How To Predict Which Chord Comes Next In a Song

Wouldn't it be nice if you could predict which chord would probably come next in a song

That would be like having your own crystal ball.

I've got some GREAT news for you.

It is possible. Not 100%, but somewhere on the order of 75% to 85% accurate.

That's because music has FORM -- like the skeleton that holds your flesh, muscles, and skin up. If you had no bones -- no skeleton -- your flesh and all the other parts of you would fall in a heap on the floor. Not a pretty picture. But because you DO have a skeleton, you are able to walk around and pretty accurately predict which way your next step will take you.

It's the same in music. Music has FORM -- a skeleton to hold it up, hold it together. And that skeleton is made out of chords -- harmony -- the tonal center of the song or piece.
In any given key you can play in, there are PRIMARY CHORDS -- chords that occur way more than other chords. They are like family members of that particular key.
At your house, let's say you have 3 people in your family -- your spouse, your child, and you. On the same block, but down the street a few houses, lives your cousin and her family.
At any given moment, who are the most likely people to be in your house?
President Obama? George Bush? Kyle Singler?
I don't think so.
It's possible, of course, but not too likely. If I had to guess, I would say it would be either you, your spouse, or your child. It might be your cousin down the street -- there's a much better chance of that than, say, Michael Phelps -- but my best odds would be to guess that the family members would be there.
It's the same way with chords. In any given key, there are 3 "family members" that are residents of that key -- the I chord, the IV chord, and the V chord. They are far and away the most likely chords to occur in any given key.
For example, if I am playing in the Key of C, and the first chord is the C chord and I have to guess what the next chord is, I would guess that it would be either the F chord or the G chord. Why? Because those are the other "family members". So we have narrowed the odds a great deal just by knowing who the members of the family are.
What chord comes next?
So how could I tell whether it should be F or G?
If the melody is a "B", then the chord is probably a G chord. Why? Because "B" is in the G chord, but is not in the F chord.
If the melody is a "A", than I would guess that the chord is F. Why? Because "A" is in the F chord, but is not in the G chord.
Does that mean that there are always just 3 chords in a song? No, but there are literally hundreds of songs that are made of just 3 chords.
For more complete information see "How To Predict Which Chord Comes Next In a Song"

Are You Able To Think In Any Musical Key?

To speak Spanish or German or French well, you have to be able to "think" in the language. It's the same with music...unless you can "think in Bb" when you're playing a song in the key of Bb, you will leave out flats, miss chords, etc. that are just not necessary to miss.

.....what each scale degree is

.....what the primary chords are

.....what the secondary chords are
.....what the fingering for the scale of that key is
.....what the relative minor key is
.....patterns that work particularly well in that key.

If you need help in this area, check out "How To Think In All 12 Keys"

What is Rhythm?

Stupid question, isn't it?

/We all know what rhythm is -- at least we know if when we hear it and feel it. But what is it really -- what makes rhythm tick? Wikipedia defines it as "any measured flow or movement, symmetry" - in other words, it is the variation of the length and accentuation of a series of sounds or other events.

The sun, for example, has a rhythm. It comes up every morning and goes down every evening. Steady. The earth has a rhythm too, as it revolves around the sun. We call that rhythm a "year." Your heart has a rhythm too -- if you take your pulse you'll see it is quite steady. All of nature has rhythm, and so it is quite natural that music has rhythm as well.

We speak of that rhythm in terms of "beats", and we measure those beats using tools such as "time signatures", "quarter notes", "eighth notes", "syncopated notes", "steady notes", etc, etc, etc. Most music is in either 4/4 time or 3/4 time, although there are many other varieties that are not used nearly as music.

To master rhythm a person needs to have a "baseline" by which to measure the notes that are occuring in various patterns.

Rhythm Piano

What does it mean to "Dress Up Naked Music"?

That's a strange phrase, isn't it? What in the world is "naked music"?

You've probably noticed that virtually NO professional piano player plays music exactly like it is written in sheet music (except for classical, of course -- that's a different matter).

Instead, they embellish and improvise and arrange the music that is on the printed sheet -- in other words, they "dress up naked music."

There is a great course on the subject at "How To Dress Up Naked Music On The Piano"

Check it out. It covers 101 things that pianists do to make plain old sheet music come to life in new and exciting ways.

What Key Are You Playing In?

What does it mean when you hear a musician say "this song is in the key of C" (or key of Bb or any key? Watch this short video:


What does it mean "to be in the key of C" (or any key)

What do those sharps or flats mean at the start of a song?

What do those sharps or flats mean at the start of a song? Watch this short video to find out.

"How many chords do I have to know to play a song?"

Lots of people over the years have asked me some variation of the question "How many chords do I have to know to play a song?"

The answer is "What song?" Some songs have many, many chords, but there are hundreds of songs that have only 3 chords, and hundreds more that have only 4 chords.

So to be able to play a simple song like "Amazing Grace" (simple in terms of music, not theology) or "On Top of Old Smoky" or "Happy Birthday" all you really need to know are 3 chords -- the tonic chord, the subdominant chord, and the dominant chord.

