Allen Toussaint in New Orleans

Awhile back Allen Toussaint was here in San Diego. What a great artist he is. If you missed the concert, you can read about him at:

http://ladydpiano..blogspot.com/2009/03/allen-toussaint-sweet-touch-of-love.html

In fact, Nola tunes stopped by and posted a comment on my blog entry that day. Nola said: Allen Toussaint is AMAZING! you can get his music at New Orleans music store -

http://www.nolatunes.com

I recently read a review on Allen Toussaint by Jennifer Kelly on Blurt at:

http://www.blurt-onlline.com/reviews/view/1025
Jennifer says, "In The Bright Mississippi, New Orleans R&B composer and pianist Allen Toussaint revisits the classic jazz of his childhood, interpreting wonderful old-time cuts by Sidney Bechet, Jelly Roll Morton, Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington. Though Toussaint's band for this album includes avant garde heavyweights like Don Byron and Marc Ribot, the tone is quite traditional, the steady swagger of funeral march drums and percussion anchoring arabesque swoons and swoops of melodic improvisation. Toussaint himself conjures lush, extravagant textures of ragtime piano, his playing now staccato and rhythmic, now flowering into rolls and cascades and fluid runs of notes. And the rhythm section - David Piltch on upright and Jay Bellerose on drums - imposes a stately, restrained dignity over the whole enterprise, with widely spaced thump of bass, clicks on rims and musing, dreamy swirls of brushes on snares.
Toussaint recorded The Bright Mississippi at the urging of producer Joe Henry, who, during sessions for a Gulf Coast tribute album Our New Orleans, heard Toussaint playing the Professor Longhair song, "Tipitina." Toussaint, most famous for composing R&B and rock songs including "Fortune Teller," "Sneaking Sally Through the Alley" and Otis Redding's "Pain in My Heart," had grown up with jazz and ragtime. Why not build an album out of these beloved songs?"... Jennifer goes on to give her recommendation of some of the best standout tracks: Egyptian Fantasy, St. James Infirmary and Solitude.
Fortune Teller/ELVIS COSTELLO and ALLEN TOUSSAINT

Yes We Can into Fortune Teller. Sorry.. not the best visually, insanely great show and a great song in spite of my footage by smallfry52

Then there's Fortune Teller - Krauss and Plant singing off their album, Raising Sand.
Personally, I'm not into fortune tellers but I do love the song, it rocks! Here are the chords:
Three chord groove {D} {C} {A} repeated throughout the song
Went to the fortune teller
Had my fortune read
I didn’t know what to tell her
I had a dizzy feeling in my head
Then she took a look at my palm
She said son you feel kind of warm
She looked into her crystal ball
And said you’re in love
How could that be so
I thought of all the girls I know
She said when the next one arrives
You’ll be looking into her eyes
I left there in a hurry
Looking forward to my big surprise
The next day I discovered
That the fortune teller told me a lie
I hurried back down to that woman
As mad as I could be
I said I didn’t see nobody
Why had she made a fool out of me
Then something struck me
As if it came from up above
While looking at the fortune teller
I fell in love
Now I’m a happy fellow
’Cause I’m married to the fortune teller
I’m happy as we can be
Now I get my fortune told for free

http://www.911tabs.com/link/?4727308

Geraldine Wyckoff, Contributing Writer of Louisiana Weekly wrote a great article called Toussaint, one of the faces of Jazz Fest ', is having a great year
Toussaint, one of the faces of Jazz Fest ', is having a great year
"This is shaping up to be a very fine year," Allen Toussaint says with much enthusiasm. Notably, the legendary New Orleans Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame inductee, pianist, vocalist, composer and arranger's image dons this year's New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival poster.
"I feel very highly honored," he acknowledges. "To be on the poster at all - any time would be great - but for the big 40th anniversary party as well."
Toussaint, who also just released a new album, Bright Mississippi, performs on the Acura Stage on Sunday, May 3, 1 p.m. He's been a regular at Jazz Fest since first playing onboard the Riverboat President in 1974. Read more at:

http://www.louisianaweekly.com/news.php?vieewStory=1233
"I love the idea of the festival period," says Toussaint, who for the last year has again been able to call New Orleans home while retaining an apartment in New York. "I like walking the grounds and hearing other people play and getting a shrimp po-boy. The whole ambience of the festival is so right, so New Orleans."

