Learn To Play The Piano Better By Learning To Arrange Chords & Chord Progressions
Piano arranging is the process by which you take a written piece of music and rework it with chords, adding new bass accompaniment, fills, or even slightly altering the song's structure. And while it's a process that takes years to truly master, anyone with a basic education in piano and a working knowledge of a few key techniques can create an inventive, satisfying arrangement. It all boils down to one thing: chord recognition. And anyone who plays a little piano can learn piano chords to add excitement to their piano playing.
Most people learn to play the piano by playing just the written music. Playing by written music is exactly what the phrase says it is -- playing the exact notation on a piece of sheet music. But playing by chord symbol is a little different. Instead of following the harmony note by note, you follow the chord symbols (i.e. C7 or F) written above the harmonies, filling in the gaps with...well, whatever you want as long as it sticks to those chords. Of course, you'll still read the melody (it is, after all, often what makes the song recognizable) but even that is completely open to interpretation. Playing by chord symbol allows you a freedom that playing by written music simply doesn't. The freedom to create. The freedom to invent. The freedom to arrange chord patterns in the way you want.
Does that mean playing by written music is less important than playing by chord symbol? Absolutely not! The ability to play by written music is an extremely valuable skill, one that even some of the most famous musicians don't possess. And while you don't necessarily need to know the skill backwards and forwards to create great arrangements, it's a tremendous help.
Think about it this way. Some of the most revered modern artists create paintings that look very simple, very rudimentary. But the majority of those artists went to art school for years before they began creating that sort of work. They learned the fundamentals of drawing and painting, of color composition and light; they learned to draw or paint something exactly as it actually looks. Only after they mastered those skills did they move on to create the simple, yet often innovative, work that hangs in galleries and museums -- work that still abides by several basic principles. They learned the craft before bringing their imagination into it; after all, you have to understand the rules in order to break them.
So after you have learned the basics of reading piano sheet music, consider learning chords and chord symbols (such as G7, Fm, etc.) and chord progressions. There are many places online where you can learn all about chords – just type in "chords" or "chord piano" into your search browser, and you will find several to choose from. When you can both read the written sheet music and then add chords and chord progressions to your piano playing, you have the very best of all musical worlds.
Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music books and products such as DVD's, CD's, musical games for kids, chord charts, musical software, and piano lesson instructional courses for adults. He holds advanced degrees from Southern Oregon University and was the founder of Piano University in Southern Oregon. He can be reached at http://www.chordpiano.com. He is the author of the popular free 101-week e-mail newsletter titled "Amazing Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Piano Chord Progressions" with over 56,650 current subscribers. Those interested may obtain a free subscription by going to http://www.playpiano.com.
Related Articles:
Caregiver Cruises Offer Self-Directed Learning Opportunities and Respite for Weary Caregivers
A Caregiver Stress Management Cruise is a travel package designed to offer much needed respite, relaxation, entertainment, fun, and educational support for family and professional caregivers.
Learning to Memorize Piano Music
We all have our psychological, emotional, mental and physical barriers when it comes to practicing and/or performing. One such particularly difficult challenge is that many pianists simply cannot remember a piece. However, it is the emotional reaction to not remembering a piece which is the most painful. In fact, what it creates is stress. And, that is a huge problem and very difficult barrier that pianists need to overcome.
HR.com Partners with Fifty Lessons to Provide HR Community with Access to Dynamic and Inspirational Learning Tools
HR.com to offer Premier Members free access to the Fifty Lessons online video library. Individual and enterprise-wide subscription packages will also be available through HR.com
Learning Spanish by Yourself, With Other People, With the World
If you want to learn Spanish you might be aiming to improve what you already know or you really want to learn it as a new foreign language The best method of learning languages really depends on the individual
Learning To Apply Information
There are many definitions of intelligence, but the one I have learned in high school claimed that intelligence in nature is the ability of an animal or a human to use the information they have learned.
Childcare: Parents Desire the Best Education for Their Children -- The Learning Experience® Child Development Center Now Has Nine Locations in Ne
The Learning Experience® Child Development Center has nine state-of-the-art locations throughout New Jersey and 25 years in providing children with the skills to achieve their highest potential.
Team Development and Learning
A tight knit team is a group of competent individuals who care deeply about each other and are fiercely committed to their mission. The members are highly motivated to combing their energy and expertise to achieve a common objective.
PresenterNet Publishes Guide for Online Learning Professionals
PresenterNet, provider of online interactive Web presentation applications, today announced publication of "The PresenterNet Online Learning Delivery Guide". This new publication offers detailed descriptions of online training methods currently implemented by PresenterNet users.
Online Learning - Why It Is Necessary To Keep Your Desire To Learn
Necessary reasons to keep your desire to learn. Have you ever pondered upon how necessary learning is to your life in terms of your ability to not only survive but also to thrive both professionally and personally? Becoming a lifelong learner is important to your health, your success, and your happiness, but if that is not enough reason to learn more then consider these three necessary reasons to keep your desire to learn and to live and learn.
Now You See It ? Now You Don?t: Learning To Focus Properly Is The Key To Success
Many people have heard about the book called ?The Secret,? it?s ultimate message being: If you simply think or visualize your wants, they will eventually materialize. As someone grounded in the real world, however, you know that this type of thinking is, as our mothers used to say, ?wishful thinking!? Indeed, there is no getting what you truly want in life with mere wishful thinking. There are, however, a combination of different techniques required to release negative beliefs and thought patterns. Then, when you practice accentuating positive beliefs that will result in positive emotions, your desires then will have a chance to become reality.