Fill Ins For Beginners

* Every fill in pattern uses a group of notes. For instance in a basic arpeggio fill in pattern, the set of notes are none other than the chord notes itself. To spice things up, you can include the 9th note (or the 2nd note). So, now you have these group of notes: 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 5th for a fill in pattern.

These are some examples of fill in patterns in C chord using the 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 5th:

C chord = C (1st ) D (2nd ) E (3rd ) G (5th )

Using the 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 5th normally is the safest, in the sense that it works literally on every chord. Of course there are many possibilities to other groups of notes use in a fill in situation, apart from using 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 5th. For instance:

C, E, F, G (on any chord in C key) --- or
C, B, G, D (on any chord in C key)

Experiment with other groups of notes that you can come up with. Realize that not every formula or groups of notes works for every chord or situations. It depends on many factors. Use your ears!

Here is a free PDF James Stevens designed that shows different patterns that you can use with chords to make your own accompaniment. Hope this helps with the "filling in."


http://www.jamesmstevens.com/chordpatterns.html

Sometimes it helps in playing chord patterns like this by thinking of your right hand as the "guitar player" and your left hand as the "bass player."

Play the R.H. in patterns like the guitar might play and add a "boom, boom" here with the bass by simply playing the bass note of the chord or the note on right or below if saw a slash chord like C/D. Here you would play D in your left hand as the bass and C in your right hand as the chord.

Patterns in the chords is just taking the notes of the chords that are right under your hands and breaking them up a note at a time in a way where you like the sound. This just gives some variety.

If you want some extra notes for a fill or a run, just use the notes of the scale you are in such as "G" in this song which would included G, A, B, C, D, E, F#. Just start on a note of the chord you are playing and end on a note of the chord you are going to.

And most of the time "less is best." A few notes tastefully chosen and played within your own skill level is better than trying to throw in the "kitchen sink."

In a typical "boom chick" sound in a country gospel feel you might have the bass playing on 1 and 3 and the chords (guitar) hitting on 2 and 4. In this type of playing, particularly when the chords are in ROOT position or NOT a slash chord, on the 1st beat the bass would hit on the Root note (the same as the name of the chord) and on the 3rd beat the bass would hit on the 5th note of the scale which would be a 5th up or a 4th down.

So, if you were playing a C chord, the bass would alternate between playing C on the strong beats and G on the weaker beats. Notice if you count from C to G going up or to the right that it is 5 notes, but if you count from C to G going down or to the left it is 4 notes, but it is still the same letter "G" regardless.

Now this doesn't work the same with the Slash chords for different reasons so you would just stay on the bass note listed on the right of the Slash or use your ear to choose a note that sounds right.

* Simple Fills- Tips For Beginners


'Outline' your chord. ex. you hit your C chord, then you just hit each note of that chord, in any order, go up, hit the notes C, E, G, go down and hit G, E, C, go out of order it doesn't matter. This sounds really pretty if you have chords close together in a slow song, don't hit the chord just 'outline' or hit the notes of the chord. Another thing you can do with your chord is a 'roll'. Hit your chord, then go up higher on the keyboard and 'roll' the chord down. Ex. hit C chord,then move hand higher up, and quick like hit G E C, your three fingers you just used to play the chord just kind of roll this chord down.

The third trick is for a faster song, but sometimes you can make it sound right in slower songs. It's called the major/minor trick. If you are on a major chord, say C, and you need to fill in with a little beat of chords, find the piano/keyboard key a whole step up from C, which is D, so your going to move to a D minor, move back and forth from C chord to D minor chord in a beat kind of, it sounds great if you can get a good sounding rhythm.If you are on a MAJOR chord you move UP a whole step to MINOR...IF you are on a MINOR chord...like D minor...you move down a whole step to the MAJOR, which in D the whole step down is C. Once you get good at the major minor, it sounds really awesome when you move up and down the keyboard with it in inversions of the chord instead of staying the same place. If you need a quick fill in, inversions of the same chord are great. It gives you a little different sound from the same chord.

* Examples

C-E-G
D-F-A
E-G-C
F-A-D
G-C-E
A-D-F
(repeat going up)

C-E-G
A-D-F
G-C-E
F-A-D
E-G-C
D-F-A
(repeat going down)

Here is one for shouting music:

Bb-Eb-G or C-Eb-G
A-D-F
G-C-Eb
F-A-D
Eb-G-C
D-F-A
(repeat going down)


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