| What can you do on the piano? Answer? A lot! In | | | | keyboard. And then, when the player feels like it, |
| fact, there are so many ways to hit notes it can | | | | bass notes are added in. |
| get crazy. | | | | To master this technique, it's a good idea to begin |
| One technique that's used by many New Age | | | | with something very simple in the left hand. That's |
| piano players is the right-hand crossover. Here the | | | | why in "Caverns," I have students play a very |
| right hand reaches over the left to hit bass notes | | | | simple ostinato pattern. Once this is "down" it's |
| or chords. This adds a very rich and full sound to | | | | quite easy to improvise melody and add in those |
| your playing. | | | | booming bass notes. Another great thing about |
| Take Lesson #7: Caverns for example. Here we | | | | this technique is that it really allows you to get |
| have an opportunity to practice this technique. | | | | into improvisation. |
| The left hand plays a simple ostinato pattern near | | | | It literally forces you to be in the moment. When |
| the middle of the keyboard while the right plays | | | | you have so much going on with both hands the |
| bass and melody notes. | | | | thinking mind can't catch up and this is perfect |
| The beautiful thing about this technique is that it | | | | because you can now focus on expressing what |
| actually sounds like more than one piano! The left | | | | you feel instead of thinking about whether what's |
| hand fills up the middle range while the right | | | | coming out of you is good enough. |
| comes in with melody notes further up the | | | | |