What If There Isn't A Transpose Button?

Suppose you're the new keyboard player in the band. This rock band just hired you and welcomed you aboard. Now, you're going to your first gig tonight. You arrive excitedly, greet the other musicians and begin to look over the music set. Most of the songs you do know but there's a few complex ones that change keys several times. No worries because your keyboard has a transpose button so you will just press it a few times. On this special night you soon discover that there isn't a transpose button. Now what are you going to do?

If you have found yourself in this same scenario as I have before, you are faced with a few choices.

1. Learn how to modulate; change keys within the song.
2. Play the first song in the original key. Lay out on the chord that sets up the next key. Jump back in with the new key.
3. Just play through the song once and lay out all together while the rest of the musicians play.

The chances of you actually performing at a live gig, playing a fast, lively song that changes keys several times, like the ones by Israel Houghton and then reaching for the transpose button and clicking away, yet remaining in the groove can cause a train wreck and mess up the other musicians.
The answers to learning how to modulate on your own can be found in learning the Circle of Fifths and using the Number System. Here are a few tips to help you on your way to transposition or simply stated, moving a piece of music from one key to another.

1. Know the scale of the original key.
2. Number each note of the melody by the numbers of the scale.
3. Review the scale of the new key, finding the numbers (degrees) associated with the notes and reconstruct the melody.

The same formula is true with transposing a chord progression. Let's say the original key is C Major and we're playing I chord (C) and the IV chord F. The singer chooses to modulate to the Key of Eb to fit her voice range better and cause a dynamic move in the song. With the same previous steps for changing the melody line, we will now apply to the new key. In the Key of Eb, we play I chord (Eb) and the IV chord (Ab).

Going back to our opening scenario, you will need to know HOW to arrive at the new key and that is called Modulation. Forget that button on your keyboard and discover the solution by learning these easy steps.

To begin, let's say we are starting in the Key of F and we want to move up a half step. Here's what you need to know.

1. A dominant chord is built on the fifth degree of the scale.
2. The most direct movement is from the dominant chord to the tonic chord.
3. This is known as the V-I progression.
4. A dominant seventh chord may also be used, and this is called a V7-I progression.

Now you're ready for your new gig. It's a new day. The band starts a particular song in the Key of F Major. Now to move to F# Major, you are playing the dominant chord (V) of the New Key to set up the new change and that chord would be C# and you begin anew in the key of F# with I chord. Congratulations "smooth modulator."

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

Most Common Variations on the Seventh Chord

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Most Common Variations on the Seventh Chord:

* All these chords are possible substitutions for the plain sounding seventh chord, although not every alternative works in all situations. This leaves experimentation up to you.

* All the chords in the group below contain the flat seven (Bb).


* An understanding of these C7 chord types will lead to mastery of the corresponding chords in other keys. Figure them out, write them down, practice them, and memorize them.


C9 = C E G Bb D


Caug7 = C E G# Bb


C7-9 = C E G Bb Db


C7+9 = C E G Bb D#


Csus4(7) = C F G Bb


C11 = C E G Bb D F

Exercises on C Am Dm G7

This simple four-chord progression contains major, minor, and seventh chords. Thus, it makes a wonderful basis for an exercise witht the chord substitutions. Practice using all the substitutions we have learned in this pattern until your hands are familiar with the chords and your ears are familiar with how they sound.


C = C E G

Am = A C E


Dm = D F A


G7 = G B D F

Scale-tone 7th Chords

The Scale-tone 7th chords of the major scale are formed in the same way as the scale-tone triads . For the 7th chords four notes of the major scale are used instead of three.

1. By stacking three alternate notes of the C major scale on top of the tonic C, a C major 7th chord is formed : C - E - G - B
2. Stacking three alternate notes of the C major scale on top of D produces the second scale-tone 7th chord, this time Dm7 : D - F - A - C
3. Stacking three alternate notes of the C major scale on top of E produces the third scale-tone 7th chord, Em7 : E - G - B - D and so on.

Repeating this process for each note of the C major scale produces seven scale-tone 7th chords.

For the major scale in any key :

the I Chord is always a major 7th chord

the II Chord is always a minor 7th chord

the III Chord is always a minor 7th chord

the IV Chord is always a major 7th chord

the V Chord is always a dominant 7th chord

the VI Chord is always a minor 7th chord

the VII Chord is always a half diminished chord

Learn about nearest notes and common notes:
Seventh Chords


Here's a review on altered chords, chord substitutions, secondary chords:
http://mugglinw.ipower.com/chordmaps/part4.htm
 
Thanks for stopping by.
I hope you enjoy your stay at LadyD Piano.

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Chord Voicings

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Chord voicings are the types of chords to put with a song or progression. In gospel music, you'll deal with the M7th (major) voicing or the m7th (minor), Dealing with the I- IV- V, you'll most likely play 7th chords: I (7th) - IV (7th) - V (7th). And your minors will most likely be 7th chords also. Where is the 7th?


Learning scale degrees is important. Let's say you're in "C" and you want to play the 'C7'. you go up the keyboard from C, (I) and count seven. You should be on B so your chord will be: C E G B. That's your M7th chord... but that's not the chord you want. You want the dominant 7th chord, in which the 7th will be flatted. so you'll play: C E G Bb. Now that's your C7th chord.  The chords that are dominant and will be flatted are: C, F, C# (Db) and F# (Db).


Now the minor voicing is different. You will play the dom.7th but it's usually the 1st and the 4th that will be minor, the 5th is played as the regular dom. 7th going back into the I chord. Also, in most minor songs, you'll play the 5th as the 2nd chord change, for instance:


      L.H. / R.H. - Words
I -   CG/ Cm7 (2) - Lord, I know I've been changed
V - GD/ G7th (4) - Lord, I
I -  CG/ Cm7 (3) - Know I've
vi - AC#/ A7(b6) {GAC#F} - Been
ii - DA/ F#M7(b5) - Changed
V - GD/ B aug


Major 7 voicings are pretty. They give a nice lush sound to your playing. You can incorporate more chords into your playing. Let's start out with "C" which incorporates C, F, G or the I- IV- V. Now the CM7 chord is: CEGB and the IV is FM7 which is FACE. You will use these voicings for your I and IV and the 5th will always most likely be the G7th chord which is GBDF because it will bring you into the I chord or C... no matter what voicing, major or minor.


Your passing chords will be altered to keep the beauty of the chord structure. For instance, in the 7th voicing you will use 7th chords or diminished to go from one chord to another. In the M7 voicing, you'll use M7th chords. This will add a certain class and sophistication to your playing. This works wonderfully with slow and medium songs:


L.H. / R.H. - Words

______________ My
CG/ CM7 - Soul Loves
EB/ Em7 - Jesus, My
FC/ FM7 - Soul
GD/ FM7 - Loves
CG/ CM7 - Jesus
AbD/ Abdim6- My
AE/  AM7 - Soul Loves
DA/ CM7(b5) - Jesus
AbEb/ AbM7 - Bless His
GD/ FM7 - Name
GF/E (turnaround chord)


As a major 7th voicing, the chords are altered but not in such a way that it takes away from the song. In the left hand you mostly play the I and V (perfect 5th) except for the diminished where you play the I and + or raised 5th (sharpened)


Here's a very cool lesson on Rootless Chords by Willie Myette:

  http://www.pianoplayingtips.info/jazz-piano-lesson-e-lesson-11-rootless-chords


All the best,
LadyD


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