Tom Brislin – 30-Day Keyboard Workout

30-Day Keyboard Workout

by Tom Brislin

Tom Brislin has had a varied career. He achieved critical success with his band, Spiraling, and he has garnered considerable attention as a sideman with Yes, Camel, Renaissance, Deborah Harry (of Blondie fame) and Meatloaf. In fact, he is on the road again with Meatloaf this summer, so if you catch that band on tour, that is Tom handling the keyboards.

Brislin is not only a sought after keyboard sideman, but also a classically trained educator, and it shows in his book 30-Day Keyboard Workout , published by Alfred Music.

The book is divided into five sections. First, we have basic terms and symbols that every pianist should know. The second section is all about warming up, hand position, posture – necessities often overlooked by pianists. This is followed by a brief series of warm-up exercises.

Sections four and five are the meat of the book. The Proficiency Workout is intended for intermediate players, while the Extended Proficiency Workout is for more advanced players.

The idea is to play the warm-ups and the daily exercises within a one- month period. That can be a daunting task, so don’t feel the need to take the book’s title literally. Brislin even suggests being flexible, and he offers a list of optional approaches to practicing the exercises. However you decide to accomplish the workout, take our time, enjoy it, and get it right. The keyword in describing this book is comprehensive . 30-Day Keyboard Workout covers chromatic scales, major and minor scales, and various chords and arpeggios. A variety of exercises and rhythms keeps things interesting – and challenging.

Scales and arpeggios are often not the most exciting things to practice, but as with anything else, it’s fun to practice things that can be played well. So, again, if you’re not up to learning a day’s assignment in a reasonable period, don’t rush your progress and get frustrated. Take your time.

I am a saxophonist by training and I’ve tried some of the exercises on saxophone. They work really well and I encourage multi-instrumentalists to give it a try. Modifying the exercises to fit another instrument’s range is easy. Play chords as arpeggios and experiment with articulations and dynamics and you have a great workout plan.

Whether you are solely a pianist or you play other instruments, give 30- Day Keyboard Workout a try. Technically challenging and musically rewarding, you can’t go wrong. www.alfred.com/Products/30-Day-Keyboard-Workout--00-18511.aspx www.tombrislin.com