Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Black Gospel!
Black Gospel!
http://www.playpiano.com/black-gospel.htm
A couple years ago I met a wonderful young guy who knocked me out with the quality of his piano courses, and I'm not real easy to impress, since I've seen so many piano teachers come and go over the years.
For one thing, most teachers don't explain things clearly enough, and they don't teach enough music theory so you really know what you're doing. But this guy -- Jermaine -- is an exception to the rule.
He's for real, so I can recommend his courses with confidence. He covers not only the areas of playing by ear and chords, but also specializes in black gospel, which I'm not entirely up to speed on. (Being a middle-class white boy, and an old one at that...)
So I'm delighted to be able to share these great courses with my students.
Click on any of the links below for an exciting surprise!
http://www.playpiano.com/black-gospel.htm
A couple years ago I met a wonderful young guy who knocked me out with the quality of his piano courses, and I'm not real easy to impress, since I've seen so many piano teachers come and go over the years.
For one thing, most teachers don't explain things clearly enough, and they don't teach enough music theory so you really know what you're doing. But this guy -- Jermaine -- is an exception to the rule.
He's for real, so I can recommend his courses with confidence. He covers not only the areas of playing by ear and chords, but also specializes in black gospel, which I'm not entirely up to speed on. (Being a middle-class white boy, and an old one at that...)
So I'm delighted to be able to share these great courses with my students.
Click on any of the links below for an exciting surprise!
Saturday, August 27, 2005
How To Dress Up �Naked Music� On The Piano
How To Dress Up �Naked Music� On The Piano: "How To Dress Up Naked Music On The Piano!
How To Dress Up �Naked Music� On The Piano
What in the world is �naked music?�
You know it when you hear it, but the words that describe it sound strange, don�t they? We�ve all heard of popular music and rock music and gospel music and jazz music, but naked music?
Naked music is simply the notes on a piece of sheet music. It�s �naked� � not dressed up or arranged at all. No fills, no slurs, none of the ingredients that make a song come to life.
Not a single professional musician plays the music exactly as it appears on a piece of sheet music. Instead, they use the written music as a map, or an outline, and then proceed to do their own thing with it. They twist it, bend it, add to it, subtract from it, put fills in it, change the key, change the words, change some of the melody notes, and on and on.
So when you hear your favorite artist perform a piece of music, if you look at the written sheet music while they are performing it, you will see it is MUCH different and MUCH better than the plain old �naked music!�
So how can the average musician dress up naked music? There are many ways, but here are seven of my favorites:
Change the chords slightly by adding color tones. What are color tones? Color tones are notes added to the basic chord, usually expressed as 6ths, 7ths, 9ths, etc. For example, instead of playing just a straight C chord as it is written � C, E, G � try adding a color tone to it, such as a 6th (A) or a 7th (Bb) or a major 7th (B) or a 9th (D). In fact, try adding a couple together, like a 6th and a 9th. So instead of being a plain vanilla chord made up of C, E, and G, you�ve made it a tasty variat"
How To Dress Up �Naked Music� On The Piano
What in the world is �naked music?�
You know it when you hear it, but the words that describe it sound strange, don�t they? We�ve all heard of popular music and rock music and gospel music and jazz music, but naked music?
Naked music is simply the notes on a piece of sheet music. It�s �naked� � not dressed up or arranged at all. No fills, no slurs, none of the ingredients that make a song come to life.
Not a single professional musician plays the music exactly as it appears on a piece of sheet music. Instead, they use the written music as a map, or an outline, and then proceed to do their own thing with it. They twist it, bend it, add to it, subtract from it, put fills in it, change the key, change the words, change some of the melody notes, and on and on.
