Saturday
Thursday
Gospel Music Tip: Learn To Play Any Song On The Piano In Seconds
how to play any song you hear on the piano...
EVER? You decide.
Wednesday
Monday
Gospel Music Tip: How To Effectively Train Yourself To Play By Ear
The goal of session #1 is to give you a step-by-step plan to building your ear-skills. The ultimate goal is to be able to determine and recognize melodic and harmonic intervals as well as the interval between chords in progressions.
Understanding scales and how they help you to play by ear
12 major scales:
i. C maj – C D E F G A B C
ii. F maj – F G A Bb C D E F
iii. Bb maj – Bb C D Eb F G A Bb
iv. Eb maj – Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
v. Ab maj – Ab Bb C Db Eb F G Ab
vi. Db maj – Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C Db
vii. Gb maj – Gb Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F Gb
viii. B maj – B C# D# E F# G# A# B
ix. E maj – E F# G# A B C# D# E
x. A maj – A B C# D E F# G# A
xi. D maj – D E F# G A B C# D
xii. G maj – G A B C D E F# G
Convert each scale to numbers
i. Example: C major = C1 D2 E3 F4 G5 A6 B7 C8 (or C1)
These numbers have multiple uses:
i. They establish a universal language outside of a particular major key. (Example: “the third of a key” can be applied to ANY key, not just one key like saying “E” is the third of C major). In ear-training, learning the “big” picture like this is more advantageous because if you learn to recognize how a major third interval sounds, you should then be able to apply that understanding to ANY key (whether you’re playing the major third of Ab or the major third of C major).
ii. They define harmonic intervals. For example, when you play the 1st tone of any major key and any other key above it, the highest key establishes what type of interval you’re playing. In C major, if I hold down C and play an E, since E is the 3rd tone in the C major scale, I am playing a major third interval. On the other hand, if I hold down a C and play the “A” above it, I’m playing a major sixth interval. So numbers are important in that regard.
iii. They define chord progressions like “2-5-1” and “1-4” and “1-5”. When someone says, “play a 2-5-1,” that means play the “2” chord of a key (usually minor) to a “5” chord (usually dominant) to a “1” chord (usually major). By knowing numbers, you can apply this to any key. So it’s better to understand the “big picture” as applying a “2-5-1” to any key will be very simple if:
1. You know your major scales
2. You know the “2”, “5”, and “1” of any key
3. You know the chords involved (like all 12 major chords, all 12 minor chords, all 12 dominant chords, all 12 _______ chord).
Intervals:
Distance between two notes
i. From 1 to 1: Perfect unison
ii. From 1 to 2: Major second
iii. From 1 to 3: Major third
iv. From 1 to 4: Perfect fourth
v. From 1 to 5: Perfect fifth
vi. From 1 to 6: Major sixth
vii. From 1 to 7: Major seventh
viii. From 1 to b2: Minor second
ix. From 1 to b3: Minor third
x. From 1 to b5: Diminished fifth
xi. 1 to b6: Minor sixth
xii. 1 to b7: Minor seventh
Goal: To be able to recognize these intervals in melodies (when notes are played separately one after the other) and chords (harmonic intervals; notes played together at the same time)
Since intervals create chords, being able to recognize intervals is very important
i. Focus on:
1. Major third
2. Minor third
3. Major seventh
4. Minor seventh
5. These intervals create major triads / minor triads / major seventh / minor seventh / dominant seventh chords.
ii. Two main goals:
1. You want to be able to recognize what type of chord is being played (major, minor, diminished, etc)
2. You want to be able to recognize the keynote of the chord (keynote is the note the chord is based on… for example: the key note of a Cmaj chord is “C”).
Recognizing distances between chords
i. Primary chords
1. I — IV — V
a. Recognizing the distance between 1-4 and 1-5 is the easiest.
b. Example: The 1st tone of the C major scale is C. The 4th tone is F. The 5th tone is G.
c. A 1-4 progression is: Cmaj to Fmaj
d. A 1-5 progression is: Cmaj to Gmaj
i. BOTH ARE VERY COMMON (though the chord may be more complexed like Fmaj7 or Fmaj9, etc).
ii. Other chords
1. These are common progressions in songs:
a. 2-5-1
b. 1-6-2-5
c. 2-5
d. 3-6-2-5-1
iii. Building your relative pitch will allow you to hear when a “Cmaj” chord, for example, is going to an “Amin” chord. Since C is the 1st tone of the C major scale and A is the 6th tone of the scale, this relationship is known as a 1-6 progression.
