Ear Training: Major and Minor Triads

One of the best ways to improve your musicianship is by taking the time to sing and actively listen to musical materials you use everyday. Let's consider our most basic chords, major and minor triads. These chords are made up of different combinations of major and minor thirds. A major third (M3) spans the distance of two whole steps (G-B); a minor third (m3) covers one-and-a-half steps (G-Bb).

You can construct those triads by using formulas: Major triad = M3 + m3; minor triad = m3 + M3 (spelled from the bottom up). If you know your major and minor scales, you can refer to these relationships between the degrees of the scale. Try the following exercises at the piano to review thirds and triads.

Using the numbers 1 2 3 4 5, sing the first five notes of a major scale starting on G. Check yourself on the piano. Next break the triad down into its two stacked thirds. Sing 1 2 3 and then leave out 2, singing 1-3 (G-B, a major 3rd). Next, sing 3 4 5, then just 3-5 (B-D, a minor third). Finally, sing 1 2 3 4 5, then 1-3-5. Congratulations! You have just sung a major triad (G-B-D).

Sing:

G-A-B-C-D
G-A-B
G-B (M3)
B, C, D
B, D (m3)
G-B-D (Major triad = M3 + m3)

For a minor triad, use the minor scale as your reference. Remember, a minor scale has a half step between sale degrees 2-3, so Bb is scale degree3 in G minor. Follow the same steps as above: 1 2 3 4 5. Then 1 2 3, 1-3, 3 4 5, 3-5. Finally, 12345: 1-3-5. Congratulations! You have just sung a minor triad (G-Bb-D). Do this same exercise starting on other notes within your voice range and you will improve your ability to quickly construct and recognize thirds and triads... by ear.


Hear and Play has just released a new software, Song Tutor and the Vocal Mastery System is a good resource for the vocalist/musician. Be sure and catch the following former posts I blogged about.

Ear Training

Ear Training Piano Lesson

Friday Freebie: Ear Training

Learn Songs By Ear

Practical Approach to Ear Training

Types of Ear Musicians

photo credit: Sunny Spot via photopin (license)
article credit: Joan Stiles

Blessings,






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

Know Your Chord Vocabulary

        Photo Credit: FreeDigital Photos

I wrote an article awhile back called, "How To Play The Piano Without Music."

Looking for tips on how to memorize music? Playing without sheet music is possible. Here are my own challenges and triumphs.

A group of us musicians were asked to play for an outdoor event at an amphitheater right by the ocean. The morning began with a huge downpour and we were frantically drying wet music scores with a hair dryer. Needless to say, it was quite challenging. What did I personally learn from the experience? Memorize your music! Yes, you can insert sheet music in plastic sleeves and that would be one way to succeed. However, it's fun just to go to Guitar Center and play a few memorized tunes in front of anyone who will listen. Try playing Happy Birthday for someone at the piano by memory.

1. So, why memorize music?

Playing without sheet music is very liberating.

Of course there's no need to memorize music if you don't want to. As a musician, I choose to memorize to avoid uncomfortable situations like music blowing off my stand when playing outdoors. Especially performing a night gig and the light bulb goes out on your music stand, surrounded by total darkness in the orchestra pit.

If you have been doing your homework during your practice sessions and you are familiar with the set of music, then you're not locked in to reading just the music notes with having to turn pages as well.

You will soon discover new ways of music flowing since you're eager to play without music.

2. Steps to help you memorize music.

If you're playing boogie blues or rock and roll, learn the various left hand patterns in the 12 bar blues form. Notice a couple of phrases and see if the second phrase answers the first.

When I'm reviewing a song, let's say it's a ballad, I first determine the keynote and play around and find the melody in that particular key.

If you're given a lead sheet, remembering chord progressions is the key to memorizing the song that is built on recalling the theory that you understand. Analyze the structure of the piece.

