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But if you make your harmonies so that listeners can hear them as an added extra rather than being part of the song as a whole you might find you can get some lovely sounds and fullness coming out of your pieces, if you do it right you can make it sound like there are four hands playing the piece rather than two You can also do it wrong and make it sound like a real mush, although youll still have the benefit of it sounding like four hands, just not the 4 hands that you would have liked hehe...
Arpeggios
Arpeggios are the notes of a chord played independently rather than together. This means simply that the chord is "broken" and the notes are played moving in alternate steps...just like playing a major (or minor) scale. The difference being of course that when playing or practicing arpeggios, you play the notes of the chord or chords. Check out the graphic below for the arpeggios of C Major 7th and F Major 7th chords.
You should now review the sections of this site entitled "Piano Chords" and "Chord Inversions" and practice the arpreggios of the chords you have learned and their inversions. When practicing remember to "run" or play the arpeggios both ascending (going up the piano keyboard) and descending (going down the piano keyboard).
Please Do Not underestimate the value of learning and practicing arpeggios. Learning them will solidify your knowledge of the notes used to create a chord, help in increasing your finger independence and dexterity, and along with scales will give you the basics for improvising on the piano.
gaps between them. 4 Staccato scales and arpeggios help you to play detached notes - that is to put deliberate gaps between the notes. 5 They help you to achieve a good finger action of the right kind by squeezing the note firmly with a circular action from the knuckle. 6 They help you to perfect the passage of the thumb or the movement of the hand over the thumb - important piano technique. 7 They help you to perfect the sideways movement of the hand when putting the thumb under. 8 They help you to play with shape - getting gradually louder or softer over a number of notes. 9 They help you to be more aware of keys and key signatures - that is the number of sharps or flats in a piece of music. 10 As these problems are encountered in all pieces of music, scales help you to learn music more quickly. 11 They help you to sight read - to read a piece of music for the first time - because you can recognise bits of scale and arpeggio patterns in the music. 12 They help you to memorise music because scale and arpeggio patterns are easily recognisable and committed to memory. 13 They generally help your confidence by improving your technique on the piano or keyboard. This then enables you to devote more thought and energy to playing expressively.
Oteil Burbridge Blues Solo Notice how he ventured way out of the usual blues scale to create some really interesting colors in his solo? Before we go on further, here is the transcription of this clip. Oteil-Burbridge-Blues-Solo-Transcription The first thing a student must know is that over a blues progression, there are already two basic blues scale to be used, as shown below for the F blues.
The first two bars show the F minor pentatonic blues scale. And the following two bars show the D minor pentatonic blues scale. Both scales can be applied over the standard blues progression, switching between the two will create some interesting effects on your solos. Refer to the transcription above for example, look at the solo from bar 17 which is basically using mostly the notes from the F minor pentatonic. However, in bar 21, notice the sudden change to the D minor pentatonic scale. Listen to the clip for a better picture of the effect. Bars 37 to bars 39 might sound very interesting, but one glance at the transcription shows that its just a basic use of some chromatic notes. Chromatic notes can be used almost anywhere in a piece of music, but be careful which note the solo line end on. For example, the string of chromatic notes stretching from bar 37 to 38 ended on a nice Eb, which is one of the notes in the F minor pentatonic scale.
Another interesting thing happened in bar 22. You can think of it as using the Eb minor pentatonic blues scale, which is a half step up from D minor pentatonic. Take note that you can always modulate a semitone up from your original key in your solo, but be sure that you find a way to resolute back.
So these are just a few tips for you to add some flavor into your blues solo. Im sure you can find more stuffs in the transcription I provided. Create some lines based on this ideas, and practise them with an open ear to get the sounds into your head. Have fun and enjoy..
Heres an example of the first few bars of popular jazz bebop tune Donna Lee, notated in its usual form.
Heres another example of the same few bars, notated in half time.
