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Announcing “Piano Chords 108: Lose That Chord Catalog”

 

UPDATE, Nov. 17, 2018: The first video lecture of this course has just been published!

HERE’S THE ORIGINAL POST (yesterday):

I’m excited to announce a new online music course in progress here at PWK, called “Piano Chords 108.”

Since our site is blog-like, this course will be published in installments.  (That’s also how we did things this summer with “The Blues Piano Crash Course” and “A Study in Blues Piano.”)

This post below is the Course Introduction (just text for now).

COURSE INTRODUCTION

Welcome to Piano Chords 108!

Kent Smith here, your instructor.

This course provides a simple system for memorizing the “108 Essential Piano Chords.”

See the chord symbol, or hear the chord name, and you will know all the notes with certainty!

Altered and Extended Chords

You’ll also acquire enough knowledge in this class to alter or extend any of those 108 chords. (Jazz students will need this additional skill, for sure.)

In the end, you’ll be able to determine the unique set of notes that define any one of HUNDREDS of chords, on the spot. This impressive accomplishment requires zero rote memorization of any chord. (What?)

Because of the above, my focus on “108” as being the number of chords you will acquire is an understatement.  One can see (in the second, more optional part of this course) that the rest of the “standard chord universe” opens right up — as soon as you know how to alter and extend any member of the “Big 108” group.

“So what’s all this mean, Mr. ‘Piano With Kent’ Guy?” Larry asked, eyebrows raised, obviously displaying more than just passing interest in total chord recall. Kent slowly and deliberately lifted his feet off the desk, ate an entire McDonald’s Quarter Pounder, then replied:

“When it comes to these 108 chords — by far the most common and useful chords in both popular and classical music — you will never again need a chord catalog, chord poster, or web search; and you will certainly never be chased away by the cops because you were out there questioning random people in public, asking them all about how to memorize chords, standing around in the rain outside your car, in a CVS parking lot, near Las Vegas.”

Selling point:

As you can see just there, many of the madcap diversions here at Piano With Kent include hypothetical and/or useless information that you just can’t get on other learning sites, such as Piano With Jeff Sessions. (As matter of fact, that particular site doesn’t even exist, man.)

Even though this course has the goal of weaning students off chord catalogs, so to speak, I will definitely include a downloadable picture-based catalog for these 108 chords. Such a reference will no doubt prove useful for checking your understanding of this system.  But ultimately, I don’t want you to need any such piano chord reference…

…Because that’s the whole theme and purpose of Piano Chords 108: Lose the catalog (so to speak)!

Here’s the scoop. Continue reading “Announcing “Piano Chords 108: Lose That Chord Catalog””

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Secrets to Memorizing Chords: Half-Steps, Whole-Steps, and Thirds

Today’s video lesson was created especially for my new course, “Piano Chords 108.” In this lecture, students will learn how to visualize and play half-steps, whole-steps, minor thirds, and major thirds on the piano.

What’s in the video lesson below?

Intervals

Half-steps and whole-steps are the two intervals that we use here to define minor and major thirds (which are also intervals).  It’s those all-important thirds that we’re focused on here, and we can construct them all by ourselves, right here in the forest (I’m with you), using half-steps and whole-steps.

Chords

In PWK’s chord speed-learning class called Piano Chords 108, you will achieve your impressive memorization skills for chords by using the music theory concept of “stacking thirds.” Therefore, as prerequisite knowledge for that class, this lecture is basically the stuff you gotta know.

Before moving on from this lesson, make sure you can play (or visualize) both a minor and a major third on piano, starting on any given note, without stopping to think.  Even in the middle of a car chase or a saloon brawl, this should be something you can do without thinking!

If you are too slow at doing this, you can’t (yet) become a Piano Chord Master.

BUT…assuming maybe you’re not there yet (with those thirds), no worries! Today can be the day. It probably won’t take more than one solid practice session at the piano after this video for you to OWN what’s covered in this lesson.

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“Moonlight” Sonata Sheet with Letter-Note Names Added (3rd movement, complete)

Important: Today’s post is the 3rd movement of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata 14 (“Moonlight”) in C# Minor (below).

If you’re looking (instead) for the most famous movement of this sonata, the slow, sort of haunting first movement, that sheet is right here:  Moonlight Sonata 1st Movement.

Hello again, Beethoven fans!

Here’s a brand new sheet music offering. This one is another custom job for keyboard players who read music “a little bit,” but who may have trouble remembering the details about key signatures, or may sometimes be unsure about which piano key belongs to which line or space on the staff.  Perhaps you’re an adult who had lessons many years ago, for example.

This Beethoven piano sheet music was prepared by me, and was very carefully cross-checked for accuracy by doing note-for-note comparisons against three other “standard format” publications of this sonata.  All references used are from reputable sources.

I highly recomend that you also have access to a “conventional” copy of this piece (one that has no letter-names added), because it will likely contain many standard markings that I deliberately left out, due to the additional clutter created by adding all those letters!  Important markings left out by me, in this lettered version, include phrasing and dynamics symbols, which are essential information for studying and playing any piece like this.

About Marking Note Names (letters, plus #’s and b’s) on Sheet Music

The sheet music below has each note’s letter-name marked in (such as E, F#, Ab, G). There are many situations where this reading aid, the adding of letter-names, can be really useful.  Beware, some teachers get extremely upset  about this kind of alphabetic behavior, declaring it to be pretty much a horrible thing under any circumstances.  I’m not exaggerating.  But I have used this aid in many successful ways, with students who all ended up being good music readers, and  good players.  That said, I guess I also should say:  If you are a formal student of piano, who intends to read music really well, please be careful about decisions regarding the marking in of letter-names,  and maybe just be guided by your teacher, when it comes that.  Myself, when I choose to use this letter-note aid with a private student, the letter-notes have to come from me. That is, they are generally not allowed to mark in any note-names themselves.