Now memorizing note for note is another ball game. Honestly, it can be more difficult for others than a youngster playing a memorized piece at a recital. In my opinion, the key to memorizing sheet music is through repetition. Also, try to remember if your hands are going in opposite directions or playing separately. Note tricky fingering as well.

I suggest taking small sections of music and repeatedly going over a few lines. We call this chunking and chaining. Please be patient. You may find recording or using flash cards to quiz yourself helps boost confidence in playing licks to a certain measure.

Laying down a rhythm pattern, programming drums, jamming in garage band or just using a metronome for a classical piece can keep you on track with skills to remember a song. Listening to a phrase of music indeed works the brain for short-term memory. Keep at it daily. In the beginning, I would open my music, then close it and try to play what I pictured.

3. Why these steps will help.

Practice, repetition and patience, a win-win formula, but truly there is no magic pill to take in memorizing music. Playing with other musicians for years and having that experience helps in knowing how to play certain songs well without sheet music. I'm thinking the biggest factor of all is choosing to memorize a song that you know and love will make it much easier for you to learn. You're on your way!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5861178

 Duane Shinn talks about using Fake Books like so many musicians do. They know their chord vocabulary. They add chords to the melody line. Here's a good one that I recommend that has tons of pop songs,  The Ultimate Fake Book for C Instruments

You've just got to know chords. So, I'm talking about:

 Root of the Chord

In chord symbols, the root tells us what note is the root of the chord. In an E7 chord, the E is the root.

Quality of the Chord

Quality tells me if the chord is major (maj), minor (min), diminished (dim), or augmented (aug). In a Emaj7, the maj ells me that the E chord is major (happy sound.) To continue, Em means the chord is a E minor chord (sad or mysterious sound). Eaug (E+) means that the chord is an E augmented chord. (sounds like a train.)

Chord Extensions

The extension is written after the quality of the chord, showing if the chord differs from a triad, like an 6th, 7th, 9th, 11th or 13th. So a C9 is the C chord including the 9th note above C, which is D. A C6 chord is the C chord including the 6th scale note above C, which is A. This part of chord symbols is not always shown; if there is no indication of an extension, the musician is to assume that the chord is a triad.

Alteration 

Sometimes the alteration is usually but not always expressed. This is the "notes" section in chord symbols; it gives the musician any specific (and sometimes irregular) instructions for playing the chord and is always written in parentheses after the extension (or the quality, if no extension exists). For instance, (no fifth) would tell the musician that the chord is to be played with the fifth tone left out. Sus – (suspension), means to play the 4th scale note instead of the 3rd. A minus sign means to lower (flat) a chord tone, such as C-9 which means to flat the 9th of the chord. Now a plus sign means to raise (sharp) a particular chord tone. 

I hope you enjoyed these tips and I want to recommend a product that I have purchased myself from Jermaine Griggs. The audio CD course, Chords 101 and 102 will help you create bigger, sounding chords... the best inversions to choose and so much more. You'll be playing dozens of seventh chord voicings and learning about what chords strongly pull together. Learn the power of tonic chords and and other scale tone degrees.

*affiliate links in post* 

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

Related articles

• Mailbag Monday: What Are Chord Inversions?
• Learn a Jazz Tune in Three Steps
• How To Play The Piano Without Music

Play Diminished 7th, Half Diminished 7th Chords

half-diminished seventh chord on C (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 Diminished 7th chords are very unique and interesting. As you learned earlier, the word diminished means "made smaller." When a perfect or major interval is made smaller by a half step, it becomes a Diminished Interval. The Diminished triad is a Minor triad with the 5th tone made smaller by one half step. If you missed my earlier post, you can see it here.

They are the only type of chord that is a stack of minor 3rds. If you count from one chord note to the next, you will find that they are all equidistant.


There are only three groups of diminished 7th chords:

1. C-Eb-Gb-Bbb

2. C#-E-G-Bb

3. D-F-Ab-Cb

That's right... these chords all share the same notes.