Notice that both examples above sound the same to the listener (note the tempo marking) But for the musician playing it in half time, the speed of the song is reduced to half. The end result is a more relax feeling while improvising. Imagine yourself improvising over a ballad, but actually sounding like a fast swinging bebop tune. This video demonstrates Hal Galpers point perfectly, with Bud Powell improvising over a tune titled Get Happy Besides being totally relax even while improvising at such tempo, notice also that there is alegato feeling to all the lines executed by Bud. As mentioned by Hal Galper, this is one of the result from counting in half time, a skill that Bud Powell had inevitably mastered. This entry is part of a series of posts dealing with Hal Galpers Forward Motion Concept in bebop jazz improvisation.
these cases. By always sitting the same place at the piano, you will develop a physiological memory of all 88 keys on the piano!
Eventually, you will just memorize all the notes, but until that time comes, literally speak through the appropriate sequence until you reach the desired note. For example, if you want to read the third space in the treble clef, you say F A C. You stop on C and that is the third not e.
Scale practice
Each scale should be played until the entire tone-chain appears even like a string of beads, like a succession of balls of the same size. There should be no intermission between any of the tones, nor should one be stronger than the other should. A scale thus played is always pleasing to the ear. In order to produce this effect constant and attentive practice is required.
This little piece looks more difficult than it is. Read it over carefully and you will find it easy. The main lesson is the crossing of the hands. Play slowly and softly, emphasize the notes placed by the left hand, when crossing the right. Also, bring out the melody given to the right hand to be played. Observe the ritardandos at the close of each part
It is sometimes tempting to write a long introduction (something I'm guilty of) to 'set the mood' for your composition. Be careful with this. Remember, the melody is (typically) what makes or breaks your song. It is also the device that holds the various elements of your composition together. Finally and most importantly, the melody is the part of your song your listener will remember. So, get to the melodic point quickly, and don't linger too long on your introduction. People don't generally hum introductions to themselves - they hum melodies. 4) The Anti-Melody Song? Some compositions are just 'mood' pieces. I have a few of these, which don't really have a melody so much as cool, ambient sense about them. There's nothing wrong with writing mood pieces, but be warned, you can only carry a 'mood' for so long before the listeners ear tires. Keep your mood pieces relatively short. Under 3 minutes is a good, general rule. Most of mine are about 2:45. 5) Follow the Muse It's not uncommon to find that while you're developing a composition, you find yourself taken into an entirely new musical direction. The question to ask yourself is, does this 'new direction' belong with your original melody? Or, have you accidentally stumbled upon a new, second melody better suited for an entirely new composition? A great number of my songs originated as spin-offs of other compositions. So if you have a great melody and it takes you to a second great melody, consider whether you're might really be working on two different songs and whether you need to split them apart so they can 'play' in their own separate worlds. 6) Repeat with Style Once you have firmly established your melodic phrase and chorus, don't pound them into the ground. You might play your melody twice the same exact way, but by the third time you ought to be embellishing it so that even though it's the same melody, it sounds different. That might mean playing it in a different octave, adding more bass, more flair, or a slightly different rhythm. However you do it, enhance the melody throughout the piece. Don't let it grow stale or your beautiful melody will begin to grate on your listeners' ear. 7) Build Slowly, but Build Something. Whatever you do, do something with your song. Remember, you're telling a story with your music, so arrange your song in such a way that it keeps moving in a particular direction. When you read a storybook to your kids before bedtime, you don't read page one, read page two, then go back to page one again, and then read page two, read page two, and read page two once more. Your kids would get really bored! With each new page, the story needs to advance toward the happy ending, in proper order. Do the same thing with your music. Every 'page' of your composition should develop your storyline a bit more, building to a gratifying conclusion. 8) Mistakes Count Don't fret too much about making mistakes as you develop your song. Mistakes can lead to some very cool sounding chords. More than once I've played the wrong notes and then thought, "Hey, what a switch, that sounds cool!" Your "mistake" might end up being the very twist you need at the end of your song to add spice to your tune. When I first start composing a song, I make a LOT of mistakes. It's just part of the process. Music composition is like pottery. You start out with a dirty blob (an idea) and you mold it into something. The process isn't always pretty, but In the end, with persistence and skill, you may end up with something beautiful. 9) Change is Good After you've developed your melody, you'll need to change things up a bit to keep the listener interested. The 'change up' might be a secondary melody, though it's usually not as strong as the primary melody or chorus. One of the reasons I think people enjoy my compositions is that they are basically songs. I write them to be, for lack of a better description, songs without words (sorry for the clich ). Every one of my songs has a song-like pattern to it. For example, listen to ' One Night at Mozart's', one of my more popular songs. Here's the pattern: A) Melody established (Intro) B) Chorus
C) Bridge A) Melody (Octave lower with embellishment) B) Chorus C) Bridge D) Change Up B) Chorus to End and there you have a 3 minute song. Notice how simple the structure is? Let's look at another composition. This time, 'No More Tears.' * Intro to set the mood, then... A) Melody B) Chorus A) Melody (with embellishment) B) Chorus C) Change Up B) Chorus A) Melody (octave higher) to end.
