| We've all heard pianists who make us
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| | herself or himself in a class usually
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| drool with musical jealousy when they
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| | reserved for professional pianists.
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| play, using a tool box full of
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| | 3. Piano tricks -- How to make your piano
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| lighting-fast runs and clever fills that
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| | sound oriental, or make it sound like a
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| have us clamoring for more.
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| | drum or a music box? A bell? Latin?
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| I well recall hearing Errol Garner play
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| | Country?
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| "I'll Remember April" when I was about
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| | 4. Evangelistic runs -- These are the
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| 14. I had no idea a piano could be played
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| | octave runs and fillers used by the great
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| like that, and I was absolutely
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| | gospel pianists of past and present such
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| fascinated by all the interesting and
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| | as Rudy Atwood and other evangelistic
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| exciting runs and fills he added to his
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| | piano players.
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| improvisation of those standards.
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| | 5. Jazz & blues runs -- Using the "blues
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| If you're anything like me, you would
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| | scale" up and down the keyboard, blue
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| love to learn how to "fill up the empty
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| | note-crunches, slides, etc. These runs
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| spaces" with scale fragments, chords,
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| | are very useful not only in jazz and R &
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| broken chords, and so on. Techniques such
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| | B, but also in "black gospel" (I hate to
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| as 8th note runs , 16th note runs, 32nd
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| | use that term because it sounds racist,
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| note runs, triplet fills, and many
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| | but people use it to describe a certain
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| combinations thereof -- some so fast you
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| | type of gospel music, so I reluctantly
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| can't even see which notes are being
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| | use the term...but only in that sense of
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| played. Techniques such as "cascading
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| | the word), fusion, and many rock-pop
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| waterfall runs", the fabulous "pro
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| | songs. 6. Fillers galore -- Filling up an
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| straddles", the exciting "tremolo-fired
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| | empty measure with a counter-melody;
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| runs" and lots more. Learning how to
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| | creating an intro; creating an ending;
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| "fill it up" with runs and fills would
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| | developing "turnarounds", plus chromatic
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| certainly take your piano playing to the
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| | fillers, fillers based on the Dorian and
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| next level.
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| | Lydian scales and other "church mode"
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| After listening to countless pianists in
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| | scales used by contemporary jazz and
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| all genres, I compiled a list of six
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| | fusion artists.
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| types of runs and fills that they often
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| | It is exciting for any pianist to picture
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| use:
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| | himself or herself playing those
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| 1. "Cocktail" runs --The lightning fast
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| | LIGHTNING FAST runs up the keyboard and
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| runs used by the great "show" pianists.
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| | back down in time for the next chord, or
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| One hand runs, two hand runs, open-octave
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| | playing CASCADING RUNS down the keyboard
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| runs, tremolo-blasted runs, cascading
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| | for a WATERFALL of wonderful sounds, to
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| waterfall runs and more. Made famous by
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| | say nothing of using mordents, inverted
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| such names as Eddy Duchin, Carman
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| | mordents, trills, turns, tremolos, grace
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| Caballero, Liberace, etc., but also used
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| | notes, glissandos, fillers galore,
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| tastefully by many others, such as Roger
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| | cocktail-piano runs, plus gospel-style
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| Williams and many "pop" piano players.
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| | runs as well as "blues runs" based on the
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| 2. Embellishments -- Mordents, inverted
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| | blues scale!
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| mordents, trills, turns, tremolos, grace
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| | Is it worth the effort to learn some or
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| notes, glissandos, etc. These are the
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| | all of these techniques? It certainly has
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| "finesse" techniques that give your piano
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| | been for me, but every pianist will have
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| playing class and grace. Virtually NO
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| | to make that judgment for himself or
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| amateur piano players use these, so the
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| | herself.
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| pianist that learns these is putting
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|