So when you hear your favorite artist perform a piece of music, if you look at the written sheet music while they are performing it, you will see it is MUCH different and MUCH better than the plain old �naked music!�
So how can the average musician dress up naked music? There are many ways, but here are seven of my favorites:
Change the chords slightly by adding color tones. What are color tones? Color tones are notes added to the basic chord, usually expressed as 6ths, 7ths, 9ths, etc. For example, instead of playing just a straight C chord as it is written � C, E, G � try adding a color tone to it, such as a 6th (A) or a 7th (Bb) or a major 7th (B) or a 9th (D). In fact, try adding a couple together, like a 6th and a 9th. So instead of being a plain vanilla chord made up of C, E, and G, you�ve made it a tasty variat"
Friday, August 26, 2005
Tapes That Help A Child Learn Music
Tapes That Help A Child Learn Music
Tapes That Help A Child Learn Music
It is right to say that when your child listens to a
karaoke tape and joins in they are actually learning
something of value about music. Furthermore, it could be
said that your child is helping their memory as well as
their reading and social skills. Karaoke tapes can also be
bought that provide an educational element, as they include
tuition in health, the environment and science. Good value
from some tapes or CDs that have lyrics of popular songs!
As a young child, I loved to sing along with the radio and
tape my favorite songs so I could listen to them over and
over again as though I was the star singer. My mother also
broke down a few times and purchased records that had the
words to some children songs printed on a separate sheet and
tucked inside the jacket. I would sit for hours playing the
songs over and over again so I could memorize every word.
While my family didn't have the extra income to enroll me in
private singing lessons, I did enjoy taking this experience
to tryouts for the school plays and concerts. Many times, I
had memorized these songs so closely to the record's
versions that I won a few choice parts.
Tapes That Help A Child Learn Music
It is right to say that when your child listens to a
karaoke tape and joins in they are actually learning
something of value about music. Furthermore, it could be
said that your child is helping their memory as well as
their reading and social skills. Karaoke tapes can also be
bought that provide an educational element, as they include
tuition in health, the environment and science. Good value
from some tapes or CDs that have lyrics of popular songs!
As a young child, I loved to sing along with the radio and
tape my favorite songs so I could listen to them over and
over again as though I was the star singer. My mother also
broke down a few times and purchased records that had the
words to some children songs printed on a separate sheet and
tucked inside the jacket. I would sit for hours playing the
songs over and over again so I could memorize every word.
While my family didn't have the extra income to enroll me in
private singing lessons, I did enjoy taking this experience
to tryouts for the school plays and concerts. Many times, I
had memorized these songs so closely to the record's
versions that I won a few choice parts.
Friday, August 19, 2005
Does Music Impact Epilepsy �
Does Music Impact Epilepsy �: "Does Music Impact Epilepsy �
For Bad Or For Good?
Does Music Impact Epilepsy � For Bad Or For Good?
His name was Kung Tsu Chen. He was a Chinese poet in 1847 when he described a rare but very real phenomenon now known as �musicogenic epilepsy�. With musicogenic epilepsy, the individual suffers from brain seizures that are triggered by music, and in his case a very specific kind of music. You see, Kung Tsu Chen recorded that though he didn�t know why, he would become sick when he would hear the sound of a street vendor�s flute during the evening sun.
Researchers tell us that this form of epilepsy can appear as a result of many kinds of music. In the case of our Chinese poet the trigger was apparently flute melodies, but seizures can be triggered by type of music, or type of instrument, the composer or even the emotional content of the piece. As a matter of fact, in some cases just thinking about the music, regardless of whether the individual is awake or not, is enough to trigger an epileptic seizure.
Exactly how musicogenic episodes are induced is unknown and unfortunately due to how few cases of musicogenic epilepsy in the world the research monies have not been available to study this question directly. It has been suggested, however, that the right temporal lobe of the brain contains, within the right auditory cortex, a series of modules that specialize in processing music. If this is so, the theory suggests, then musicogenic epilepsy is evidence of a malfunction of this part of the brain.
