by Doug Hanvey | September 3, 2016 | Learning, Practicing & Playing Piano
An essential element of nearly all good music is a balance between unity and contrast. This is one of the most important principles for novice composers to understand. While …Share...
by Doug Hanvey | August 6, 2016 | Teaching Piano
This post is for both teachers and students. It concludes with two suggested exercises for teachers to use with beginning composers. By the way, any piano teacher – not just …Share...
by Doug Hanvey | March 19, 2016 | Learning, Practicing & Playing Piano
A creative pianist is well-served by learning not just chords, but the relationship between chords. Why some chords are better choices for a harmonic progression is useful knowledge, particularly for …Share...
by Doug Hanvey | September 26, 2015 | Learning, Practicing & Playing Piano
Piano lessons at the Portland Piano Lab strongly emphasize the importance of musical creativity. Why is this important? To be sure, creativity is fun. But even more important, creativity develops …Share...