Ballad Styles 1: The Stop-Start Rubato Ballad

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Pianist Jeremy Siskind describes how to play the "Stop-Start Rubato Ballad," a ballad style that many pianists use as an introduction or first chorus.

[@kenzimmerman3698]

Pineapple! Thanks, Jeremy. Such a helpful description of all these cool devices.

[@TorahofAwakening]

Pineapple! What a wonderfully helpful video!! Thank you!!!

[@jgs2001]

Pineapple 🍍 - thank you. Your explanations and demonstrations are crystal clear and best of all practical to apply

[@sandyshalk]

Pineapple for sure. And I don't play the piano. But you have a lot of food for thought for guitarists too! Great stuff!

[@Vaejovis357]

Pineapple. I could listen to your lessons for hours. There’s always valuable information. Thanks.

[@JeremySiskind]

I’m honored! Thanks so much!

[@jeffreybaer3746]

Love this.

[@JeremySiskind]

Thanks much, Jeffrey. Happy ballading!

[@joycehancock280]

Thanks for all the detailed explanations. So interesting. Nice examples. Love the pineapples you offer.

[@stuartheadey5240]

Pineapple! That was such an informative video, Jeremy. It's going to help cement some things I've been working on. Plus it's given me plenty of other ideas. Thank you so much.

[@JeremySiskind]

Fantastic, Stuart! I’m so happy to hear it!

[@streetsurfer00710]

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. I learned so much from you. Invaluable. Very inspired 🙏🙏

[@JeremySiskind]

My pleasure! I'm glad you liked it!

[@AshmeadNiamat]

Jeremy,you are the best I have seen.

[@JeremySiskind]

Ashmead! That is so kind! Thank you very much!

[@marilynlowe6419]

Love this! Pretty amazing ---- how many wonderful instructional videos to watch and listen to! Sending my piano students to them -- especially this one!

[@JeremySiskind]

Thank you, Marilyn!

[@ChapinJazz]

Pineapple, and many thanks, Jeremy! Very helpful for me and my students. Love your book!

[@JeremySiskind]

Yay! Thanks so much!

[@julesmusico8525]

Buenisimo. Gracias.

[@JeremySiskind]

Thanks so much, Jules!

[@celiarobinson3226]

Pineapple! Great videos...absolutely love ballads and would love to see more of them. I purchased your book from your site yesterday and looking forward to diving into it.(BTW...highly recommend folks purchase directly from you since you also include the PDF along with a signed hard copy.) Although these videos really help with the concepts explained in your book, I would love to see you do an addendum to the book that includes short videos or midi files of the exact examples you show in the book. I know that I would purchase it. Really enjoying these videos. Thanks so much!

[@TinyMaths]

I never knew this style even had a name. Some of my favourites who do this are, Oscar, Errol Garner and McCoy Tyner; especially Oscar. My favourite tune where he does it is on one of his 'Live At The Blue Note' albums where he begins the set with the tune 'Jim'. The intro to that tune is just heaven; the way he uses the style.

[@JeremySiskind]

Yeah, Oscar is such a master. He tends to almost play in time as he does this, weirdly. He's so underrated for his use of colors and the way he uses his pedal. It's not all just chops. :) I especially enjoy when he uses triads as part of his ballads style.

[@Clara-hn4jj]

Pineapple ! Great video, very useful, thanks again :)

[@JeremySiskind]

Much appreciated, Clara!

[@jacobkuhlmann1616]

Thanks Jeremy! I appreciate how you started with the easier techniques and progressed to the more complicated ones! (🍍)

[@JeremySiskind]

Nice! Thanks, Jacob!

[@Vaejovis357]

What treasure Jeremy is for piano students regardless of their level. (Pineapple)

[@carolynrugh768]

Pineapple! So much great information in this video! You're like a magician telling us how the tricks are done, but then it's all in the execution, right? Your playing is incredible.

[@JeremySiskind]

Thanks so much, Carolyn!! I hope your family had a great Thanksgiving!

[@vickivolper367]

So you like to use "upper structure triads" in a descending broken fashion as an ornamental series of "bell tones" in the higher octaves. Great suggestion.

[@JeremySiskind]

Yep - I think you've got it! I made a more in depth video on that concept, which you can view here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3zUqZuIZb5nZqc

[@donm3986]

Such a great video! and... Ananas comosus :)

[@JeremySiskind]

Glad you liked it! I get you! 🍍

[@mjbrehman]

Great video. Looking forward for next upload

[@JeremySiskind]

Thank you, Mujeeb! Thanks for watching! :)

[@stephanosioannou1825]

@@JeremySiskind if i may give a suggestion, the stride RIGHT hand is an interesting topic to talk about

[@JeremySiskind]

@@stephanosioannou1825 I don’t know what that is! I need you to make a video about it!