Fortunately, that�s not the end of the story. Music has also been found to have a profoundly positive effect on individuals with epilepsy as well. One research study even found that when epileptic patients are treated with music therapy "
For Bad Or For Good?
Does Music Impact Epilepsy � For Bad Or For Good?
His name was Kung Tsu Chen. He was a Chinese poet in 1847 when he described a rare but very real phenomenon now known as �musicogenic epilepsy�. With musicogenic epilepsy, the individual suffers from brain seizures that are triggered by music, and in his case a very specific kind of music. You see, Kung Tsu Chen recorded that though he didn�t know why, he would become sick when he would hear the sound of a street vendor�s flute during the evening sun.
Researchers tell us that this form of epilepsy can appear as a result of many kinds of music. In the case of our Chinese poet the trigger was apparently flute melodies, but seizures can be triggered by type of music, or type of instrument, the composer or even the emotional content of the piece. As a matter of fact, in some cases just thinking about the music, regardless of whether the individual is awake or not, is enough to trigger an epileptic seizure.
Exactly how musicogenic episodes are induced is unknown and unfortunately due to how few cases of musicogenic epilepsy in the world the research monies have not been available to study this question directly. It has been suggested, however, that the right temporal lobe of the brain contains, within the right auditory cortex, a series of modules that specialize in processing music. If this is so, the theory suggests, then musicogenic epilepsy is evidence of a malfunction of this part of the brain.
Fortunately, that�s not the end of the story. Music has also been found to have a profoundly positive effect on individuals with epilepsy as well. One research study even found that when epileptic patients are treated with music therapy "
Piano sheet music
Piano sheet music: "Piano sheet music sources online
Click on the thumbnail below:
Piano Sheet Music
Piano sheet music -- people ask me all the time where they can get this song or that song -- popular songs, classical songs, gospel songs -- you name it. And the simple answer is -- all over the internet. There are tons of sites that offer sheet music for the piano, as well as for guitar, orchestra, bands, singers, and every other kind of musical instrument.
The best source I have found for piano sheet music online is Sheet Music Plus -- a wonderful company that makes it easy for you to order most any piece of sheet music.
If you're looking for sheet music, we recommend Sheet Music Plus. They have the World's largest selection, guaranteed low prices, and great customer service. Just click on the button below and it will take you direct to their online store where you can order piano sheet music, vocal sheet music, or most any other type of sheet music.
Here are just a few of the thousands of sheet musical songs you can get at Sheet Music Plus. Some of these are piano sheet music, while others are piano and vocal sheet music:
Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond
You'll Never Find - Lou Rawls
My Way - Frank Sinatra
I'm A Believer - Monkees (or Smash Mouth)
In The Mood - Glenn Miller
Mack the Knife - Bobby Darin
In The Still of the Night - the Five Satins
Y.M.C.A. - Village People
Joy To The World - Three Dog Night
L-O-V-E - Nat 'King' Cole
Shout - Isley Brothers
Twist - Chubby Checker
My Girl - Four Tops
Because You Loved Me - Celene Dion
Build Me Up (Buttercup) - Foundations
We Are Family - Sister Sledge
Fly Me To The Moon - Frank Sinatra
Chicken Dance - various art"
Click on the thumbnail below:
Piano Sheet Music
Piano sheet music -- people ask me all the time where they can get this song or that song -- popular songs, classical songs, gospel songs -- you name it. And the simple answer is -- all over the internet. There are tons of sites that offer sheet music for the piano, as well as for guitar, orchestra, bands, singers, and every other kind of musical instrument.
The best source I have found for piano sheet music online is Sheet Music Plus -- a wonderful company that makes it easy for you to order most any piece of sheet music.
If you're looking for sheet music, we recommend Sheet Music Plus. They have the World's largest selection, guaranteed low prices, and great customer service. Just click on the button below and it will take you direct to their online store where you can order piano sheet music, vocal sheet music, or most any other type of sheet music.