Will you be going to the Festival this year?
All the best,
~ LadyD

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Slash Chords

What are slash chords?

* Here's my definition of a slash chord:
Giving you an alternative bass note, we say A over E, for example. The chord looks like this: A/E So, play A in the r.h. and E in the l.h.

* Here's an online definition of slash chords at

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slash_chord
"In popular music a slash chord or slashed chord is a chord whose bass note or inversion is indicated by the addition of a slash and the letter of the bass after the root note letter"...

* Piano Chord Symbols: Slash Chords by Duane Shinn
Great video showing you what slash chords are all about

Piano Chord Symbols: Slash Chords

* Use Slash Chords, Diminished Sound in Gospel Music
Play:
C/ C E G
B/ B E G#
A/ C E A
F#/ A D F#
G/ B D G

* LGM Definition of Slash Chord
A slash chord is nothing more than a chord with an alternate bass note.
They're also called compound chords.

When you see a chord like A/E, the first character is the chord and the second character after the slash is the bass note, so A/E would be an A chord with an E bass note instead of an A bass note.

Some of the most common types of slash chords are inversion based, meaning that one of the notes already in the chord triad are used for the bass note.
G/B, D/F#, A/C#, A/E...all are inversions of the chord but using either the 3rd note of the 5th note as the bass note instead of the root note.

Some slash chords are non-inversion based, like B/E. The B triad is B, D#, F#...there's no E there BUT if you add extensions to the triad to make, say, a BMaj9/E, then you've got B, D# and F# as well as C# and E so BMaj9/E becomes inversion based.

http://www.learngospelmusic.com/forums/index.php/topic,51740.0

So, C/G means play G chord with your left hand and a C chord with your right.

* Chord Charts At LGM

Slash chord chart #1:

http://www.learngospelmusic.com/forums/index.php/topic,55476.0.html


Slash chord chart #2:

http://www.learngospelmusic.com/forums/index.php/topic,55491.0.html

Slash chord chart #3:

http://www.learngospelmusic.com/forums/index.php/topic,55694.0.html


http://www.learngospelmusic.com/forums/index.php/topic,55603.0.html

slash chords

http://www.ibreathemusic.com/cat/3

http://www.learngospelmusic.com/forums/index.php/topic,52634.0.html



* Duane has an Ebook on Power Chords

http://www.ebookexplorer.com/book_1971.html

* FOUR PART CHORDS OVER ROOT - Chord Voicings

REMEMBER: for these chords you'll want to play a 4-note chord in your RH over your root in the LH. Also you can invert that chord in your RH to any inversion you'd like unless otherwise noted.

Em7 / C = Cmaj9 spelled out.. C/EGBD
note: another way to think about this one is to play a minor 7th chord off of the 3rd in your RH and the root in your LH

Ebmaj7 / C = Cm9 spelled out.. C/EbGBbD
note: another way to think about this one is to play a major 7th chord off the minor 3rd in your RH and the root in your LH

Bm7b5 / G = G9 spelled out.. G/BDFA
note: another way to think about this one is to play a minor 7 flat 5 chord off the 3rd in your RH and the root in your LH

Fmaj7b5 / G = G13 spelled out.. G/FABE
note: another way to think about this one is to play a major 7 flat 5 chord off the flat 7 in your RH and the root in your LH
note: only root and 2nd inversion should be used on the chord in the RH

Dm7 / G = G9sus4 or G11 <-- this is a HOT chord that I use all the time I substitute the 3 chord in a 3-6-2 progression for this sus chord (I'll post this later)
note: another way to think about this one is to play a minor 7th chord off the 5th in your RH and the root in your LH
note: spelled out.. G/DFAC

Fmaj7 / G = G13sus4 <-- Another HOT chord I use a lot too. I substitute the 5 chord in a 2-5-1 progression for this sus chord
note: another way to think about this one is to play a major 7th chord off the flat 7 in your RH and the root in your LH
note: spelled out.. G/FACE

Fm7b5 / G = G7 (b9 #5)
note: another way to think about this one is to play a minor 7 flat 5 chord off the flat 7 in your RH and the root in your LH
note: spelled out.. G/FAbBEb

