I've been an on and off piano player for several years now. But this time, I'm determined to keep playing without giving up. The reason I'm so excited about playing the piano all of a sudden is that I finally know how to improvise. Improvising on the piano is beyond fun. Playing with the notes on the keyboard, making music out of just chords on a page... that's incredibly cool. I started out by just learning all the chords, so that I could play whatever song I wanted by just searching for the chords online, like at Ultimate Guitar. And once I got to know the chords, I decided to try out improvising, something that I've been so hecka scared to do.
For those of you out there who want to try out improvising on the piano, here is my how-to for y'all:
Pick a song you want to improvise on
It can be any song. It can be a pop song, a Broadway song... whatever. Just pick one and get the chords for the song. I personally started improvising with Titanium by David Guetta, one of my favorite songs ever.
Start by just playing the chords of the song, nothing more
Don't improvise just yet. Familiarize yourself with the key that the song is in. Remember which sharps or flats are in the song (though if you've studied music theory, like me, you would know which sharps/flats are present just by looking at the chords) and make sure your fingers are comfortable with the song. For something super easy to play, try find a song in the key of C, F, G, or D (the easiest keys to play in IMO) or, if you can, you can transpose the song you chose in the beginning to an easier key.
Listen to the actual recording of the song
Listen to the pattern of the music in the background. Pick up some ideas, pick up some notes that you want to try out. It's okay to copy exactly what the piano is doing in the actual recording. One good way to learn how to improvise is to copy other piano players.
Let your fingers and your heart do the work
Play. Just play. Don't think. Just play. Do whatever. Improvise with the notes on the piano. Improvise with some of the notes you heard over the recording. Copy from the original, make your own... Just play. There's just ONE rule to keep in mind: remember the key you're playing in. Don't go off key when improvising. You'll just make the song sound weird. For example, if you're playing in the key of D, you shouldn't play E# or F, you should play E or F# instead.
Now for the hard part...
Let yourself make mistakes
Here's a fact: you're going to sound horrible. At least at first. It takes a bit of time for your fingers to get used to improvising. Experiment on different notes on the piano, try different patterns... The key to improvisation is to make mistakes and learn from them. If you're too afraid to make mistakes, it's going to VERY hard to learn how to improvise.
Keep practicing
The only way to improve ANYTHING in life is to keep practicing. Don't give up and keep pushing on the notes on the keyboard. Play music, make heaps of mistakes, and improve more and more everyday.
P.S. I used to be an absolutely horrifying improvisor, but by following the steps above, I'm pretty good now. Of course, I still have a lot to learn and I need to experiment more, but I've improved quite a bit. So try out these tips. They really do help.
Choosing a prom dress is hard work. It's almost impossible to pick THE dress for the special evening. But, hopefully, with a few tips, the quest to find your prom dress won't seem too daunting. So here are my tips for finding the perfect prom dress for what's supposed to be the best evening of your entire high school career!
1. Begin your search EARLY
Go prom dress shopping at least four to six weeks earlier than the date of your prom night. Any later, then all the good dresses would be taken and that's not cool. Not cool at all. Besides, most formal dresses need some alteration and you need to leave time for that.
2. Plan your budget and start saving
Don't forget to leave extra cash for accessories, shoes, hair, and makeup as well.
3. Google prom dresses and take notes on your favorite styles
That way, you'll have a better idea of what you're looking for and you won't be overwhelmed by all the choices that you have when you finally go shopping.
4. Shop online, thrift, go to specialty shops, go to your favorite store, search everywhere for the perfect dress
Try on a variety of styles and colors to see what looks best on your body. At the same time, though, don't forget the notes that you jotted down in the previous step! Use the notes to narrow down the impossible search a little.
5. Pick your top five
Take pictures of your top five or so dresses. And if you can, take pictures of you IN the dresses. Then...
6. Sleep on it
Whichever dress your gut tells you is the one you should buy is THE ONE. If you don't trust your gut so much, though, you can always ask your friends' for their opinions on the dresses too. And voila. You've found your prom dress!
Ah, the Oscars. So much happened over the course of one night that the Internet practically exploded: meme, pictures, gifsets....temporary Twitter problems (it was worth it, Ellen!). Here are some of my favorite
moments from that night.
1. Jennifer Lawrence
Just,
everything about her. She started off the night with a bang- er,
another trip- and things kept going from there. From being called out by
Ellen, to doing the calling-out herself, to being in the most-tweeted
selfie ever... it was a very Jennifer Lawrence-y night, which in my book is
a definite win.
2. The Pizza Delivery
Can
we just pause a moment to think about the situation; all these
celebrities, gathered for an awards ceremony, wearing their finest and
on their best behavior... and then Ellen orders a pizza. And they all eat
it- one of the messiest, least-dignified foods- and for a moment, we’re
reminded that all these actors are people just like us. I
thought it was a super cute- and yummy!- moment.
3. Leonardo DiCaprio’s [lack of an] Oscar
Oh
Leo. We’re all starting to feel bad for you- even if the memes that
come from your misfortune are some of the funniest. From subtitling his
sad/mad movie scenes to be about the Oscars, to always bringing it up
every time there’s a discussion that has anything to do with him, the
internet loves poking fun at his misfortunes. And they’ll have just as
much fun when he finally wins one (hey, Leo’s not the only one who wants
him to win!).
4. Anything and Everything Frozen
Idina
Menzel’s (or Adele Nazeem’s, lol) rendition of “Let it Go” had many
fangurls screaming into their TVs, and I thought it was just darn cute
and quirky that Kristen Bell has a burrito tucked in her clutch (she
also gave a French accent to the famous quote ‘Do you wanna build a
snowman?’). Frozen 2, anyone? And in the meantime, check out all the
super-cute fanart of Elsa and Anna at the Oscars, based off of
Idina/Kristen.