Here are just a few of the thousands of sheet musical songs you can get at Sheet Music Plus. Some of these are piano sheet music, while others are piano and vocal sheet music:
Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond
You'll Never Find - Lou Rawls
My Way - Frank Sinatra
I'm A Believer - Monkees (or Smash Mouth)
In The Mood - Glenn Miller
Mack the Knife - Bobby Darin
In The Still of the Night - the Five Satins
Y.M.C.A. - Village People
Joy To The World - Three Dog Night
L-O-V-E - Nat 'King' Cole
Shout - Isley Brothers
Twist - Chubby Checker
My Girl - Four Tops
Because You Loved Me - Celene Dion
Build Me Up (Buttercup) - Foundations
We Are Family - Sister Sledge
Fly Me To The Moon - Frank Sinatra
Chicken Dance - various art"
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Musical form
Musical form: "
Issue No. 25 �
'Secrets of Exciting Chords & Chord Progressions!'
This is the ' Secrets of Exciting Chords & Chord Progressions!' newsletter that you (or someone using your E-mail address) signed up for when you visited our site. If you no longer want to receive these free weekly E-mail piano lessons, toggle down to the bottom of this E-mail and you'll see where you can take yourself off the list. We take your privacy (and ours) very seriously, so we don't want anyone receiving our stuff who doesn't want it! ('cause thousands really do!).
' Secrets of Exciting Piano Chords & Piano Chord Progressions!'
- Lesson 25 -
Chord Progressions Part Six
'What You Need To Know About Musical Form'
Chord progressions come in sections, like one room in a house. You can put several different rooms together to make a big house, or you can live in a one room house. Just like people. In most 3rd world countries people live in one room houses -- which means, of course, that much of the world lives in one-room houses.
Those of us who live in the West generally live in multi-room houses.
But there are also musical houses -- we call them songs -- that are built out of several different rooms -- several different chord progressions. Some of them, like mansions and castles, go on and on and get quite involved.
But most songs are like many modest houses -- they have 2 or 3 rooms, sometimes 4 -- built using 2 or 3 or 4 different chord progressions.
Each 'room' in a musical house is called a theme, or a 'motif'. The first theme is always called 'A'. The next theme is called 'B', the next theme is called 'C', and so on. Most songs only have 2 or 3 "
Issue No. 25 �
'Secrets of Exciting Chords & Chord Progressions!'
This is the ' Secrets of Exciting Chords & Chord Progressions!' newsletter that you (or someone using your E-mail address) signed up for when you visited our site. If you no longer want to receive these free weekly E-mail piano lessons, toggle down to the bottom of this E-mail and you'll see where you can take yourself off the list. We take your privacy (and ours) very seriously, so we don't want anyone receiving our stuff who doesn't want it! ('cause thousands really do!).
' Secrets of Exciting Piano Chords & Piano Chord Progressions!'
- Lesson 25 -
Chord Progressions Part Six
'What You Need To Know About Musical Form'
Chord progressions come in sections, like one room in a house. You can put several different rooms together to make a big house, or you can live in a one room house. Just like people. In most 3rd world countries people live in one room houses -- which means, of course, that much of the world lives in one-room houses.
Those of us who live in the West generally live in multi-room houses.
But there are also musical houses -- we call them songs -- that are built out of several different rooms -- several different chord progressions. Some of them, like mansions and castles, go on and on and get quite involved.
But most songs are like many modest houses -- they have 2 or 3 rooms, sometimes 4 -- built using 2 or 3 or 4 different chord progressions.
Each 'room' in a musical house is called a theme, or a 'motif'. The first theme is always called 'A'. The next theme is called 'B', the next theme is called 'C', and so on. Most songs only have 2 or 3 "
Free piano lessons online index
Free piano lessons online index: " Index of Free Piano Lessons Online
Index of The Free 101-Week (Used to be 39-week) Course in
'Secrets of Piano Chords & Chord Progressions'
Sign-up form -- www.playpiano.com/FreeLessons.htm
http://playpiano.com/101-tips/IndexOfThe101WeekCourseInChordsChordProgressions.htm
Week 0 - Welcome to 101 weeks of free piano lessons online!