Please see "Songs you can play with just 4 chords" for exciting information on this idea.

Also see "Songs With 3 or 4 Chords"

How Time Signatures Work in Music Rhythm

Time signatures are the area of western musical notation that give specifics about time and how it will function within the song. The importance of these two numbers is apparent by their placement alone; time signatures are literally the second thing a musician sees, after the clef. One glance at the time signatures and the musician is able to put the entire song into context; not only do time signatures denote rhythm, they can also tell quite a bit about style and genre.

Time signatures consist of two numbers placed vertically on the staff. They appear right after the key signature (if there is one) or the clef (if there isn't). Each number says something different about the piece of music: the top note indicates how many beats are in one measure of music, the bottom indicates which type of note makes a beat (or "gets the beat," in musician-speak). For example, times signatures of 4/4 tell a musician that there are four beats per measure of music and that the quarter note is one beat.

But time signatures aren't always so easy. The above explanation only applies to one type of time signatures, simple time signatures. 4/4 is the most common of the simple time signatures, but 3/4 and 2/4 are used frequently, as well. The other type of time signatures, compound time signatures, tends to be a bit more complicated. Compound time signatures are recognizable by a top number of six or higher that is always divisible by three, like 6/8. To figure out how many beats exist per measure, the top number is divided by three; so in 6/8 time signatures, the top number wouldn't say that there are six beats per measure, but rather two. Likewise, the note type is found by multiplying the bottom number's note value by three; an eighth note doesn't get the beat in 6/8 times signatures, but the dotted quarter note does (a quick note: the note value in compound time signatures will always be dotted). 6/8 and 12/8 are two of the most common compound time signatures, used heavily in waltzes and blues, respectively.

But even compound time signatures don't cover the broad spectrum of rhythms that time signatures have to offer. No, there are still times that a rhythm is so odd, so seemingly offbeat, that the time signatures must be similarly irregular. And that's how we get to irregular time signatures, time signatures that can be categorized into simple or compound, but because of their rare usage and strange rhythm aren't really categorized as such -- like 5/8 or 10/4. Time signatures like these are found pretty frequently in innovative rock and pop groups. The most famous examples of irregular times signatures are found all over Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon," but bands like Rush and Genesis (early Genesis, before Phil Collins stepped away from the drums) have also used them to marvelous effect.

How To Improvise On The Piano Using Chords

Improvisation means "freedom of ideas", so in music that would mean you are not limited to the traditional music nor to the written music. Pros often play from "fake books" -- a type of music notation (also called a lead sheet) that uses only the melody of the song along with chord symbols. Once a person knows chords, then they can play any note of a chord almost at random, plus scale notes and connecting passing tones that move between the chord notes.

For piano players, the right hand will usually play the improvised part using various piano notes, while the left hand plays the chord. But the improvised part is created from, and around, the chord. You'll learn how to use chords notes, neighboring notes, scale notes, and non-harmonic piano notes in your improvisations, and how each type functions in the overall scheme.

For more information on this facinating skill, go over to Piano Improvising Using Chords.

Piano Instruction For Adults

There are lots of adults who would love to start playing the piano again, after years of being away from th e piano. They took lessons as a kid, and remember a little, but really need some good instruction to get them going again in piano.

Proper adult piano instruction is an element extremely vital to learning the instrument well. Though it's very possible to be a self-taught piano player, piano instruction can really increase the speed and efficiency with which one learns the instrument. That's not to say that great piano instruction makes great piano players overnight; even the most naturally talented pianists still play for years before they consider themselves advanced. But proper piano instruction will make maximize those years to the fullest and ensure that the student is learning the correct techniques.

Though teaching styles always vary from instructor to instructor, piano instruction generally covers the same basic areas: fingering, music theory, music reading and sight reading. The early lessons will cover fingering and posture, making sure the student knows how to hold his or her hands and where to put them on the keys; series of scales practiced repeatedly will be the basis of this area. Piano instruction will then move on to music theory essentials, starting with the basics of notes and chord structure and moving forward to advanced concepts in rhythm, tempo and dynamics.

Many of these concepts are introduced into the piano instruction while the student is learning to read music, a practice that runs through the entire course of the piano instruction. Teachers will assign short, easy pieces to kick start the student's music reading knowledge and eventually move forward to more advanced pieces. Sight reading, the ability to play a piece of music without ever having seen it, is sometimes placed sporadically throughout the piano instruction, after a student is fairly well-versed in reading music. All of the elements of piano instruction eventually begin to work hand in hand. Once the very early basics are covered, the advanced concepts are taught through practice of a separate concept in piano instruction; theory aids in the knowledge of reading, which in turn aids in the knowledge of both theory and sight reading. Piano instruction then becomes an intricate web of gaining bits of detailed knowledge without realizing that it's being gained.

There are many spots on the web where an adult can learn to play the piano faster than with "traditional lessons", such as http://www.playpiano.com/playmusic.htm and others.