Play Like Elton John

Anyone who plays rock or pop piano today has a little bit of Elton John in them. Though influenced by the balladeers, blues-men and barnstorming rockers that came before him, Elton created a style that has become universal in pop music. Characterized by a focus on rhythmic accompaniment that allows the lead vocal to take center stage, Elton's piano playing isn't especially flashy but it is dramatic, emotive and creates a solid backbone for any song. What this means for beginners is that Elton's songs and playing style are really not that complicated or hard to learn!

So where do you start learning to play like Elton? With a Yamaha keyboard it's easy to use a MIDI file to learn the piano or keyboard parts to a song - MIDI files will let you:

• Mute the piano part
• Listen to the piano part alone
• Slow down the track

And more, so you can customize each song to fit your learning and practicing needs. Try out some the suggestions below, complete with designations for finding the piano channels in each song, and feel free to consult this guide for more tips on learning with MIDI files.

• Your Song
  Right hand - channel 5. Left hand - channel 4.
  Difficulty: Easy
  Elton's first hit is a great place to start in your attempts to master his style. As Elton himself says, "it may be quite simple", but the piano part, consisting largely of arpeggiated chords is typical of many of Elton's ballads. learn this one and you're well on your way.


• Nikita
  Right and left hands - channel 4
  Difficulty: Easy
  "Nikita" hails from 1985, the heyday of the synthesizer, so you won't find any of Elton's usual piano sound here. However, the song's synth lines are still very much piano based and their relatively simple rhythmic pattern makes this song a fun way way for beginners to get their feet wet with Elton's music.


• Candle In the Wind
  Right and left hands - channel 2
  Difficulty: Intermediate
  Elton's solid, rhythmic piano playing anchors this emotional ballad. With heartfelt lyrics eulogizing the life of Marilyn Monroe (or Princess Diana, in version performed at her funeral in 1997), the real challenge of this song is learning how to sing along while playing without losing the rhythm or choking up.


• Crocodile Rock
  Right hand - channel 6. Left hand - channel 7.
  Difficulty: Intermediate
  Elton's style is certainly indebted to rock 'n' roll piano legends like Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard, and "Crocodile Rock" is one of the best examples of his rock roots. To get the right feel for this hard driving song, you'll need to play with some speed and confidence, but with a little work and this MIDI file to guide you, you should be rocking along in no time.


• I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues
  Right and left hands - channel 4
  Difficulty: Intermediate
  Despite its title, the style on display in this song isn't exactly the blues, but the blues-inspired light pop balladry that Elton is famous for. In addition to providing a classically catchy chorus, this song also is a good example of how Elton's characteristic style works in 6/8 time.

Once you've learned the basics, creating your own performances of Elton John's songs is as easy as loading up a style, playing simple chords (or even bass notes alone) with your left hand, and handling the melody with your voice or right hand. Yamaha’s keyboards come with a ton of built in styles, but for the times you can’t find the perfect style to accompany the song you want to play, there are Yamaha's Premium Styles, which offer new accompaniments that you can add to your keyboard's library. Styles can do a lot, but don't let that scare you off - if you're new to styles, Yamaha keyboardist extraordinaire Peter Baartmans will walk you through the basics in this video.

Here are some suggestions for styles especially well suited to Elton John's songs:

• Sad Rock
  Use this style to play "Sad Songs (Say So Much)", which reached the number 5 spot on the Billboard Top 100 in 1984. It's a perfect example of the classic 1-4-5 progression. Try it in the key of C Major, and you'll be playing like Elton in no time!


• CCCP Ballad
  This style is perfect for "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me", originally released on Elton John's 1974 album Caribou, but much more popular for the duet version with George Michael.


• Reg's Bossa
  Reg's Bossa is perfect for Elton John's "Sacrifice". Speed it up a bit to play "Nikita" from the 1985 album Ice On Fire, or slow the tempo of this style and try the soft rock classic "Daniel".


• Standing Rock
  Standing Rock is a style file for the rockin' side of Elton John's catalog. Designed for the first single off 1983's Too Low for Zero "I'm Still Standing". Also suitable for "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", which was Elton's first number 1 single in the UK, and duet with Kiki Dee.

There are even more ways to learn and play your favorite Elton John songs with sheet music, lessons and play-along CD packs.

• Essential Elton John
  Keyboard Signature Licks
  Learn the trademark keyboard techniques of one of the most distinguished artists in pop-rock! This book/CD pack details Sir Elton's distinct stylings by breaking down 10 of his best songs.


• Elton John - Greatest Hits 1970-2002
  Piano/Vocal/Guitar Artist Songbook
  This fabulous sheet music collection features 34 of Elton's all-time greatest hits in the easy to read yet comprehensive Piano/Vocal/Guitar arrangements.


