Willie Marble’s Ten Tips

Willie Marble’s Ten Tips for Jivin’, Strivin’ and Survivin’ Keys for the City”  

1. Get a map! You can’t play ‘emif you don’t know where they are.Go to KeysfortheCity.com.
2. Dress Up or Dress Down.  Either way, you want to look good when tickling those ivories.
3. If you have a friend or a group of friends who play instruments, meet them at a piano for a jam session. If you are in a band, have your group meet at a piano for a “guerilla, hit and run” concert performance. Announce it on your FaceBook page or tweet your fans 30 minutes prior and see what happens.
4. Bring a “Bag ‘O Percussion”. Pack a few shakers and hand percussion instruments. Hand them out and immediately, everyone is “in the band”. Get people shakin’em and dancin’ and before you know it, you are in the middle of a Happenin’! Now that’s magic!
5. Piano players look great in shades. Ray Charles sure did.  And you will too!
6. No need to bring an electric tuner. Other instruments will need to be tuned to the piano, as there is no guarantee it will be in perfect pitch. Remember, this is not about perfect pitch, but a perfect musical moment.
7. If you can’t play a lick, try this: Use the black keys only. Something slow.  Dreamy sort of stuff. As long as you are hitting only black keys, it’ll sound like you know what you are doing. And when someone asks, “Who wrote that song?”,you can reply, “It’s an original, of course.”
8. Consider the Design. Twenty of them to choose from. Enough said!
9. Take care of the pianos. They are beautiful instruments and works of art. And be respectful of those who may live, work, or sleep close by.
10. Enjoy the music and the magic!

Willie Marble is a Lancaster based Blues musician.