Circle of Fifths / Circle of Fourths
i. Depending on how you look at the circle, it can be labeled as “circle of fourths” or “circle of fifths”.
1. Many progressions move in fourth and fifth intervals:
a. 2-5-1 in C major is: “D” to “G” to “C” (notice that the relationship between D and G is a fourth interval and the relationship between G and C is a fourth interval).
b. Notice, also, that D – G – C are neighbors on the circle of fifths chart. Most progression move in this same way.
Exercises to build ear-skills
i. Playing the first note of a major scale and singing any other note of the scale without using the piano.
ii. Playing any note on the piano and singing the note right above it.
iii. Having someone else play the first note of a major scale and any other note from that scale (C major is easiest because you can have a son or daughter play any white note and that note will be a part of the scale).
Phone exercises
i. I’ll play the first note of a scale and any random second note and the participant will try to determine the note.
ii. I will play the first note of a scale followed by two notes, one after the other and the participant will try to determine the two notes.
iii. Using only major and minor chords, I will play the first major chord of the scale (C maj) and another chord, and the participant will try to determine the second chord.
Gospel Music Tip: How To Maximize Your Left Hand With Power Chords, Arpeggios, and Tritones
Introduction:
The goal of session #2 is to give you various ways to enhance your playing by altering what you play with your left hand. From power chords to tritones, we will explore various techniques to achieve the full-sound most musicians are looking for.
Understanding power chords
Power chords consist of two notes primarily (I and V)
They are convenient because they are neither major nor minor (just a perfect fifth interval, which is consistent in major, minor, and dominant chords).
Memorizing the 1-5 relationship in every key is essential (that is what creates your power chord)
i. C maj: C G
ii. F maj: F C
iii. Bb maj: Bb F
iv. Eb maj: Eb Bb
v. Ab maj: Ab Eb
vi. Db maj: Db Ab
vii. Gb maj: Gb Db
viii. B maj: B F#
ix. E maj: E B
x. A maj: A E
xi. D maj: D A
xii. G maj: G D
Beyond the basic power chord
Playing 3-fingered left hand arrangements
i. Extending the power chord (playing the octave note)
1. C maj: C G C
2. F maj: F C F
3. Bb maj: Bb F Bb
4. Eb maj: Eb Bb Eb
5. Ab maj: Ab Eb Ab
6. Db maj: Db Ab Db
7. Gb maj: Gb Db Gb
8. B maj: B F# B
9. E maj: E B E
10. A maj: A E A
11. D maj: D A D
12. G maj: G D G
ii. Arpeggios:
1. Arpeggiate (breaking up the chord, one note after the other) the 3-fingered left hand chord. Example: C then G then C (holding down the C when you’re playing the G and the G when you’re playing the higher C)
Alternatives to basic power chord arrangements
Playing major seventh interval (when you’re right hand has a maj 7 in it)
i. 1 + 5 + 7
1. C maj: C G B
2. F maj: F C E
3. Bb maj: Bb F A
4. Eb maj: Eb Bb D
5. Ab maj: Ab Eb G
6. Db maj: Db Ab C
7. Gb maj: Gb Db F
8. B maj: B F# A#
9. E maj: E B D#
10. A maj: A E G#
11. D maj: D A C#
12. G maj: G D F#
a. What can these chords accompany?
i. Maj7: 3 + 7 + 3 on right hand
1. Example: Cmaj7 (played as E B E on right hand). While you’re playing E B E on right hand, you’d play the C+G+B on your left hand.
ii. Maj7: 7 +3+5
1. Example: Cmaj7 (played as B E G on right hand). While you’re playing B+E+G on right hand, you’d play the C+G+B on your left hand.
iii. Maj9: 7+9+3+5
1. Example: Cmaj9 (played as B D E G on your right hand). While you’re playing B D E G on your right hand, you’d play C+G+B on your left.
