Piano players often spend an excessive amount of time gazing between their hands and score. This can significantly slow the learning process.
Brenda Russell released “Piano in the Dark” as her first chart hit since 1979’s “So Good, So Right”. Featuring backup vocals by Joe Esposito, it reached #17 on Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Matthew Whitaker
Matthew Whitaker was given less than 50-50 odds of survival when he was born 24 weeks early, yet he managed to overcome them and play his first note at age 2. Soon thereafter he learned to speak, write, and read before turning five; but it would be his musical talent which would bring global fame.
New Jersey teenager has stunned audiences with his incredible musical prowess: creating intricate melodies, crafting complex harmonies and improvising at lightning speed on 88 keys. He plays both jazz music as well as his own compositions without his parents Moses and May gaining any idea how he does it!
They can’t explain exactly how their son perceives music, but are grateful that he’s been able to fulfill his dream of performing for crowds from small rooms up to the Kennedy Center.
He’s also caught the interest of scientists looking to understand his brain while playing music, prompting them to conduct an MRI scan on him while playing keyboard with them while an MRI machine scans his head. They discovered that when hearing music, certain areas of his visual processing cortex become active and vice versa.
“He must be using that part of his brain to visualize music,” Limb argued, and when playing piano it sounds so great due to this perception.
But Matthew’s teacher believes there’s more to him than meets the eye. Dalia Sakas told 60 Minutes she is amazed to watch when Matthew listens to music it changes his playing piano; Dalia witnessed him listening to one piece and reproducing it back exactly on piano – it was “incredible”.
Matthew has studied the work of jazz artists such as Dr. Lonnie Smith, Art Tatum and Ray Charles as well as pianists with sight loss such as Cory Henry, Jon Batiste and Marc Cary – in particular pianists like Dr Lonnie Smith. Hammond Music Company recently granted Matthew an endorsement; Yamaha Artistship at 15 was bestowed upon him; an upcoming tour is planned through Japan as part of which Matthew plans on forming his own organ trio.
The brain of a prodigy
Prodigies are individuals with special abilities beyond what is typically expected for their age group. Prodigies demonstrate exceptional abilities across multiple rule-based domains such as art, music, calendar calculating and mathematics; most often learning these skills quickly and effortlessly while often recalling memories from childhood with amazing accuracy. Prodigies remain an intriguing topic of research yet their success remains somewhat of a mystery.
Some scientists have hypothesized that prodigies owe their success to both genetic influence and natural ability; others suggest it’s more likely the result of a unique mix of characteristics like single-mindedness, repeating behavior, extreme attention to detail and specific brain-network wiring that facilitates enhanced encoding of memories. Some experts have even speculated that prodigies experience an insatiable desire to learn that may trigger release of chemicals that increase memory capacity and make assimilation of new information easier.
Prodigies’ extraordinary intelligence may also be related to their unique talents in areas like music and mathematics that involve rules-based systems with many rules. A recent study published in Intelligence determined that although child prodigies tend to have higher IQs than general populations, intelligence distribution among them varied considerably – from 128 down to an average score of 108!
This finding is in line with earlier research suggesting that prodigies vary cognitively depending on their domain of expertise, for instance musicians and artists tend to have weak visual spatial IQ scores while mathematicians and chess players possess stronger scores in this area. Studies have also shown that musicians require more energy when playing piano compared to nonmusicians – suggesting active neural processes involved with music making are being employed during playing piano performance. It could be that prodigies in this study simply required additional practice before reaching such high levels of achievement – something not uncommon among musicians who master instruments at such an early age!
Brenda Russell
Brenda Russell has long demonstrated an uncanny ability to create timeless melodies with ease and her musical career spans decades. Her signature tunes include “Piano in the Dark,” “If Only for One Night,” and her timeless anthem, “Get Here,” earning two Grammy nominations on 1988 album Get Here.
Brooklyn native Brenda Russell first began her professional musical journey as part of Brian & Brenda in the early 70s. Once in Los Angeles, she signed with Tommy LiPuma’s Horizon Records to release Brenda Russell (1979). Later she switched labels, signing with A&M where she released Love Life before eventually signing with Warner Bros for Two Eyes (1983).
Beloved singer-songwriter Angela Patterson earned international renown through her distinctive voice and compelling collection of lyrics, earning her Broadway’s hit musical THE COLOR PURPLE (co-written with Allee Willis and Stephen Bray). Additionally, her work can be found in films like How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Liberty Heights as well as being heard live around the globe. Her songcraft continues to mesmerize audiences around the globe.
After the success of her 1993 album Soul Talkin’, Russell took a brief hiatus from recording. However, she continued composing songs for other artists as well as contributing soundtrack songs for movies How Stella Got Her Groove Back by Michel Colombier and Liberty Heights by Paul Haggis.
While on hiatus from recording studio work, the singer discovered a home demo she had written in 1989 called “What Will It Take”. When Stephan Oberhoff heard it he recognized its potential and encouraged her to record it.
Paris Rain is an exquisite display of Russell’s unparalleled songcraft and intimate vocal range. The music effortlessly blends up-tempo grooves with classic balladry for an emotional journey that proves true talent only becomes stronger with age.
Russell stands out among contemporary music with her stunning vocals and timeless songs, which make up Paris Rain. Her timeless yet poignant message and beautiful production will enchant longtime fans while welcoming in new listeners who may discover this beloved artist for themselves.