Yes, you can accompany yourself! I read a short article by Big Wilson and here's what he had to say:
Now that you've practiced all the basic chords, let's make things even simpler. When the music calls for an II-V7-I progression, try playing it this way:
Old Way
DC/FA, GF/BD (Dm7, G7, C)
New Way
DC/FA, DB/FG, CC/EG (Dm7, G7, C) ... or
DC/FA, DB/FA, CC/EG (Dm7, G9, C)
The left thumb moves down 1/2 step. The top note in the right-hand moves down 1 whole step. And the A and C is played as always. The same four notes are struck but in a different order or inversion. The third way is even easier. Just move the thumb 1/2 step as shown in the 9th Chord version. The G7 chord is still a dominant 7th, but with a 9th added.
Have fun with this technique not only for keyboardists!
-- LadyD
"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King
Triads
The three elements of traditional music are melody, rhythm and harmony. The harmonic element in most of the music we hear and play is based upon three-note chords called triads. Because of the important role harmony plays in most music, knowledge of triads and awareness of their sounds are essential for fluent reading, good intonation and sensitive listening. Triads are written by combining various intervals, so thorough command of interval terminology is vital.
Remember that a chord is three or more tones sounding simultaneously.
It's so important to know how to play:
1. All 12 major chords.
2. All 12 minor chords.
3. All 12 augmented chords.
4. All 12 diminished chords.
That makes a total of 48 chords to learn on the piano and if you invert (turn upside down) each chord 3 times, now you have a grand total of 144 sounding chords to play. I've talked about chord inversions before and you can view the post here.
By augmented, I mean to make the chord larger and by diminished, let's make the chord smaller. Have a look at a former post, augmented-and-diminished-chords.
The history of the song can be found, here. Maybe try playing this famous Christmas Carol in a few of the major keys for piano practice.
1. Key of C
C Dm C G7 C
Joy to the world! The Lord is come;
F G C
Let earth receive her King.
C
Let every heart prepare Him room,
C
And heav'n and nature sing,
G7
And heav'n and nature sing,
C F C Dm C G7 C
And heav'n and heav'n and nature sing.
2. Key of D
Joy to the world!
[D]
The Lord is come!
[EmDA7D]
Let earth receive her King!
[GAD]
Let every heart prepare Him room,
[DGDDGD]
And heav'n and nature sing,
[D]
and heav'n and nature sing,
[AA7]
and heav'n and heav'n
[DGD]
and nature sing!
3. Key of E
E A E
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
A B E
Let earth receive her King;
E E E
Let every heart prepare Him room,
E E
And Heaven and nature sing,
B B
And Heaven and nature sing,
E A E B E
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.
4. Key of F
F Bb F
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Bb C F
Let earth receive her King;
F F F
Let every heart prepare Him room,
F F
And Heaven and nature sing,
C C
And Heaven and nature sing,
F Bb F C F
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.
5. Key of G
G C G
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
C D G
Let earth receive her King;
G G G
Let every heart prepare Him room,
G G
And Heaven and nature sing,
D D
And Heaven and nature sing,
G C G D G
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.
6. Key of A
A D A
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
D E A
Let earth receive her King;
A A A
Let every heart prepare Him room,
A A
And Heaven and nature sing,
E E
And Heaven and nature sing,
A D A E A
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.
7. Key of B
B E B
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
E F B
Let earth receive her King;
B B B
Let every heart prepare Him room,
B B
And Heaven and nature sing,
F F
And Heaven and nature sing,
B E B F B
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.
Listen to Joy to The World Tracks in Bb, Db, Eb, and Gb at www.rhapsody.com
If you haven't seen this post on the chord dictionary, be sure and visit piano chords. Latinpianist provides a great study on basic chords for beginners.
Question: Is there more than one way to play a chord?
Answer: Yes, and thanks George for your email. In fact I wrote an article on chord inversions and for those who are interested in chording inversions with your left hand, you may want to read the approach, here.
What are inversions in music?
