How To Play Lookin' Out For Me: Kirk Franklin

Written in 2002 by Kirk Franklin, Lookin' Out For Me was performed by Kirk Franklin and the late Willie Neal Johnson.

Lookin' Out For Me

Words and Music by Kirk Franklin

From The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin cd

Key: Ab

Time: 4/4

Slow Groove

Intro

Bb13,  C7(#5b9), Ab13, Bb13, C7(#5b9), Fm, Bbm7, Ab

Chord Breakdown (Intro)

Bb13 = Bb/AbDG

C7(#5b9) = C/BbFbAbDb

Ab13 = Ab/GbCF

Fm = F/CFAb

Bm7 = Ab/DbFBb

Ab = CEbAb

Verse 1

Ab13 = Ab/GbCF

Every time I look back (r.h.):
CEbAb, BbDbF, AbCEb, BbDbF, AbCEb

Ab13 = Ab/GbCF

And every time I think back (r.h. notes):
AbCEb, CEbAb, BbDbF, AbCEb, BbDbF, AbCEb, CEbAb

Bb13 = Bb/AbDG

On all the stuff I been through, (r.h. chords):
AbCEb, CEbAb, BbDbF, AbCEb, BbDbF, AbCEb

Bb13 = Bb/AbDG

I prayed through, 
AbCEb, BbDbF, abCEb, AbCEb

C7(#5b9) = C/BbEAbDb

I cried through:
AbCEb, BbDbF, AbCEb

Ab13 = Ab/GbCF

and then I tried You.
AbCEb, BbDbFb, CEbAb, CEbAb, AbCF

Ab13

and just when I was about to fall,
AbCEb, CEbAb, BbDbF, AbCEb, BbDbF, AbCEb

Bb13 = Bb/AbDG

Your love caught me when Your name I called:
AbCEb, CEbAb, BbDbF, AbCEb, BbDF, AbCEb, CEbAb.

C7(#5b9)
Fm = F/CFAb

Jesus, You:
EbAbC, AbCEb

DGBb, DbGbbbE, CFAb

keep on lookin
BbDF, AbCEb, BbDbF, AbCEb

Bbm7 = Eb/DbFBb

out for me.
AbDbEb, FAb

Verse 2:

Remember when the doctor said
Said he couldn't help you and
Remember when the money was getting low
You're hurting now your feeling low
break* Just when you thought the night would never end
The sun came out now you can smile again

 Jesus You keep on, lookin' out, for me

(repeat)

Chorus:
You keep on
 Lookin' out for me

(repeat)

 You keep on Lookin' out for me
Bb/Fm In spite of
D/AbCF all I've 
Eb/DbFAb done
Gb/Db, C7(#9) Oh
Fm7 Jesus
Bb/AbDG You keep on, lookin' 
Eb/DbFAb, Ab/CEbAb out, for me

 (octaves)

Verse 3:

Ab13 I shouldn't be here today
Ab/ And when I look back on my mistakes
Bb/AbDG If it hadn't been for your grace
Bb/AbDG I don't know Where I'd be, 
C7 (#5b9) where I'd go
Ab13 Who can love me like You do?
B13 And Who can Hold me when I'm 
C7(#5b9) going through?
Fm Jesus You 
Bb/Gm, Bb/Fm keep on, lookin'
Bbm7 out, for
Ab me

Repeat chorus until end

You may be interested in Song Tutor Software

All the best,






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

How To Hear the Page

(license)

Awhile back I wrote about 5 things about sight reading music. Basically, I shared sight reading tips and reasons why you want to practice sight reading.  Today I'd like to share with you some sight reading ideas.

How To Hear the Page

Have you ever looked at a page of music and known what it would sound like? Many musicians can do this and you can, too. Just as you hear words when you read them in a book, you can train your mind to know exactly what music you are reading will sound like.

Start by looking at the details of the music. It is not just a sea of black notes. when you look at a book, you notice words, sentences, and punctuation. Look for phrases, groups of notes, and rhythms in your music. This will make sight reading much easier.

Try the following tips on the example below. Answer the questions and follow the instructions. then try these ideas on the next new piece you play.

1. Is the melody in the right or left hand? Hint: The melody line is usually the one that moves the most.
2. What is the time signature? Look through the rhythms and then clap the melody while counting out loud.
3. What is the key signature? What are the sharps or flats? Are there any accidentals, extra sharps or flats?
4. Look at intervals between melody notes (you could label them with a pencil).
5. Look at the harmony part. Is it made up of chords, arpeggios or single notes?
6. Look at other features of the music. Are there dynamics? Where does the phrase end? Do the melody notes go up or down? (This is the shape of the music).
7. Try to hear the music in your mind. Imagine what it would sound like as your eye looks at the notes.
8. Sing the melody out loud, thinking of each interval. This will really improve your reading skills. (You can play the first note on the piano to hear the pitch.)
9. Play the music and try to include all the things you noticed. Does it match what you heard in your head or what you sang?