Abdim7
Bb dim7
Cb dim7
D dim7
F dim7
G# dim7

Here's what I've learned from Duane Shinn

Diminished 7th chords can be used as "modulation agents", "transposition agents", and "transition agents". They can transform themselves into 7th chords by just moving any one note. They can also be changed into 6th chords and major 7th chords with a minimum of movement.

Half-Diminshed 7th Chords

In this chord one of the intervals is a major third instead of a minor third.

These chords are very important. Here's what I learned from Jermaine Griggs:

Not only do they naturally occur on the 7th tone of any major scale, they are used as great preparers for dominant chords on the 5th tone.

If you play gospel, you’ve undoubtedly used a half-diminished 7th chord on the 2nd tone of the scale to lead to the 5th.

By going to the 7th tone of any scale and playing every other note, you’ll form the half-diminished 7th chord. For example, in C major, the 7th tone is B. Simply play B + D + F + A and you’ve got yourself a B half-diminished 7th chord.

The first three notes of a half-diminished 7th chord in root position look identical to the diminished triad. In the chord, B half-diminished 7th, if you take off the last note, you’re left with B + D + F, which is a B diminished triad.

And diminished chords are formed by simply stacking a bunch of minor third intervals together.

Note: Minor thirds have three half steps between them.

B to D is minor third.
D to F is minor third.

Where the “half-diminished 7th” chord differs is in the last interval. Instead of another minor third like the B diminished 7th chord (B + D + F + Ab), you play a major third, which is four half steps.

F to Ab is minor third.

F to A is major third. <---- This is the one you choose the differentiate the half-diminished 7th from a typical diminished 7th chord.

Compare the two: Half-diminished 7th vs diminished 7th

B diminished 7th = B D F Ab

B half-diminshed 7th = B D F A

It’s all in the last interval… and the difference in a half step.

A huge investment to your piano playing is purchasing the Secrets to Playing By Ear book. It's about piano techniques, principles and tips that will enhance your ability to recognize songs, melodies and chords  by ear!

Once again, it's been a pleasure teaching you and I look forward to helping you for years to come.


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Warmly, 

 

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

Related articles

• 144 Chords To Know
• Primary Chords to Know
• Slash Chords: Consonant to Dissonant
• How To Play Auld Lang Syne

144 Chords To Know

Photo Credit: Free Digital Photos

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.

For example:

C Major Triad = CEG

C Minor Triad = CEbG

C Diminished Triad = CEbGb

C Augmented Triad = CEG#

Piano Chord Chart

http://www.8notes.com

Christmas Song: Joy To The World

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! 
[Em D A7 D] 
Let earth receive her King! 
[G A D] 
Let every heart prepare Him room, 
[D G D D G D] 
And heav'n and nature sing, 
[D] 
and heav'n and nature sing, 
[A A7] 
and heav'n and heav'n 
[D G D] 
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.

Be sure and check out my article on Constructing Simple Chords.

I noticed some of you have signed up for the  GospelKeys Master Class featuring Michael Bereal. That's so cool... thanks!

Have a wonderful Christmas season!

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

Learn Major and Minor Chords

Do you know your major and minor chords in every key?
I have  been playing with my new software, Instant Transposer.

Your response to my last post was so overwhelming and I thank you! I just had to write again and speak to the folks who are new at the piano.

Looking at the chart, the first keyboard shows the Major Chords in root position, while the second keyboard straight across, shows the minor chords in root position. 

Keep in mind that you can change and invert a chord 3 ways. Now you can see the major/minor chords in all 12 keys.

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

If you are new to the piano and consider yourself a beginner, you might want to look at this music resource, Gospel Keys 101
With the holidays fast approaching, you will learn how to harmonize the melody in your right hand while playing chords with your left. 

To play Christmas songs for your own enjoyment, as well as be surrounded with family and friends is a special time to play your favorite songs.

Best,









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