There are inverted chords,
inverted melodies and inverted intervals. A chords inversion describes
the relationship of its bass to the other tones in the chord. For
instance, a C major triad contains the tones C, E and G; its inversion
is determined by which of these tones is used as the bottom note in the
chord.
The term inversion is often used to categorically refer to
the different possibilities, although it may also be restricted to only
those chords where the bass note is not also the root of the chord.
The Root Position and Two Inversions of the C triad:
We
have been studying three toned chords. You know a C chord, F chord and a
G chord. Now the number of tones = the number of ways the chord can be
played. Since a triad or a basic chord is three -toned, it can be played
three different ways: the root, the first inversion and the second
inversion.
When a chord is inverted, the order of the notes is
rearranged so that either the 3rd and 5th or just the 5th is below the
inverted root.
If the ROOT (the note that is represented by the
chord) of a C Major Chord is the lowest tone of the chord, it is said to
be in the root or fundamental position.
For an example, if you
are playing a C major chord with C as the lowest note, it is being
played in Root or Fundamental position.
If another tone of the chord is the lowest tone, the chord is inverted.
The First Inversion would have the third of the chord as the lowest note.
Since C is the lowest note, it is said to be in its root position.
C Major (1st Inversion) = E G C
Since E (the third of C major) is the lowest note, it is said to be in the First Inversion.
Since G (the fifth of C major) is the lowest note, it is said to be in the
Second inversion.
When
a chord is played in its root position, the keynote is always on the
bottom. When a chord is played in its first inversion, the keynote is
always on the top. When a chord is played in its second inversion, the
keynote is always in the middle.
So, what are chord inversions?
We
have been dealing with chords in root position. Root position simply
means that the root is the lowest note in the chord-the remaining note
are stacked on top. But, you can also change the order of the notes,
thereby inverting a chord.
How can you invert a chord?
You
can invert a chord simply by transposing (moving) the lowest note up an
octave, while leaving the others untouched. You can also invert
downwards by transposing the highest note down an octave.
Chords
can theoretically have as many inversions as they have notes. I say
"theoretically" because larger ones tend to be fussy about their
inversions: some inversions definitely sound better than others. Triads
and seventh chords can, for most practical purposes, be freely inverted,
depending on context.
Why invert?
There are many reasons.
Progressions sound better with root position chords mixed with inverted
chords. So various notes of one chord lead smoothly to notes in the next
chord, with others not moving at all. This is called voice-leading.
Another
reason for inversion, especially important for string instruments, is
to make the chord easier (or in many cases, possible) to reach. Many
chords-especially ones with four or more notes-are virtually unplayable
in root position on instruments such as guitar and mandolin.
Enjoy playing many inversions in three different positions that will give you more options to your piano playing!
How To Form Basic Chords
Although chord finders are valuable tools on the Internet, what do we do when we’re sitting at the piano and don’t have access to the computer, trying to figure out chords?
Here’s a breakdown on forming many chords you’ll use in your piano playing. Yes, there are augmented chords, and there are 9, 11 and 13 chords. I have chosen a few basic ones to start with.
Major
Minor
Dominant 7th Sus4
Sus2 and add9
Diminished
Major Sevenths
Major Chords
Starting from the root note, count up FIVE semi-tones (5 half steps). Always use the root note when counting. This will bring you to the second note in the chord. From and including this note, count up FOUR semi-tones (4 half steps). This will bring us to the final note in the chord.
Example: C Major - C is the root note in this chord. Count up 5 semi-tones from the C: C=1, C#= 2, D=3, Eb=4, E=5. Then, count up 4 semi-tones from the second note in the chord: E=1, F=2, F#=3, G=4. Play the C, E and G together and you have a C Major chord. By using this 'FIVE then FOUR' rule, you can work out any major chord.
Minor (m) Chords
For minor chords, simply reverse the rule for working out major chords. Instead of counting 5 then 4, count 4 then 5.
