Sam McNally masterclass with guest Jo Elms

“How I play songs on the piano”

Pop, Rock, Jazz …. Everything!

Special Guest: Miss Jo Elms (Vocal, Gtr.)

A workshop in which pianist/keyboard-player & educator Sam McNally, talks about “what he does” in songs, in the music, and in interaction with other musicians and singers. Sam will be playing a Kawai grand piano and one electric keyboard only. This is the first in a series of masterclasses at Northside Performance Space, Crows Nest.

Sam McNally is keyboardist for Doug Williams, Stylus and Coloured Stone, and historically has worked with Tommy Emmanuel, Marcia Hines, Air Supply and Sharon O’Neill. He holds a position at Sydney’s JMC Academy, teaching contemporary piano.

Sam will be joined by Miss Jo Elms - singer, song-writer and guitarist. Herself a first-call vocal tutor, Jo is a hard-working contemporary musician capable of “doing anything”. Sam & Jo have performed over a thousand shows together in between dozens of other projects. 

Target audience:

• Piano beginners,

• Classical Piano (AMEB, etc) students wanting to learn modern piano stylings,

• Keyboard professionals,

• Song-writers who play piano and want to improve their keyboard knowledge

Program

Introduction: one or two piano-based Instrumental pieces with backing tracks

An in-depth de-construct on the many details Involved in the creative choices made

Miss Jo Elms will work with Sam to demonstrate the relationship between Piano-and-Voice, and Pianist-and-Vocalist

Sam will ask Jo Elms to commence a song he has never played to demonstrate the process of “figuring out what to do, on the spot”

(Possibly a secondary guest (maybe Steve Hogan of “Van The Man”) will play a couple of well-trodden Van Morrison songs and Sam will explain the approach in those titles

Relationship to drummers, to guitar players / guitar parts

Q & A - questions from the audience.

A workshop in interpretation, style, songwriting & performing with reknowned Sydney session musicians & artists.