Easy Play Method

I'm back to teaching piano lessons this new semester. I like many methods of teaching. One approach I've been using is from Carol Tornquist. More specifically, her easy play method is about:

1. Notation - eventually reading 4 octaves (including sharps, flats and ledger lines)
2. Theory - necessary for a full understanding of making music (emphasis on intervals, chords, keys, and harmony)
3. Melody - beginning on 3 black keys (L.H. and R.H.), then moving to C position (5 fingers) and other key groups.
4. Rhythm - beginning with a simple meter (2/4, 3/4, 4/4) and an introduction of a compound meter 6/8.
5. Chords - introduced I, V7, eventually using major, minor, diminished, augmented chords (block and broken)
6. Keys - use of all major and minor key signatures, the order of sharps and flats.
7. Accompaniment - Use harmonic intervals, then 3 note chords.
8. Creativity - writing melodies, "questions"/"answers", harmonies for melodies.
9. Transposition - encouraged to help students think in "keys"
10. Technique - ear training exercises.

By Level 1 and 2, my students know some music definitions. Here's just a few:

1. D.C. al Fine - To go back to the beginning and play until Fine.
2. Forte - Loud
3. Transpose - To play in a different key
4. Mezzo Piano - Medium Soft

Many boys and girls have learned some Italian words to describe TEMPO. For example:

1. Fast - Allegro
2. Medium Tempo - Moderato
3. Andante - Slow

Level 1 Fundamentals

Introducing Patriotic songs for Level 1 students helps them to hear the interval distance. For example in the Key of F when they play America the Beautiful, students hear the first melodic interval, which is a 6th, from Middle C up to A.

So, kids have learned that an Interval is a DISTANCE between one note and another and that there are two kinds on Intervals: Learn Intervals

• Melodic: 2nd (C to D), 3rd (C to E), 4th (C to F), and 5th (C to G)
• Harmonic 2nd (C and D together), 3rd (C and E together), 4th (C and F together), and (C and G together).
• An interval of a 7th is either: line to line (G to F) or space to space (F to E).

When students learn about half steps and whole steps, they start listening to tones. Many enjoy playing the Chromatic Scale at this time.

• Half Steps - A Half Step is the shortest melodic interval there is on the keyboard. In other words, it's the distance from one key to the next... black or white... up or down. For example G to F#, E to F. C to C#, and E to Eb.
• Whole Steps - A Whole step is a distance from one key to another, with just one key between them. For example G down to F, E to F#, C to D, and E down to D.

All ages on different levels like to practice scales, especially the C Major Scale. Every Major Scale has 8 notes grouped into a "pattern" of half steps and whole steps. Sliding your thumb under your 3rd finger on "F", play the C Major Scale from C to C (ascending). Then try it going down (descending) crossing your 3 rd finger over your thumb on E. One of the most well-known Christmas carols begins with the Major Scale descending, and that is "Joy to the World" by George F. Handel.

Many junior high students are writing their own songs using broken chords. In the Key of C, you  play 3 major chords:

C Major (I) = C-E-G
F Major (IV) = F-A-C
G Major (V) = G-B-D

Children and adults enjoy listening to seventh chords, hearing how they are alike or different. Many play 3 Dominant Seventh Chords in Level 1. History of Seventh Chords

G7 (C Major) - BFG
D7 (G Major) - F#CD
C7 (F Major) - EBbC

When a chord changes from one to another, it's called a Chord Progression. To help with more improv skills, one must learn left-hand patterns and chord inversions.

Remember that the I chord is also known as the Tonic. C root position = CEG
Also, the IV chord is called the Subdominant. (FAC)
And that the V chord is also known as the DOMINANT. (GBD)

Subdominant Chord Inversions

Root = FAC
1st = ACF
2nd = CFA
Root = FAC

Dominant Chord Inversions

Root = GBD
1st = BDG
2nd = DGB
Root = GBD

The Dominant Seventh chord is formed by adding the "7th" above the "root." (GBDF)
Since the Dominant Seventh chord has 4 notes in it, you may leave out 1 note and still have a triad:
BFG.

Hope this helps. Keep practicing... I know I will!

Blessings!

