So What

Many times when we're faced with a difficult decision, question, or statement, we don't think of just saying these two simple words: "So what?" We could do it for lots of things.

Your hair is too long. So what?
You're not a very good piano player. So what?
You just took away my solo. So what?
I just don't like you. So what?

Why does it really matter.....?

As musicians, we often wonder if our audience really likes our playing. If we're playing in a band situation, the comparison levels just go up.

Did those people like my solo?......Uh-oh, the drummer is looking at me like I did something wrong......What does that person over there think of my song?......Gulp. I think I just made myself the worst player out of everyone in the music contest. 

Paper Moon

I remember seeing the moon from my window last night....but I don't think it was made of paper. Of course, as time passes, we keep figuring out new things - what the moon actually is, why apples fall to the ground, what electricity actually does, how to write a song, etc., and that means that songs are changing, too. The 12-bar blues songs that we played in the '20s aren't going to be the same as the latest pop song. And, the songs that you've listened to before aren't going to be the same as this one.

This song was originally sung, but I'm just playing it on the piano.

So, the button's there. Just do it. It doesn't matter what other people think.

Maybe if you click here, the song will be recommended to someone else and they'll get to listen to it, too.

Blue Bossa

This is different from the other songs I've published, because its rhythm is more straight like Latin jazz, instead of the swing songs that I usually publish. Although this isn't the most common jazz style, I know other songs that have a similar rhythm, such as Caravan and Perdido (do you want to look those up now, or wait for the post to appear? You should do one of them - remember, never miss an opportunity to listen to a song.)

Salt Peanuts

I think that the inspiration for this song came from people who were trying to sell their fresh salted peanuts. They'd probably walk around holding up bags of them, saying, "Salt peanuts! Salt peanuts for sale!" As you can hear in this recording on YouTube, someone keeps yelling "Salt Peanuts!" through the whole song (and even during the solo!).

Why am I always hearing.....

If you've seen my I've Got Rhythm post, you might want to know that, in jazz, there's no way of leaving behind the two G's. I think you could probably say about at least 50 songs, "A standard by George Gershwin." Of course, we usually just say, "It's a Gershwin," even though that doesn't make grammatical sense.

Maple Leaf Rag

When Scott Joplin wrote this famous rag, he said, "This song will make me the king of ragtime." He was right, because now he is known among the best composers of all time. However, ragtime music is often difficult to play if you have small hands(like me!), because as you can hear, the left hand has to play big chords and bounce around the piano for the whole song.

I managed to get away with it, though - probably because I like this song a lot. Anything can be accomplished with enough practice.... right? They always say that if you're passionate enough about something, you can accomplish it with enough time.

2018 recording:


2022 Update! Did 2018 Liya know that this page was still going to exist in 4 years? I don't know about her, but I've made a new recording of the song. (This is one of the many results of going through a binder filled with sheet music, looking back on songs I played years ago.) Hopefully this will be a quality improvement from the 2018 one... but the only way for you to know for sure is to listen to it.

Can't believe I made the original post before I even set up my YouTube channel. Time sure does move faster than you think.

Valse Hot

I now know that "valse" means "waltz," but I don't know what the "hot" is for. This could have been a red-hot popular song back in the '50s. (Not that I was alive then, of course, otherwise I would be heading towards age 75.) Sonny Rollins, the composer of this song, was still performing in 2011! Many other famous jazz musicians of the 20th century had short lives or were no longer active in the 21st century.

I've Got Rhythm

....Who could ask for anything more? That's part of the lyrics to this classic jazz standard by George Gershwin. Many songs have been composed based on this (they are called "rhythm changes", since they have the same chords), including one I played with my community band called "Red Cross".



I used to think that "rhythm changes" meant changing up the rhythm, until my teacher told me what it really meant.

As for recording this song, it took a LOT of attempts to line up tracks, convert audio files, and plug in wires until I finally figured out how to make it work. I used a program called iReal Pro that can generate backing tracks based on the chords you give it. Of course, it doesn't substitute for the melody that you'd play on your instrument, but it's really helpful if you want to practice "with the band".

Now I have a question for you: Who could ask for anything more than taking a listen to this song?

Jan. 24: I've recently heard that Duke Ellington was a better musician than George Gershwin. I'm not in agreement with this. Are you?