iv. Maj7 (add 13): 3+13 (or think of 13 as 6)
1. Example: Cmaj7 (add13) – played as E+A on your right hand as your left hand plays C+G+B.
v. 1 – 4 progression: Dbmaj9 to Gbmaj7 (add 13) —- The Db maj 7 is C+Eb+F+Ab on your right hand while the 1 5 7 is on your left (Db Ab C). **** From that chord, you go to Gbmaj7 (add 13) by playing Bb+Eb+F+Bb on your right hand and Gb+Db+F on your left.
ii. 1 + 5 + b7 (when you’re right hand has a dom7 or min7 in it)
1. C maj: C G Bb
2. F maj: F C Eb
3. Bb maj: Bb F Ab
4. Eb maj: Eb Bb Db
5. Ab maj: Ab Eb Gb
6. Db maj: Db Ab B
7. Gb maj: Gb Db E (or Fb)
8. B maj: B F# A
9. E maj: E B D
10. A maj: A E G
11. D maj: D A C
12. G maj: G D F
a. What can these chords accompany?
i. Min7: b3 5 b7
1. Example: Dmin7 (played as F+A+C on right hand and D A C on the left).
ii. Min9: b3 5 b7 9
1. Example: Dmin9 (played as F+A+C+E on right hand and D A C on the left)
iii. Min9 (version 2): b7 9 b3 5
1. Example: Cmin9 (played as Bb+D+Eb+G on right hand and D+A+C on left hand)
iv. Dom 13: 1 5 b7 on left hand / Maj7 chord of the note one whole step lower on right hand).
1. Example: D13 (played as D+A+C on left hand and C+E+G+B on right hand). Notice that the “C” maj7 chord on the right hand is basically the note a whole step behind “D”. C is one-whole step lower than D.
v. Any altered chord with dominant 7th interval in it.
1. Example: F7 (#9#5) — because it has that F7 interval (which is a dominant seventh interval… aka “minor seventh interval”), you can use the 1-5-b7 left hand accompaniment. On your right hand, this chord is played A + Db + Eb + Gb and on your left hand, play F C Eb.
2. When is this chord used? Generally to go to the 6th degree of a scale. (example: F7 (#9#5) to Bbmin 9).
Using tritones
What is a tritone?
i. Consist of two notes
ii. Diminished fifth intervals / Augmented fourth intervals
iii. Basically, the distance between the keynote and a flatted fifth
iv. They split an octave … two tritones = one octave
1. Example: C to Gb and Gb to C (both tritones)
v. Three whole tones (C to D = 1) … (D to E=another) … (E to Gb = last whole tone) … 3 whole tones = TRI-tone
Another way to look at tritones
i. The 4 and 7 of any key
1. Example: F + B is a tritone
ii. The 3 and b7 of any key
1. Example: E + Bb is a tritone
There are six unique tritones
i. C Gb / Gb C
ii. Db G / G Db
iii. D Ab / Ab D
iv. Eb A / A Eb
v. E Bb / Bb E
vi. F B / B F
Tritones can substitute for Dom7 chords
i. Example: Since a C7 is C+E+G+Bb, one can play “E+Bb” (tritone) to produce a very similar sound.
1. Those same 1-5-b7 left hand arrangements can be replaced with tritones to create a more “spicy” sound:
a. C maj: C G Bb = Bb E or E Bb
b. F maj: F C Eb = Eb A or A Eb
c. Bb maj: Bb F Ab = Ab D or D Ab
d. Eb maj: Eb Bb Db = Db G or G Db
e. Ab maj: Ab Eb Gb = Gb C or C Gb
f. Db maj: Db Ab B = F B or B F
g. Gb maj: Gb Db E (or Fb) = E Bb or Bb E
h. B maj: B F# A = A Eb or Eb A
i. E maj: E B D = D Ab or Ab D
j. A maj: A E G = G Db or Db G
k. D maj: D A C = C Gb or Gb C
l. G maj: G D F = F B or B F
Other uses for tritones
i. Use tritones in chord progressions
1. If you’re playing a 7-3-6 progression, instead of playing “G to C to F on your bass for example (if it were a 7-3-6 in the key of Ab major), you’d substitute those notes for tritones.
a. Substitute the bass G for “F B” tritone
b. Substitute the bass C for “E Bb” tritone
c. Substitute the bass F for “Eb A” tritone
i. SECRET: When a chord progression is moving in fourths (like most progressions do), the tritones for each of the bass notes will be RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER. See how close “F B” and “E Bb” are from each other.