Week 1 - 'What Chords Do I Absolutely, Positively Need To Know?'
Week 2 - 'Flying Over Chordland - The 48 Basic Chords - Times 3'
Week 3 - 'All The Major Chords'
Week 4 - 'All The Minor Chords'
Week 5 - 'Inversions: Chords On Their Heads'
Week 6 - 'All the Diminished Triads'
Week 7 - 'All the Augmented Triads'
Week 8 - 'All the Major 6th Chords'
Week 9 - 'All the Minor 6th Chords'
Week 10 - 'All the 7th Chords'
Week 11 - 'All the Maj7th Chords'
Week 12 - 'All the 9th Chords'
Week 13 - 'All the 11th Chords'
Week 14 - 'All the 13th Chords'
Week 15 - 'The Three Diminished 7th Chords'
Week 16 - 'Suspensions'
Week 17 - 'Alterations'
Week 18 - 'Slash Chords'
Week 19 - 'Oops! I forgot Minor 7th Chords!'
Week 20 - 'Chord Progressions Part I - The Circle of Keys'
Week 21 - 'Chord Progressions Part 2 - The Circle of Minor Keys'
Week 22 - 'How To Find The Key of a Song When There Are Flats In The Key Signature'
Week 23 - 'How To Find The Key of a Song When There Are Sharps In The Key Signature'
`Week 24 - The 'Oh Duh!' Chord Progression
Week 25 - 'What You Need To Know About Musical Form
Week 26 - The 'Creep' Chord Progression
Week"
Index of The Free 101-Week (Used to be 39-week) Course in
'Secrets of Piano Chords & Chord Progressions'
Sign-up form -- www.playpiano.com/FreeLessons.htm
http://playpiano.com/101-tips/IndexOfThe101WeekCourseInChordsChordProgressions.htm
Week 0 - Welcome to 101 weeks of free piano lessons online!
Week 1 - 'What Chords Do I Absolutely, Positively Need To Know?'
Week 2 - 'Flying Over Chordland - The 48 Basic Chords - Times 3'
Week 3 - 'All The Major Chords'
Week 4 - 'All The Minor Chords'
Week 5 - 'Inversions: Chords On Their Heads'
Week 6 - 'All the Diminished Triads'
Week 7 - 'All the Augmented Triads'
Week 8 - 'All the Major 6th Chords'
Week 9 - 'All the Minor 6th Chords'
Week 10 - 'All the 7th Chords'
Week 11 - 'All the Maj7th Chords'
Week 12 - 'All the 9th Chords'
Week 13 - 'All the 11th Chords'
Week 14 - 'All the 13th Chords'
Week 15 - 'The Three Diminished 7th Chords'
Week 16 - 'Suspensions'
Week 17 - 'Alterations'
Week 18 - 'Slash Chords'
Week 19 - 'Oops! I forgot Minor 7th Chords!'
Week 20 - 'Chord Progressions Part I - The Circle of Keys'
Week 21 - 'Chord Progressions Part 2 - The Circle of Minor Keys'
Week 22 - 'How To Find The Key of a Song When There Are Flats In The Key Signature'
Week 23 - 'How To Find The Key of a Song When There Are Sharps In The Key Signature'
`Week 24 - The 'Oh Duh!' Chord Progression
Week 25 - 'What You Need To Know About Musical Form
Week 26 - The 'Creep' Chord Progression
Week"
"Secrets of Piano Chords & Chord Progressions"
Index of The Free 101-Week (Used to be 39-week) Course in
"Secrets of Piano Chords & Chord Progressions"Sign-up form -- www.playpiano.com/FreeLessons.htm
http://playpiano.com/101-tips/IndexOfThe101WeekCourseInChordsChordProgressions.htm
Week 0 - Welcome to 101 weeks of free piano lessons online!
