Scholarship Report: Annelise’s Lessons with Neil Pearlman
In March of this year, I had the great fortune to receive a scholarship from the NHSMC which would cover six individual hour-long lessons with Neil Pearlman. I have long admired Neil’s playing as well as his innovations in the field of trad/folk piano, so I was beyond excited and thankful to receive this scholarship! During my lessons with Neil (which have largely been over Zoom), we have worked on various aspects of both accompanimental and solo playing, as well as some theoretical items that can be applicable to both.
Our work on accompanimental playing, which is particularly helpful to my playing piano with the NHSMC, has consisted largely of finding a “groove” to support a given melody as well as how to vary that groove in order to play off the melody’s arc or rhythmic qualities. That is to say, some melodies soar best with rhythmically sparse accompaniment and others can be moved and enhanced by busier accompaniment. In either case, though, the important thing is not to pick a rigid method to follow, but to listen and respond to the melody!
Our work on solo playing, which has been a pet project of mine for a long time and something I hope to delve into as a solo venture, has featured 1.) finding compatible ways to play both harmony and melody—mainly, dealing with the practical aspects of playing melody in the right hand while figuring out appropriate rhythms and voicings in the left hand; and 2.) creating compelling arrangements, which has included considering ways to form textural, melodic, and dynamic variations. The repertoire I have been choosing for solo playing has been wide-ranging, but I have recently been interested in arranging Shaker music and have asked for Neil’s guidance in doing so. These tunes are fairly diverse in sound, but many could probably be mistaken for more standard varieties of folk tunes! I am excited to start introducing some of these tunes to the world by arranging and playing them for others. (You are all invited to my first concert.)
Lastly, Neil has guided me through theoretical work that applies to both types of playing as enumerated above. One aspect of his playing that I particularly love is his bold harmonies, featuring extrachordal tones that blend beautifully and add new colors—so, after picking his brain on that part of his style, I have been practicing introducing more dissonances into my own playing. He has also taught me how to engineer moving basslines helpful to both accompanimental and solo playing. The overarching takeaway from my lessons with Neil, though, is to be willing to experiment and to trust my own instincts: it’s not only safe but also empowering to take time testing out different harmonies and sounds on the keyboard; and no other person’s style or taste has to dictate mine!
Overall, I have learned a lot from Neil –technical and theoretical, helpful for solo and ensemble playing– and am deeply thankful that I received this opportunity, as well as hopeful that I will continue to work with him in the future. I hope I am able to give back musically to the NHSMC with the help of my new knowledge and methods at the keyboard.
