| We've all heard pianists who make us drool with | | | | these is putting herself or himself in a class usually |
| musical jealousy when they play, using a tool box | | | | reserved for professional pianists. |
| full of lighting-fast runs and clever fills that have us | | | | 3. Piano tricks -- How to make your piano sound |
| clamoring for more. | | | | oriental, or make it sound like a drum or a music |
| I well recall hearing Errol Garner play "I'll | | | | box? A bell? Latin? Country? |
| Remember April" when I was about 14. I had no | | | | 4. Evangelistic runs -- These are the octave runs |
| idea a piano could be played like that, and I was | | | | and fillers used by the great gospel pianists of |
| absolutely fascinated by all the interesting and | | | | past and present such as Rudy Atwood and |
| exciting runs and fills he added to his improvisation | | | | other evangelistic piano players. |
| of those standards. | | | | 5. Jazz & blues runs -- Using the "blues scale" up |
| If you're anything like me, you would love to learn | | | | and down the keyboard, blue note-crunches, |
| how to "fill up the empty spaces" with scale | | | | slides, etc. These runs are very useful not only in |
| fragments, chords, broken chords, and so on. | | | | jazz and R & B, but also in "black gospel" (I hate |
| Techniques such as 8th note runs , 16th note | | | | to use that term because it sounds racist, but |
| runs, 32nd note runs, triplet fills, and many | | | | people use it to describe a certain type of gospel |
| combinations thereof -- some so fast you can't | | | | music, so I reluctantly use the term...but only in |
| even see which notes are being played. | | | | that sense of the word), fusion, and many |
| Techniques such as "cascading waterfall runs", the | | | | rock-pop songs. 6. Fillers galore -- Filling up an |
| fabulous "pro straddles", the exciting "tremolo-fired | | | | empty measure with a counter-melody; creating |
| runs" and lots more. Learning how to "fill it up" | | | | an intro; creating an ending; developing |
| with runs and fills would certainly take your piano | | | | "turnarounds", plus chromatic fillers, fillers based on |
| playing to the next level. | | | | the Dorian and Lydian scales and other "church |
| After listening to countless pianists in all genres, I | | | | mode" scales used by contemporary jazz and |
| compiled a list of six types of runs and fills that | | | | fusion artists. |
| they often use: | | | | It is exciting for any pianist to picture himself or |
| 1. "Cocktail" runs --The lightning fast runs used by | | | | herself playing those LIGHTNING FAST runs up |
| the great "show" pianists. One hand runs, two | | | | the keyboard and back down in time for the next |
| hand runs, open-octave runs, tremolo-blasted | | | | chord, or playing CASCADING RUNS down the |
| runs, cascading waterfall runs and more. Made | | | | keyboard for a WATERFALL of wonderful |
| famous by such names as Eddy Duchin, Carman | | | | sounds, to say nothing of using mordents, |
| Caballero, Liberace, etc., but also used tastefully | | | | inverted mordents, trills, turns, tremolos, grace |
| by many others, such as Roger Williams and | | | | notes, glissandos, fillers galore, cocktail-piano runs, |
| many "pop" piano players. | | | | plus gospel-style runs as well as "blues runs" based |
| 2. Embellishments -- Mordents, inverted mordents, | | | | on the blues scale! |
| trills, turns, tremolos, grace notes, glissandos, etc. | | | | Is it worth the effort to learn some or all of |
| These are the "finesse" techniques that give your | | | | these techniques? It certainly has been for me, |
| piano playing class and grace. Virtually NO amateur | | | | but every pianist will have to make that judgment |
| piano players use these, so the pianist that learns | | | | for himself or herself. |