Course Description Learn the essential elements of improvising blues piano, including the (minor) Blues Scale, the 12-bar Blues pattern, left-hand grooves, coordination exercises, and plenty of raw material for your own licks. My goal is for… More
“Type B” Rootless Chord Voicings for Piano “Rootless voicings” on piano (especially for left-hand support) are great for handling big jazz chords that normally can’t be covered by one hand alone. This video tutorial shows… More
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… More
Today I’m happy to present the next lesson in my ongoing course, Chords 108.
Kent
Class Audience: Any musician who’s struggling to memorize the individual notes to all those dang chords on piano or keyboards, and looking for a solution.
Today: Learn how to immediately call up the notes to any of the twelve minor chords on a keyboard — without having to rely on rote memory. This lesson applies to all twelve minor seventh chords as well.
Coming next: Dominant seventh chords.
*This series is currently FREE to the public, but will soon be a premium members-only course. Our members keep this site alive, and 100% ad-free. Thanks to all!
Today we have two video lessons, either of which is a good introduction to a pretty simple notion, which I sometimes like to call the "melody machine." With this, I'm not suggesting some big new original conception. On the contrary, the concept I'm calling the melody machine is about as old as music itself.
If that nickname sounds a little gimmicky, it's really not meant to be. I actually do call this device a "melody machine," in my own thinking, part of an ongoing process of internalizing my favorite composition devices. Also, it's fun to say, just like saying "Lollapalooza" or "Isn't she pleasant?"
In a nutshell, this lesson shows you certain ways of using an underlying chord progression as a "thought generator" for creating melodic material.
First:
How to Riff on Van Morrison's Moondance - Part 1
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Here's a downloadable piano chord catalog, which I recently put together as a reference for my 'Piano Chords 108' series.
The objective of Chords 108 is for you to learn how to memorize all the standard chords.
Therefore, this catalog should be relied upon only to check your understanding -- not as a place to look up chords without learning the simple patterns that define how chords are constructed.
Of course, one could use the catalog that way (as a "crutch"), but that would defeat the entire purpose of this course!
THE BOOK
Chords are listed alphabetically. Each chord is spelled out by using a simple image (consisting of dots on a keyboard, indicating which keys/notes make up the chord in question).
Important: This book can be useful to any musician, not just to those who are studying 'Chords 108.'
In a nutshell, all the standard three and four-note chords are illustrated.
MEMBERS: Here’s a new custom sheet, Prelude in C by Bach, from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book One. Prelude in C is an extremely popular piece that will never lose its appeal to piano players and listeners alike.
This sheet music has each note labeled with its musical letter-name, such as E, D#, A… Some markings (dynamics, etc.) have been omitted to make room for the added letters.
You can read about the pros and cons of marking in letters on sheet music, here.
Even among some good musicians, music theory is occasionally regarded as more of a “nice to know” thing. Interesting place to visit, but they don’t want to hang around too long.
By contrast, I am shameless enough – dare I say, proud enough – to put forth that I am a music theory GEEK. I like staying “all up in theory land,” and often.
Music theory teaches us WHAT works, and also what CAN WORK. And, if it AIN’T WORKING, it’s usually easier to know WHY, because you possess a systematic command of how rhythm, melody, and harmony work together.
Notice I put rhythm first. Too often neglected — but I put it first in my musical thinking. More on that in other posts.
OK…If you’ve read this far, I guess we have a quorum! Two geeks is always a quorum in my experience. Partly because it’s so hard to find a third geek, on short notice. Anyway welcome, can I get you some coffee? Orange Julius?*
Here’s brand new sheet music for members of PWK; this one is arranged for early intermediate piano: Clair de Lune by Debussy. The arrangement is in the key of C, for ease of reading, plus it has been simplified (easier to play). In addition, it’s much shorter than the full version which is also on my sheets page.
Today’s version of Clair de Lune has every note labeled with its letter-name, such as E, D#, A. Some markings (dynamics, etc.) have been omitted.
These letter-note labeled sheets are primarily for adults who are not taking piano lessons — especially those who have past experience reading music, but who might have forgotten the details.
Clair de Lune is the third movement of Claude Debussy’s Suite Bergamasque, in D♭ major. Its name comes from Verlaine‘s poem “Clair de lune“, which means “moonlight” in French.
Claude Debussy is probably the best known composer of the Impressionist school, a handful of pioneers who were mostly active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Maurice Ravel, who wrote the popular orchestral piece called Boléro (along with tons of ground-breaking serious works), is also a famous Impressionist.
Here’s a new custom sheet, The Entertainer by Scott Joplin. This sheet music is simplified and abridged (two pages, key of C). I have also labeled the notes. Some markings (dynamics, etc.) have been omitted to make room for the added letters. Enjoy!
In response to student requests for sheet music illustrating licks from my video course, A Study in Blues Piano: Focusing on 12 Licks, I have so far created notation for several of the licks.
Today, I have another sheet for you, which I hope will also be helpful.
Remember, sheet music materials are completely OPTIONAL for this class. Blues is an improvisational art form!
Today I'm happy to present the next lesson in my ongoing course, Chords 108.
Class Audience: Any musician who's struggling to memorize the individual notes to all those dang chords on piano or keyboards, and looking for a solution.
Today: Learn how to immediately call up the notes to any of the twelve DOMINANT-7th chords on a keyboard -- without having to rely on rote memory.
Coming next: Diminished chords.
*This lesson is part of the premium ALL-ACCESS series called Chords 108. Our all-access members keep this site alive, and 100% ad-free.
Thanks to all!
THE VIDEO (non-public)
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