[@kwixotic]

I would almost die to have a technique as flawless as what you display in this video aside from the mind blowing harmonic progression.

[@stephanosioannou1825]

@@JeremySiskind haha i just mean like the harmonization of the chords in the song being used as a melody in the right hand.

[@ivannagy8911]

What an extremely rich lesson! I could spend weeks with these ideas. Thanks Jeremy. I will play Pineapple Rag from Joplin :)

[@JeremySiskind]

I see what you did there! :)

[@JRiggs9]

Wonderful video ... Learned a lot. Thank you. "Pineapple" . . .

[@JeremySiskind]

Great! I’m so happy it was valuable!

[@freedan5001]

Pinapple lush great stuff.

[@JeremySiskind]

Thank you!!!

[@garrygivens1680]

I would love it if you gave more of a deeper discussion on reharminization chord progressions like you did in the 101 video. I'm trying to figure out the theory to what you did when you went to the 6th degree. Was you playing bass circle of the 5th and connecting the melody with that, what is your concept for these beautiful chord progressions, you wasn't playing cramatics or 4ths like you did when you played MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB like in the 101? Please 🙏 please breakdown at least that 1 section. 7:00. I'm trying to incorporate this exact stuff in my solo piano playing. I don't mind telling you that section was worth the whole video for where I'm at musically right now.

[@davivify]

Thanks Jeremy. "Bell tones". Cool idea which I hadn't heard of before. I would say that using bass notes as ornament requires some care. It can sound very good but requires a gentle touch. It's so easy to play either too loud, resulting in a 'boomy' sound, especially in the softer 'ballad' styles, or too much, which can detract from the voicings in the middle.

[@JeremySiskind]

Good point, Dave! Touch is really everything, isn’t it?

[@rachelsmename6]

As I'm watching this, I'm thinking those fills are pretty, but do we really have to fill every bit of space? I like hearing a few spaces or pauses in the music too.

[@JeremySiskind]

Thanks much, Rachel! Yep, you can do the fills however you want, although I think we like to get a feeling of momentum with these ballads. I have a KZbin video coming today where I play "Silver Bells" where I left a little more space. See what you think!

[@vickivolper367]

When you use a descending scale run as a fill during a "stop," is the bass note that you are "sticking on the landing'" the bass note of the scale-chord you are on, or is the bass note the root of the next chord?

[@JeremySiskind]

Vicki! Sorry for the delay! Usually we're aiming for the next bass note of the next chord after a descending scale or arpeggio.

[@p1anosteve]

Scale with a curl ..Oh that's so Oscar!. I always have to watch your videos to the end. I like the way you have analysed these devices and named them.

[@JeremySiskind]

Yep, I definitely stole it right from him! 😂

[@8629369]

Awesome video! ‘Pineapple’

[@JeremySiskind]

Thanks, Carl!

[@vickivolper367]

Jeremy, do you really think that this style can work for an entire tune, rather than just the intro, as is usually done? I would like to think so, as playing "out of time" certainly makes it easier for the non-professional to manage to find the correct chords and make the embellishments you advise. But I'm worried that I would get booted off the stage if I did this for the duration of the whole standard tune.

[@JeremySiskind]

It could work for an entire tune if it's either short or you're really really good at managing the style, but I think overall, that level of rubato tends to get old after a while. But anything's possible!

[@ryn5000]

Pineapple!

[@naamanwood]

🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍

[@JeremySiskind]

Pineappppplllleeeeeeee!!!

[@daviudd1251]

Great tutorials...Have you written a book or have a course for sell? btw..you are way cute!!!

[@JeremySiskind]

Lol, thanks! I have a book out called “Playing Solo Jazz Piano.” You can buy it at www.JeremySiskind.com/shop/

[@daviudd1251]

@@JeremySiskind ok. Thanks..i'll pick it up friday!!!. Thanks..btw, why is the tuition for the zoom class so much more expensive for non-Californians?

[@JeremySiskind]

It’s through a California community college so it’s really intended primarily for state residents

[@ReedRobins]

PINEAPPLE!!!!

[@JeremySiskind]

Grand prize winner!

[@carlcgarrett3]

Pineapple

[@JeremySiskind]

Amazing! I hope it was worth your time!

[@SolomonDouglas]

Pineapple!

[@JeremySiskind]

Yes! Thanks, Solomon! (and you saw I answered your email, right?)

[@SolomonDouglas]

@@JeremySiskind Got it! I'm slow with inbox-type things. :)

[@paulr494]

Pineapple