Billie's Bounce

What? You don't know this song? If we were in the 1940s, this song would be so popular that even the birds would be singing it.

"WRONG."

Huh? What's wrong with the statement I just made? There were birds, um, "singing" this song in the 1940s.

"You're not talking about real birds. You're talking about Charlie Parker, a famous jazz saxophonist known for the rhythmic variety in his playing. Just because people called him "Bird" doesn't mean he really is a bird."

Of course you would say that, Blue Text. Thanks for shutting down my Billie's Bounce advertising campaign! Hopefully my visitor still wants to listen to the song here:

You could have actually used logical arguments, Liya.

If I were to grab my time machine - where is it? Oh, here it is.

 

Go anywhere in time - as long as you aren't in time. Image from pixabay.com

If I were to transport myself back to 1945, I could hear Charlie Parker performing his composition for the first time, but I don't think it was especially popular, except in the small but avid jazz community which began playing it almost immediately. 

You have to protect yourself from the danger of misleading information. It can persuade you to buy products you wouldn't choose otherwise, sign up for lower quality programs, or believe that an investment is worth buying into when it will actually waste thousands. It can even make you feel like you're bad at something you're actually good at.

Misleading information is everywhere now, but it takes a sharp eye, or ear, to find it. If there had been an advertisement on this page, some of it could be right in front of you. All it takes is observing the world more carefully, and you can discover new things that will make your life better.

While you're using those ears, don't forget to keep filling your teacup with music!

~Liya

The Girl from Ipanema

Today, we're going to talk about change. 

Are you ready for it??? I don't know if change throws up green or red flags in your head.

Okay, here we go.

I talked in my last post about standing up rather than sitting down while listening to music. About a century ago, you wouldn't have a problem standing up, because jazz is unpopular.



You're probably wondering why I said that. You probably think of jazz music as the result of a revolution that occurred in the 20th century. But, it wasn't considered the hottest new music for all of that time. 

Although many great jazz musicians were at the peak of their careers in the 1960s, the music was only really "popular" in the 1920s and '30s. After that, jazz was for the few people who loved going out to listen at 10 PM (why did it have to be that time?).

Don't wait till 10 PM - listen to the song here


Why wasn't jazz popular then? Because things changed.

In the '20s and '30s, jazz was the music that people danced to. Dancing can be a big part of why we enjoy music. Do you think the best songs are the ones that leave you bouncing in your chair? You got it right.

Later in the 20th century, musicians focused more on seeing how complex they could make their harmonies, because the more these change, the harder it is to improvise. If you're playing a song where chords fly past like greased lightning, you can show off your skills with a crazy solo, but it's hard for people to dance to your song, or even keep track of its progress.


If your song is too complex, the audience doesn't enjoy the song because they can't follow it. But if your song is too simple, the performers don't enjoy the song because improvisation is no longer a challenge.

That brings us to a principle that applies whether we're making a blog post, writing a song, or giving a speech.

Whenever you're presenting something, the focus should be on the audience, not yourself.

If you put all the focus on yourself, you won't be able to effectively communicate with your audience, and the purpose of your being on stage is lost. It's important to find a balance between what your audience prefers and what you can deliver.

That's what I've been trying to do on Tea with Liya, while, as always, filling your teacup with music!

~Liya

Happy Rag

This post was literally a last-minute one. See? It came out a minute before it would be emailed to my subscribers. Now I just have to hope there weren't any time inconsistencies, because if there were, those of you subscribed to my email list would have to wait till tomorrow to receive my post.

Speaking of timing, that is extremely important when playing a song like this one where you have to coordinate the two hands, which are playing completely different things. While the right hand tackles the melody, the left hand is playing notes that align with the main beat of the song (and jumping across the piano while doing it), giving the song its bouncy feeling.

Today, I'm going to ask you to listen to this song in a certain way. No, you don't have to blast it out your radio, you don't have to walk around getting people to come and listen, and you don't have to stand upside down. It's very simple:

DO NOT sit in a chair while listening to this song.

