Gabriel Piano Studio
  • 2021 WINTER-SPRING
  • VIDEO LESSONS

BERNAL study page

EXERCISES IN 2 - 5 - 1 Major and Minor by Jimin Park

2-5-1 in Major key
2 - Dorian 
5 - Diminished 
1 - ​Aeolian or Lydian

60'

2/11
F - D - C
jimin_2-5-1_in_f.pdf
File Size: 145 kb
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Done
jimin_2-5-1_in_g.pdf
File Size: 84 kb
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Done
jimin_2-5-1_in_c.pdf
File Size: 84 kb
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Done
jimin_2-5-1_in_d.pdf
File Size: 83 kb
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2-5-1 in Minor key
2 - Locrian 
5 - Melodic minor 1/2 UP or Diminished 
1 - Minor with raised 6+7 or Harmonic minor

60'

2/11
​C - 
jimin_2-5-1_in_cminor.pdf
File Size: 72 kb
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MY ONE AND ONLY LOVE.  C Major. Harmonization

REAL BOOK my_one_and_only_love.pdf
File Size: 125 kb
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my_one_and_only_love.pdf
File Size: 63 kb
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30'

1- Presentation rich harmonies.
2- Chart of the scales
3- Record improvisation.
11/20
Harmonization of the main theme

TUTORIAL BASED LESSONS. 

SCALES.  
Write down the scales that are being use in these exercises and crate a full chart.

We are going to use as reference a jazz pianist/teacher that has a well organized channel on Youtube.

First lesson, basic, will be on practicing scales based on a 2 - 5 - 1 chord progression just to get your ear used to these dissonances.

​After you are able to play it in the original key we will start transposing it to other keys.

Diminished scales

diminished_scales.pdf
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Magyel "ALL OF ME" Exercises

2-5-1 SCALES Magyel -C-
File Size: 61 kb
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2-5-1 SCALES Magyel -C- GRB
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2-5-1 SCALES Magyel -D-
File Size: 62 kb
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Learned in C, D, E.
Analyzed in E​.
Next is to transfer all the analytics to the exercise in C and D
​Then create a blank sheet containing only the analytical cues to create an improvisation based on the suggested scales.

Create score that has only the indications but not the notes and following the indications you have to create the improvisation.
ALL OF ME Magyel -C-
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ALL OF ME Magyel -C-GRB
File Size: 5077 kb
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ALL OF ME Magyel -D-
File Size: 82 kb
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ALL OF ME Magyel -E-
File Size: 83 kb
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ALL OF ME Magyel -E-GRB
File Size: 5208 kb
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ALL OF ME Magyel -F-
File Size: 83 kb
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NEXT RECORDING: Blame It on My Youth (Keith Jarrett version)

BLAME YOUTH 4/7/2021
File Size: 112 kb
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POSTED: The Flintstones.

the_flintstones_arr_gabriel_ruiz-bernal.pdf
File Size: 202 kb
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RECORDED: Happy Birthday

30'

happy_birthday_v2.pdf
File Size: 60 kb
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Lessons with Paul Bratcher

4/7
Mentioned:
Students like Jonathan Orloff.  
Biff Smith
arrangements and harmonizations
Notebook log for practice

Shehan Rajapakse and Paul's student Milo attend the same high school and both are pianists at the same Jazz Band.

PAUL: Paul Carr tenor player: Hear diatonically. Exercises 5' - 10'
Use the iRealPro exercises on 2-5-1 in every key and play the scales 
1- starting on the note
2- starting on different notes
Keep it melodic, stay diatonic
Blues as a simple enough structure to apply scales as well

GRB: YT ADDRESSED TO TEACHERS RATHER THAN TO STUDENTS?
IEJE CONFERENCE
JAZZ EDUCATION NETWORK
Speakers, conferences
Levine grant may cover some of the costs
BPC!!!
Gary Prince did not like the conferences.  Paul and Gary don't coincide in pedagogical visions.
Brad goes to them regularly

Buy the YT material to learn the sequencing of the teaching method and delivery of information

OPEN STUDIO Peter Martin and Adam Mannes
Peter is the intuitive explainer
Adam is the structural explainer
SUSCRIBE TO THEIR PAID MATERIAL.  1st week free. Worth it.

Noah -???- last name?  Very well explained material

GRB:  VOICINGS.  THE USE OF BIFF SMITH to open ears
Paul goes more methodically
Apply voicing and open harmonies to COMPING
Chords first as 3-note chords like 3-7-9 and 7-3-5
Then 4-note chords as 3-7-9-(5 RH) and 7-3-5-(7 RH)
All colors produced while comping

​BRATCHER CHART (See side notes)



​

3/17

My teaching started mostly focused on reading from Real book for classical pianists
Teaching the beginnings of improvisation.  Some students are starting to get it. Going back to the root.  Putting myself in the shoes of the beginner student and going page by page through the book.  Practicing myself what I will be teaching from the very beginning in all 12-keys.

GRB: ​Fingering for Dominant-Bebop scale.  Traditional fingering doesn’t fit
Book uses a 2-1-2-1 3-2-1 3-2-1 
PB: Placement of the thumb over anything else.
Strengthen 1-2-3 fingering.  Pivoting.
Bebop scales / diminished scales / altered scales are mostly played with 1-2-3.

GRB: Complex classical fingering get in the way of improvisation bc it imposes the will of the hand rather than the will of the mind.
Simple fingering seems is simplify the process of transfer from your mind to the keyboard.

