." I just learned that he was 23 when he recorded this -- wow!   

In the following intermediate level solo piano arrangement, I break up learning this song in three parts:  First, we learn the all important melody.  Next, we learn the bass notes.  And finally, we fill up the space in between the melody and bass notes.  You might be thinking -- but I don't have three hands?  Well, yes, that's true, but we can make it seem like you do.  The trick is to play the melody with the top two fingers of your right hand, and fill in chord tones with with the bottom three fingers of your RH.  Sound complicated?  Not to worry, I break it all down for you in the video tutorial and sheet music below.  

Happy Shedding!   

"One ought never to forget that by perfecting one piece more is gained and learned than by beginning or half-finishing a dozen."  

Johannes Brahms in 1876

Welcome to the first edition of Two Cents Tuesdays, where I will share some of my favorite musical advice and quotations from musical masters of the past and present.  I've decided to begin the series with a favorite quote of mine from the great composer Johannes Brahms.  To give the quote proper context, he was speaking of composition when he said this, but I think he would agree that this advice applies to learning to play a piece as well.  I first read this quote in a newspaper (remember those!) while I was in college.  It moved me so much that I cut it out and taped it to the front of my practice binder.   Every time I sat down to practice, I wanted to remind myself to stick with a concept until I really had it mastered instead of jumping from one thing to the next....what sage advice!