2. If you’re playing a 2-5-1 progression, try replacing the regular bass note for each chord with its corresponding tritone (from the same list above).
Gospel Music Tip: The ABC's Of Playing Piano By Ear
The goal of this session is to start you off the RIGHT way by learning the basics and fundamentals like major scales, intervals, triads, and other concepts!
The Basics:
12 unique notes in an octave — repeated over and over.
Half steps vs Whole Steps
i. Half steps are from key to key with no keys in between
1. From C to Db is 1 half step. From E to F is 1 half step.
2. From B to C is 1 half step.
ii. Whole steps always skip a key with one key in between
1. From C to D is 1 whole step
2. From D to E is 1 whole step
iii. 2 half steps = 1 whole step
iv. Sharps and Flats
1. C# / Db
2. D# / Eb
3. F# / Gb
4. G# / Ab
5. A# / Bb
Whether you call a particular key ___ # or ___ b depends on the key signature.
12 unique major key signatures / major scales
i. C major = no flats/sharps
ii. F major = 1 flat
iii. Bb major = 2 flats
iv. Eb major = 3 flats
v. Ab major = 4 flats
vi. Db major = 5 flats
vii. Gb / F# major = 6 flats or 6 sharps
viii. B major = 5 sharps
ix. E major = 4 sharps
x. A major = 3 sharps
xi. D major = 2 sharps
xii. G major = 1 sharp
Ways to memorize scales
1. By the number of sharps and flats in each key
“C has no flats or sharps so I’ll just play white keys”
“F has one flat and it is Bb so I’ll just play all white keys and when I get to B, I’ll play Bb instead.”
2. By half steps and whole steps
W W H W W W H
Example: From C to D is one whole step (W). From D to E is another whole step (W). From E to F is a half step (H). From F to G is a whole step (W). From G to A is a whole step (W). From A to B is a whole step (W). And finally, from B to C is a half step (H).
3. By comparing the previous scale in the circle of fifth chart
C major and F major share ALMOST THE SAME NOTES except for the Bb.
F major and Bb major share ALMOST THE SAME NOTES except for the Eb.
xiii. C maj – C D E F G A B C
xiv. F maj – F G A Bb C D E F
xv. Bb maj – Bb C D Eb F G A Bb
xvi. Eb maj – Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
xvii. Ab maj – Ab Bb C Db Eb F G Ab
xviii. Db maj – Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C Db
xix. Gb maj – Gb Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F Gb
xx. B maj – B C# D# E F# G# A# B
xxi. E maj – E F# G# A B C# D# E
xxii. A maj – A B C# D E F# G# A
xxiii. D maj – D E F# G A B C# D
xxiv. G maj – G A B C D E F# G
12 unique minor scales
i. Easiest way to remember minor scales is to KNOW your major scales because every minor scale has a relative major scale.
ii. The sixth tone of ANY major scale is its relative minor (example: The sixth tone of C major is A. The sixth tone of G is E).
1. A minor shares the same key signature as C major
2. D minor shares the same key signature as F major
3. G minor shares the same key signature as Bb major
4. C minor shares the same key signature as Eb major
5. F minor shares the same key signature as Ab major
6. Bb minor shares the same key signature as Db major
7. Eb minor shares the same key signature as Gb major
8. G# minor shares the same key signature as B major
9. C# minor shares the same key signature as E major
10. F# minor shares the same key signature as A major
11. B minor shares the same key signature as D major
12. E minor shares the same key signature as G major
Example: So “A minor” would share the same notes as C major but with a different starting and ending point.
If C major is C D E F G A B C, then A minor is A B C D E F G A. Notice that C major is all white keys AND A minor is all white keys.
Example: “D minor” shares the same notes as F major but with a different starting and ending point.
If F major is F G A Bb C D E F, then D minor is D E F G A Bb C D. Notice how F major and D minor share the same notes, including the same Bb.
THIS APPLIES TO ALL RELATIVE MAJOR/MINOR RELATIONSHIPS ABOVE SO IF YOU KNOW YOUR MAJOR SCALES, MINOR SCALES ARE ONE STEP AWAY!
