Piano Improvisation Contest Winner - MJ

Posted by Yoke Wong on 3/10/2013 to Harmony & Melody Studio News

Come and meet MJ - the 1st place winner of 2013 Piano Improvisation Contest. You will learn more about her musical journey in this blog article.

Location: Illinois, United States

Song she improvised: You

How long have you been playing the piano?

I really cannot quantify the length of time I have been playing the piano because I don't play the piano regularly (its a shame!). It is like an ON/OFF situation since 2011. I play the piano whenever I have the time. I work weekdays and my commute takes 3 hours a day so it's kind of tough to squeeze playing the piano in my schedule. I try my best to do it on weekends. It was in the later part of 2012 that I kind of started improvising. Thats when I composed my very first music, YOU. I felt great about it and I ended up making more music. By the way, I never had any formal piano lessons. I learned it through the fake books piano courses (the first and second piano courses I got from PianoMother). These piano courses put me on the right track. When I retire, the one thing I would love to do full time is to play the piano.

What was the first song you learned to play on the piano?

I think it was the simplest arrangement of Silent Night.

What is your favorite song to play on the piano?

It is a Tagalog love song, Saan Ka Man Naroroon (Wherever You Are, not sure if this is the right translation) hopefully Ill remember how to play it.

What is your favorite musician?

I really don't have a favorite musician in mind until I saw Yoke's performances online and in her DVDs. This is one reason why I love watching and listening to Yoke. She captures my heart every time she plays the piano. I love how she gently touches the keys, her fingers are just flowing so smoothly showing how passionate she is in playing the piano. Yoke has made a big difference in my love for piano playing. I thought I can only play the piano when there's music sheet in front of me, not anymore.

What inspired you to learn piano improvisation

When I saw/heard Yoke play, how she can change a very simple melody into something very beautiful, it made me wonder if I can do it and how will I do it. Another reason is not being able to play the piano without music sheet and when the songs started to get so boring.

How did you learn piano improvisational techniques?

There's only one answer to this. I learned piano improvisational techniques through Yoke Wong's piano courses. They are very effective learning materials.

How did you like Yoke Wong's piano courses and free newsletters? What did you learn from them?

I love her piano courses because I was able to learn how to dress up a song, learn how to use the different left hand styles, add fillers and most importantly how to improvise. Her DVDs made it so much easier for me to follow the piano courses. About the newsletters, they are very informative and what is nice about it is that anyone can sign up for free. The newsletters give everyone the chance to preview the different piano courses being offered. I am so grateful to Yoke and her hard work on putting together those piano courses for us. She made me love more what I like to do. These are great piano courses.

What advice would you give to all the piano players out there?

I have always loved playing the piano just for my own enjoyment at home. Joining any musical contest never entered my mind, let alone my video ending up in the internet (but its cool!), not even in my wildest dreams but it was made possible by Yoke Wong. You never know where music will take you. This whole thing was a great experience for me.

All I can say is, as long as your passion to play the piano is coming from your heart, nothing should stop you from pursuing it. Don't let frustrations prevent you from doing it. Just be patient and follow your hearts desires. I would advise the piano players out there to continue playing the piano as long as they can (which I am planning to do myself), to utilize to the fullest their God given talents and to share their music to the world. For those who are already playing the piano, those who are just starting to play the piano and those who are planning to play the piano, I would highly recommend visiting PianoMother's website because they have tons of valuable learning materials in Yoke Wongs piano courses which can enhance your piano playing to a higher level. With Yoke Wong's piano courses, we can make beautiful music. Let your heart dictate your music because music is the language of the soul. The soul expresses its feelings through music. Thanks again Yoke Wong and God Bless. MJ

Comment from Yoke Wong:

Big congrats to MJ!

You really have inspired other piano players to continue to stretch beyond the limit and bring out the best in them. You are growing by leaps and bounds in such a short period big kudos! I see you have applied techniques that were covered in our fake book, 121 left hand styles, and other courses. Great work!

I enjoyed watching and listening to your left hand styles you have combined ballad with tango style interchangeably in the music. The melody was beautifully arranged as well. There are some nice musical phrasings! Overall this is a nice piano piece!

Opportunities:

You may consider practicing and working out the left hand separately. There are a few times when you moved the left hand and it slowed down the tempo as your eyes were paying attention to the left hand movement. Another area of improvement is the pedaling skills whenever you switched to different chord or different phrase, change the pedal swiftly to avoid muddy or cloudy sound.