It Could Happen to You

When I first learned this song, I was wondering what it is that could happen to you. Anything, I decided. Was the song just supposed to be a warning to listeners so they would be careful? Even the lyrics tell you to hide your heart and not to count stars, because it could happen.

What could happen to you? A pile of questions stand in the way. | Image from pixabay.com

However, It could Happen to You is still a song that inspired jazz musicians years after its composition. You could find songs that use modified pieces of its melody, or even borrow some of the harmonic patterns. Or, the song could have just gotten musicians thinking about new things they could try.

After observing the lyrics of most jazz songs, however, I decided that it probably has something to do with this: 💘 It seems to be a pattern in many songs of this era we live in, probably because it's a part of many young musicians' lives. I usually prefer to just play the songs on the piano.

But, if you're not drowning in 💙💚💛💜s right now, you could think of something else that could happen to you. There are many examples of when life turns a corner.

Maybe all these cards have a way written on the back in which life could change. That's a lot of examples! | Image from pixabay.com

I think of this song not as one of anxiety, but rather as saying, "We don't know what the future holds, but let's hope it holds something good for everyone." Sometimes when things change, you just have to say "it could happen to you" and not worry about it.

Have a great start to your summer, and keep filling your teacup with music!

~Liya

Some Other Spring

If my computer had accidentally mixed up the digits of the current date, I wouldn't have been able to post this song before summer started on June 21st. I usually try to post songs when their title matches up with the current season. (Of course, for those of you who are receiving this post from across the equator, it doesn't match up with the current season at all. You could call it Some Other Autumn, then.)

When I looked up this song, I found a page on "KeyboardImprov.com" that said:

Harmonically, “Some Other Spring” is really interesting. It’s as if composer Arthur Herzog Jr. said to himself in 1939, “So many songs use the same chord progressions, so let’s see how different I can make this one!” Things begin pretty conventionally, which makes it all the more surprising when the harmonic twists and turns start happening.

I think these twists and turns helped me learn a lot from this song. When I'm making improvised solos (i.e. coming up with melodies on the spot - making really good ones is harder than you think), learning to play on top of these harmonies can help me play more songs than just this one.


Listening back to this later, I think I still had a hard time soloing on these chords.


Here's an explanation you might connect with better. If you always drive on roads like this:

then it'll be much harder when you get to a road like this:

But, if you practice driving on that road, it will be easier to navigate this one.

Really, that's why we practice. We play songs faster than we'll actually have to perform them, so that we're comfortable with the song at its original speed. Sometimes we play songs really slow to get the rhythm under our fingers.

If there isn't some reason why we're forced to practice, we do it because we like music and want to get better at it.

And hopefully, you're listening to this song because you like music and want to be a better listener.

If you're working on improving a skill right now, what motivates you to keep practicing? 

Keep filling your teacup with music!

~Liya

Reflection

After a spring of recording jazz songs, I'm finally back! I've got a big list lined up for you this summer. I'll have to check out my jazz standard books to find some summer-themed songs I can play for you.

Although it doesn't remind me of mirrors, glass, water, or anything that allows you to see yourself, "Reflection" is still on my list of all time favorite jazz songs. We all have a list like that, don't we? If yours isn't very big yet, see if you can't put this song on it.

A Small Change to my posting schedule

Hi there, teacuppers!

I’m not really saying a lot in this post. I just wanted to let you know about some changes to my posting schedule.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been reconsidering my goals and resources for this blog.

I have decided that posting twice every week is too much for me right now. Therefore, I am no longer going to follow the set posting schedule you see here. That means, for my subscribers… you won’t have to delete my notifications every week! (No fingers pointed.)

If you really like my songs, then I have some good news for you.

The blog will still remain up and I will still publish new covers whenever I have some ready. I’ll still be taking your feedback about songs and all that. So don’t leave quite yet – I’m still going to have a bit more!

Thanks for taking time to listen to my songs in 2018!

~Liya