-- LadyD

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

The Components of Music: Part Three

The Structure of Music

The structure of an object is its organization or the way in which it is put together. Every object has an outer shape or form. Every object also has inner parts which give that object its unique character.

Music also has an outer shape or plan. Each piece of music has many inner parts too, which fit together to create the whole composition. Music has both outer and inner structure or form.

Introduction To "Motif"

A motif is a short musical figure that recurs throughout a composition. It is used to unify the piece. A motif is usually the seed of the main theme of a composition. AS few as two notes can make up a motif if they are melodically or rhythmically characteristic of the theme. The motif can be found in music as simple as a folk song or as complex as a symphony. Beethoven developed a highly skilled use of the motif in many of his later symphonies.

Creating Melodic Variation

Augmentation - Doubling the duration of notes in a melody
Altered Tones - Changing some of the pitches of a melody
Extension - Adding notes to make a melody longer
Ornamentation - Adding new tones within a melody

Music Background

A phrase in music is comparable to a sentence in a speech. It is a natural division of the melodic line. A phrase usually includes 2, 4, or 8 measures. A phrase mark (or curved line) should not be confused with a tie or a slur mark. A tie only connects two notes of the same pitch. A slur mark is used when two notes are sung on one syllable.

The Forms of Music

All music has an outer shape or form. There are very short forms of music, such as a three-part (A B A) song or instrumental piece, or a simple round. There are also longer forms of music.

Instrumental Forms

• Theme and variations
• Rondo
• Suite
• Symphony
• Concerto

Vocal Forms

• Opera
• Oratorio

Music is often built by putting phrases together in very regular ways. For example, many folk songs have an even number of phrases, with an equal number of measures in each. One or two phrases may be repeated, resulting in phrase forms such as these.

A B A B    A A B A    A B A C

Theme and variation is a musical form that uses a musical idea (theme) and a number of modifications of the theme (variations). The theme is usually a simple tune, frequently a familiar melody. If the original melody is preserved in all the variations, they are called melodic variations. If only the original harmonic structure is kept, they are called harmonic variation.

Poetry, as well as music, may be written in either regular or irregular phrase form.

So, reinforce understanding of phrases through compositional strategy. Experiment with various ways to develop the two phrases into a melody. Write words to fit one or more melodies. The melodies created should show understanding of phrase form, cadence, and musical balance.

Does your song have a regular or irregular form?
Does your song seem balanced?
Does your song end with a full cadence?

Okay. Perhaps you have missed some earlier posts on Components of Music. You can catch up here, Part Two and Part One.

You may be interested in MACMILLAN MUSIC. It's a great resource for teachers.

Wishing you all the best!


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

The Components of Music: Part Two

Melody

A melody is a succession of pitches that move in time. Each tone in a melody has both pitch and duration. Most modules are built from pitch arrangements called scales. There are many kinds of scales. You are familiar with major scales and minor scales. Here's an earlier post to refresh your studies, Reviewing 4 Scales.

Because melody has both pitch and duration, it cannot be separated from rhythm. Melody, therefore, could be described as motion plus rhythm. Melody is a continuous movement, and is, therefore, the progress of a moving line passing through successive sounds. A composer manipulates this movement in much the same way as a painter draws a line or a sculptor molds a shape. A line of any kind, however, whether visual or tonal, has direction. It moves either upward or downward. The movement of the line is what gives the melody a recognizable profile. Most melodies are built from pitch organizations called scales. There are many kinds of scales.

Modes

D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D

The scale above is called the Dorian mode. If you want to experiment with different modes, then read Learn Improv with Modes.

"Scarborough Fair" is an old English song that is based on this scale, D  E  F  G  A  B  C  D. This scale is called the Dorian mode. There are many kinds of modes. each mode uses a different pattern of intervals.

Reviewing Scales

The meaning of the term "scale" is an ascending or descending arrangement of pitches from which melodies and harmonies are built (generally within the octave). Half step examples: C-C#, E-F, A-Ab, B-C. Whole step examples: C-D, E-F#, A-G, Bb-C). A scale may start on any tone. Play some of these scales, starting in different tones. Choose one of the scales and improvise a melody.

