BACK TO BASICS - SCALES, CHORDS, ARPEGGIOS

Oh yes, it's this time of year again, back to basics practicing scales, chords, arpeggios. Over the summer, I am always trying to push for completed pages in the theory books and push practicing scales, chords, arpeggios: making sure the fingering is absolutely accurate, the fingers and hand positions are curved the correct way - no "breaking fingers", but correctly and loosely curved finger position, lose wrist, natural arm weight, beautiful well defined sounds. Each note matters. Working on pulse with the metronome, all speeds. In other words, lots of work is being accomplished. We are also planning out the next year, starting new repertoire in slow motion, allowing a thorough and exacting learning process. Sure enough we always have a few overzealous young pianists who want to perform the new piece yesterday, before learning the rhythm, notes, fingering, arm motions, the phrasing, dynamics in each hand -- and are "noodling" through a piece. Learning how to put your "talent aside" for a streamlined approach to learning a new piece is probably one of the hardest things to master for a budding young musician. I tell everyone: "no one is taking your talent away; you must program your fingers and muscles like a computer programmer creating a game to play; if you do not program a computer game correctly you will never be able to play it and it will bring about viruses messing up your computer. Just be patient; once a game is programmed correctly on the computer, it allows for many hours of enjoyment, the fun of playing the game you created. In piano, once your fingers, pulse and rhythm, notes, arm motions, wrist motions and mind are programmed correctly, you will be able to play your piece flawlessly.  Fingering decisions need to be carefully made. Your memory and mind will hold up under any performance stress and circumstance, while if errors were programmed, they may very well show up in performance. Once your physical motions and memory, mind and visualization is programmed correctly, your talent then will be able to flow through your fingers flawlessly and with great enjoyment and expression. "
Learning to be comfortable playing all commonly used classical scales: Major, Harmonic Minor, Melodic Minor and Natural Minor for 4 octaves and arpeggios in root position, 1st and 2nd inversions, all speeds with perfect control, is quite a challenge but well worth it. All my students use my fingering charts and practice instructions and progress amazingly. The fingering patterns have been used for centuries and were developed to use the right and left brain functions in easy to control cross fingering patterns. Practicing the different scale patterns and spending time until each one becomes second nature should be a goal for each piano student no matter what age. If you are rehearsed in your scales / chords / arpeggios, your fingers and technique is lubricated and you can easily learn new pieces. Many chords are used over and over and once the relationship of tonality, notes of the scale and their relationship of Major and Minor is understood, memorizing classical pieces, in particular, is greatly facilitated.
All the practice suggestions and practice principles are well tested and work very well for every student, with a little practice. All my suggestions work beautifully for literally anyone practicing 20 - 45 minutes 5 days a week. Of course if you put in more time greater progress, better performances and larger repertoire will result.
But then music is for everyone, well rehearsed or not, busy life style or lots of leisure. Piano playing is here to always make us feel better on the inside, relieve our tensions and stress of daily life and enjoy the beautiful music and sounds that we are creating.
Sometimes, I wish I had had my fingering charts and teaching at the times when I grew up. but then, all my efforts and failures brought this about and I am very happy I could make my contribution to help others play beautiful music.
Sincerely, Eva

...Powers of Music Rediscovered...

I came across this wonderful CD of magnificently tuned music -- you can start feeling how everything inside the body relaxes, tensions disappear and well-being returns. Isn't the purpose of music to restore well-being and good feeling? Please, take a look:

"... Powers of Music Rediscovered. ... these seven magical tunings have recently been rediscovered, opening the way for us to empower ourselves and to enhance our physical, emotional and spiritual balance.....The oldest musical tunings known in the world come from the extraordinary and mysterious Sumerian civilization that had flowered by 3500 BC. Unlike any modern Western music, these tunings have unexpected beauty and powers - a kind of music that we have completely forgotten.... the album Memories of Home may be the first time these tunings have been heard for centuries. "

What prompted me to look for the roots and history of music, was my never ending curiosity to find out more about why I am teaching, and the more I look, the more I see and find well-being, emotional healing, good feeling. There is so much wisdom still needing to be uncovered, from Sumer to old Greece and Rome,... and amazingly, in these old times heptatonic scales, similar to our modern Major and Minor scales were used. Let's work on those scales, again,... Well played scales in a slow to medium tempo really are very relaxing and beautiful,... Eva

Performance Panic Attacks?

Of course my students learn many avenues how to manage performance anxiety and memorization techniques. But it always helps to have a few extra tools under the belt. I came across this website -- and I highly recommend this product. It is called PANIC AWAY Take a look:

"You will be amazed at how such a simple technique known as the One Move Technique™ could be so powerful in restoring you back to your former care free self. I am not only talking about eliminating panic attacks but also getting your general anxiety level right back down to zero without the use of any medication or alternative therapies. This technique is based on advanced psychology made simple for everyone to apply." PANICAWAY

It is not just for pianists, but simply anyone in real life who has fears or trepidations of any kind. Especially when you are facing daily pressure moments, you need tools to keep you in tune with yourself.
All the best, Eva

TVMTA 2nd Annual Young Pianist Competition May 30, 2009 Temecula, CA Results

Winners Recital July 5^th at The Merc in Temecula

						Grade	Category	Results
Shanti Ryle		Rachmaninov	Etude Tableaux Op 33 No 8			10	9th / 10th grade	2nd
Alex Few		Schubert	Impromptu Op 90 No 2			9	9th / 10th grade	3rd
Sai Sivapalan		Beethoven	Op 53, "The Waldstein" 3rd movement			8	7th /8th grade	1st
Cynthia Phan		Chopin	Waltz, Op 69 No 2			5	Under 6th grade	2nd
Ranen Unger- Hicks		Mozart	K 545 1st movement			2	Under 6th grade	3rd
Kathleen Phan		Rollin	Jazz Cat			3	Under 6th grade	Honorable Mention

 
 

Congratulations to all winners and their exquisite performances. Your hard work was certainly much appreciated.