• The Best of Elton John - EZ Play Clavisoft
  With this Clavisoft book and disk pack, you can learn and play along with nine classic Elton John songs on your keyboard. Includes EZ Play sheet music and MIDI arrangements for each song so you can easily learn to play the chords and melody for each song, and the perform with a full backing track.

Best of luck learning to play like Elton, and have fun! As always, feel free to contact us or leave a comment if you have any questions.

- Doug

PianoSoft Behind the Scenes: Featured Artist Sue Downs

Our resident PianoSoft insider, Cathy, is back with a profile of one of Yamaha's many wonderful PianoSoft artists, Sue Downs.

The story of my most recent encounter with Sue Downs requires some explanation. First, I live in the city of Henderson, NV. Henderson is a big city in its own right, but from my backyard, if I stand on my tiptoes, I can see the south end of the Vegas strip. Second, I'm crazy about piano tuners. From the day that man descended into our basement on Long Island to tune my white and gold speckled upright with keys so loose you could blow them down, I knew that someone who could make my piano sound so nice would be a lifelong friend.

With those two points in mind, you might imagine that I was very excited when I heard that the 2010 Piano Technician's Guild (PTG) annual convention would be held at Bally's in Las Vegas.

My good friend Greg Frank in Yamaha Piano Service invited me to the convention's closing concert, which meant it was time to get my good clothes out of the back of the closet, put my hair in something besides a pony tail, and prepare myself for a great performance from the featured pianist at the concert: Sue Downs! Simply said, she brought down the house in front of a very knowledgeable and very appreciative audience of piano professionals.

Sue is called "First Lady of the Disklavier" and with good reason. I think it's safe to say that Sue is the premier Disklavier specialist and has performed more concerts, made more videos, and made more appearances on behalf of the Disklavier than any other artist. Her playing is sublime, and as a gifted singer, she is a true double threat. It makes perfect sense that her first PianoSoft Plus Audio CD was called "First Lady of the Disklavier Sings!"

Be sure to give Sue a listen on some of her many PianoSoft albums. With more than 20 albums to her name, she's one of the most prolific Disklavier recording artists, as well as one of the most talented. Whether, you're interested in sacred music, standards, or jazz, you're certain to find a Sue Downs recording that will hit your sweet spot.

Most people probably think of Sue as a jazz pianist, which she is, but her skills are very diverse. She is equally proficient in the Classics, Gospel, Jazz – well, just about anything. Sue started her piano studies at the age of three, and her early studies focused on Classical music. She was a scholarship student at the Curtis Institute and I believe those Classical roots have their imprint on her excellent pop/jazz performances. She has flawless technique and phrasing and the magnificent feel of a seasoned jazz pianist. She is one of those players who makes it look and sound easy, but you know it’s not.

I recently had the chance to listen to her practice, and wished I could run through scales the way she can. This is just a phone photo but there she is, hard at work.

Sue’s husband Jerry often engineers her recordings and is also a fine musician. They often collaborate on projects together from their home base in Denver, Colorado.

Did I mention that she’s one of the nicest people you will ever know? Yup. That’s Sweet Sue.

- Cathy

End of Summer Sale Extended Through Tuesday

We are aware that, due to an error on our sites that occurred on Sunday, many of you may not have been able to place orders during the End of Summer Sale. In addition to apologizing for this inconvenience, we'd like to let you know that we've extended the sale through the end of Tuesday, August 31st.

So don't let our last sale of the season pass you by - you still have time to stock up on MIDI files, Styles, PianoSoft, and more, at a 20% discount. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about the sale, or anything else!

* Sale offers a 20% discount on all PianoSoft, MIDI files, Styles, Digital Lesson Books, Premium Packs and Premium Voices at Yamaha MusicSoft, as well as all Songs, Styles, Digital Sheet Music, Music Finder+ Performance Guides and PianoSoft on Internet Direct Connection and the Disklavier Music Store. Sale runs from August 27th to 12am September 1st, EST.

Save 20% On New Keyboard Lessons, Songs & Styles - Yamaha's End of Summer Sale

Hopefully you've been enjoying your summer, cause we certainly have. While you've been out catching rays, travelling, relaxing, and hopefully making music, too, we've been hard at work to keep giving you everything you need to unlock your musical potential on your keyboard. And this weekend you can reap the benefits with a 20% discount on everything at Yamaha MusicSoft and Internet Direct Connection.

