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Chuck Fitzgerald Profile and Articles
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1). 5 Tips for Successful Bird Watching
Can you name the number one spectator sport in North America? It’s not baseball, figure skating or racing. It’s bird watching. That’s r
2). Tips for Enjoying the Night Sky
Looking up into the night sky is our oldest recorded hobby. Thousands of years ago, people around the globe began recording their star gazing exp
3). Geocaching: A Great Way To Get Outdoors
If you’re tired of hiking the same trail or picnicking at the same park, then Geocaching may be exactly what you’re looking for. Geocachin
4). Common Thought that Kill Inspiration
Do you sit down at the piano and feel anxiety or peace? Are you anxious to begin creating or does the thought of being at your instrument bring you a
5). How To Create Interesting Textures
A lot of new age piano music consists of repeating patterns, or textures in the left hand while the right hand improvises a melody. This approach is r
6). 3 Easy Steps to Becoming a BackCountry Hero
Have you thought about helping to protect wildlife or wild flowers, but you don’t know how? Or maybe you want to protect your favorite camping site or
7). Breathing Space in Music
While most students want to know when to play certain notes and chords, it's equally important to know when not to play. For example, I had a student
8). Creating Your Own Unique Music
Have you ever dreamed of penning your own compositions? Writing music has been a dream of mine for the longest time. And it's a dream I am fortunate
9). How to Compose Your Own Music Using 8-Bar Phrases
Some people think composing is this miraculous thing that only genius's do. What a myth! It's a skill that can be learned. What can't be learned is t
10). How to Play What You Feel
Many students think that being able to play what you feel is difficult. They believe you must have years and years of training in improvisation and t
11). Open Position Piano Chords - Perfect for the New Age Style
The Open Position Chord (OPC) allows you to create a vented sound. A sound that is open, literally, as opposed to the closed triads taught in most co
12). Piano Lessons and Perfectionism
Are you a perfectionist? Does every note have to sound right before it comes out of your piano? If so, you might be cheating yourself out of the joy
13). Piano Lessons Can Be Fun!
There are essentially two ways to learn piano - note reading or chords. For those who want to spend years learning how to play other peoples music, n
14). The Case Against "Traditional" Piano Lessons
How would you like to spend 4 years in a University learning how to play other peoples music? If you think this is ridiculous, you're right! Because
15). The Case Against Traditional Piano Lessons
How would you like to spend 4 years in a University learning how to play other peoples music? If you think this is ridiculous, you're right! Because t
16). Code of Conduct for Outdoor Enthusiasts
My favorite outdoor related quote comes from John Muir, the father of our national park system and founder of the Sierra Club. He said, “When one tugs
17). Awesome Ways to Get Outdoors!
Are you looking for fresh ways to spend time with your friends and family? Outdoor activities getting a little boring are they? With your fast paced l
18). Get the Most Out of Your Hike
Hiking is one of life’s great joys. Fresh air, nature, exercise and good friends. It’s difficult to imagine anything better – if you’re prepared. When
19). Five Life Skills for BackCountry Enjoyment
As outdoor enthusiasts spend more and more time in our backcountry, a handful of skills become more and more essential. All of these skil
20). Is First Aid Different in the BackCountry?
First aid is first aid is first aid – right? At first glance, providing first aid in the backcountry appears to be much like it is anywhere else. But
21). New Year’s Resolutions for the BackCountry
The New Year has begun and you probably have a few New Year’s Resolutions under way. You’ll lose weight, lose a bad habit, add a good habit or even me
22). Night Vision Devices -- The Ultimate in BackCountry Toys
Many nights in the backcountry are far from dark. A bright moon and a sky full of stars can throw off enough light to allow for reading a
23). Creating Within Limits
When I first started playing the piano I wanted to learn how to compose. The idea that I could create something tangible really appealed to me.