Eva

Eva Martin Hollaus Piano Studio, National Piano Playing Auditions Riverside, Temecula, San Diego - Escondido CA Results

Judge:	Greta Berezovsky	No Yrs in Guild auditions	No YRS. National Winner	Classification	PGM	No pieces
1	Jothy Yogarajah	4	4	IB	N	10
2	Thulasi Yogarajah	4	4	ED	N	10
3	Ranen Unger Hicks	4	4	ES	N	10
4	Mitchell Johnson	4	4	IC	N	10
5	Sai Sivapalan	7	7	IS	I	15
6	Cambria Lauritsen	6	0	IB	D	5
7	Corrina Conway	1	1	IA	N	10
8	Shalini Nair	8	8	PA	I	15
9	Cassiopea Bostan	1	1	EC	N	10
10	Justin Markowitz	4	4	IC	N	10
11	Anais Perkins	1	1	EB	N	10
12	Vinayak Pillai	6	1	IC	D	5
13	Vishakh Pillai	5	0	IA	D	4
Judge:	Shirley Hatch
14	Shanti Ryle	8	8	PC	I	15
15	Chloe Lovato	4	4	IA	N	10
16	Bret Paddock	6	6	PA	N	12
17	Cynthia Phan	3	3	IS	N	10
18	Kathleen Phan	3	3	ED	N	10
19	Stacey Phan	3	3	EC	N	10
20	Andrew Vu	3	3	IB	N	10
21	Nessa Vu	3	3	IA	N	10
22	Victoria Vu	3	3	IA	N	10
23	Sharmini Premananthan	6	5	IS	N	10
24	Niranjana Premananthan	3	3	ED	N	10
25	Kelly Rausch	3	3	ED	N	10
26	Song Nguyen	2	2	ED	N	10
27	Kenna Behar	1	0	EC	D	4
28	Jessica Behar	1	0	EC	L	3
29	Brittany Durgiah	5	2	ED	N	10
30	Sierra Rupnow	4	4	IB	N	10
31	Noah Haroldpavlovics	4	3	EB	N	10
32	Eleanor Haroldpavlovics	3	0	EA	L	3
Judge:	Hanna Kogan
33	Alex Few	7	7	PA	I	15

Tama-Do, The Academy of Sound Healing, Color Therapy and Chi Movement

Hello all:
No wonder we are all feeling so much better when playing piano and letting our soul "sing" and express our feeling in our music. I came across this absolutely amazing vibrational and sound healing academy. If Mozart's music makes babies feel better and unborns happier -- take alook -- at vibrational healing. This is purely joyous healing technology.

Tama-Do, The Academy of Sound Healing, Color Therapy and Chi Movement: "For nearly 30 years, Maman has created research and practical applications using Sound, Color and Movement® to balance the body, mind and spirit through the subtle energy fields (auras). In 1977, he created the now famous system, which uses tuning forks instead of needles on acupuncture command points. In the early ‘80s, Fabien Maman conducted biology experiments at the University of Jussieu in Paris, showing the impacts of acoustic sound on human cells and their energy fields. What he found was that through a series of acoustic sounds, cancer cells would explode and healthy ones would become energized and empowered."

What I am always saying, is you need to learn to relax and project your own talent, your own feeling, your own soul into your playing and this "one-ness" in a sense, will definitely make you feel better and express itself in beautiful playing, once you relax into it.
Sincerely, Eva

Health -- No More Fear!!!

Are you a teaching professional and sick and tired of the constant sniffles, missing weeks at work, having to make up curriculum time in order to meet audition and competition dead lines? No more cough attacks; no more colds; never mind the germs and bacteria; a few drops a day is all it takes. Enjoy your life, enjoy your talent and sharing it. An artist NEEDS to be healthy..... Take a look!!! If you are performing, teaching, or learning an instrument, you need your own body's immune strength to do it's job. Would I talk about something that did not work? No, I do not have time for that -- everything in my life requires purpose and results.
Sincerely, Eva

Inland Valley Symphony - Tales of Magic and Music

Congratulation to Alex Few being announced one of the three winners in the Inland Valley Youth Symphony auditions. We are looking forward to her performance and wish her all the best. What an excitement performing with an orchestra! As if that was not enough! Additionally Alex will be performing on Sunday morning May 17th in the Southern California Junior Bach Regional competition in Orange County.
Here is her Thursday May 14 and Sunday May 17 program:

INLAND VALLEY SYMPHONY presents: Tales of Magic and Music Young People's Concert featuring the winners of the 2009 Young Artist Competition Dr. Jeanine Trent - Music Director May 14th (Thursday) 7:30 pm Old Town Temecula Community Theater 42051 Main St., Temecula, CA 92590 (866) 653-8696 May 17th (Sunday) 3:30 pm Vista Murrieta High School Theater 28251 Clinton Keith Rd., Murrieta, CA 92563

Program Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major featuring Josiah Tolopilo Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46 Haydn: Piano Concerto No. 2 in D Major, featuring Alex Few Prokofiev: Peter & The Wolf - Michael Stairs, Narrator Hardiman: Music From The Lord Of The Dance Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D Major, featuring Andy Leu TICKETS: $18 Adults, $15 Seniors, $15 Students (18 & Under), $3 Children (12 & Under) Tickets may be purchased online at: www.TemeculaTheater.org - for May 14th Box Office Phone: (866) 653-8696 www.InlandValleySymphony.org - for May 17th For more info call: (760) 318-0460 or (951) 677-9465