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When I first heard this technique applied over 15 years ago, I couldn’t believe my ears. How could so much music be coming out of one piano? Turns out, what I was hearing was something called an “ostinato.” Ostinato simply means repeating pattern and is used frequently in all kinds of music.

But it really shines for the New Age piano genre. Just listen to George Winston’s piece “Rain” to get an idea of what can be done with this technique. He uses a very large chunk of the keyboard to create a beautiful left-hand ostinato pattern while the right hand improvises. And what music! You’d swear it couldn’t be just one piano but it is!

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We all need to relax more, and music hath charms to soothe the savage beast. But, have you ever thought that you could create your own relaxation music? Doing so actually has more benefits for you than just listening to it.

Take the piano for example. This instrument is perfect for creating soothing, relaxing ambiences and has been used just for this purpose. There’s no need to create bouncy Jazz rhythms or sharp dynamic classical crescendos. On the contrary, the piano can be used to provide a lovely, delicate environment.

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Patterns. That’s an interesting word and one that applies well to music. There are patterns everywhere in music. Repeating patterns, note patterns, chord patterns etc.

For New Age piano playing, a pattern that comes up frequently is a crossover technique for the left hand. The left plays a repeating pattern that uses more than an octave of the keyboard while the right plays melody notes, chords, etc.

For example, in the lesson “Ocean Pacific,” we have 4 chords to play with and the technique with which to play them - a repeating crossover pattern.

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If you’re looking for a way to quickly play the piano you’re going to love this. Listen… most of you already know that the quickest way to play the piano is by learning chords.

But what most of you don’t know is what kind of chord to start out with. There are triads, seventh chords, diminished chords and thousands more. There are closed position chords and then there is something called the open position chord, and with it, you’ll be able to create your own music in less than an hour!

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Every style of piano playing has its share of tricks and techniques. New Age piano is no different. The New Age piano style has 3 main techniques that are used over and over. These are the ostinato technique, the crossover technique or arpeggio, and the broken chord technique.

The Ostinato technique - A Repeating Pattern

You’ve probably heard this technique numerous times and may or may not have knows what it was. Ostinato simply means repeating pattern or obstinate pattern and that’s exactly what it is. For example, in New Age pianist George Winston’s piece “Rain,” we have a left-hand pattern that uses over an octave of the keyboard to create a beautiful aural background over which a melody is improvised.

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