Catalogue of cadenzas and modulations by Stefaan Himpe

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TonE
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Post by TonE »

Stefaan Himpe wrote the book 'Catalogue of cadenzas and modulations'. You can download it as .pdf for free from here:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/modulations/

Stefaan Himpe created also a few other useful music tools:

One.
http://technogems.blogspot.de/2012/06/l ... aster.html

Two.
http://chordrecognizer.sourceforge.net/



What did I do?

I just found his book today, it was written in an open form in .lyx format, it contained LilyPond, but the .ly and .mid files were not there separately, so you can play and practice those also nicely inside Synthesia.

I did a few copy paste work and here is the result. All notes from the book as LilyPond (.ly) and midi files. Have fun as always with Synthesia.

Do not forget to thank Stefaan Himpe, he wrote all the book, I just converted a few parts from his book, for easy enjoyment inside Synthesia.
Here is Stefaan Himpe's YouTube account, check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/user/StefaanHimpe

Start listening with this, what a great composition:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoUUrI8r_10
kiwi
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Post by kiwi »

Thx Tone 'll try it :)
Edit: Awesome i Strongly suggest to all synthesia users to dl these gems Thx Tone and Mr Himpe!
It fit nice in the folders of scales exercices by Electrode ;)
Also the first one i have tried was exactly the song i was Learning ^^
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Laserbeak43
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Post by Laserbeak43 »

So many great contributions!! Thanks!
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Laserbeak43
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Post by Laserbeak43 »

I want to use this book:
6 Months to Jazz Piano but it requires I know some things like scales, which I don't fully understand yet.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
A. Music fundamentals
Know music basics such as key and meter signatures, understanding and counting basic rhythms,
intervals, triads, major and minor triads, and so on.
B. Piano chops
There’s not much you can do until you have basic facility at the piano. Be able to play all major and
minor scales (with at least one hand) up and down one octave, minimum. Be able to play major and
minor triads in all keys and use the damper pedal effectively.
C. Commitment and practice
My piano has 3 pedals, and even though I know what they do(i like to play with synths), I have never used any of these features on a piano.

Would the book by Stefaan help me with this, or should I be looking for something else? :?
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jimhenry
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Post by jimhenry »

While I haven't looked at Stefaan's material, I think you should be looking for something else. The thing that hits me when I look at the list of pre-requisites is "be able to use the damper pedal effectively." That is no small thing as it requires independent use of the right foot and a sense of when to use it. Synthesia and Stefaan's material are not going to help in this area. I don't know where you are with the rest of the "piano chops" but I wouldn't short change anything mentioned. Jazz is challenging because it uses extensive chord alterations and you have to be really solid with your fundamentals to free up your brain to think about all the elaborations without having to think about the basics. It would probably be a good test to ask if you can play simple songs while talking to someone.

What I would look for is a pop music course intended for adults that includes theory along with the basics of piano playing. Beginning Jazz is for intermediate players. Since you want to use Synthesia, something that has MIDI files available for the music in the course would be a plus.

One book you might consider is "All About Piano" by Mark Harrison. However, MIDI files are not available for this book. You can overcome that if you are willing to learn how to make MIDI files, which isn't that hard. I like Harrison's materials because he is oriented toward real pop playing. He is a performing and studio musician. The major criticism of "All About Piano" is that it starts slow and then somewhere in the middle it rapidly accelerates at a rate too fast for a lot of people. Harrison does have a more expensive "Pop Piano Book" that is part of an extensive system that does include MIDI files but I haven't seen that. I do have the MIDI files for his "Blues Piano" book and I highly recommend that book and the MIDI files to anyone with the least interest in blues piano, which is a good foundation for jazz piano by the way. He is a very prolific writer and he has books on styles that are hard to find elsewhere. However there is considerable overlap amongst his books so you need to pick carefully.
http://www.harrisonmusic.com/
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_ ... Caps%2C440
Jim Henry
Author of the Miditzer, a free virtual theatre pipe organ
http://www.Miditzer.org/
kiwi
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Post by kiwi »

I would suggest this first this book for harmony:
http://www.amazon.fr/Cl%C3%A9s-pour-lha ... B000095XEG
But it's in french and i don't know the title in US.

But just this is not enough learn songs do exercices learn on the web etc...
But this book explain all the basics and behond of the theory.
No exercices (some exemples) no instrument oriented just the théory.So maybe 40% of the music ^^
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jimhenry
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Post by jimhenry »

There doesn't seem to be an English version of the Anger-Weller book. If you need a simple and to the point book on music theory, this is good:
http://www.amazon.com/Leonard-Pocket-Mu ... gy_b_img_y

But I recommend choosing a beginning piano course that includes theory so it is woven in with what you are learning to play. Music theory doesn't work in a vacuum. You have to see how it works in practice. The pure theory books I've seen are weak in that regard.
Jim Henry
Author of the Miditzer, a free virtual theatre pipe organ
http://www.Miditzer.org/
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Laserbeak43
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Post by Laserbeak43 »

Thanks! I'll grab that, or something similar(might go with something with a kindle edition). I also have a piano training series i got as a gift. but it's video. Probably wont help me with reading. I do have this novelty looking book called Keyboard Bible, and looking inside of it, I kind of remember why I didn't finish using it, the first unit is all about theory! :lol: I think i'll finish this book. I'm not very excited about learning blues piano, which is the next unit, but with all of the things the first unit covers, I assume it'll be worth it. I just have to remember what i've done with the companion CDs...
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jimhenry
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Post by jimhenry »