The sale includes all of the new songs, new styles, and new lesson books we've released this summer. Which means this weekend you can get this summer's hit songs, like "Waka Waka", "Satellite" and "Hey Soul Sister", and new styles like "Hope Party" and "Cumbia Argentina" while saving money in the process.

Plus, if you haven't checked into Piano Radio in a while, you'll want to give it a try before summer's gone for good. We've released two new artist channels this summer - the Lennon & McCartney channel, and the Elton John channel. Give them a spin now, while you can: they won't be around forever.

We hope you find some time to have fun making music during these last days of summer, and as always, feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

* Sale offers a 20% discount on all PianoSoft, MIDI files, Styles, Digital Lesson Books, Premium Packs and Premium Voices at Yamaha MusicSoft, as well as all Songs, Styles, Digital Sheet Music, Music Finder+ Performance Guides and PianoSoft on Internet Direct Connection and the Disklavier Music Store. Sale runs from August 27th to 12am September 1st, EST. Have a great weekend!

Katy Perry, Lady Gaga & Movie Themes from Peter Baartmans: The Latest Yamaha MIDI Songs

In addition to recent worldwide hits from Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, the new MIDI songs released this week also include a number of treats from the European charts. Also coming from Europe are four new files from Dutch Yamaha keyboardist extraordinaire, Peter Baartmans. Peter shows off his skills in many of Yamaha's online videos and demonstrations, but as you can tell from the movie themed selections we've just released, he's also a master at producing beautiful MIDI songs.

California Gurls - Katy Perry


One of the biggest hits of the 2010 so far, "California Gurls" has the perfect sound for summer. And even if the weather is starting to cool off where you are, loading up this song is a surefire way to conjure up a warm California vibe in any performance.

My Heart Will Go On (Instrumental) - Peter Baartmans


The Godfather Theme - Peter Baartmans


This week we're happy to present four new MIDI files containing original arrangements from Yamaha's premier keyboard expert, Peter Baartmans. A world class pianist, Baartmans is also excellent with the finer, more technical aspects of Yamaha's keyboards. With these skills combined, he's able to produce great files that, while still giving you all the flexibility that MIDI, also maintain a sense of live performance. The new files he's produced all have a movie centered theme, and include two medleys ("Grease" and "Pirates of the Carribean") and two classic movie themes, "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic, originally sung by Celine Dion, and "The Godfather Theme" (also known as "Speak Softly Love").

Everybody Loves Somebody - Dean Martin


Playing or singing along with Dean Martin's signature song will really take you back to the days of the Rat Pack. It's been covered and recorded by many of the greatest singers of the past 50 years, and with this file and your keyboard you've got everything you need to create your own memorable rendition of this timeless ballad.

Dancing on My Own - Robyn


This tune from one of Scandinavia's biggest pop stars has already taken dance floors across the world by storm - it'll make a believer out of your keyboard as well. A perfect addition to any dance party set-list.

Keep reading for even more new songs, including hits from Lady Gaga and Cher, as well as tons of recent European chart toppers from Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina and more.

More New MIDI Songs:

Fluch der Karibik / Pirates Of The Caribbean (Filmmusik, Instrumental) - Peter Baartmans

Grease - Medley (Instrumental) - Peter Baartmans

Alejandro - Lady Gaga

Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss) - Cher

Stereo Love - Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina

Abschied kann ein Anfang sein - Klostertaler

Aicha - Khaled (Outlandish)

C`est Bon Pour Le Moral (FR) - La Compagnie Créole

Get On Your Feet - Gloria Estefan

Ansiedad - Viktor Lazlo

Über uns ist nur der Himmel - Jürgen Drews

Let's Dance - Chris Rea

Westerland - Die Ärzte

Don't Bring Flowers (SE Charts) - Erik Hassle

Maar toch blijf jij me trouw (NL Charts) - Django Wagner

Stay tuned for more new songs next week!

- Doug

Elton John Radio: Pop's Premier Piano Player on Your Yamaha Keyboard

Over the course of his four-decade-long career Elton John has piled up 200 million record sales, 50 Top 40 hits, 5 Grammys, and a legacy of songs that has made him a musical legend. Elton has made his name as a world class songwriter, an electrifying performer, and also as one of the foremost pianists in pop music. His songs cover everything from emotional ballads ("Candle in the Wind" and "Your Song") to classic rock ("Crocodile Rock" and "Philadelphia Freedom" and with a Yamaha keyboard you can experience Elton John's music in a new and exciting way.

