sonjajoubert777

Sonja Joubert

About Sonja Joubert

Sonja Joubert is a master pianist classically trained by the late master Mr Josias Van Der Merwe and the late Adolph Hallis. She is also an excellent piano teacher with over 35 years of teaching experience specialising in both jazz and classical piano.

The basics of jazz for the adult beginner

2020-05-11T15:00:32+01:00

I already discussed jazz in general and its origin in a former article. As I mentioned before, the term Jazz is used very loosely for nearly every style of music which is not classical or contemporary, like rock or rap. “Jazz is a broad and complex genre, and so it may seem difficult for those who are first getting into Jazz to know where to start. . . . But Jazz doesn’t need to be complex. You can actually get by with a minimum amount of theory and practice”Stefan Joubert In this article, I will try to capture some of [...]

The basics of jazz for the adult beginner2020-05-11T15:00:32+01:00

The basic chords used in jazz for the adult beginner

2020-04-30T17:12:17+01:00

The basic chords used in jazz for the adult beginner In this article, I will try to capture some of the basics of jazz to help you as an adult beginner. The most important ingredient in playing jazz being the chords you use. It’s like the bricks in a wall. Knowing your basic chords and scales needs to be a foundation to work from. We will look at how chords are structured or built and their extensions. Starting as an adult beginner, learning to play jazz could take quite some time just to master the basics. Moving from classical musician to [...]

The basic chords used in jazz for the adult beginner2020-04-30T17:12:17+01:00

How to learn jazz piano for the adult beginner

2020-04-16T12:59:45+01:00

How to learn jazz piano for the adult beginner First of all the question comes to mind as to what is Jazz?  What music does this genre include and what are the main characteristics of this style of piano playing? “Jazz is a broad and complex genre, and so it may seem difficult for those who are first getting into Jazz to know where to start. There are lots of different subgenres, and lots of different concepts, such that Jazz can sound like a foreign language – a Jazz musician could say ‘let’s use the Lydian Dominant mode to play over [...]

How to learn jazz piano for the adult beginner2020-04-16T12:59:45+01:00

Learn how to play the piano with healthy technique and excellent training

2020-04-07T14:00:07+01:00

Do you want to learn to play the piano as an adult? Starting with healthy training and a healthy technique is essential. Maybe as a child, you always wanted to play the piano, always saw the instrument, were intrigued by it, but never had the opportunity. There is never a better time to start than right now! It's never too late. Many adults have succeeded to learn to play their favourite pieces after beginning to train only in their adult years. It's truly a great blessing and can be very relaxing and motivating, bringing new avenues to your life and achievements [...]

Learn how to play the piano with healthy technique and excellent training2020-04-07T14:00:07+01:00

How to resolve technical issues in playing the piano

2020-04-07T13:38:02+01:00

How to resolve technical issues in playing the piano First of all one has to realise that technical issues always have to do with muscles and movement of fingers, wrists, arms etc. A lot can be done with relaxation and of course the only way to really resolve technical issues is by one thing called practise practise practise. But one needs to understand how and what to practise in your piece to be able to conquer a passage or part of your piece which you are studying. There can be many technical issues in one piece. Here are but a few [...]

How to resolve technical issues in playing the piano2020-04-07T13:38:02+01:00

How to improve your tone production on the piano

2020-03-22T01:32:07+00:00

Let's start with the instrument. The Pianoforte is an instrument that plays both softly and loudly as the name indicates. The Italian term ‘piano’ is translated as ‘soft’ and ‘forte’ as ‘loud’. The piano is also known as a percussion instrument. The sound is produced by a hammer hitting strings when a key is pressed. The instruments leading towards the development of the piano were the clavichord and harpsichord. On the harpsichord, the sound was produced by a string being plucked and one had no control over the tone production or dynamics. When the piano was developed the possibility of creating [...]

How to improve your tone production on the piano2020-03-22T01:32:07+00:00

Why it is essential for adults to learn how to read music properly

2020-05-08T17:22:23+01:00

“Obtaining a perfect knowledge of the vocabulary used in music is essential if you do not always want to struggle with your piano playing. Reading music is an ESSENTIAL and SERIOUS tool that will help you progress to the next level of your piano playing.” (Celine-Gaurier Joubert in Note Reading) “Learning to read music can be one of the best ways to train your brain but it can also have a huge impact on other areas of your life, like confidence and fitness (trust us)” Classical FM 4th of September 2018 If you as an adult endeavour to learn to play [...]

Why it is essential for adults to learn how to read music properly2020-05-08T17:22:23+01:00

Why do I keep making mistakes and how can I correct it?

2020-03-18T19:40:03+00:00

When you are playing the piano you can say you are making mistakes when there is a set progression or notation that you have to follow or a set pattern that you want to play and you fail to do it exactly. Improvising and mistakes If you however improvise, you can not really say you are making a ‘mistake’ because you are improvising, and in improvisation, you can actually play what you want to and if a note sounds strange or not the ‘right’ tone as it should be, then as our jazz instructor always said: “it's just a halftone away’. [...]

Why do I keep making mistakes and how can I correct it?2020-03-18T19:40:03+00:00

How to learn a piano piece by memory

2020-03-18T21:42:16+00:00

There are different ways of memorising a piano piece. The first is the normal memorising with your eyes, or what your eyes can see on your music score. Memorising with your mind, thinking specifically what you are playing from your score. Knowing what chords you are playing, knowing where you are going, seeing with your eyes and memorising that. Then there is ear-memory, which according to me is the higher way of memorising a piano piece because you use your ear to hear the sounds, feel the music and remember the melodies etc. For most classically trained pianists, reading a score [...]

How to learn a piano piece by memory2020-03-18T21:42:16+00:00

The advantages of playing duets

2020-03-18T19:42:43+00:00

Playing duets has been a much-neglected aspect of music teaching, especially in the piano. It's mainly because it's a huge instrument on which one person can play music sounding like a whole orchestra or band playing together, not needing another instrument. Duet playing is more utilised in weekly teaching in single line or single melody instruments (like a flute or trumpet or violin etc), as it helps the student to hear chords and music on the whole. Duet playing in all instruments including the piano has great benefits and advantages. What is duet playing? Duet playing is where two persons are [...]

The advantages of playing duets2020-03-18T19:42:43+00:00