So You Think You Can Play the Piano



Taking the Next Step

Going From the Notes on the Page to the Music in Your Head.

Copyright ©2014 Robert A. Mace

All rights reserved

Contents

|Introduction | |

|Who Should Use This Book | |

|Chords | |

|Chord Chart | |

|Intervals | |

|Chords – Why So Many and What Do They Do? | |

|Left Hand vs. Right Hand Chording | |

|Arpeggios | |

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Is It Time to Explore Your Musical Talents?

Lots of people play the piano. Many of them quite well. When they play the notes on the page.

It’s when they try to play without the music that they have trouble.

If you already play rather well using music, but have trouble going beyond the notes on the page, this book is for you.

Music isn’t about playing someone else’s creation. It’s about creating from your own mind. The notes on the page are just a starting point. They are a guide. Playing the music on the page is like paint by numbers. You get points for staying in the lines, using the right colors, etc., but you are mimicking someone else’s creation.

This book will help you let loose the creativity deep in your soul and help you transfer that creativity to the keyboard. The piano should be an extension of you, not a separate tool that you operate. Like the difference between an automatic shift and a good 5-speed. Once you learn and can feel that, you can begin to create great original songs, play popular songs in your own style, even take a slow song and change the rhythm, style, etc. to suit you.

I am not going deep into specific music styles, such as pop, rock, jazz, etc. Rather I will give you the tools to let your own imagination take over and play whatever styles you want.

Let yourself go. Loosen up your brain. Don’t concentrate on fingering, exact notes, timing, etc. Instead, concentrate on letting your own creativity guide your fingers. Once you learn to do this, you will be amazed at how quickly you can pick up new songs, and how enjoyable it is to play a piece of music the way you feel, not just how the author wrote it.

We will work on chording at first. Not just the basic chords, but the different inversions, adding

6ths and 7ths, taking simple root chords on the page and enriching the sound. You will be able to use a “fake book” which has nothing but melody lines, chords and words. If you know a song in your head, you will be able to transfer that to the keyboard without any music.

Time to let your creativity take over.

For the purposes of this book, all of the types of music discussed, including Pop, Rock, Jazz, Blues, Swing, Country, R&B, Soul, Latin, etc., will be termed “Popular Music.”

Who Should Use This Book

If you have been playing classical music, or even playing from popular music books or sheet music, and want to go further, ask yourself these questions:

1. Can I read music fairly well?

2. Do I know my scales?

3. Am I willing to throw out much of what I have learned in the past and explore new territories?

If the answer to these three questions is "Yes," then read on.

In order to play "by ear" you need to have these basic qualities:

1. The ability to hear and distinguish intervals (the distance between one note and another).

2. If you can hear a note and play it the first time, you are in the minority. A very good minority. If you can hear a note, play one close to it the first time, and play the correct note the second time, this is still very good. You have to be able to hear if you are playing the correct note. If you cannot hear this, I would not recommend this book.

3. The ability to tell when a chord goes with a note or if it is so dissonant (the sounds clash and sound bad) that you need to change a note or notes.

If you can answer these questions "yes," then you should continue on. I believe that you can learn to play the way you want to.

A Word About Sheet Music

Sheet music, books, etc. are usually the basic melodies, timing, chords and sometimes some arrangements in the left hand. They are not the same as classical music in that they are more of a guide, a starting point, rather than the whole exact piece.

There are exceptions to this, of course, but many times the sheet music for the piano is for a song that originally was played with many instruments, such as guitars, bass, drums, trumpets, etc. The only way to begin to cover all of these instruments is with a whole score, which would be prohibitive and cost you more money.

• So, the publishers give you a basic outline of the song and leave the rest up to you. This is why I recommend that, if you can, listen to the original song on the radio, CD, etc. so you know how it is supposed to sound. Listen to the individual instruments. Pick out the parts that are particular to the song, such as an interesting beat, solos, chording, etc. Don’t try to play all of the parts. Concentrate on those that are integral to the song.

• The melody lines for most songs is not exact. If you listen to a song and read along with the music you will find that melody lines for popular (pop, rock, jazz, etc) music is full of off-timing, extra notes, etc. If you were to try to actually notate the song exactly, it would be close to unreadable. I have run my midi files through several different programs that take the file and put it into notation. They come out very complicated and very hard to decipher.

• So, use the music as a guide. The most important use of sheet music is for the chords (which may or may not be accurate in themselves) and particularly complicated melody lines. Create your own left hand yourself, and don’t rely on what’s on the page.