Example: C Minor - C is the root note in this chord. Count up 4 semi-tones from the C: C=1, C#=2, D=3, Eb=4. Then, count up 5 semi-tones from the second note in the chord: Eb=1, E=2, F=3, F#=4, G=5. Play the C, Eb and G together and you have a C Minor chord. By using this FOUR then FIVE' rule, you can work out any minor chord.
Dominant 7th (7) Chords
With 7th chords, you add an extra note onto the chord. This extra note is always the note two semi-tones (1 whole step) below the root note. However, you don't play this note at the bottom of the chord, you simply move it to the top of the chord.
Example: C7 – Form a C major chord... C, E, and G. The root note of this chord is C. Two semi-tones (1 whole step) below the root note is Bb. Add this Bb to the top of the chord and we have a C7 chord- C, E, G and Bb. The same rule applies for working out minor 7th chords.
Sus4 Chords
Example: Csus4
Play C major - C, E, G. Move the middle note of the chord UP one semi-tone (1 half-step). In this example, move E up one semi-tone. This brings us to F. Play the C, F and G together and we have a Csus4 chord.
Sus2 and add9 Chords
Sus2 Chords - Example: Csus
Play C major - C, E, G. Move the middle note of the chord DOWN two semi-tones (1 whole step). In this example, move the E down two semi-tones. This brings us to D. Play the C, D and G together and we have a Csus2 chord.
Add9 Chords - These chords are nearly identical to sus2 chords. The only difference is, is that you play the middle note as well. So, Cadd9 is made up of, C, D, E and G
Diminished (dim) Chords
Example: Cdim
Play C major - C, E and G. Move the TOP TWO NOTES of the chord DOWN one semi-tone (1 half-step). In this example, move the E and G down one semi-tone. This brings us to Eb and F#. Play the C, Eb and F# together and we have a C dim chord.
Major Seventh (M7) Chords
These chords are used a lot in Jazz music. With major 7th chords, you add an extra note onto the chord. This extra note is always the note ONE semi-tone (1 half-step) below the root note. However, you don't play this note at the bottom of the chord. You simply move it to the top of the chord.
Example: CM7 – Form a C major chord... C, E, and G. The root note of this chord is C. One semi-tone (1 half-step) below the root note is B. Add this B to the top of the chord and we have a CM7 chord... C, E, G and B.
Now you have some music theory to apply to your piano playing. Forming chords will lead to playing chord progressions which will then produce songs.
Until next time,
LadyD
KEY C#- ( one note scale of the 12 ) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Root degrees C# Eb F F# Ab Bb C C#
The 3rd and 5th scale degrees are critical notes to chord types. Chord Extension is the same chord types with notes added to change voicing- like adding the 7th. Extensions never, ever, change types.........
Now all these chords have names, and they consist of the different types, and extensions, as well as substitutes in some chords............these particular set of chords designed within this basic pattern of progressions are where we are going!
SUBSTITUTES - what makes a chord a substitute; is placement! The chord in and of itself is nothing more than one of the 4 types of chords. But as you move into putting chords and making progressions together, it’s hard to avoid subs.....subs enhance your playing....... all of this done in repetition will take you where you want to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There are really two groups of piano players:
Those that play from a jam and do level of feeling and those that know all the rules and how they fit together.
Both musicians can arrive at the same point but they get there from different routes. That brings me to chord systems. Some players get these sounds naturally. Others need some guidance in order to get there. There is no judgement here as to which is better. They are just different means to get to the same ends.
I wish I had a real intelligent answer as to what a chord system actually is but I don’t. So I will explain it this way… Let’s say you want to play chords in the left hand and solo in the right… there is a system of chords that facilitate this goal. Your left hand chords sound too muddy? Go to a system to show you how low certain formulas go.
You see a lot of complex chords but you don’t have enough fingers to play all the intervals. Systems offer a way to use your four or five fingers to play all the tensions… #11 b13 add 6 #9 b9 etc
You want to play bigger chords. How do you find which notes to add which ones to leave out?
Two hand voicing formulas are there for you.
You want to have real tight clusters. Again there are systems that deal with this.