• Major Scale

          W   W   1/2    W W W 1/2

• Minor Scale

        W  1/2  W  W  1/2  W  W

• Dorian mode

         W  1/2  W  W  W  1/2  W

• Mixolydian mode

         W  W  1/2  W  W  1/2  W
       
A great resource you may be interested in is Fundamentals of Piano Theory - Level 1.

Pentatonic Scales

You can use pentatonic scales for improvisation and composition. Pentatonic scales are related to the music of some of the Indian cultures. This is an example of a Pentatonic scale: D E F# A B. Not all scales have seven tones. Many songs are built on a five-tone scale. Five-tone scales are called pentatonic scales. Much music from the Far East uses pentatonic scales.

If you want to understand pentatonic scales, visit Altered Pentatonic Scales and Patterns.

Composing with Pentatonic Scales

"Sakura" is a famous Japanese folk song. This song is a delicate musical picture of cherry blossom time in Japan. When arranging notes of the song from low to high, use B C E F A B C. Notice that there are two half steps in this scale, unlike the more familiar, pentatonic scale. (Half steps are between B and C, E and F.)

Tone Row

Tone rows are pitch organizations like scales except that they have no tonal center. Some music has no tonal center. 

Building a Tone Row

The tone row was first developed by an Austrian author-composer, Arnold Schoenberg. Now manycomposers use tone row as a basis for their music. Schoenberg developed the twelve-tone system, in which every composition is based upon an arbitrary arrangement of the twelve chromatic tones, called a tone-row. An example would be C, E, G, C#, A, B, F, Eb, D, F#, G#, A#.

Microtonal Music

Some composers make up their own scales. The American composer Harry Partch (1901-1974) used a scale which has forty-three pitches to each octave. His music based on intervals smaller than half steps is called microtonal music. Microtonal music sounds out of tune to people who listen only to music built from half and whole steps.

A great handbook resource I recommend to musicians is Jermaine Griggs, 300 Pg Piano By Ear Home Study Course. I refer to it often with my piano students wanting to compose songs with a few chords.

Have fun building on music theory and using the information to improvise with making songs at your fingertips! 

-- LadyD

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

Harmony Accompanies Melody Carefully

Composers choose the notes or chords that accompany a melody carefully. This is called the harmony. Sometimes all the notes of a chord are played together; in other places they might be played one note at a time, as in arpeggios. Some harmony chords sound nice, and others can sound a bit ugly.

The stormy-sounding chords are called dissonant chords; they feel tense. They are important in music because they make you want to hear them change to a nice-sounding chord. They lead the music to somewhere else. The nice-sounding chords are called consonant. You usually want to have both in music to make it more interesting.

Consonant, Calm

G-B-D Chord

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

A-C#-E Chord

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

Harmony provides the emotions in music. It can make the music sound happy, sad, calm, angry, and any other emotion you can think of. Look at your piano music and see if you can name an emotion for each piece. Is it happy, sad, impatient?

Dissonant, Uneasy

G-A-Bb

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

F-Bb-E

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

You can make a chord from every note in a scale by adding thirds to it. To name these chords, musicians use Roman numerals, such as I ii iii IV V. When the chord is major, the Roman numerals are capital letters, and when the chord is minor, the numerals are small letters. The chords also have English names like tonic, dominant, and mediant.


Composers often use specific combinations of these chords in the harmony for their music. When they use the chords in one of these patterns, we call it a chord progression. Probably the most famous chord progression is the Amen that concludes a hymn. It uses the chord from the 4th note in the scale and the first chord (or tonic).

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

IV Chord = FAC  (A - men)

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

I Chord = CEGC (A-men)

This example is based on the C major scale but the chords can be based on other scales as well. Another important chord progression that is heard in almost all rock and roll music is the I-IV-V-I. Hundreds of songs use only these three chords. (CEG / FAC / GBD)

On my other blog, I have a post on chord extensions and keyboard voicings, Chords and Harmony

You may be interested in taking a look at Hear and Play offering Gospel Keys Ministry Musician 1 featuring Jason White. He teaches gospel piano chords.

photo credit: second sax lesson via photopin (license)

Wishing you a Happy 4th!