PB doesn't have a specificities opinion on using what I call all-terrain 4 wheel drive fingering.  He doesn't use that system.

GRB: I am able to “hear” in my head a complete improvised solo over a chord progression.  Especially after listening to recordings for a number of minutes.
I can even visualize the keyboard and see my hands playing the notes slowly, so that I can almost name the notes slowly.
Then when I actually try to play it, my mind stalls and the fingers want to play what they are comfortable.

We exercised at the lesson singing and transferring the idea from the mind to the keys.
Singing and playing the side vs your fingers having an idea and then singing it, which is the reverse process, and not ideal.

GRB: At the lesson I noticed that if I looked away from the keys, my mind would be ahead of the game.  If I looked at the keys, my fingers found patterns and dictated what to play.

GRB: How to exercise with the students to liberate them from being stock on an idea, or stock on a small range of notes at the piano.
PB: Ask them to play more "scale-ly".  More "set-wise" at first.
Use BACK-AND-FORTH teacher-student so they hear you play and they get inspiration from your playing.  Place yourself in the level of the student, not playing out with complex lines.
1- Consecutive tones when improvising.
2- Move to thirds after first step is ok.

Start with a 2-5-1, then trade fours, etc.

GRB:  We looked at my composed improvisation on “On Green Dolphin Street”
PB: Improvise on the same tune and let's hear the difference.
I could barely keep up remembering the chords.

GRB: Identifying a mystery scale on a 2-5-1 in F
Happens to be diminished whole-tone, mixed with melodic minor of the tonic.
This is a sound common on Herbie Hancock from the 60s when he played with Miles Davis:
Nefertiti, Sorcerer

Creating chords directly from the scales.
Practice going up each degree fo the melodic minor scale and see what tones are forming.

Mulgrew Miller forms chords using the tones of the scale, rather than chord tones.
3/10
TEACHING ENCLOSURES:
Chromatic motion: building muscle memory and speed
Degrees of the chord: building awareness and understanding
Written exercise versus mental concept:give them the model and they can turn it into an exercise.  No need to write everything down.

DIMINISHED SCALES
 They can be too advanced for some students.
Teach them related to V7 chords always 
Gradual teaching:
1- Mixolydian
2- Introduce the 9th, the b9th and the #9th.

GRB: Learn the Diminished Whole-Tone
Great resource for V7 in tunes like:  Caravan, Take the A Train.
Starts as dim, continues as whole-tone.

USING METHOD BOOKS FOR TEACHING
He is thinking of creating a method similar to Suzuki but for jazz, for young children.

- Jazz Piano Comping.  Jim Snidero
For students with bad reading skills, to learn rhythms.  School big bands.
Based on standards but not the actual songs (© issue).

- 15 Easy Jazz Etudes.  Bob Mitzer
For students whose ears/reading is not yet great.

"Amazing Phrasing".  Debbie Denke
This book helped Paul himself.
Similar to Aebersold, loops not too long

STUDENTS MUST GET iRealPro AND BLUETOOTH SPEAKER
Use the app through a separate device fro Zooming, not the same.

PREP TIME.  RECYCLING MATERIAL;
Paul uses a share folder in which he places material  such as 
- Learn voicing 2-note voicing, 3-note voicings,

TECH AND RESOURCES
Paul takes a tune from iRealPro
Records a solo on top of it using Garage Band
Sends to the student for student to practice comping chords over Paul's solo.

​


3/3
LICKS:
Full blown licks are too much and have too many elements to digest.
Start by isolating a single element from the lick.  "Enclosure" and play it in every key.  Use it in different environments.
- Enclosure of the 1, of the 3, of the 7, etc.
- Goal of playing them in all 12 keys chromatically
Then practice how to get IN and OUT of the enclosure.  Use back-forth teacher-student demonstration so student can hear and feel inspired by hearing the teacher.
Start practicing with the student 3 or 4 keys at a time.  Eventually cover all 12 keys.  Keep units very small.

TRANSCRIPTIONS:
Notes versus feel.
​Red Garland, Miles Davis. Relaxin'
Solos are short, the pianist is a sideman rather than a big part of a trio
Simpler solos for ears that still need development:
Herbie Hancock -Watermelon Man
Horace Silver -More of a motive approach
Thelonius Monk -Low chops but dissonant.  "Bag's Groove' record.

APP FOR TRANSCRIPTION:  Transcribe!  About $30 or $40
Allows to tune the app to your own piano
Guesses notes for you
Can divide the transcription into sections.  How many measure per week if the transcription takes 3 months?

SCALES:
Practice them with rhythm exercises
Use words.  Paul's words are "Meatloaf", "Barbecue", "Barbecue sauce", "Tommy Flanagan".

CAMERA SETTING:
"MANY CAM" APP for splitting and many other functions.
https://manycam.com

NOTEBOOK sketch
File Size: 168 kb
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TRACK 83 exercise
File Size: 920 kb
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Practicing after 3/3 lesson

3/8
​Isolate technical element and practice in every key
exercise_on_enclosures_-grb-.pdf
File Size: 74 kb
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3/10
New variation on the exercise for enclosures.  Focus on each note of the chord in which we are.


C7: C- E - G - Bb - C and create an enclosure for each one.
Then...
Cm7 C - Eb - G - Bb - C and do the same.

Do this for each variation of the enclosure.
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screen_shot_2021-04-07_at_11.24.39_am.png
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screen_shot_2021-04-07_at_11.27.54_am.png
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  • 2021 WINTER-SPRING
  • VIDEO LESSONS