Bmaj7b5 / G = G7 (#9 #5)
note: another way to think about this one is to play a major 7 flat 5 chord off the 3rd in your RH and the root in your LH
note: only root position should be used on the chord in the RH
note: spelled out.. G/BD#FA# or G/BEbFBb (the first way is the best way to look at it b/c you can see that the 9 and 5 are sharped)

Fmaj7#5 / G = G13 (#11)
note: another way to think about this one is to play a major 7 sharp 5 chord off the flat 7 in your RH and the root in your LH
note: only root position should be used on the chord in the RH
note: spelled out.. G/FAC#E

http://www.learngospelmusic.com/forums/index.php/topic,55491.0.html

* Final Note

I have found that most people who chord songs in the LH/RH format do so because they play by ear. Many folks want to read sheet music and read chord symbols. It's great to have the chords written out for voicing purposes. Using chord symbols for posting chords is easier, but many want chords written out so that they can understand. Learning alternative bass notes will add so much more to your playing. When I first started playing the piano and soloing, I used sheet music. When I came aboard worship teams and gained experience playing with a bass player, I learned to read chord charts and gladly welcomed slash chords, so as not to step on the bass players toes! lol

All the best,

~ LadyD

Learn To Play The Piano

With modern technology, you can learn how to play piano via YouTube, live chats on numerous online musician forums and now Talk Radio. I have found Willie Myette's music sites, uploaded tutorial videos on YouTube and his websites to be very informative. If you're looking for an online piano teacher, Willie is the one I recommend.


* Learn the piano - Radio show - 4/9/2009 pt1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SbSffeMsH

* Learn the piano - Radio show - 4/9/2009 pt2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmCMD7

Part2 is where the meat and potatoes are if you're looking for a recipe to play the blues... Here's some good points to remember form this video:

* Chord Structure

1. A minor
2. D minor7
3. F7 ( F/Eb G )
4. E7
5. A minor7

Willie goes on to explain turnarounds. Like taking the last two measures of the blues form, changing it to other chords that take you back to the beginning. Turnarounds are not just found in blues but in pop songs also called "the hook." Last summer I posted on my other site "Gospel Turnarounds". If interested, you can see it at,

http://ladydpiano.blogspot.com/2008/07/what-are-gospel-turnarounds.html

Stay with the video and you'll learn about Willie's Quartal Groove, natural 6th minor,

G C E
A B F#
B E G

We can stay on this subject of quartal grooves for a long time, but that's another post. In fact, you can browse through this post if interested in quartal voicings.

http://ladydpiano.blogspot.com/2008/10/rich-quartal-chord-voicings.html

Have you heard of ghosting notes? That's where you're playing shorter and softer than other notes, E G# C/ F Bb D

I would like to extend the invitation to come aboard Willie Myette's online site!
JazzPianoLessons.com - Signup for 50 hours of FREE Piano Lessons.

Have you seen chords written out like this? G/B... what is it? Where do my hands go on the piano and how do I play it? We call them slash chords. Maybe I'll do a new post on slash chords because there is lots of information to cover. For now, you would play a G chord (G B D)in the l.h. with the B note in your r.h. Have you heard this fancy word root motion? That means whatever notes the bass player is playing. Well, we don't want to copy him, so lets play a different chord inversion like B D G. Now we've put in alternate bass notes.

If you're playing a G Chord and you want to throw in a transition chord, why not add a G7? Play G B D then play F B D. In fact, you could walk down chromatically in your l.h. (F,E,Eb,D)and that would sound so cool.

P.S. Ever wonder why we say in "music talk", why it wouldn’t be written 3b for i.e. ‘Eb’ instead of b3?” Jermaine Griggs at Hear and Play says "Well, because we say “flat 3″ or the “sharp 5,” instead of “3 flat” or “5 sharp,” it transposes the sign in FRONT of the note rather than after. That’s just how the terminology works.

Like the chord “C7 #9#5″

Pronounced: “C Seventh Sharp 9, Sharp 5″ or “C Seventh Sharped 9, Sharped 5″

http://www.hearandplay.com/main/what-does-all-this-flatted-3-and-sharped-5-stuff-mean"