During 1982 and 1983 I attended the Eastman School of Music in what they called at the time their “Prep” department, in which they gave lessons and classroom instruction to students not yet ready for college. I studied piano with two different instructors and took a class on music theory.
For those who don’t know the Eastman School of Music, it’s one of the best music schools in the world, especially known for jazz. Steve Gadd went there. So did Tony Levin, Chuck Mangione and Bob Ludwig.
Make no mistake – I went as a high school student in their prep program – I wouldn’t have been a good enough pianist to actually go there. But my first three piano lessons changed the way I thought about and played music. I want to do a YouTube video on the topic, but I can summarize here. I spent the summer of 1982 cleaning up my posture and hand positioning. My teacher once sent me home because I hadn’t practiced. Not mad, just basically said “Well, you obviously didn’t practice so you might as well come back next week after you’ve worked on the material. Goodbye.” That made a huge impression on me. I was wasting both of our time. It never happened again.
Mostly what she did was to teach me how to feel the music when I played it, instead of charging through it like a robot. She taught me to relax and sway with the music and try to feel the notes I was playing, to play like I really meant them, not like a player piano. I worked and worked on that and it made me better on every instrument and as a singer. And I feel like a jackass because I don’t remember her name. I owe her a lot and she’ll never hear that from me. It’s important to remember people who help you.
Eastman also taught me the difference between good and great. I was almost good. There were 8 year old Japanese girls who kicked my ass in that program. I learned that I would never have the physical tools to be a pro piano player, and so I started writing my own songs and playing more guitar. In my first band, Maxwell Grant, I wasn’t the keyboard player initially – that role was filled by our good friend Tom Streb, who was a far more proficient piano player than I was (and a smart, awesome guy too). I played guitar and sang. Eventually the band lineup changed and I moved to keyboards, and still played guitar on several songs.
I used to love to play piano in the practice rooms at Eastman, because all of the pianos were really nice baby grands.
My second piano teacher… well, I can’t remember her name either, but she was much much younger and she tried to get me to really like the music. Which I didn’t. I remember she had me play some Bartók because she could see I was kind of a rock guy and she thought maybe I’d dig the bizarre, but I really didn’t. I liked Bach much better. Bach I could understand. But I never progressed past the two part inventions.
As for the music theory class I took, it has definitely helped me. It was at a good level for me to understand as a high school senior. Anything more advanced and I would have been hopelessly lost.
Over the years I continued to play keyboards, but it was always the guitar that I was really drawn to ever since I was 11 years old and heard “Detroit Rock City.” I consider myself a songwriter first, then a guitar player, then a keyboard player, then a singer, in that order. I didn’t start a website about keyboards, after all.