Chords
i. Number system: Convert each note of a scale into a number
1. Example: C major is C D E F G A B C
2. Converting it to numbers means I’ll think of C as 1, D as 2, E as 3, F as 4, G as 5, A as 6, B as 7.
3. Learning scales this way makes it simple to play any chord you want.
ii. Major chords: 1 + 3 + 5 of any major key
1. Cmaj chord: C E G
2. F major chord: F A C
3. Bb major chord: Bb D F
4. Eb major chord: Eb G Bb
5. Ab major chord: Ab C Eb
6. Db major chord: Db F Ab
7. Gb major chord: Gb Bb Db
8. B major chord: B D# F#
9. E major chord: E G# B
10. A major chord: A C# E
11. D major chord: D F# A
12. G major chord: G B D
iii. Minor chords: 1 + 3 + 5 of any minor key
1. Cmin chord: C Eb G
2. Fmin chord: F Ab C
3. Bbmin chord: Bb Db F
4. Ebmin chord: Eb Gb Bb
5. Abmin chord: Ab B Eb
6. Dbmin chord: Db E Ab
7. Gbmin chord: Gb A Db
8. Bmin chord: B D F#
9. Emin chord: E G B
10. Amin chord: A C E
11. Dmin chord: D F A
12. Gmin chord: G A# D
iv. Major seventh chords: 1 + 3 + 5 + 7
Something to remember: In flat keys (like Db, Ab, etc), the major seventh will always be a white note.
1. Cmaj7 chord: C E G B
2. F major 7 chord: F A C E
3. Bb major 7 chord: Bb D F A
4. Eb major 7 chord: Eb G Bb D
5. Ab major 7 chord: Ab C Eb G
6. Db major 7 chord: Db F Ab C
7. Gb major 7 chord: Gb Bb Db F
8. B major 7 chord: B D# F# A#
9. E major 7 chord: E G# B D#
10. A major 7 chord: A C# E G#
11. D major 7 chord: D F# A C#
12. G major 7 chord: G B D F#
v. Minor seventh chords: 1 + b3 + 5 + b7
You can also think of minor seventh chords as:
KEYNOTE + relative major chord.
Example: If you wanted to find Amin7, start with “A” (the keynote), and add its relative major chord on top. The relative major key of A is “C” (as we learned earlier) so playing a Cmaj (C E G) over A creates an Amin7 (A C E G)
1. Amin7 = A + Cmaj chord
a. A C E G
2. Dmin7 = D + Fmaj chord
a. D F A C
3. Gmin7 = G + Bbmaj chord
a. G Bb D F
4. Cmin7 = C + Ebmaj chord
a. C Eb G Bb
5. Fmin7 = F + Abmaj chord
a. F Ab C Eb
6. Bbmin7 = Bb + Dbmaj chord
a. Bb Db F Ab
7. Ebmin7 = Eb + Gbmaj chord
a. Eb Gb Bb Db
8. Abmin7 = Ab + Bmaj chord
a. Ab B Eb Gb
9. Dbmin7 = Db E Ab B
10. Gb min7 = Gb A Db E
11. Bmin7 = B D F# A
12. Emin7 = E G B D
vi. Other chords:
1. Dominant Seventh chords (1 + 3 + 5 + b7)
2. Diminished Seventh chords (1 b3 b 5 6)
Sample songs that use basic major and minor triads and sevenths:
Simple versions: These songs are to plainly demonstrate the use of regular major and minor triads in popular music.
