Music Information

Breathing Space in Music


While most students want to know when to play certain notes and chords, it's equally important to know when not to play. For example, I had a student who knew how to improvise and play in the New Age style. What he didn't know how to do was to allow for breathing space. I tried to teach him that you don't have to play note upon note but allow for some pauses.

Eventually he got it. He learned how not to rush and that the pauses between notes are as important as the notes themselves - especially in the New Age style of piano playing. Listen to pioneer New Age piano player Steven Halpern to get an excellent idea of this. Steven literally defined "breathing space" for music. His music floats in the air. It is pure improvisation and, if you listen to him play, you'll find that' it's one of the easiest styles to play in.

He let's the spaces in between the notes work for him. There's definitely no rushing here. It's very trance inducing and calming. To play in this way, you need to be very much IN THE PRESENT and listen for what's to come. There's no planning or forethought here except maybe to choose a Key or Mode to play in. Then you just improvise.

The spaces between the music are as important as the music itself. In fact, without the spaces, you wouldn't have this style. The spaces define the style of music. A lot of New Age pianists emulated Halpern and you can't do better to learn how to master the art of silence than by listening to him. Also, check out the author's online piano lesson "Oriental Sunrise" to get another good example of "breathing space."

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!


MORE RESOURCES:

SlashGear

Yahoo To Reimburse Customers Of DRM-Protected Music
InformationWeek, NY - 3 hours ago
By Antone Gonsalves Yahoo on Friday said it would reimburse customers who bought music that can no longer be easily played as a result of the Web portal ...
Yahoo Becomes Latest Site to Mute Music Purchases Washington Post
Yahoo Music Store Shuts September-end Techtree.com
EFF: Yahoo Music should compensate customers CNET News
PC Magazine - CRM Buyer
all 53 news articles


E! Online

Russell Brand to host Video Music Awards
guardian.co.uk, UK - 1 hour ago
But it seems that is water under the bridge and yesterday he was named as the unlikely host of this year's Video Music Awards in Los Angeles. ...
MTV Video Music Awards Get Branded! Meet Your New Host: Russell Brand MTV.com
Russell Brand to host the US MTV Video Music Awards 2008 WELT ONLINE
MTV Video Music Awards tap bonkers Brit Russell Brand as host Los Angeles Times
The Associated Press - E! Online
all 345 news articles


Telegraph.co.uk

Rolling Stones sign long-term deal with Vivendi's Universal Music
Los Angeles Times, CA - 2 hours ago
The Rolling Stones, the world's top-earning music act last year, have signed a long-term, exclusive worldwide contract with Vivendi's Universal Music, ...
Rolling Stones leave EMI after more than two decades for Universal ... International Herald Tribune
Rolling Stones Depart From EMI To Join Universal Music Group Wall Street Journal
UPDATE 1-Universal Music signs Rolling Stones deal Reuters
Telegraph.co.uk - Bloomberg
all 271 news articles


TrustedReviews

New proposals to combat illegal UK music downloads
Heise Online, Germany - 11 hours ago
UK music industry association the BPI (formerly known as British Phonographic Industry) has reached an agreement with the country's six largest ISPs, ...
Plan agreed to tackle online music piracy Reuters
Music bosses told: Pump up the incentives if you want to beat pirates Scotsman
Fee plan to combat net piracy New Zealand Herald
Times Online - TIME
all 532 news articles


Wis. girl dies at Detroit Lakes music festival
Minneapolis Star Tribune, MN - 47 minutes ago
For the second year in a row, a person has died during the 10000 Lakes music festival near Detroit Lakes. Becker County Sheriff Tim Gordon says a ...


PC Magazine

Finding New Music on the iPhone
PC Magazine - 4 hours ago
With its support for iTunes, and things like CoverFlow, the iPhone and the iPod touch are great music players. But what happens when you want to find new ...


Is LA county the new center of the white power music industry?
Los Angeles Times, CA - 7 hours ago
"This is the center of the `white power' music industry, right here in Los Angeles," said Amanda Susskind, director of the Pacific Southwest region of the ...


Report: MySpace could work with Amazon on music service
CNET News, CA - 9 hours ago
Amazon.com could become the e-commerce engine behind the MySpace Music service expected to launch in September, according to a report on TechCrunch. ...
Amazon, Apple may back MySpace Music Electronista
Amazon To Power Upcoming MySpace Music Downloads TechCrunch
all 4 news articles


Times Online

On music: Judge Judy
guardian.co.uk, UK - Jul 24, 2008
Then there's British Sea Power's Do You Like Rock Music? This is the third album by the Brighton-based band, and another example of a group shifting up the ...
Mercury Music Prize - sing when you're winning Independent
EG MUSIC: NOTTINGHAM DJ AND NATIONWIDE MERCURY PRIZE JUDGE DEAN ... This is Nottingham
Burial Favourite In Mercury Music Prize Betting Odds OLBG Betting News
Times Online - Manchester Online
all 272 news articles


LA Times Music Blog
Los Angeles Times, CA - 5 hours ago
Curated by music supervisor and KCRW DJ Chris Douridas, the compilation segues from melancholic beauty like Patrick Watson’s “The Great Escape,” Cat ...

Music - Google News

home | site map
© 2006