Mark Rhodes

I'm 65 yrs young and have been learning and playing piano for well over half a century, as well as teaching piano and guitar for more than 40 years. Still so much to learn and practice but one thing that is clear now, the music is not just the dots on a page . Its how you as a musician lets go of the mechanics and lets your creative ability allow the music to flow from within. This only really happens when you can understand the score and its implications and possible extensions or creative alterations that the original composer surely went thru to come to a final score. So with this in mind I am writing music that is simple to read but contains raw elements of a bigger picture that could be expanded. For example a 12 bar blues is a lot more than just a few chords in a circuit of 12 bars, and to learn how to play the many fills and riffs in all the time frames and feels is difficult to write in music form. It needs to be heard felt and created from within using a strong beat awareness. The fun in music is not playing it exactly as the dots dictate but using your own creativity and skills. Just let it flow and be the amazed listener as you play.