1. I believe I can fly
“I believe I can fly” C maj (E G C / C bass)
“I believe I can touch the sky” A min (E A C / A bass)
“Think about it every night and day” Dmin7 (F A C / D bass)
“Spread my wings and fly away” Fmaj / G (F A C / G bass)
2. My girl (chorus)
“I guess” Cmaj (E G C / C bass) —- Amin (E A C / A bass)
“you’ll say” Fmaj (F A C/ F bass) —- Gmaj (G B D / G bass)
“What can make” Cmaj (E G C / C bass) —- Amin (E A C / A bass)
“me feel this way” Fmaj (F A C/ F bass) —- Gmaj (G B D / G bass)
3. You are so beautiful (main chorus)
“You are so” —- Cmaj ( G C E / C bass) — Cmaj7 (G B E / C bass) — C7 ( G Bb E / C bass)
“Beautiful” — Fmaj (F A C / F bass) —- Fmin / Bb (F Ab C / Bb)
“To me” —- Cmaj ( G C E / C bass) — Cmaj7 (G B E / C bass) — C7 ( G Bb E / C bass)
“You are so” —- Cmaj ( G C E / C bass) — Cmaj7 (G B E / C bass) — C7 ( G Bb E / C bass)
“Beautiful” — Fmaj (F A C / F bass) —- Fmin / Bb (F Ab C / Bb)
“To me” —- Cmaj (G C E / C bass)
Gospel Music Tip: How To Correctly Identify Intervals - Part 1
| Number of letters counted | Generic interval name |
| 1 | unison |
| 2 | second |
| 3 | third |
| 4 | fourth |
| 5 | fifth |
| 6 | sixth |
| 7 | seventh |
| 8 | octave (eighth) |
With 20 chapters and over 300 pages, the home piano course provides several resources, techniques, tips, principles, and theories to playing the piano by ear. Along with hundreds of chords and scales, you'll also learn how to turn them into gospel, jazz and blues chord progressions and better yet, how to use them to play ABSOLUTELY any song you want ... IN VIRTUALLY MINUTES! Again, don't miss this opportunity. I've even added an additional bonus if you purchase the course this week --- You can read more about the course at: http://www.homepianocourse.com
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Further References"The Secrets to Playing Piano By Ear" 300-pg Course [5] Chords & Progressions: pgs 65-78, 105-130, 147-165, 182-227.Do you know what a “2-5-1” or "3-6-2-5-1" progression is? Or perhaps the famous 12-bar blues chord progression? In this piano course, you will not only learn how to play gospel, blues, and jazz progressions, but how to recognize them in songs. In addition, you will learn the simple techniques to playing these progressions, hymns, and songs in all 12 major keys! ... Enjoy learning:
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Gospel Music Tip: How To Play Fast, Uptempo Shouting Music By Ear!
If you have no idea what shouting music is or how it sounds, click on the link below to hear a sample: http://PlayAudio-234.com/play.asp?m=257323&f=KZHHYD&ps=7&p=1In fact, I'm going to be using the same concepts from GospelKeys 500 for the online classroom lesson below. The first concept to master is the left-hand bass run because it provides the foundation and rhythm for your shouting music. Concept #1: Left-hand bass runs There are tons of bass runs that can be used in shouting music. If you listen to the sample above, you'll hear a variety of different "runs." Some runs move downward (from high notes to low notes). Other bass runs (aka "bass lines") move in an ascending direction. MAJOR KEY: We'll be in the key of Ab major for this lesson. Let's learn a few ascending and descending bass runs. Ascending bass run (1-5): Ab C Db D Eb F Gb G Ab Note: These notes are played separately, one after the other (not together)! Tip: If you were to imitate the sound of a "shout" by stomping your feet and clapping your hands right after (that is: "stomp - clap - stomp - clap - stomp - clap"), your bass notes would be played on every beat, each time you stomp and clap). Descending bass run (1-5): Ab Gb F E Eb F Gb G Ab Notice that I called both of the examples above "1-5" bass runs. Why? Because they focus on the 1st and 5th keys of the scale. Let's look at the Ab major scale: Ab major: Ab Bb C Db Eb F G Ab If you were to place a number (starting at 1) by each of these notes, Ab would have a number "1" by it and Eb would have a number "5" by it. Since the bass runs above are both focused on Ab and Eb, they are called "1-5" bass runs. You can also "1-4" bass runs in shouting music. I'll give you a few below: Ascending bass run (1-4): Ab Bb B C Db F Gb G Ab Descending bass run (1-4): Ab Gb Eb D Db F Gb G Ab Congratulations. Now you have four bass runs to practice. In GospelKeys 500, you get many more to choose from. If you're really into this style of playing, I highly recommend it. So now that you have the left hand taken care of, I recommend that you practice it with a metronome. Metronomes are little $15 devices that keep rhythm for you at different speeds. You can choose the tempo so you can start off slow and build your speed as you get better. Also, if you have a keyboard with rhythmic and performing features, you can find "shouting rhythms" to accompany you while you practice these bass runs. The key is having