You can now hear Elton John's greatest hits on their own exclusive Piano Radio channel. With the new channel, you can enjoy piano arrangements of your favorite Elton songs played live on your instrument, whenever you want. Plus, each song you'll hear was recorded by one of Yamaha's acclaimed PianoSoft artists, and will be reproduced on your instrument exactly as it was originally performed. Check out some examples of what you can expect to hear on the new channel:

Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word (From "I'll Never Fall in Love Again - The Best Breakup Songs")


Tiny Dancer (From "Hits of Elton John")


The Elton John channel is just the latest addition to our channel lineup, which includes 17 other stations available around the clock and throughout the year. For anyone listening to radio on a CLP Clavinova or MODUS digital piano, the Elton John channel is your new channel 18.

To try out the Elton John channel now, first log in to Internet Direct Connection on your instrument and choose "Listen to Radio", or from a Disklavier Mark IV choose "Internet" from the main menu on your controller, then "Disklavier Radio".

On a Disklavier E3, you can listen to radio by pressing the "Internet" button on your remote, then choose "D-Radio". However, if you haven't created an account for Internet Direct Connection, you'll need to do that before subscribing to Piano Radio for your E3 - you can create your account here.

If you've never tried Piano Radio before, now's the perfect time. If you're not ready to subscribe and check out the Elton John channel, that's fine.  Two free channels are available right now - all you need to do is get your keyboard online and you can be enjoying streaming music within seconds. Follow this guide for help with connecting to the internet, or head here if you're ready to subscribe. For more information on Yamaha's Piano Radio, visit our Online Services site.

- Doug

New Disklavier Unit Upgrade Provides New Features to Older Piano Models

For owners of older Disklaviers looking for an easy way to upgrade and get the latest technology for their pianos, the wait is over. The DKC-850 Disklavier Control Unit, which we reported on back in January after its unveiling during the NAMM show, is now on sale and ready to give you many of the features of the latest E3 Disklavier models.

With the DKC-850, owners of Disklaviers in the Mark III and Mark II XG series can upgrade their upright or grand piano simply by swapping their existing control unit with the sleek, new DKC-850 module, then immediately start enjoying exciting new features like:

• Piano Radio - get access to over a dozen channels of streaming piano music, performed live on your Disklavier. Experience your own private concerts whenever you want, or enjoy hours of continuous music without swapping disks or even setting up a playlist!
  
• Video Sync - record any performance on both the Disklavier and a video camera, then watch as the performance plays back on the Disklavier in perfect synch with the video on a TV screen.
• Audio CD Sync - enjoy original piano accompaniments to your favorite CDs, using Smart PianoSoft software.
• USB compatibility - easily transfer performance data with a USB storage device. The DKC-850 makes loading both your own recordings, and downloaded PianoSoft songs, easier than ever.
• On-board music library - with an optional USB floppy disk drive, load your entire library of PianoSoft albums onto the DKC-850, then access them all directly from the DKC. That means no more breaks in playback while you change albums, and no more messing around with disks.

Also, for Disklavier owners used to the tiny storage capacities of the Mark II and Mark III pianos, the DKC-850's 128 MB of internal memory will be a real eye opener. There's enough space on the new unit to hold hundreds of PianoSoft performances, which can then be played back at the touch of a button. In addition, the DKC-850 comes with a CD containing 460 PianoSoft songs that can easily be transferred into the DKC-850's memory, for a total of 17 hours of music that can be enjoyed right out of the box.

The unit also includes 676 XG instrument voices, 21 sets of drum voices, a metronome function, and complete compatibility with all PianoSoft software, including the SmartKey feature on models compatible with guided playback.

The DKC-850 is now available from Yamaha Authorized Keyboard Dealers throughout the US and Canada. Contact your local Yamaha dealer for more information and a demonstration of the DKC-850 - US customers can use this dealer locator to find their nearest dealer.

- Doug

Pick Your Instrument and Start Learning - New Online Lessons for Drums, Guitar & More

Yamaha MusicSoft's catalog of online lesson books has now expanded from keyboard instruction to include new online lessons for drums, guitar, saxophone, and more. The lessons include a number of entries from the "A Tune A Day" and "Xtreme" series, which give you two great options for learning to play a new instrument.

The Xtreme series, which includes lessons for DJs, in addition to violinists, drummers and guitarists, gets you started with the very basics of each instrument, and moves on to cover everything you need to know to play your favorite songs. But what makes these lessons "extreme" is the fun, personal touch the writers (such as Skins the drummer and Frett the guitarist) give to the writing in each lesson, which makes learning extra fun, and will definitely keep you interested as you work your way through the lessons. Each lesson includes audio guides to help you through each step, as well as a section detailing the distinctive styles of individual artists, so you can get on the fast track to learning to play the bass like Flea, or drum like Dave Grohl.