Okay, there’s that!

Today’s selection is Beethoven’s famous “Moonlight Sonata,” entire 3rd movement.

Moonlight Sonata 3rd Movement

 

 

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Memorize all 12 Minor Pentatonic Scales – Today!

The minor pentatonic scale is a hyper-cool five-note scale. An extremely popular source of melodic and harmonic material in many cultures, this scale's distinctive signature is heard "all the time" in improvisational genres like rock, pop, blues and jazz.

For those of you who like to put words to your music: The word "pentatonic" comes from the Greek word pente, meaning five, and tonic, meaning tone.

The purpose of today's lesson is to give you an easy pattern to memorize, and to show you how to use that pattern to construct any minor pentatonic scale. By "construct," I mean you will visualize the correct five notes for the minor pentatonic scale, starting on any given root note.

As a result you will have "memorized" all 12 minor pentatonics on the keyboard today.

Assuming that this one pattern is not forgotten (it won't get forgotten, so long as you play any minor pentatonic scale now and then) , today will mark your permanent acquisition of all 12 of the minor pentatonics.

This lesson illustrates yet another example of how to avoid rote memorization of scales and chords. "Forget" that, I say! Discover and use their defining patterns instead. Patterns rule in music!

The remaining content of this post is for supporting members. Your monthly membership is extremely affordable, and makes it possible for us to work full-time on the task of creating  FREE educational content, plus additional premium content, for members like you. This is a fast-growing site, and we really need your support as an "All Access" premium member   to keep this site alive.  (After signing up, you may need to refresh this page to open all the content.)

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How to Riff on Van Morrison’s “Moondance” – Part 3

Welcome back!

This is Lesson Three of a 3-lesson collection on the topic of "jazzy-rock" improvisation.

Jump to:      Lesson One       Lesson Two 

Lesson Three video

The remaining content of this post is for supporting members. Your monthly membership is extremely affordable, and makes it possible for us to work full-time on the task of creating  FREE educational content, plus additional premium content, for members like you. This is a fast-growing site, and we really need your support as an "All Access" premium member   to keep this site alive.  (After signing up, you may need to refresh this page to open all the content.)

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How to Riff on Van Morrison’s “Moondance” – Part 2

Hello!

This is Lesson Two of a three-part video series on “jazzy-rock” improvisation.

(Lesson One is here.)

(Lesson Three is here.)

///

These three tutorials would fit somewhere near the center of the jazzy-rock genre spectrum, if there was one.

I guess there could possibly be a jazzy-rock genre officially defined somewhere, like in a big canvas binder at the Genres Office, or like that. Regardless of the possibility of this being regulated, I’m using the term freely here, maybe even whimsically, maybe even having some devil-may-care attitude going.

If I had a managing editor you would not have seen the previous paragraph. Don’t worry, with your continued support, we will hire a managing editor.

Van Morrison’s Moondance is the “jamming vehicle” we’re using in this trio of lessons. Moondance is a catchy tune, and it serves really well as a straightforward case study in jazzish-rockish piano improvisation.

 

VIDEO LESSON:

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How to Read and Play “Slash Chords” in Sheet Music

Slash chords in sheet music look like this:

G7/F

F#m/C#

etc.

Here’s a detailed tutorial on how to interpret slash chords on piano.  This lesson includes insights into several ways that slash chords are used, such as indicating an inversion, implying a descending bass line, or a simply notating a fresh chordal sound.

Composers and songwriters can use the “slash chord idea” in their creative thinking. That is, the effect of playing any given chord over bass notes that are not the actual root of the chord opens up endless possibilities. Some of the thinking behind these possibilities is discussed in this lesson.

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Jazz improv practice: A nice drill using “approach tones”

Here's a nice jazzy drill, to give you practice on:

(1) Adding interest to your melody lines,  by sometimes preceding the "target tone(s)" of a chord with "approach tones;" and,

(2) increased mastery of any given scale, especially as it relates to the underlying chords.

As a result, the repeated act of mindfully (and not mindlessly) practicing this drill can increase your general facility with approach tones, as well as give you (possibly new) theoretical insights regarding chord-scale relationships. Dig? You'll see.

The remaining content of this post is for supporting members. Your monthly membership is extremely affordable, and makes it possible for us to work full-time on the task of creating  FREE educational content, plus additional premium content, for members like you. This is a fast-growing site, and we really need your support as an "All Access" premium member   to keep this site alive.  (After signing up, you may need to refresh this page to open all the content.)

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Blues Piano Crash Course #11: How to play blues in any key (transpose)

from The Blues Piano Crash Course

This sample lesson (complete) is available to our visitors, and, of course, to our supporting members!

Lesson #11  (video)

Learn how to transpose the chords, scales, and concepts you learned in this crash course into other keys.

“All the same things” apply to playing blues in any key.  You will simply be learning the steps needed to move your musical patterns and shapes — that is, the three main chords, the blues scale, your favorite licks, etc. — into any desired key!

Especially good keys for you to learn to jam in are:

Continue reading “Blues Piano Crash Course #11: How to play blues in any key (transpose)”

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Blues Piano Crash Course #10: Turn-arounds and endings

from The Blues Piano Crash Course

Lesson #10  (video)

Turn-arounds and endings for the 12-bar blues.

The remaining content of this post is for supporting members. Your monthly membership is extremely affordable, and makes it possible for us to work full-time on the task of creating  FREE educational content, plus additional premium content, for members like you. This is a fast-growing site, and we really need your support as an "All Access" premium member   to keep this site alive.  (After signing up, you may need to refresh this page to open all the content.)