Chords

Chords are combinations of notes to create a specific sound to go with a melody. Chords back up the melody, add fullness to the song and are based on the key in which the piece is written or played. Once you learn the chords in one key, you can transfer them to any other key.

Chords can be magical. Used properly, they can transform a simple piece of music into a much fuller one, and they can create a mood in the listener just from the sound.

If you play classical music, you have been playing chords all the time. You probably just didn’t know it. Most music, no matter how complicated it is, is made up of a melody line and chords. These chords may be spread out throughout the measure, and may be in the left hand, the right hand or both. Even so, they are there. You just need to learn to recognize them, figure out what chords they are and learn how to use them the way you want.

Take a very basic song like “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” usually played in the key of C major and uses only one chord, C. The basic (root) C chord is the notes C, E, and G, also known as 1, 3, 5, after the first, third and fifth notes of the C scale.

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Try playing the above melody in the right hand, and C, E &G in the left hand. Sounds okay, doesn’t it? Nothing wrong with it, but it is a bit plain.

Now try playing the same song using E, G & C. Next try using G, C & E. Hear how different they sound? You are playing the same chord, but in two other “inversions.” First inversion is with 3 (the third note in the scale) on the bottom instead of C (the first note in the scale). Second inversion starts with the 5 on the bottom. If you were play a chord with 4 notes in it (such as a sixth or a seventh) then you could have 3 inversions. Try adding a B, the left hand on the last note. Sounds nice, doesn’t it?

Now try playing the song again, only changing the second to last measure to a G major chord. This would be G, B & D. Already you are changing the basic song and making it sound more interesting.

Try this. On the second measure, add a B on top (to the right of) of the G. On the third measure, change the B to the A. On the fourth measure, go back to the root (C, E &G). Hear how it sounds? You are playing the same song, with the same basic chord, but making it sound much fuller, richer and more interesting.

Next we will learn the most common chords.

Chord Chart

Here are all of the common chords that most people use. There are, of course, other variations but those you will be able to create on your own.

I am only giving you the chords for the key of C. Most places give you a whole chart of all the chords for all of the keys, and expect you to memorize them. This can be daunting for most people. There are 144 different chords just for the ones above in all of the keys!

I would rather you concentrate on learning how the chords work, their structure, etc. Then you can easily translate them to any other key at will. It’s a matter of learning how things work, rather than simply memorizing chords. You will also have the added benefit of being able to transpose a song from one key to another on the fly.

Go through the chords above. Listen to how they sound. Think about songs that have that sound. Play a few notes in the right hand along with each chord. Look at your fingers on the keyboard. See how the notes relate to each other. Get comfortable with each chord before you go onto the next one.

When you are comfortable with each chord, go to a different key (F, G, or D are good to start with) and play the same chord in each of these keys. If you have a decent ear you should be able to hear how these chords sound in no time.

It’s good to be able to transpose a song from one key to another for various reasons. A big reason is if you want to accompany a singer, for instance, but they need to sing the song in a different key than the one in which you usually play. Also, songs sound different in different keys. A song that sounds dull in Eb will sound brighter in G or A. One that is dark and somber will sound better in Eb or Ab or even Db. You may want to learn a new song in an easy key, such as C or G, then transpose to another key to get a better sound.

Once you are comfortable with each chord, try using the different inversions to change the sound. Play a short melody line using the root chord, then using the inversions. You will soon hear how you can change the tone of the music just by changing the notes of the chord around.

I don’t want to tell you how to play. Everyone has their own style. What I do want to do is to encourage your own style of creativity and give you the tools to express yourself through the keyboard.

Intervals

Intervals are simply the distance in between notes. The distance between a C and an E is called a third. The distance between a G and a C is a fourth. This is only going up the keyboard. If you were going down the keyboard, the distance between a C and an E would be a sixth.

It is easy to create chords and locate chords when you know your intervals. In the case of a C chord, it consists of the root note (C), the third (E) and the fifth (G).

When you add the seventh (B-flat or B) you have a C7 or Cmaj7 chord. You can find any chord in any key using this simple method, assuming you know your scales.

Obviously, there are more than seven intervals in the scale, as there are 13 notes in the scale. The intervals in between the ones marked below are made by lowering the intervals 1/2 step. A third using the note Eb instead of E would be called a “flat third.” A fourth using the note F# instead of F would be called a “sharp fourth.”

You may read or hear chords referred to as having a flat or sharp interval in them, such as C7 with a flat third. This would be C, E, G, Bb and Eb (usually on top.). This is a particularly jazzy, interesting chord with some dissonance. Try this in some other keys. These flat or sharp notes usually sound better when separated from the middle of the chord (in this case, the E). Try it both ways to hear how they sound.

