Maggie's Farm

By way of comparison, this is Sonata in G major, op. 49, no. 2.

http://www.all-about-beethoven.com/piano3.html

The two op.49 sonatas are actually not sonatas - they are called sonatinas for short sonata. I suppose if you were going to be a jerk about it, you would call them minuets only longer. :>)

Written in the Classical style rather than the Romantic or Heroic style, they are what is called "scaled" pieces - meaning that they rely heavily on G minor and G major tonic scaling, the use of parallel thirds (right hand and left hand), varying time signatures (for example 3/4 notation in 6/8 time signature), various arpeggios, smooth and easy transitions, etc. Interspersed in all this are little trills and other flourishes to kind of spice things up a little.

They are not considered "technical" pieces because from a traditional standpoint, they are not that difficult to play once you learn the G minor/major scales or to put it another way, technigue is not an important feature of these two pieces as the scales used are. One or two of the movements of the two sonatas are taught to beginner piano students.

Please don't ask me how I know all this because I would have to tell the truth and that would end my manly man image. :>)

Talk about a super star group - Morello, Wright, Brubeck and Desmond.

Did you know that Brubeck's style was called "mannered" jazz? Seriously - hence the "banker" look.

Ever seen this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TebUMhJAKSM

Piano lessons are a PiTA, but with the right teacher, it all comes together really quickly.

I was fortunate in that my Uncle the Jesuit knew a Franciscan nun who taught piano as relaxation believe it or not. She started me on scales - there is nothing more boring than scales. Major/minor Pentatonic, Dorian, Lydian, Octatonic, Phrygian Arabic and Jewish - half, whole and augmented, Locrian major - well pretty much all of them.

Six years interspersed with learning Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn dances, divertimenti, serenades and sonatas. I could "play" ok, but I still didn't "get" it - no passion it was strictly all technique and rote playing.

When we moved East I started babysitting for the neighbors who were professionals and had a small jazz group. I met the piano player, we got to talking and then it happened - he showed me how all this "stuff" tied together in four lessons. Haven't looked back since. :>)

But I will say this - learning all those scales and their individual characteristics was the key - the nun just couldn't translate that - well, at least for me.