Do you see the structure of the songs? Every song is a bit different. Some songs are as simple as "A" and then "B". The point is, a composition is a song. Give it a song-like structure and... 10) Keep it Simple The biggest mistake I hear in others' composition is over-complexity. For some reason, beginning composers try to make things complicated - as if bigger is better. Part of this, I think, is the need to impress others, and part of it is the mistaken assumption that the more complex a song is, the more significance it has in the overall scheme of life. No, no no. Simplicity is the key to beauty. Clarity is the key to perfection. Don't try to write a song that will impress and don't try to write a song of significance. Just find a simple melody, develop it, give it a twist, and finish it. You should be able to do it in less than 4 minutes. If you have a song over five minutes, examine it closely. You might be doing too much. I know a very talented pianist who writes incredible melodies, but his songs are way too long. It drives me crazy, because if he'd just simplify his arrangements, his CD would be a thing of beauty. I won't name him, of course, but just look at this song arrangement: A) Melody (Intro) A) Melody (Repeated) B) Chorus (simple version) C) Bridge A) Melody B) Chorus (simple version) C) Bridge A) Melody D) Change Up B) Chorus (complex version) C) Bridge (with embellishment) D) Change Up (with much embellishment, turns into a vamp) B) Chorus (with much embellishment) A) Melody B) Chorus (simple version) C) Bridge A) Melody (to end)
The song runs at six and a half minutes. While the song has one of the most beautiful melodies I've ever heard, the artist plays it into the ground. By the time you're five minutes into the song, you're
really wishing it was over. Keep it simple. 11) Let Time Have its Way Realize that it might take years to complete a piece. Now and then, I'll write a song in two hours flat, but that hardly ever happens (like maybe 4 times in 20 years). Most of my songs take 6-9 months to complete, and some songs have taken years to finish. If it takes you awhile to finish your composition, don't get frustrated. If you need to, set the composition aside for awhile and come back to it later. Sometimes if you take a couple months off of a song, then come back to it, you'll find it easier to actually finish it. . 12) Get a Tape Recorder Finally, have a tape recorder right beside you so you can record your ideas while you're still sitting at the piano. There's nothing more frustrating that having a great idea, getting interrupted, and then forgetting it. With a tape recorder handy you can take the two minutes you need to record a roughdraft of your melody and come back to it later if need be. There you have it.
play chord and voicing - when you hit the bass note and press the sustain pedal, you free up your left hand instantly. Use the free time to play some chords and voicing together with your right hand. ostinato pattern - I wrote about it before. Refer to the link. 5. Familiar with chord notation Actually, chord notation is the basic of playing piano accompaniment. A chord is the simplest way to show all the notes we need to play. Imagine looking at a chord music sheet:
Compare it to EbMaj7 9. It probably takes you 1-3 seconds to comprehend all the notes shown in the staff. But if you look at the chord symbol, it takes me less than a second to figure out the voicing. When you play from chords, you basically create your own arrangement on the spot. This can be as easy or difficult as you want it to be. The best way to practice chord reading is to play by reading lead sheet with chord chart. This is how a lead sheet looks like:
You can quickly search for the notes included in a chord symbol here. 6. Rhythm is the main obstacle
After thorough understanding of all the rules #1-5 above, some pianists who went through the classical learning path (I am one of them) still cant play nice and soothing piano accompaniment. It is due to the ability to play rhythmically. This is the most challenging part to master. I find it very hard to explain through words. Music is so indescribable. I will write some other post about rhythm.