Chords – Why So Many and What Do They Do?

Chords give a song depth. They create a mood from just one melody note. They give you infinite opportunities for expression.

Major chords (C, C6, C7) for instance are bright sounding, happy chords. They are frequently used in faster songs, songs that make people want to get up and dance. Marches always use major chords. “Route 66,” by Nat King Cole uses major chords.

Minor chords (Cm, Cm7) give a darker, somber, deep sound to music. They are used to express quiet or sad emotions. “You’ve Got a Friend” by Carol King, is a good example of this. “Angel Eyes,” a beautiful song by Frank Sinatra, is another good example. Also, “Eleanor Rigby,” by The Beatles.

A 6th adds a bit of depth and fullness to a chord.

A 7th adds more fullness to a plain major or minor chord. Play some 7’s. You will hear the chord want to “go” to another chord, such as the major chord on the fourth note of the scale. For instance, if you are playing a C7 chord, it naturally wants to go to an F chord.

A major 7th is the same chord, but the 7th is one-half step higher. The 7th in a C7 is B-flat. The 7th in a Cmaj7 is B natural. A major 7th adds fullness and depth to the song. A Cmin7 with a raised 7th adds a unique dissonance to the chord.

A major 9th simply adds a fifth note to the chord, usually on top. In reality, this is the second note in the scale. In a major 7th chord, the ninth would be D. You can also add a 13th in the same way. These chords are seldom played from the bottom to the top. Instead they are spread out to both hands and usually in an inversion.

An augmented chord raises the fifth note one-half step. As with the 7th, the chord “feels” like it wants to go another chord.

A diminished chord lowers the third and the fifth notes of the chord, giving a very haunting, scary sound, like something out of an old Boris Karloff movie.

Minor chords work the same way, only the third note is lowered one-half step.

Taking Chords From the Melody Line

Notice how the chords in the left hand mimic many of the notes in the right hand. One easy way to figure out what chord goes with the melody is to pick out the main notes of the right hand.

For instance, the main notes in measure one are the G C. That gives you two out of three notes in the chord. Play the G and C in the left hand along with the melody in the first measure. Then add a third above the C, which is E. This is a C major chord in first inversion. If you had played the C on the bottom and the G above it, it would be simple to put in the third, which is E.

In the second measure, the notes are D and A. Follow the same pattern as above.

In the third measure, you have only one main note to go by, which is the B. How do you figure out the chord?

Most popular music follows basic chord patterns. The most common one is 1,4,5,1. The chords are based on the first, fourth and fifth notes in the C scale. In the key of C, this would be C, F, G, and back to C. If you are familiar with the song above (Love Me Tender) by Elvis Presley, you should recognize that you are playing the correct chords, In this case, the song follows a 1,2,5,1 pattern, the first, second, fifth and first notes of the C scale.

Left Hand vs. Right Hand Chording

Most people play chords in the left hand. That’s what the left hand is for, right? Wrong.

Chords should be played wherever they sound the best. I prefer to play the bulk of my chords with my right hand, along with the melody. It takes a while to master, because you are giving your right hand double duty, and you have to make sure that the chords are a bit softer than the melody so they don’t drown out the sound of the melody.

The further down the keyboard you play chords, the muddier the sound. Try playing a C major chord at middle C. Now play it an octave or two higher. Now play it 2 octaves below middle C. Listen to the difference in the sound.

If you play most of your chords at about middle C and above, you can eliminate that muddiness. Reserve your left hand for bass notes (or octaves), partial chords (spread out), etc.

For instance, if you are playing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” try playing the first line with the left hand in second inversion (G and E) and leave out the C. You are playing the C in the right hand already. When you get to the third measure, add the C to the right hand. You are playing the whole chord, but you are spreading it out over the keyboard and creating a much more pleasing sound.

You don’t have to play the whole chord, or even part of it with each melody note. Experiment with different songs until you like what you hear. It’s not important to play the chord with each note. It is important to have the sound of the chord fill in along with the melody.

Arpeggios

People want to know what to do with a slow song, especially one without a strict beat, instead of just playing the melody and the chords and waiting for next measure. A simple way to handle this is to arpeggio the chords in the left hand.

Play the melody line with the right hand, filling in with notes from the chord. Try to keep them somewhat spread out. Then play the root note of the chord in the left hand and then the rest of the chord throughout the measure. If it is a long melody note, you can continue up the keyboard with your right hand. This gives you the fullness of sound you want, as you are playing notes of the chord more than once, as well as movement in the song. For an example of this, go to

.