5. Ellen
I already
mentioned the pizza (which was her idea) and the Twitter problem (which
was due to her famous celeb selfie) but let’s take a moment to really
appreciate Ellen’s wonderful hosting abilities. She’s funny,
intelligent, tells it like it is and knows how to make a wonderful time
for everyone around her. I’d certainly want to go to a party hosted by
her. Oh, and she’s the author of the best new quote for Hunger Games
fans: “Who are we kidding, it’s The Hunger Games. There’s cameras
everywhere, you’re starving, and Jennifer Lawrence won last year.”
Well, I don’t know how you feel about it all, but in my opinion, the Oscars this year can be described in a single word: epic.
After writing that post on lazy, bad hair days, I thought it would be neat to write a sister post on what to do with your makeup when you're so busy that you're just like "what the heck". This is me almost every single day. I consider my hair more important than my makeup, so after spending thirty minutes styling my hair, I find it impossible to find time to do makeup as well as I do my hair. A couple years of doing this, I now consider myself an expert in quick makeup for busy days.
Anyway, enough back story, here are my busy day makeup steps:
1) Just put on some foundation
Yes, really. This is what I normally do every day. I just slap on some BB cream on my face. Obviously you won't look dressed up and stuff, but I think this is good makeup for school. I mean, you're covering up some flaws and you won't look gross.
But if you're lucky enough to have more time to paint your face...
2) Put on concealer and powder your face
Put on a little concealer on certain spots like underneath your eyes and powder your face for the big
finish. Voila. Your face will look flawless.
You have more time? Well then...
3) Slap on some lipgloss or lipstick
This way, you won't look too pale and dead like the way most people look when they only put on some face makeup.
If you still have more time, though...
4) Curl your lashes and put on some mascara
I've still not mastered the art of the liquid eyeliner (I abhor pencil eyeliner. I don't know why.), so I tend to skip putting on eyeliner unless it's a special occasion (I need around two minutes to put on my eyeliner. If you can put on eyeliner quickly, though, go for it!). Mascara, on the other hand, is easy peasy. Plus, mascara makes everyone look so much better. Oh, and you can always put on eyeshadow before mascara-ing your lashes, but it's an optional step. You don't NEED to put it on, especially not when you're running out of time.
You still have more time, you say? Then...
5) Apply blush
Yay for a little more color on your face!
Yes, I know this is a weird order to put on makeup, but this guarantees that you'll look good on any step you decide to stop on. I mean, you never know when you'll run out of time perfecting your makeup.
I know I've missed out several crucial makeup steps like bronzer, eyeliner, etcetera, but if you have the time to do more than what I've mentioned here, it's not a busy day for you. It's a not-so-busy day. And these makeup steps are only for busy days, so get lost.
Kidding! No, seriously. Stay and read some more. Heh.
Whether you’re a regular cinema visitor or just like to watch one once
in a while, we are all movie fans. Now despite there being many
brilliant (or not so brilliant) movies coming out all the time. There
are several things I wish were movies but alas are not likely to ever
be made.
1) The Chrestomanci series
Ever
since I first read Witch Week by Diana Wynne Jones about a year ago, I
thought that it would make a brilliant movie. But why just that book?
Why not start at the beginning? With book number one: Charmed Life. The
animated film Howl’s Moving Castle based on the Diana Wynne Jones novel
of the same name shows that her work can work well on the screen. Why
can’t we have an adaptation of the Chrestomanci books?
2) Whatever film this is advertising
It’s been nearly a year since My Chemical Romance's tragic
break-up. What would be a better parting gift than a feature length movie based
on the video for “I’m not okay”? Yeah, I’m being a bit too hopeful, but no My
Chemical Romance fan would deny how amazing that would be. I for one am prepared to feel the romance.
3) The
Subtle Knife
I adored the book Northern Lights by Phillip Pullman. In fact, I am currently re-reading my very, very worn out copy for the umpteenth
time. The film adaptation for The Golden Compass was okay apart from the fact
that IT FINISHED BEFORE THE ENDING OF BOOK!!! I was always disappointed that we
never got to see the sequel and now at 19, Dakota Blue Richards has outgrown
the role of 12 year old Lyra. I think people would notice the seven year gap
as, if my memory serves me correct, The Subtle Knife starts about 3 days after
the end of Northern Lights.
-Barista Ellen-
Images: via (The Chrestomanci series), via (The Subtle Knife) Read more »
When it’s your best friend’s birthday, you’re sure you know what to do: buy something. It could be a pair of shoes from a shop that everybody knows or a bracelet from a famous brand. But are you sure you want to do that? Your best friend is someone important in your life, the one who is always there for you. You need to give her something special. Get her something from your heart.
Here are some pretty good examples of creative and thoughtful gifts.
Write a song.
This is a great present. If you don’t like poetic and sentimental stuff, you can just write a funny song about the aspects you most love about her and sing it with a hilarious voice. She will surely appreciate your gift and laugh as well.
Personalize a piece of clothing.
For example, a T-Shirt is a great piece of clothing to give a personal touch to. You can write a funny message on it or simply redecorate it to something fashionable. It really depends on how your best friend’s personality is.
Record a video.
Another great present you can give your best friend is a video made by you. You can put your best friend’s friends and family on it saying some phrases about your BFF. There is nothing more I could say about this except: Be creative! Take her somewhere
Sometimes, the best gift you can give is company. Take her to some place you both love to go to and have a good time.
Show your skills
If you are good at baking or cooking, you can totally show off your skills and, at the same time, make your best friend happy. Paint, write some nerd jokes… give her something that will not only show why she chose you to be her best friend but also to show her why you chose her to be your best friend.