Big shout-out:

I admire your determination and focus - despite long commute time and working full time, you devoted time to practice piano!

You definitely have many fans and friends that voted for you :-

This is what life is all about - having circle of friends and network that support you!
Great job!

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20 Comments

Date: 3/11/2013
Hi M.J. I really loved your impro of the song "You". I liked all the L.H. styles as that is what I like to do, change styles. Is "You" a song I can try to buy from a sheet music site or is this just your own thing? Great, Marlene.
Anja
Date: 3/11/2013
I listened till the end, its beautiful and it is a motivation for me to get on with playing and learning. It such joy. Anja
Lee
Date: 3/11/2013
I also have little time to pratice as I work 12 hour night shifts and am busy on my days off and catching up on my sleep.I am having problems with bass cleff it's been a whole new concept for me. I played the organ for a short time about 37 years ago so am starting over. I am not giving up after listening to you play. Keep up the good work and music. LEE
Luzviminda V. Rubico
Date: 3/11/2013
Hello MJ. I love listening to your 4 videos because I posted them in my FB wall. I am motivated to learn how to play the piano (as I have said it was my frustration). Keep it up friend.
MJ
Date: 3/11/2013
To All - Thank you everyone for your kind and encouraging comments. I am so excited and happy that you like my music. Marlene - I don't have the music sheet yet at this time. I'm planning to put it together in the future. I'm not a computer literate so it might take time for me to finish it. Anja - I'm so glad my music serves as motivation for you to continue playing and learning the piano. You won't regret it. Lee - You're not alone with the bass clef issue. I had the same problem t
lackson kasekwa
Date: 3/12/2013
Congratulate MJ.Even me i got lessons from yoke Wong.But i don't do well because i have no piano to learn or to play it.I like it much.So i think what to do.Piano is very good,keep on do that.I am encouraging you. I am from Tanzania,Africa. lackson
Randy J. Dialino
Date: 3/12/2013
Nice play, hope to join next time.
MJ
Date: 3/12/2013
Lee - You're not alone with the bass clef issue. I had the same problem. By the time I figured out which note to play on the bass clef, the melody was gone. There was no fluidity. I got frustrated too but that didn't stop me from playing the piano. I went to YouTube and saw Yoke's piano tutorials which led me to her website, PianoMother.com. I found the answer to my quest, to play the piano through the fakebook piano courses and the rest is history. I am happy that you are not giving up. Lu
MJ
Date: 3/12/2013
Luz - It's not too late to learn how to play the piano. I've never used the Piano Lessons for Beginners but you might want to try it. It is a starting point. Good Luck.
MJ
Date: 3/12/2013
Randy - Thanks. If you have the opportunity to join any contest, don't miss it. It is not only a great experience but it will help build your self-esteem.
MJ
Date: 3/12/2013
Lackson - I'm happy to hear that you are learning how to play the piano. Please check the internet for "Tips for Practicing Without a Piano". I hope this will help you for now to continue what you love to do.
Kato D. G.
Date: 3/14/2013
Thanks and thumbs up for you. Keep on course.
MJ
Date: 3/14/2013
Kato - Thank you for appreciating my music. All of you guys will serve as an inspiration as I continue my musical journey.
MJ
Date: 3/14/2013
Kato - Thank you for appreciating my music. All of you guys will serve as an inspiration as I continue my musical journey.
Li Shifeng
Date: 3/14/2013
Hi, MJ and PianoMother, I am a guy who is living in China and is learning piano. I wish to see your improvisation video as soon, but unfortunely,we can not got YuTube in mainland of China. Could show me how I can watch the video you did? with wishes like sunny day outside, Li Shifeng 2013.3.15
MJ
Date: 3/15/2013
Li Shifeng - I'm happy to hear that you are learning how to play the piano. I feel bad that you aren't able to watch the video via YouTube. Unfortunately, I have no clue about the internet thing so I have no idea. I hope you'll have access to YouTube in the near future.
deepak gogia
Date: 3/17/2013
no match...in our language wa wa wa meain the best
MJ
Date: 3/17/2013
Deepak - Thank you so much. It means a lot to me.
Nordin
Date: 5/13/2013
male
Marlene Brilz
Date: 6/4/2013
Hi MJ, You did a wonderful arrangement of "You" Is this a son that I can buy the sheet music for and if so from where? My piano style is very similar to yours especially in the L.H. If you could supply me with the sheet music I would be forever grateful. I'm planning on taking Yoke's Improvisational course soon as I love adding things to songs. Please try and get me the sheet music. Thanks, Marlene.

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