This is my version of a classic, “Tenderly.”

A simpler version of this technique is at

. or



Listen to how full and rich they sound. Listen to the right hand and how the chords fill in. Listen to the left hand. It’s a simple bass note and then I add the others throughout the measure.

You can add as many or as few notes as you wish. It all depends on the particular song and how you want it to sound. There are no rules to follow, just techniques.

Play around with “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” several times, using different chords from the chart. Work on playing just the left hand bass note and adding the chord notes to the right hand. When you get comfortable with this, try adding a second chord note to the left hand, and then go to arpeggios.

You will soon find that chords can be your best friend when it comes to making great music, whether it is a ballad, jazz or rock.

Rhythm

By and large, classical music has no rhythm. It has notes, a time signature to tell you how fast to play it, dynamics (loud and soft), articulation marks (for individual notes), ornaments, pedal marks, etc. These are all signs for you to know how to play a particular piece.

Popular music has notes, a time signature and chords. The rest is up to you. You have to decide how fast to play a song, what notes to accent, whether to play them straight or embellish them, what rhythm to use (ballad, swing, pop, jazz, etc.), and even which key. This is where your own creativity comes in to play.

Classical music has very strict rules to follow. You could get a dozen competent pianists together to all play the same piece. Although their individual nuances would come through, they would each play the piece substantially the same way,

Popular music frees you from the rules and lets your own creativity and imagination come through. If you go on some of the midi music sites in the internet and listen to the same song played or sequenced by different musicians, you will find wide variations of the interpretations.

Rhythm is one of the big items for interpretation. With a ballad, one person might want to play it slow and pretty, with little or no rhythm, interpreting the song as they go. Another might want to play a straight ballad rhythm, perhaps with a drummer or drum machine. This is good if people are dancing. Others might want to combine the two. I like to play a song through first without any rhythm, and then add the rhythm on the second verse.

Others like to take a ballad and play it slow, without rhythm the first verse, then start a swing rhythm and jazz it up, improvise, etc.

It’s all up to you and how you want to play the piece.

Types of Rhythm

Ballad Slow, even timing, usually 4/4, with each beat divided into 3 sub beats. Some examples are “Unforgettable,” by Nat King Cole, “Michelle,” by the Beatles, “Serenade in Blue,” by Glenn Miller, and “Since I Don’t Have You,” by the Skyliners.

Swing A fast tempo, great for dancing or a pick me up for the audience. Some examples are “Route 66,” by Nat King Cole, “Puttin on the Ritz,” “Mack the Knife,” Alley Cat,” and “In the Mood.”

Pop Medium fast, steady tempo. Very common in popular music. Examples are “Country Roads,” by John Denver, “Downtown,” by Petula Clark, “It’s Too Late,” by Carole King, and “Sittin on the Dock of the Bay,” by Otis Redding.

Rock (& Roll) A stronger, heavier version of Pop. Pop and Rock and basically interchangeable, depending on how you want to sound. It has a heavier beat, more bass drums, and is good for crowds of dancers, etc. Some examples are “Johnny Be Good,” Unchain my Heart,” “Lucretia McEvil,” by Blood, Sweat and Tears, “Roseanna,” by Toto, “American Pie,” by Don McLean, and “Listen to the Music,” by The Doobie Brothers.

Latin There are many different Latin beats, including Bossanova, Samba, Mambo, Salsa, Meringue, Cha-Cha, and Tango. Bossanova is good for a wide variety of songs, including “The Girl From Ipanema,” “Quiet Nights,” “Strangers in the Night,” and “Save the Last Dance for Me.” Using a Latin beat on a pop song can give the song a different sound which is interesting.

Blues Usually distinguished by a strong 4/4 rhythm, flatted thirds and sevenths, a 12-bar structure, and lyrics in a three-line stanza in which the second line repeats the first. Examples are “Sweet Home Chicago,” “The Thrill is Gone,” by B. B. King, “Pony Blues,” by Charley Patton, and “CC Rider,” by Ma Rainey.

Jazz “Jazz” has become a loose term for all kinds of music. Even the experts have a hard time defining it. Jazz songs are seldom played the same way twice. Some of the main components, however, are a swing beat, prominent meter, improvisation and syncopated rhythms. Some examples are “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,” by Cannonball Adderley, “One O’Clock Jump,” by Count Basie, “Moanin’,” by Art Blakey, and “Mood Indigo,” by Duke Ellington.

There are too many types of music and rhythms to list them all here. Above are the basic rhythms used in the majority of songs. You can research others on the internet to find ones in which you are interested.

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