In other words, whatever sound you want to have, there is a voicing system out there to help you achieve the sound you are looking for.
rootless left hand voicings quartal voicings lock hands voicings open chord clusters combinations These are all jazz systems that have been played in most contemporary styles. If you want to add some polish to your chords or you want a more uniform sound, pick up a jazz book that deals with chord formulas and study them. The difference is not in how they look but how they are played. They all have the same keys and could all be played exactly the same way but if you did that you would not be getting the best out of all the instruments.
A piano uses hammers that strike strings which vibrate and resonate within the cabinet of the piano. Therefore you have to strike the keys firmly in order to produce good tone. Also because the strings vibrate, they create harmonic overtones that cannot be duplicated by an electronic instrument. If you are going to play piano, you have to have good technique because there are no string sounds or effects to cover up your mistakes.
Keyboards imitate other instruments like horns, pianos, organs, and strings. They are used to play everything from worship music to contemporary gospel. Musicians often layer bass guitar in their left hand while combining keys and horns or strings. Some keyboards have piano patches that sound almost as good as the real thing but overall if someone wants a keyboard player they want someone who can get the best out of a keyboard such as synthy sounds and layered sounds to emulate a band or a horn section.
Organ: This instrument has foot pedals so it is common to play the bass lines with your feet and chords with your left and right hands and sometimes solo with your right hand. They also have over a million possible sounds by combining the draw bars in different ways. All the sounds still sound like an organ but the organ sounds are different… flute like, string like, etc. Although they all have the same keys, your approach is very different. They have different roles. So, learn all you can with different chord voicings and systems. Learn to Play those foot-stomping Praise Songs on the organ!
This is a progression that by itself doesn't mean much. But, when you add other progressions to it, it sounds really good:
B / B-D-F (7) B / B-D-F (7) B / B-D-F (7) E / E-G-B (3) E / G-B-E (3) E / B-E-G (3) A / A-C-E (6) A / A-C-E (6) A / C-E-A (6) (repeat) (repeat) (repeat)
B / D-F-B (7) B / F-B-D (7) E / E-G-B (3) E / G-B-E (3) A / E-A-C (6) A / A-C-E (6) (repeat) (repeat)
2-5-1 progression
This progression can be used instead of the 1-4-5-1 progression. Sort of like a substitute progression. I like this one better than 1-4-5-1 because it sounds better to me:
D / D-F-A (2) D / A-D-F (2) D / D-F-A (2) D / F-A-D (2) G / G-B-D (5) G / B-D-G (5) G / D-G-B (5) G / G-B-D (5) C / C-E-G (1) C / C-E-G (1) C / E-G-C (1) C / G-C-E (1) (repeat) (repeat) (repeat) (repeat)
3-6-2-5-1 progression
This progression is the musical ZIP CODE. If you want your chords to flow smoothly and naturally from chord to chord, follow this pattern as much as possible:
E / E-G-B (3) E / G-B-E (3) E / B-E-G (3) E / E-G-B (3) A / A-C-E (6) A / A-C-E (6) A / C-E-A (6) A / E-A-C (6) D / D-F-A (2) D / A-D-F (2) D / D-F-A (2) D / F-A-D (2) G / G-B-D (5) G / B-D-G (5) G / D-G-B (5) G / G-B-D (5) C / C-E-G (1) C / C-E-G (1) C / E-G-C (1) C / G-C-E (1) (repeat) (repeat) (repeat) (repeat)
7-3-6-2-5-1 progression
As you can see from the name, it just combines all of the progressions above into one big progression:
B / B-D-F (7) B / B-D-F (7) B / B-D-F (7) E / E-G-B (3) E / G-B-E (3) E / B-E-G (3) A / A-C-E (6) A / A-C-E (6) A / C-E-A (6) D / D-F-A (2) D / A-D-F (2) D / D-F-A (2) G / G-B-D (5) G / B-D-G (5) G / D-G-B (5) C / C-E-G (1) C / C-E-G (1) C / E-G-C (1) (repeat) (repeat) (repeat)
B / D-F-B (7) B / F-B-D (7) E / E-G-B (3) E / G-B-E (3) A / E-A-C (6) A / A-C-E (6) D / F-A-D (2) D / A-D-F (2) G / G-B-D (5) G / B-D-G (5) C / G-C-E (1) C / C-E-G (1) (repeat) (repeat)
Get familiar with all these progressions. Listen to how each one sounds. Also, pay attention to the inversions used. I tried to use inversions of each chord that allow you to flow to the next chord w/out moving your hands too much. It is very important to use the nearest inversion of a chord so you don't have to jump around the keyboard, unless you want to. I hope you can use some of these basic progressions.
