Piano Guidance
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Can Erroll Garner read music?

Raised in a musical family, he was playing the piano by the age of three. A self-taught pianist, Garner never learned to read music. Childhood friend and bassist Wyatt “Bull” Ruther took piano lessons from Garner's sister and recalls how easily Garner picked up music.

What are the most important notes in a chord?
What are the most important notes in a chord?

The 3rd and 7th of a chord (called Guide Tones) are the most harmonically important notes because they establish the quality of the chord (i.e....

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Is Onna rude?
Is Onna rude?

Used in verbal conversation; however, the word can have an insulting connotation, commonly used to look down on someone or imply either stupidity,...

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Erroll Garner: 'The Joy of a Genius'

Perhaps best known as the composer of "Misty," Erroll Garner was also one of the most original, intuitive and exciting pianists to emerge during the modern jazz era. Garner's significance as a major jazz innovator easily rivals his status as a successful composer. His approach to melody, harmony, and especially rhythm were fresh and inventive. Born on June 15, 1921 in Pittsburgh, Penn., Garner and his twin brother Ernest were the youngest of six children. Raised in a musical family, he was playing the piano by the age of three. A self-taught pianist, Garner never learned to read music. Childhood friend and bassist Wyatt “Bull” Ruther took piano lessons from Garner's sister and recalls how easily Garner picked up music. Garner's natural ability was recognized by his high school band teacher, who encouraged him not to take lessons for fear it would corrupt his extraordinary talents. Everytime he played piano, you could hear the smile in his touch, you could hear the smile in his rythmic approach. In the 1940s, Garner headed to New York with an undeniable style of his own. Garner's first recording, with its distinctive, romantic version of "Laura," captured public attention. Other events, such as his appearance on The Tonight Show with Steve Allen helped bolster Garner's popularity. But it was his original tune "Misty" that catapulted him into the ranks of stardom. Today, "Misty" remains one of the most recognized and requested jazz standards. In 1950, with the help of manager Martha Glaser, Garner broke new ground with his performance at the prestigious Cleveland Music Hall, traditionally a classical concert venue. Later, he became the first and only jazz artist to perform under the auspices of classical impresario Sol Hurok. His first live recording, Concert By The Sea, captured nearly every aspect of Garner's artistry and helped him become the biggest-selling Columbia Records jazz artist of his day. During the 1960s and ’70s, Garner continued to travel and record, adding Latin rhythms to his repertoire. He remained popular and sold out venues around the world. In 1975, declining health forced him off the road. He was later diagnosed with lung cancer and died on January 2, 1977 at the age of 55. A humble pianist, Garner will long be remembered for remaining true to his art and for his spirit and joy that he gave to his audiences all over the world.

Link to NPR's Basic Jazz Record Library:

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Can MuseScore play sheet music?

You can scan any kind of sheet music into MuseScore with PlayScore 2. Because this app handles all the minute details like slurs, dynamics and...

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What is the most popular keys for songs?
What is the most popular keys for songs?

C major and G major, along with their relative minor counterparts A minor and E minor, are often considered the best key and scales for Pop music.

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What is the most used jazz key?

G, E and A which are probably the most common rock keys. Similarly, the reason jazz is mostly written with flats is because jazz often uses horns and it's easier to play a horn in flat keys because they are transposing instruments (pitched in Bb and Eb).

There’s lots of great answers to the question here, but I would like to add that, it’s the same reason that there are a lot of Rock songs in sharp keys! Why? Because it’s about who is composing the songs. Guitar players generally write rock music and they like to use keys where they have more open strings. It’s simply easier to play with open strings so that’s what they gravitate to. G, E and A which are probably the most common rock keys. Similarly, the reason jazz is mostly written with flats is because jazz often uses horns and it’s easier to play a horn in flat keys because they are transposing instruments (pitched in Bb and Eb). So, as an example, if a song is written in Concert F (one of the most popular keys), then Bb instruments (like trumpet and tenor sax) are playing in the key of G, and a song in the key of Bb would put a horn in the key of C, etc. Those are easy keys to play for horn players so those are the keys that jazz writers tend to gravitate to especially if they’re writing for horns as well as the tradition of flat keys. One of the favorite keys of guitarists is E and that puts a Bb horn player in the key of F#. Not at all a friendly key for most horn players. But, even if you’re a horn player and you are forced to play with guitar based bands you will become more adept at playing in sharp keys. There are some horn players which actually PREFER sharp keys especially for blues based songs because the blues scale adds flats to the key.

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What is a ghost note piano?

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For most notes on the piano, a hammer strikes two or three strings tuned to the same pitch. If one of those strings is off the note will sound...

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