Why do you not find blues piano exciting? Maybe I can change your mind about that. That's all I've been working on for the past two years. Maybe you don't realize all the music that is based on the blues? It's not all, or even mostly, slow music about how your woman has run off with another man. ;)
Jim Henry
Author of the Miditzer, a free virtual theatre pipe organ
http://www.Miditzer.org/
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Laserbeak43
Posts: 102

Post by Laserbeak43 »

jimhenry wrote:Why do you not find blues piano exciting? Maybe I can change your mind about that. That's all I've been working on for the past two years. Maybe you don't realize all the music that is based on the blues? It's not all, or even mostly, slow music about how your woman has run off with another man. ;)
Hahaha, I agree, believe me. It's just the most popular forms of it annoy me and push me away from the genre in general. I do appreciate its roots! :D
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jimhenry
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Post by jimhenry »

At this point what you should appreciate it that blues is a good vehicle for learning to move through chord progressions while maintaining the beat, learning swing rhythm, learning to play a syncopated right hand, and learning to improvise. If you can't do all those things in a blues framework, you are going to struggle with jazz. There is such a wide variety of things built on the blues framework that you should be able to find lots of things you want to learn.

Just to get a reading on your taste, what do you think of "Kidney Stew" as played by Pinetop Perkins:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zxSzF-wEFE

BTW, I think you should start a new topic for the discussion of your approach to learning to play piano. We have gone a long way from discussing Stefaan's cadenzas and modulations.
Jim Henry
Author of the Miditzer, a free virtual theatre pipe organ
http://www.Miditzer.org/
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Laserbeak43
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Post by Laserbeak43 »

That is motivation to learn blues. Thanks! That song makes me hungry and puts me in the mood to have fun...odd :)
kiwi
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Post by kiwi »

Jazz use pentatonics like the blues and often major scale too. So the blues can be good for sure.
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Laserbeak43
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Post by Laserbeak43 »

I've never been so excited about the blues. Thanks guys!
1Swat
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Post by 1Swat »

jimhenry wrote:I do have the MIDI files for his "Blues Piano" book and I highly recommend that book and the MIDI files to anyone with the least interest in blues piano
Thanks for the great tip!

I procured a digital copy to check it out and it seems like even though it starts out fairly simple (some theory and left hand patterns), you do reach a pretty decent playing level by the time you finish the course. (I reckon, however, that the learning curve might be a bit steep for beginners in chapter four when the right hand is introduced.) I especially like the amount of time spent on New Orleans blues. (Needless to say, I immediately ordered a physically copy.)

Laserbreak43:
You might want to look into "Jazz Piano from Scratch" by Charles Beale (ABRSM), "Berklee Jazz Piano" by Ray Santisi (note that some shops erroneously list it as "Berkley") and of course Mark Levine's "The Jazz Piano Book" and "The Jazz Theory Book".
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Laserbeak43
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Post by Laserbeak43 »

1Swat wrote:
Laserbreak43:
You might want to look into "Jazz Piano from Scratch" by Charles Beale (ABRSM), "Berklee Jazz Piano" by Ray Santisi (note that some shops erroneously list it as "Berkley") and of course Mark Levine's "The Jazz Piano Book" and "The Jazz Theory Book".
Oh! The temptation! I'd be likely to lapse if I hadn't had so much discussion about how easy it is for me to break a commitment. Besides, Jim also said something like "beginner's jazz is like intermediate piano". How do you feel about that statement?
kiwi
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Post by kiwi »

Héhé funk is a good enjoyment on synthesia.
For to begin about the theory i 'll suggest to learn MAjorscales and pentatonics.
Pentatonic can be played on any piece of music (classic jazz funk blues).
They are easy and entertaining and a really usefull tool for improvising.
Leran first the steps who makes the scale,sing the scale, play the scale ascending and decending with the two hand and STICK with them for 6 month minimum before to begin to learn others scales (i mean singing play etc...)
U can read how others things/scales are maid but focus principally on the major and the penta they are the fundation for all the theory.
Learn how the chords are constructed along the scale too and lear cadenza in a key.

And have fun trying to improvise with them ;)
1Swat
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Post by 1Swat »

Laserbeak43 wrote:Oh! The temptation! I'd be likely to lapse if I hadn't had so much discussion about how easy it is for me to break a commitment. Besides, Jim also said something like "beginner's jazz is like intermediate piano". How do you feel about that statement?
Learning jazz is hard and self-teaching is even harder, especially for beginners since most materials assume at least some basic piano skill (even "Jazz Piano from Scratch").

If you'd get a good teacher, however, that wouldn't be as much of an issue because he (or she) could teach you the basics in a (mostly) jazz setting. You'd probably still have to do stuff from other genres like blues and classical, but not as much. It would also immediately solve your commitment problem as you're given hard deadlines (the next lesson) in manageable chunks and if all's well, "lapsing" would mean doing other exercises / learning different songs in addition to your assignment, rather than instead of. So if you can afford it and find one in your vicinity, a teacher is the way to go.

If, for whatever reason, a teacher isn't an option, I wouldn't recommend starting out with jazz. As Jim pointed out, blues shares a lot of techniques with jazz but has a more favorable learning curve.
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Laserbeak43
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Post by Laserbeak43 »

I looked at a few pages of the book and actually decided to get Jazz Piano from Scratch. Actually arrived before the other book that i bought for the replacement CDs even arrived(it's still not here yet). the first few chapters(the beginning of part 1) are daily rhythim pitch and chord exercises. I think this will actually work out well for a while. I'm going to have to make the switch. I promise, this will be the last switch, unless the book wants me to become Thelonious Monk in part 2.
TonE
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Post by TonE »

Rag time fits here, too, I hope.
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=6775
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