Week 1 - "What Chords Do I Absolutely, Positively Need To Know?"
Week 2 - "Flying Over Chordland - The 48 Basic Chords - Times 3"
Week 3 - "All The Major Chords"
Week 4 - "All The Minor Chords"
Week 5 - "Inversions: Chords On Their Heads"
Week 6 - "All the Diminished Triads"
Week 7 - "All the Augmented Triads"
Week 8 - "All the Major 6th Chords"
Week 9 - "All the Minor 6th Chords"
Week 10 - "All the 7th Chords"
Week 11 - "All the Maj7th Chords"
Week 12 - "All the 9th Chords"
Week 13 - "All the 11th Chords"
Week 14 - "All the 13th Chords"
Week 15 - "The Three Diminished 7th Chords"
Week 16 - "Suspensions"
Week 17 - "Alterations"
Week 18 - "Slash Chords"
Week 19 - "Oops! I forgot Minor 7th Chords!"
Week 20 - "Chord Progressions Part I - The Circle of Keys"
Week 21 - "Chord Progressions Part 2 - The Circle of Minor Keys"
Week 22 - "How To Find The Key of a Song When There Are Flats In The Key Signature"
Week 23 - "How To Find The Key of a Song When There Are Sharps In The Key Signature"
`Week 24 - The "Oh Duh!" Chord Progression
Week 25 - "What You Need To Know About Musical Form
Week 26 - The "Creep" Chord Progression
Week 27 - "The 'II - V7 - I' Chord Progression"
Week 28 - "The 'VI - II - V7 - I' Chord Progression"
Week 29 - The "Blue Moon" Chord Progression
Week 30 - Embedded Chord Subs In The "Blue Moon" Chord Progression
Week 31 - The "12 Bar Blues" Chord Progression
Week 32 - Embedded Chord Subs In The "12 Bar Blues" Chord Progression
Week 33 - "Alternating 7th & m7ths" Chord Progression
Week 34 - "How To Create Unlimited Original Chord Progressions Using Chord Substitutions - Part 1"
Week 35 - "How To Create Unlimited Original Chord Progressions Using Chord Substitutions - Part 2"
Week 36 - "How To Create Unlimited Original Chord Progressions Using Chord Substitutions - Part 3"
Week 37 - Gospel Chord Progression #1 - "Get On That Church!"
Week 38 - Gospel Chord Progression #2 - "Get On Up That V7 Chord!"
Week 39: "It's Graduation Day!"
Week 40: "Practice Ideas"
Week 41: "Transposition & Modulation"
Week 42: "Intervals"
Week 43: Review of Chords -- The Building Blocks Of Scales
Week 44: Inversions: Chords On Their Heads
Week 45: "Voicing"
Week 46: "Modal Scales"
Week 47: The Family of Chords Chart
Week 48: "Playing Christmas Carols On The Piano"
Week 49 - What songs can I play with just a few chords?
Week 50 - Major 7th chords
Week 51 - What All Do I Need To Know?
Week 52 - How To Predict Which Chord Comes Next
"Secrets of Piano Chords & Chord Progressions"Sign-up form -- www.playpiano.com/FreeLessons.htm
http://playpiano.com/101-tips/IndexOfThe101WeekCourseInChordsChordProgressions.htm
Week 0 - Welcome to 101 weeks of free piano lessons online!
Week 1 - "What Chords Do I Absolutely, Positively Need To Know?"
