Music

I have studied music privately since the age of about 8 when I played my first notes on the piano. Since then I have picked up many instruments including the cello, guitar and piano accordion. I can also play some basic violin and harmonica.

Jazz Piano Lessons

Have you ever wanted to learn jazz piano? I find it a little sad that so many kids these days learn classical piano and give it up when they leave school.

Jazz piano is great because it teaches you the structure of music and opens up many opportunities, especially socially. Since studying jazz and blues piano technique, I have played as a solo pianist, with jazz singers, saxaphone players, small jazz bands and full swing bands. Of course being able to read some simple melodies is important, but more so is your ability to read and understand chords.

In 2009 I started teaching several students jazz piano and was suprised at the enthusiasm my students showed for learning jazz piano. So if you would like to learn jazz piano, please contact me and I will give you a free lesson, then if you like it I have plenty of great tricks and techniques to get you playing some groovy tunes in no time.

Piano Accordion

On my 22nd birthday, I happened to pass by a garage sale and saw a lady playing a beautiful sounding accordion. It needed some basic repairs but I decided to part with my $240, fix it up and start playing it. Like most things, it went in the cupboard until a friend asked if I wanted to play some tango music and this got me started on the accordion.

The right hand side is basically like a slightly smaller piano mounted vertically, and the left side is an array of buttons which when pressed, make a chord (each button along the row is a different chord, i.e. major, minor, 7th, diminished). The rows of buttons rotate through the circle of fifths which means that harmonically the notes you are likely to play are all around the same area. The first vertical row of buttons is a major third above the tonic which alows you to do scales and jump easily to any bass note.

Dynamic comes from squeezing the bellows, hence the instrument is sometimes called a squeeze box. There are sometimes different 'stops' or buttons near the right hand which engage different sounding reeds.