some type of rhythmical device to keep your "timing" as you practice. Once you've mastered the left hand, there's many things to do on your right hand. Concept #2: Right-hand chordal movements While there are tons of things to do on your right hand, understanding how "13th" chords work is essential. A thirteenth chord is built on the (1), (3), (5), (b7), (9), (11), and (13) tones of a major scale. In C major, that would be: C + E + G + Bb + D + F + A (this time, played together). Now... Obviously, that's a lot of notes and most gospel musicians don't play thirteenth chords like that. An easier route is to play the C on your left hand and just play the Bb + D + F + A on your right hand. If you can reach, try adding in a high C and playing Bb + D + F + A + (C). C13 (abbreviated): C on left /// Bb D F A (C) on right. Now, let's bring that formula to Ab major. Ab13 = Ab on left /// Gb Bb Db F (Ab) on right. Putting it all together Playing an Ab13 in a rhythmic fashion over an Ab ascending or descending bass run is the foundation of shouting music. This combination, alone, can be played the entire time. The only thing is... ...Because shouting music is so repetitive (it's generally the same bass run over and over), you want to include other things (like variations in bass runs and different right-hand chordal movements and fill-ins) to spice things up. This is exactly the idea of GospelKeys 500 but I'll show a few concepts below. Three main parts of shouting music 1) The "Intro" 2) The "Main Loop" Period 3) The "Cool Down" Part One: The Intro The Intro is the start of the "shouting" period. You won't find full-length ascending and descending bass runs like I've posted above. Instead, you have teasers like: C -- Db --- D --- Eb. Usually the C and Db are played in pairs and the D and Eb are played in pairs. That's your left hand. As for your right hand, as shown in GospelKeys 500, you'll play something like: Bb Eb Ab (over the "C" bass from above) B Eb F Ab (over the "Db" bass from above) B D F Ab (over the "D" bass from above) C Eb Ab (over the "Eb" bass from above) This generally repeats for a good amount of time. The "Main Loop" period will usually follow right after. Part Two: The "Main Loop" Period You've already learned some things to do during the main loop period (concepts #1 and #2 from above). This is the moment of your shouting music when the bass run is fully active (unlike the 4-note bass runs used in the "intro"). You'll use full-powered ascending and descending bass runs along with right-hand chordal movements. For now, you've learned that the Ab13 chord can be played on your right while running the bass on your left hand. Other concepts that are covered in GospelKeys 500 are: - Diminished chord tricks - Right-hand fill-ins - More Fill-ins: b3 and b5 fill-ins - Three "magic" chords - Pentatonic and blues tricks - Chromatic drops and more... Part Three: The "Cool Down" The "Cool Down" period is just what it sounds like. It's the moment where the shouting music is coming to an end but instead of just abruptly ending, the cool down period allows you to play certain movements that are less active than the main loop period. More information... Other sections: "Beyond the Basics" Other concepts covered in GK 500 "Experiencing Shouting Music" 1) Role Reversal Techniques 2) Stride / Ragtime Effects 3) Linear Shouting Patterns / Vocal Accompaniment 4) Modulation More information... I hope you enjoyed this month's lesson and I'll be back soon! This concludes your Online Classroom Lesson If you were intrigued by the online classroom lesson above, then you would definitely benefit from my course! *** “The Secrets to Playing Piano By Ear” 300-pg Course ***
With 20 chapters and over 300 pages, the home piano course provides several resources, techniques, tips, principles, and theories to playing the piano by ear. Along with hundreds of chords and scales, you'll also learn how to turn them into gospel, jazz and blues chord progressions and better yet, how to use them to play ABSOLUTELY any song you want ... IN VIRTUALLY MINUTES! Again, don't miss this opportunity. I've even added an additional bonus if you purchase the course this week --- You can read more about the course at: http://www.homepianocourse.com
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Further References"The Secrets to Playing Piano By Ear" 300-pg Course [5] Chords & Progressions: pgs 65-78, 105-130, 147-165, 182-227.Do you know what a “2-5-1” or "3-6-2-5-1" progression is? Or perhaps the famous 12-bar blues chord progression? In this piano course, you will not only learn how to play gospel, blues, and jazz progressions, but how to recognize them in songs. In addition, you will learn the simple techniques to playing these progressions, hymns, and songs in all 12 major keys! ... Enjoy learning:
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