Christmas is my favorite time of year because as Christians we celebrate our Lord's birth! I find it is also a time when hearts are softened and opened to receive Christmas music. Do you have a favorite song? Christmas Keys is a Dvd that helped me to play songs by ear. I found it easy to learn I IV V chord progressions and pull out a familiar melody w/ my r.h. After owning this Dvd and watching it over and over, I learned to play some of my favorites w/out sheet music. Not only is it rewarding, but you get personal satisfaction in reaching some of your goals! Christmas Keys is a great confidence booster to playing by ear! You feel you're on your way!
Learn to Play All your Favorite Christmas Songs by this Holiday Season!
"At Last!
A Way To Sit Down At The Piano
And Easily Play All Your Favorite Christmas Classics
In Less Than 3 hours
Without Sheet Music!"
Dear Fellow Musician,
The Christmas season, my favorite season of the entire year,is ALMOST here --- and courtesy of Jermaine and HearandPlay.com, I have a PERFECT gift idea that YOU or one of your relatives would LOVE to see under the tree (...or better yet, on top of their piano)!
Jermaine just let me know about his brand new 3 H-O-U-R Christmas course, Christmas Keys Vol.1 - "Conquering Christmas Classics", which has just been released
After he takes you through his UNIQUE song learning process you'll not ONLY know how to conquer those songs but tons of other Christmas songs since most songs follow familiar patterns.
Christmas Keys Volume 1 is LOADED with tons of powerful tips, easy-to-do tricks, and techniques that will have you playing like an expert by this Christmas season - GUARANTEED!
In this course, you'll * Learn how to play every song, step-by-step, with no guessing (whatsoever) or any information left out! By the end of this course, you'll have what
it takes to fully play all of these Christmas songs by ear.
* Learn several variations of each song so you can play these Christmas classics a different way every time!
* Beginners: How to play an entire song with only three-fingered major chords (...also known as "major triads").
* Discover the power of "inversions" and how changing one note in your chord can totally alter the way a progression sounds!
* How to add fuel to your bass by understanding how "power" chords work in holiday music.
"Why invert? I thought you'd never ask! There are many reasons. In common practice, chord progressions are not generally successions of root position chords moving one to another (except in heavy metal music, in which whole songs of only root position chords, are commonly the case). In most other types of music, progressions are made up of individual chord-tones moving independently from notes in one chord to notes in the next chord, creating melody lines, which are often called voices, because the resulting melodies could be sung or played by individual instruments. So, chord progressions (any series of chords) sound better with root position chords mixed with inverted chords, so various notes of one chord lead smoothly to notes in the next chord, with others perhaps not moving at all. This is called voice leading. Another reason for inversion, especially important for string instruments, is to make the chord easier (or in many cases possible) to reach. Many chords- especially ones with four or more notes- are virtually unplayable in root position on instruments such as guitar and mandolin." -- Edly
I love teaching beginners, young children, and adults. I offer piano lessons for ages 3-103 and all levels from primer to advanced. We have a blast with piano games, playing duets, learning songs and theory.
I offer private and group lessons. I am a WunderKeys piano teacher for preschoolers, 3-years-old to Kindergarten. We have 2 recitals, Fall and Spring.
Thank You!
I've Been Mentioned!
Billie
“If I’m going to sing like someone else, then I don’t need to sing at all.” – Billie Holiday
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