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Issue #3
Notes from The Music Hub
January 19, 2025
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What is Your Reason for Playing?
The role music has played in my life has changed through different seasons over the years.
When I was very young, my dad taught me, and piano was something special I could do with my dad.
In elementary school, I didn't socialize a lot, and piano was often my only friend.
By age 12, piano became a source of exploration of new music as I taught myself pieces that were not part of my lesson assignments.
When I was a teen, piano allowed me to express myself as I turned to it when I was feeling down and wrote songs.
In college, piano stayed with me even though I put it on the back burner for a while and turned my attention to saxophone.
When I became an adult, piano took on the role of a faithful workhorse, allowing me to earn money teaching and accompanying.
As a composer, I find piano an incredibly useful tool. I might be biased, but I don't think there is any better of a tool for composing (other than pencil, manuscript paper, a good eraser, and engraving software.)
Through it all, piano has remained a source of enjoyment.
And it has to be.
Because if I didn't enjoy piano, I wouldn't have practiced, and none of the rest would have happened.
Individuals have many different reasons for wanting to play the piano.
What is yours?
Are you hoping piano will open up more opportunities in the future?
Are you hoping that piano will keep your brain sharp?
Do you want to keep your hands moving so you can prevent or ease joint stiffness?
Do you want to be able to play music with others?
Do you hope to develop enough skill to eventually use it to earn some money?
No matter what your reason, above all piano should be FUN!
Some people find the fun in a sense of accomplishment, playing simple pieces that they know.
Some people find fun in the problem-solving, taking on challenging pieces and "conquering" difficult notes, rhythms, and fingering.
Others find fun in using the piano to write their own music or express their feelings.
What is your fun?
I would love to hear back from you! Tell me why you are learning piano and what you find "fun"!
Simply respond to this email to share your answers!
What's new inside the app!
This week, I've added Lesson 16 - videos and PDFs of 5 songs - in "Beginner Level 2".
Lesson 16 is all about smoothly moving your hands to a new position during a song. This expands the range (the distance between the lowest and highest notes) of a piece of music. You will learn how to use fingerings and notes as guideposts to easily find the new location.
I have also added a unit on playing the tune Misty. My arrangement is based on the recording by Ella Fitzgerald.
This week, I put up an introduction and overview of the arrangement and a demonstration of how to play verse 1. If you would like the sheet music, you can get it here*: Misty by Johnny Mathis - Piano Solo - Late Intermediate Digital Sheet Music | Sheet Music Plus
*This song is still under copyright, so the arrangement must be purchased in order for the legally owed royalties to go to the proper people.
Are you ready to try the app?
Our monthly membership includes
- Instructional videos of theory concepts
- Demonstration videos of how to play each song
- PDFs of theory worksheets
- PDFs of songs*
- WEEKLY Group Sessions over Zoom so you can ask specific questions and get feedback on your playing
- Community Forum and Private Facebook Group
- Listening sessions: monthly deep-dives into a specific piece and its composer
*Arrangements of songs that are still under copyright must be purchased separately to ensure that I comply with legal regulations and that royalties are properly sent to the right person.
Get a 14-day FREE trial and check out what's inside!
If you'd like to know more, simply respond to this email!
Thank you for being a valued member of The Music Hub Community!
Please contact me by responding to this email if you have any questions or concerns!
Happy Music Making!
Heather Niemi Savage, composer, pianist & educator
Founder of The Music Hub