Week 2 - "Flying Over Chordland - The 48 Basic Chords - Times 3"
Week 3 - "All The Major Chords"
Week 4 - "All The Minor Chords"
Week 5 - "Inversions: Chords On Their Heads"
Week 6 - "All the Diminished Triads"
Week 7 - "All the Augmented Triads"
Week 8 - "All the Major 6th Chords"
Week 9 - "All the Minor 6th Chords"
Week 10 - "All the 7th Chords"
Week 11 - "All the Maj7th Chords"
Week 12 - "All the 9th Chords"
Week 13 - "All the 11th Chords"
Week 14 - "All the 13th Chords"
Week 15 - "The Three Diminished 7th Chords"
Week 16 - "Suspensions"
Week 17 - "Alterations"
Week 18 - "Slash Chords"
Week 19 - "Oops! I forgot Minor 7th Chords!"
Week 20 - "Chord Progressions Part I - The Circle of Keys"
Week 21 - "Chord Progressions Part 2 - The Circle of Minor Keys"
Week 22 - "How To Find The Key of a Song When There Are Flats In The Key Signature"
Week 23 - "How To Find The Key of a Song When There Are Sharps In The Key Signature"
`Week 24 - The "Oh Duh!" Chord Progression
Week 25 - "What You Need To Know About Musical Form
Week 26 - The "Creep" Chord Progression
Week 27 - "The 'II - V7 - I' Chord Progression"
Week 28 - "The 'VI - II - V7 - I' Chord Progression"
Week 29 - The "Blue Moon" Chord Progression
Week 30 - Embedded Chord Subs In The "Blue Moon" Chord Progression
Week 31 - The "12 Bar Blues" Chord Progression
Week 32 - Embedded Chord Subs In The "12 Bar Blues" Chord Progression
Week 33 - "Alternating 7th & m7ths" Chord Progression
Week 34 - "How To Create Unlimited Original Chord Progressions Using Chord Substitutions - Part 1"
Week 35 - "How To Create Unlimited Original Chord Progressions Using Chord Substitutions - Part 2"
Week 36 - "How To Create Unlimited Original Chord Progressions Using Chord Substitutions - Part 3"
Week 37 - Gospel Chord Progression #1 - "Get On That Church!"
Week 38 - Gospel Chord Progression #2 - "Get On Up That V7 Chord!"
Week 39: "It's Graduation Day!"
Week 40: "Practice Ideas"
Week 41: "Transposition & Modulation"
Week 42: "Intervals"
Week 43: Review of Chords -- The Building Blocks Of Scales
Week 44: Inversions: Chords On Their Heads
Week 45: "Voicing"
Week 46: "Modal Scales"
Week 47: The Family of Chords Chart
Week 48: "Playing Christmas Carols On The Piano"
Week 49 - What songs can I play with just a few chords?
Week 50 - Major 7th chords
Week 51 - What All Do I Need To Know?
Week 52 - How To Predict Which Chord Comes Next
How To Play Piano Using Chord Symbols
How To Play Piano Using Chord Symbols
Fm7 -- C-9 -- Ebm6 -- Amaj7
Chord symbols (for example, Cmaj7 or G6) are a type of notation used frequently in jazz and other areas of modern music to notate chord progressions and changes. This type of notation differs from that of classical music in that chord symbols don't show the function of a chord the way the Roman numeral notation does. Chord symbols, for modern music with lots of changes, are much easier to read. They function as a sort of shorthand for change-heavy music and are written with four chord parts in mind: the root, the quality, the extension, and the alterations.
The first part in chord symbols, the root, tells the musician which note is the root of the chord. In an E6 chord, for instance, the E serves as the root. Chord symbols also allow for inverted chords, or chords with a root other than the bass note. These chord symbols express that by showing the bass note with a diagonal slash under the original symbol.
Quality, the second part in chord symbols, denotes whether the chord is major, minor, diminished, or augmented. In a Cmaj7, the maj tells us that the C chord is major. The abbreviations for this area in chord symbols are maj, min, dim, and aug, respectively.
The extension in chord symbols, written after the quality, shows the musician if the chord differs from a triad (a third chord), such as an eleventh or seventh. This part of chord symbols is not always shown; if there is no indication of an extension, the musician is to assume that the chord is a triad.