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In fact, there are million ways to play a piano accompaniment. I probably know merely a few of them. Through years of practice, Ive developed my unique style of pianoaccompaniment especially for vocalist solo in pop and jazz feel. I would like you to know that there is really no strict and rigid rules on how to learn an accompaniment. You can give a few great pianist the same lead sheet or chord chart, we will all play it in different ways. I might be able to imitate some other pianist but definitely I cant copy exactly the same thing spontaneously. At the end, we are all specialists in our own style. But I can tell that the best musician is still the one who can play whatever created in his/her mind. I am not at that level, yet. However, before I play the accompaniment, no doubt that it is created in my brain first before the neurons trigger my fingers.
This video is created by John Axsom. He teaches a basic accompaniment pattern which is very useful and easy to learn for beginners. He showed you how to play a folk song Hava Nagila with three simple chords: E, Am, Dm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy3HYcDRdhw
The lesson is simple to learn because: 1. only three basic chords involved 2. all the chord voicing is in the most basic form: triad which consists of 3 notes only for each chord. Later on, you shall venture into more complex voicing. For a nice chord voicing, there should be at least 4 notes in a chord. 3. not much changes in hand position. 4. simple rhythm. 5. same interval for the left hand bass part. So it just require you to move your left hand by shifting it up or down for different chords. 6. No black keys anyway, dont afraid of the black keys. It is actually easier to press the black keys. Youll hardly miss it. Suggestion for further practice: Use the same chord progression, but play it in different keys. ========================================================================
What to Play?
Play a mix of legato and staccato. Simple rule is to start the bar with the root (or the specific bass notes), then you can do something creative during the rest of the chord. For example, a bar consist of G major chord - play the bass G on 1st beat, and add other notes to fill up the bar if necessary.
occasional bend or tied note does a lot to help the bass sit. The 1st note and the 5th note normally wont make you wrong.
play the line with fast passing notes (acciacaturas) play a long note, and use pitch bend to slide the pitch simply use the audio samples that play hammer-ons and pull-offs. It is more convenient if you program the sample player to play the slurs at high note velocity (120 and above)
Groove or Melody?
Bass is a rhythm instrument. Sometimes, it sounds good even if repetitive notes were played rhythmically. Occasionally, add in some fills and melodic runs to spice it up. The best bass line I heard is both groovy and melodious. Easy guide to have a groovy bass line:
follow the kick drum - play a note whenever kick drum is hit (not necessarily every single kick drum hit) avoid snare drum - I find it neat to cut off the bass sustained note at snare drum hit.
Monophonic setting bass should be played one note a time. Sometimes can be doubled notes 3rd apart, 6th apart, 5th apart, or octave. More often that double notes will sound muddy.
Glide/Portamento Function - glide is a function that is available in certain sound module/sampler that allow a notes to slide to the other note. This function is useful to imitate the fretless bass. You can use glide feature for synth bass too.
Layered bass patch - lay a few patches for very thick bass, if thats what you are looking for.
Use Compressor
I heard some producers say that Nathan East plays the bass without the need to compress. This shows that he is a great bassist who can control the dynamic perfectly. When you are not that good yet, use slight compression to tame the peak. Your bass track will sound smoother and sustained. ========================================================================
Although the chord is voiced sparsely, but it sounds so full with tension. This is due to the use of 3 tension notes i.e. 6th (F#), 7th (G), 9th (B). Unlike conventional voicing, the fifth is omitted. No E!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiUNm2tCFNQ
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2. Play the remaining notes in the chord with your right hand. Here is where our brain do all the maths. In CMaj7, there are 4 notes: C - the root which already played in left hand
E - the major 3rd from the root (C) G - the perfect 5th from the root (C) B - the major 7th from the root (C)
3. Play the designated notes as if a drummer - create your rhythm! play the left hand root note as if hitting the bass drum play the right hand chord notes as if hitting the snare drum
These 3 easy steps are done subconsciously when you reach a practice level where you can play any chord without doing all the interval maths. When you can do that, improvisation is just a piece of cake! To learn about notation of chords and what the chord consisted of, refer Shane McDonalds complete chord chart. Click on the chords name and it will bring you to a keyboard picture highlighting the notes you should play. Please understand that the best way to practise is to play songs, improvise and compose your own tune