Blessings,






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

Arranging Fundamentals: Reinventing Melodies

The New York Trombone Conspiracy

I found this wonderful article by Pete McGuinness in my 2007 JAZZed Magazine. I found it very relevant for today. Let me know what you think. Oh, you might want to read more information about him at, www.petemcguinness.com

Arrangement Fundamentals: Reinventing Melodies

 Some of the greatest experiences an arranger can have are the opportunities to lovingly "mess with" someone else's melody. It is also the one aspect of arranging which I've found that less experienced musicians are the most intimidated by. However, altering aspects of a song's melody shouldn't be looked upon as something that is taboo. Rather, the process can be thought of as actually paying tribute to what makes a work great in the first place.

Selection and Approach

When picking a melody I want to reformat, I always try to select a tune I feel a strong personal connection with. But even when working with lesser material, it is important to find something to love about the given tune and to deeply understand the song's structure and history. This will keep you inspired and informed, helping creative ideas come more easily.

If the selected tune is one the average listener is generally familiar with, then the way an arranger treats it can act as a window into his or her creative thinking and personal style. Whenever possible, it helps to start by listening to a recording of the original version of the song, or at least a version done in the traditional manner. This will help make clear the tune's original intention as a composition. Assuming there exists plenty of freedom to alter various aspects of the song (melody, harmony, style, meter, etc.), the most crucial choice the arranger first makes is with respect to the new overall "feel" of the composition. This decision should be allowed to evolve very generally, by choosing basic things like tempo, overall level of tension, and so on.

Then, the arranger should pick a rhythmic style that best addresses those overall ideas. For example, if I want to turn a standard-sounding ballad into something "fast" and more "tense" in mood, I might select a samba for the groove, with a heavily syncopated treatment of the melody, perhaps adding some unusual re-harmonizations as well. Maybe
I would also incorporate some kind of underlying rhythmic vamp figure, which could possibly enhance the feeling of tension. Not every change of groove or tempo is going to work for the arranger, personally. He or she must sit with the tune for a while and play around until something feels right. It's really a matter of taste. 

The idea here is to convince the listener that your new arrangement of the tune could, in fact, be the originally intended version - very tricky to pull off! But, if the arranger is familiar enough with the rhythmic and stylistic language of many styles of music (underlying drum patterns, bass lines/comping patterns, traditional rhythmic treatment of melodies), he or she will have more options, and the music will sound authentic. Personally, I find this to be one of the most fun parts of the arranging process.

I suggest trying lots of approaches out. You may find that you can hear the tune in more than one new context, so you should give yourself time to find the "right" one. Most importantly, pick one in which you can hear the melody work within the rhythmic style. Remember, it is generally the melody that is the most important aspect of any song, so deal with it first. You can worry about re-harmonization, orchestration, and everything else later. They are the icing on the cake in comparison (the exception being a more conservative alteration of the melody in favor of other changes, such as more heavy reharmonization, vamps, etc.) Regardless of the style chosen, let it be one that is familiar to you. I often start by listening to classic recordings, typical of the genre I've chosen for my chart, in order to get my head into the specifics of the style. Then, I'll think about the structure of the melody I'm arranging in relation to this chosen groove.

In some situations, this may seem like putting a square peg into a round hole, but if you think about the original rhythmic design of the tune's pitches, and compare that to traditional melodies in the chosen style, you may see rhythmic possibilities leap out at you. Trust your ear and your knowledge of the style. Remember, there is some reason you first chose this approach for the tune (or more likely, it chose you). Start by experimenting with the layout of the pitches. If the song has lyrics, even if the arrangement is to be an instrumental, try to hear the lyrics of the song as you restructure the pitches. Do the words still seem to have a grammatical flow and logic? Melodic structures working with lyrics are often composed with this in mind. How about rhythmic sequences in the original's phrases? Where's the tune's climax (usually the highest note somewhere towards the end)? The arranger must thoroughly understand the important features of the tune's original melodic structure, and use technique to "comment" on them.

Interpreting a Smile

If you look at the notation examples, I've prepared, you'll see various re-working of a song near and dear to my heart, "Smile," by Charlie Chaplin for the soundtrack to his film Modern Times (1936)...

In the examples below, I've tried to come up with several possible contexts in which "Smile" might appear, while trying to retain as much of the tunes original character as possible. Example 1 is simply the straightforward, unaltered presentation of the song's first four bars (for reference). Notice that the first note is a longer time value (half note) than the notes that follow.