The last part in chord symbols, the alteration, is usually but not always expressed. Think of this part as the "notes" section in chord symbols; it gives the musician any specific (and sometimes irregular) instructions for playing the chord and is always written in parentheses after the extension (or the quality, if no extension exists). For instance, (no fifth) would tell the musician that the chord is to be played with the fifth tone left out. Sus – short for “suspension”, would mean to play the 4th scale note instead of the 3rd. A minus sign would mean to lower (flat) a chord tone, such as C-9 which would mean to flat the 9th of the chord. Conversely, a plus sign would mean to raise (sharp) a particular chord tone.
Reading music using chord symbols allows a person to use written music as a map, rather than a note-for-note approach. By just reading the melody note and the chord symbols, musicians can improvise to their hearts content and create their own sounds on the keyboard.
The best of all worlds, however, is to be able to read music as it is written in a sheet music score, but also be able to read the chord symbols. Then the musician is free to choose which is best – the written part, or an improvised part. The sky is the limit for musicians who can do both.
Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music courses for adults including "How To Add Runs & Fills To Your Piano Playing" He is also the author of the popular free 101-week online e-mail newsletter titled "Amazing Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Chord Progressions" with over 60,400 current subscribers
Learn piano chord symbols at PlayPiano.com
Fm7 -- C-9 -- Ebm6 -- Amaj7
Chord symbols (for example, Cmaj7 or G6) are a type of notation used frequently in jazz and other areas of modern music to notate chord progressions and changes. This type of notation differs from that of classical music in that chord symbols don't show the function of a chord the way the Roman numeral notation does. Chord symbols, for modern music with lots of changes, are much easier to read. They function as a sort of shorthand for change-heavy music and are written with four chord parts in mind: the root, the quality, the extension, and the alterations.
The first part in chord symbols, the root, tells the musician which note is the root of the chord. In an E6 chord, for instance, the E serves as the root. Chord symbols also allow for inverted chords, or chords with a root other than the bass note. These chord symbols express that by showing the bass note with a diagonal slash under the original symbol.
Quality, the second part in chord symbols, denotes whether the chord is major, minor, diminished, or augmented. In a Cmaj7, the maj tells us that the C chord is major. The abbreviations for this area in chord symbols are maj, min, dim, and aug, respectively.
The extension in chord symbols, written after the quality, shows the musician if the chord differs from a triad (a third chord), such as an eleventh or seventh. This part of chord symbols is not always shown; if there is no indication of an extension, the musician is to assume that the chord is a triad.
The last part in chord symbols, the alteration, is usually but not always expressed. Think of this part as the "notes" section in chord symbols; it gives the musician any specific (and sometimes irregular) instructions for playing the chord and is always written in parentheses after the extension (or the quality, if no extension exists). For instance, (no fifth) would tell the musician that the chord is to be played with the fifth tone left out. Sus – short for “suspension”, would mean to play the 4th scale note instead of the 3rd. A minus sign would mean to lower (flat) a chord tone, such as C-9 which would mean to flat the 9th of the chord. Conversely, a plus sign would mean to raise (sharp) a particular chord tone.
Reading music using chord symbols allows a person to use written music as a map, rather than a note-for-note approach. By just reading the melody note and the chord symbols, musicians can improvise to their hearts content and create their own sounds on the keyboard.
The best of all worlds, however, is to be able to read music as it is written in a sheet music score, but also be able to read the chord symbols. Then the musician is free to choose which is best – the written part, or an improvised part. The sky is the limit for musicians who can do both.
Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music courses for adults including "How To Add Runs & Fills To Your Piano Playing" He is also the author of the popular free 101-week online e-mail newsletter titled "Amazing Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Chord Progressions" with over 60,400 current subscribers
Learn piano chord symbols at PlayPiano.com
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