With "Tune a Day" lessons, you'll get a comprehensive approach to learning saxophone, cello, clarinet, bass guitar, drums, violin, flute, trombone, or trumpet with tons of illustrations, audio guides and practice exercises. Building on an instrument instruction method introduced in the first "Tune a Day" books in the 1930s, these new online versions of the lessons will give you a solid foundation for playing each instrument.

Each lesson can be viewed on your computer immediately after purchase. Take a look at the whole catalog of new books, including lessons for harmonica and ukulele, or visit Yamaha's Online Services site for more information about Digital Lesson Books.

New Songs For Your Keyboard From Sara Bareilles, Bon Jovi & More

This week's new songs range from the upbeat piano pop of Sara Bareilles, to the epic balladry of Bon Jovi, to the quirky new wave of Devo. They may seem pretty different at first glance, each of them has a great piano or synth line you can play to make the song your own. All in all, these new files igve you a perfect way to learn and perform with a full backing accompaniment, whether you're into synth-pop, 70's rock or power ballads.

Always - Bon Jovi


"Always" is one of the most popular power ballads of the 90's, and stands as one of Bon Jovi's biggest hits of all time. Though it features dramatic vocals and guitars, "Always" is based on a powerful, but relatively easy to learn piano line that you can learn, mute, and play along with using this MIDI file.

King of Anything - Sara Bareilles


The latest from reigning piano pop princess Sara Bareilles adds some dance beats and rhythmic flourishes to her distinctive style, heard on previous hits like "Love Song". The fun, jumpy, and vaguely latin sounding piano line featured in this song is a joy to play, and it's easy to learn with a MIDI file like this one and a Yamaha keyboard.

Whip It - Devo


No collection of 80s music is complete without "Whip It", the biggest hit from the legendary Akron, Ohio band Devo. "Whip It" is full of great synth sounds that will sound great on your Yamaha keyboard. In fact, if you mute the vocal part and sing along, you'll probably have trouble telling this MIDI file apart from the original recording!

Take the Long Way Home - Supertramp


A hit from Supertramp's landmark "Breakfast in America" album, "Take the Long Way Home" is led by a piano line, harmonized vocals and harmonica fills. While you could certainly perform with this file by muting the piano line and playing along, the vocal harmonies on this song should work marvelously the with vocal auto-harmonize features available on many Yamaha keyboards, as well.

- Doug

Lennon and McCartney Radio: The Beatles and Beyond on Your Yamaha Keyboard

If you've heard music in the past 50 years, chances are you've heard your share of songs written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Between pioneering innovative studio techniques, taking teen pop to new heights, defining what a rock band can be, and serving as icons of 1960s counter-culture, Lennon and McCartney were a unique force in musical history as members of the Beatles. In their post Beatles solo careers, both Lennon and McCartney continued to produce groundbreaking and popular music - Lennon with "Imagine" and the Plastic Ono Band, and McCartney with his band Wings and hits like "Band on the Run". And now, with a Yamaha instrument you can enjoy the their timeless songs in an entirely new way: by experiencing live, original piano performances played right on your instrument, whenever you want.

For a limited time only, you can hear the Beatles on their own exclusive Piano Radio channel. With the new channel, you can enjoy piano arrangements of your favorite Beatles songs played live on your instrument, whenever you want. Plus, each song you'll hear was recorded by one of Yamaha's acclaimed PianoSoft artists, and will be reproduced on your instrument exactly as it was originally performed. Check out some examples of what you can expect to hear on the new channel:

We Can Work It Out (From "In My Life - Beatles 1965")


Let It Be (From "Songs of the 70s")


The Lennon and McCartney channel is just the latest addition to our channel lineup, which includes 16 other stations available around the clock and throughout the year. For anyone listening to radio on a CLP Clavinova or MODUS digital piano, the Lennon and McCartney channel is your new channel 17.

To try out the Lennon and McCartney channel now, first log in to Internet Direct Connection on your instrument and choose "Listen to Radio", or from a Disklavier Mark IV choose "Internet" from the main menu on your controller, then "Disklavier Radio".

On a Disklavier E3, you can listen to radio by pressing the "Internet" button on your remote, then choose "D-Radio". However, if you haven't created an account for Internet Direct Connection, you'll need to do that before subscribing to Piano Radio for your E3 - you can create your account here.

If you've never tried Piano Radio before, now's the perfect time. If you're not ready to subscribe and check out the Lennon and McCartney channel, that's fine.  Two free channels are available right now - all you need to do is get your keyboard online and you can be enjoying streaming music within seconds. Follow this guide for help with connecting to the internet, or head here if you're ready to subscribe. For more information on Yamaha's Piano Radio, visit our Online Services site.

- Doug