Arranging : Rhythmic Context Change

Ex.1) Original, unaltered version (first four vars)

4/4  C  D E / D C B A / B  C D / C B A G

If you clearly establish what the tune is early on, you will have more liberty to stray further from the tune later on... Notice the various grooves and styles that have been chosen, and how the melody has been made to fit rhythmically. In examples 2-6, only the original pitches were used, nothing extra.

Ex. 2) With common swing-type phrasing (various tempi)

4/4 rest C D E D /  tie C B A B / tie C D C / tie B A G

Ex. 3) As a bossa-nova
4/4 rest C tie D E D / tie C B tie A / rest rest B tie C D C / tied b A tied G
Ex. 4) As a samba
2/4 rest C D E D / rest C rest B rest A B / tie C tie D C / tie B A G A
Ex. 5) As a jazz waltz
3/4 rest C rest D E / D C B A / B rest C D / C B A G A
Ex. 6) Light swing - playing around drum brushwork (i.e. "Soft Shoe")
4/4 C rest rest D E D / rest rest C B A / rest B C D C / rest rest B rest A G

Ex. 7) With embellishments around melody's original pitches
                                                            
4/4 C rest D E D B E D / rest G C D C B C A tied / rest rest B C D C / rest G D E B A B G tied

In Closing

... The key is to have enough of both reused and varied material to keep things interesting. This is part of the game of arranging - the fun of pulling the listener along, giving them something to guide their ears through the chart, such as reuse of material, as well as offering surprises along the way. Good luck. I hope you will feel more confident that it is okay to "mess with" other people's music, even famous tunes. If your arrangement is done well, you may find that the composer will be very flattered!

Great article, thank you!

You may be interested in Backpocket Band Software
Back Pocket Band is a unique best metronome like product that is much more than a traditional metronome. Back Pocket Band provides a track-like experience including a drum beat, base, or cool slamming grooves!

Here's one example, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfoCBgQLcXk

All the best,






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

Related articles

• What Are Blue Notes?
• The Art of Piano Chord Voicings

The Art of Piano Chord Voicings

Jammin' at the Savoy

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Piano Chord Voicings

There's lots of music talk about voicings. So, what are they to the musician? What is this all about?

The Art of Voicing is a manner in which one distributes or spaces the notes of chords. When you listen to music, you probably focus on the melody. That is the familiar part of a tune that is easy to hear.

When you sing along or hum throughout some of the music, it is the melody and not the background that you think of. To have this important part of the music stand out, the melody should be louder than the accompaniment. However, this is not always easy to do.

Every voicing should flow smoothly to the next one and your hands will more than likely be moving just a little. By voicing chords you bring attention to certain notes more than others. So sometimes instead of using a clear melody, artists play a bunch of double notes and chords. You should always voice all double notes and chords to give them more clarity.

If you are playing all the notes at the same volume, you cannot hear the melody very clearly. So you will want to pick out the one note in each chord to play a bit louder. This is what we mean by voicing.

If your hands are jumping all over the place, you are probably not using good voice leading. The art of voice leading is the smooth movement of notes from one chord to the next. Very often the note you should voice is on the top of the chord, but sometimes the middle voices have hidden melodies that are more interesting than the top voice.

When looking at a chord passage in your music, decide which voice needs more sound and which can be played softer. Listen to other recordings of pianists bringing out the top voice for each chord in the right hand.

With practice try playing the middle note of a chord louder than the other two notes. Next, focus on the bottom note of a chord. Think of chords being sung in a choir. Each note is a different voice such as bass, tenor, alto and soprano. Your ear will usually hear the soprano sing and ride on the melody line. Those wonderful harmony parts add so much color, flavor and tone in the background of the song.

Voicings become easier to play and you will discover that your hands are barely moving especially when it comes to shell voicings since the roots are moving down in fifths or up in fourths. Later on you will learn more left hand voicings in bebop style, rootless left hand voicings and rootless shell voicings. When the left hand plays the third and seventh of each chord, these rootless shell voicings allow the right hand the freedom to improvise.

Blues Piano Voicing (YouTube)

You may be interested in:

Jazz101 and Jazz201 or Tritones

*affiliate links in post*

All the best,






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