A great resource (theory workbook) to assist you in answering some of the above questions is called, 300pg Piano By Ear Home Study Course.

Sight-Singing (Singing from musical notation, especially without prior rehearsal)

This snippet is taken from a book, in my own personal library, that I highly recommend by Ed Roseman called,  Edly's Music Theory for Practical People 

 "Sing a note and then another. This is a melodic interval. If two people each sing a different note at the same time, or if you play two notes together on a piano, for example, you have a harmonic interval.

The word diatonic refers to the notes of the major (or minor) scale, as opposed to the chromatic scale. It can also be used generally to mean "drawn directly from a certain scale without chromatic alteration."

Learning to recognize intervals, whether by sound, on paper, or on an instrument, is extremely helpful for many reasons. Among them are chord building, improvisation, sight-singing, composition, understanding and remembering keys and their related accidentals, and figuring out music by ear. If you are trying to play a melody that is in your head or on the radio, knowing your intervals eliminates most of the time spent searching for the right notes.

Intervals can be names generally by merely counting upwards (by going forward using the letters of the musical alphabet) from one note to the other, inclusively. For example, from C to E is a third (c to C is 1, or more commonly and elegantly, a unison, C to D is a second and finally, C to E is a third.) Count on your fingers if it helps; I won't tell. "C, C, E; 1, 2, 3!"

Unfortunately, this tells only part of the story. For example, C to Eb is also a third, as are E to G and E to G#. If you count the half-steps in these thirds - using the chromatic scale, of course - you'll immediately see that they are of two different sizes. Sure enough, the intervals C to Eb and E to G are both made of three half-steps, whereas C to E and D to F# are four half-steps! But these three intervals are, by definition all thirds!"

Have a successful time with improved sight reading and sight-singing practice!

*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

Ours: Taylor Swift

                                                                 Photo Credit: (license) 

Have gotten lots of song requests for more of Taylor's songs. She is a hit with a few of my older students. Here's one for beginner's to learn and play chords in C Major.


Ours was written in 2011 by the beautiful Taylor Swift. It's an easy progression to play. You may be thinking of another song of hers, Our Song that's a good one, too.

Chords and Lyrics: Ours

Key of C
Moderately fast
4/4 Time signature

Intro: C  Am7  F (2x)


Verse 1:

  C       Am7                 F
Elevator buttons and morning air
  C               Am7                        F
Strangers silence makes me wanna take the stairs
    C                 Am7                 F
If you were here we'd laugh about their vacant stares
           C  G/B            F   
But right now, my time is theirs

Verse:

  C                        Am7            F
Seems like theres always someone who disapproves
        C                  Am7                F
They'll judge it like they know about me and you
          C                 Am7           F
And the verdict comes from those with nothing else to do
       G     C  G/B                F   G/B
The jury's out, but my choice is you

Chorus:

    F                    G 
So don't you worry your pretty little mind
  C                   Am
People throw rocks at things that shine
     F          G          Am
And life makes love look  hard
                 F
The stakes are high
             G
The waters rough
                  
But this love is ours

C  Am7  F (2x)

Verse 2:

 C                   Am7                     F   
They never know what people have up their sleeves
 C                     Am7                F             
Ghosts from your past gonna jump out at me
 C               Am7                 F
Lurking in the shadows with their lip gloss smiles
    G         C   G/B                        F    G/B
But I don't care, cause right now you're mine

Chorus:
                F                     G            
And you'll say don't you worry your pretty little mind
  C                   Am
People throw rocks at things that shine
     F          G         Am
And life makes love look hard
                F
The stakes are high
             G
The waters rough
                  
But this love is ours

C  Am  F

C  Am  F

Bridge:

Am              G            F
And it's not theirs to speculate
         C    G/B   Am             G   
If it's wrong and your hands are tough 
             F          C      G/B 
but they are where mine belong in
Am                 G                  
I'll fight their doubt and give you
F               C    G/B   F     G
faith with this song for you

Verse:

C                Am7                F
Cause I love the gap between your teeth
C                Am7               F
And I love the riddles that you speak
          C                    Am7             F                     
And any snide remarks from my father about your tattoos 
C               G/B                  F    G/B
will be ignored cause my heart is yours

Chorus:

    F                     G
So don't you worry your pretty little mind
  C                   Am
People throw rocks at things that shine
     F           G        Am
And life makes love look hard

Chorus:

    F                     G
So don't you worry your pretty little mind
  C                   Am
People throw rocks at things that shine
     F          G          C    Am
But they can't take what's ours
 F          G           Am
They can't take what's ours
                F
The stakes are high
             G
The waters rough
                  C
But this love is ours

Do you have a favorite Taylor Swift song? Here's a list of former popular posts:

Begin Again

Eyes Open

Fifteen

Love Story

Teardrops On My Guitar

You may be interested in Gospel Guitar 101

Blessings,

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