24). Learning the Piano and Playing the Piano
Many piano students spend much time learning how to play the piano. Years upon years of study time devoted to perfecting technique, tone, dynamics, e
25). New Age Piano Tricks
One of the things that makes New Age piano so enjoyable is that it's easy to get started.One of the "tricks" of the trade is to play an ostin
26). Piano Chords and New Age Music
There are basically two ways you can compose a piece of music. The first and most traditional way is to write out the melody and then harmonize it. S
27). Six Reasons to Play New Age Piano
Here are six very good reasons to learn how to play piano in the New Age style:1. It's easy. No months spent learning theory here. Just a few
28). The Joy of Spontaneous Expression
Do you remember finger-painting as a child? How fun it was. How exciting to be able to dip your fingers into a color that called out to you and put i
29). The Open Position Piano Chord
Chords. They're amazing. There's no doubt about it. Especially when it comes to piano playing and the Open Position Chord. Here we can use both hands
30). Right-Hand Techniques For New Age Piano
Recently, I had a student ask me to offer some techniques for using the right hand. Usually, it's the left hand that causes the most difficulty but I
31). My Perfect Campsite
It’s the time of year to beat the heat and head for higher elevation. For many people that means loading up the RV, grabbing the boat and finding a ca
32). Composing for Dummies
When most people hear the word composer, they automatically think of classical composers like Mozart or Beethoven. This is the point where many "woul
33). Five Secrets to Playing in the New Age Style
1. Learn how to ImproviseLearning how to improvise is the key to playing in this style. Period. You must learn to experiment and take musical
34). Form - Giving Shape to Your Music
Do you ramble on endlessly with your improvisations? If so, good. This has its place in music making and in new age piano playing in particularly. Ju
35). George Winston and New Age Piano Playing
The first time I heard George Winston play back in the early 1980's I was blown away. I didn't know why I liked this music. All I knew was that it ma
36). Piano on the Right-Side of the Brain
Some of you may remember a book titled "Drawing on the Right-Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards.In this book, Betty Edwards tried to teach y
37). Piano Teachers - What's Wrong with Them?
Most of us like to use what we learn right away. So why is it that most piano teachers tell you you can't really play music until you learn 2 years o
38). Learn Piano The Easy Way!
There are essentially two ways to learn piano - note reading or chords. For those who want to spend years learning how to play other peoples music, no
39). New Age Music - How It's Made
Different styles of music have different "sounds." We can all pretty much agree on that point. For example, Jazz uses seventh chords almost exclusivel
40). Camping Makes the Weekend Perfect
Do you have a weekend without anything to do or a weekend when you don’t want to do anything? I know what I’d do. I would pack up the truck and head f
41). Best Tips for Enjoying the BackCountry in the Rain
If you spend any amount of time in the backcountry at all, it will rain on you. Remember this - rain is a good thing; without it there wo
42). Good News for the Musically Untalented
Have you ever been told that you were good at something but not good enough to make it a career or life ambition? Especially with music, if you're pa
43). How to be Creative at the Piano
So you want to be more creative when playing piano. Many students wish they could just sit down and improvise their own music but don't know how to b
44). How to Get Past Creative Blocks
When I first began playing the piano and improvising, there were times when the music just wouldn't flow. No matter what I did, I couldn't make it go
45). Piano Playing and Performance Anxiety
I'll never forget the first time I played the piano for an audience.It was my first concert and it was fairly full up. I was to play my first
46). 5 Easy Steps to Giving the Perfect BackCountry Gift
Does the thought of buying a gift for a friend or relative make you smile or does it stress you out? Is there a hiker or camper on your gi
47). A Quick and Easy Composition Method
Here's the method I use every time I want to capture an idea. I draw out 8-bars (or measures) first. Why 8 bars? Because it is an ideal framework to
48). New Age Piano and Improvisation
There are so many areas in life where one must do things right. Thankfully, art is an area where great discoveries are made by making mistakes!
49). How To Create An Original Melody
Here's a method I use that works. First, sit down at your piano or keyboard and just improvise. I suggest improvising first because music that is crea
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