OL MAE DAcknowledgments Cover Photograph: Phil Martin Photographs: Phil Martin Special thanks to Chris Martin for additional solos, as well as his invaluable suggestions and proof reading. For more information, contact: LTP Publishing Pty Ltd. Email: info@learntoplaymusic.com or visit our web page at: www.learntoplaymusic.com 1.S.B.N. 978-1-86469-237-2 Order Code: CP-69237 COPYRIGHT CONDITIONS No part of this book can be reproduced in any form without written consent of the publisher. © 2007 L.T.P. Publishing Pty LtdCONTENTS Introduction..... Approach to Pra 7 Using the CD's. = 7 How to Sit at the Keyboard. 8 Notes on the Keyboard... 9) a 9 ° 1 How to Find Middle C How to Read Mu: The 4 Time Signature LESSON 1...econnnesnnnsnonnnn Page 12 The Notes Middle C, D and E. The Quarter Note... The Half Note. The Whole Note. 7. In the Light of the Moon. The Notes F and G. Aura Lee LESSON 2 COPS ne : The C Major Chord The G Seventh Chord The Whole Rest. Songs With Chords Ode to Joy. .. Page 14 LESSON 3......... scenvenm PRGA * The Quarter Rest, The Half Rest - The F Chord The Lead-in. When the Saints Go Marchin’ In. 17 LESSON 4........ - Page 18 The # time signature = The Dotted Half Note Austrian Waltz The Tie. Marianne LESSON 5.... The Notes A, B and The C Major Scale... The Octave La Spagnola The Eighth Note Staccato.. The Key of C Majo Lavender's Blue. Page 20 2 LESSON 6. .. Page 24 The Dotted Quarter Note........ 24 Brahms’ Lullaby «0000000 24 First and Second Endings nr) Jingle Bells... “ soe 25 LESSON 7........ “ suo 26 The Bass Staff... - 26 Aura Lee in the Bass Staff. seonones 26 Playing Chords With the Right Hand... 27 Playing Scales With Both Hands... 28 Lavender’s Blue (Melody in Bass)........ 28 LESSON 8 29 Minor Chords, The D minor Chord... 2 Five Finger Positions = 30 Keyboard Voices and Timbre.............. 30 The A Minor Chord. —— 31 The E Minor Chord... ——m 31 LESSON 9...... ~— Page 32 Arpeggios oe Scarborough Fair ccc .33 Chopsticks. 34 Broken Chords = — dD Oh Susanna. - = 35 LESSON 10 36 Sharp Signs. ae 36, The D Seventh Chord. — 36 The G Chord on Oe Hush Little Baby.... : 37 Morning Has Broken......... soseneninene 3B The Note F Sharp (F#) 39 The William Tell Overture. woe BY Higher C Position 40 Ode to Joy (New Arrangement)... 40 Springtime Melody... 44 Legato... - - 42 LESSON 11... . Page 43 The G Major Scale .....cc0m- a AB Key Signatures 43 The Galway Piper AA Practicing Scales ee 45, The Common Time Signature so 464 CONTENTS CONTINUED LESSON 12 Page 47 Flat Signs, The Note B Flat e ay The C7 Chord 48 The Key of F Major.... nes, Austrian Waltz in F Major. 49 The B Flat Chord... 50 Shortnin’ Bread... 50 The F Major Scale 51 The Mountain Stream 52 SECTION TWO.. 5a LESSON 13 Page 54 Using the Whole Keyboard 54 The 8va Symbol 54 Chord Inversions. S 59 Tempo Markings... aes vo 60 Classical Studies... LESSON 14 on Page 61 The Eighth Rest 61 1 62 3 Syncopation Doubling Notes in Chords .. Country Accompaniment LESSON 15 Page 64 Minor Chord Inversions 64 Slash Chords... 65 Turnaround Progressions. Accents More Minor LESSON 16 More About Syncopation..... Identifying Eighth Note re Pedal Tones... Page 70 we 70 LESSON 17 The Sixteenth Note Arkansas Traveller Dynamics... 16th Note Study by Czerny LESSON 18....... Accidentals. The Natural Sign Page 77 : 7 77 Enharmonic Notes 7 12 Bar Blues 78 The Chromatic Scale 79 Dotted Eighth Notes..... 80 LESSON 19 cones Page 82 Voice Parts 82 Voice Parts Study by Czerny 83 Cut Common Time wn 84 Chorale by Schumann........ : 84 LESSON 20 Page 85 Using the Sustain Pedal 85 Aloha Oe 87 LESSON 21 Page 88 Scale Tone Chords 88 The B Diminished Chord....... = 88 Using Roman Numerals for Chords ...... 89 Passing Notes 1 Seven Seas ...... 92 LESSON 22........... . Page 94 Intervals en 94 Chord Construction, 96 Scale Tone Chords in G 98 LESSON 23 22ocoooon . Page 99 How to Transpose 99 New Chords in the Key of G 99 ~ 100 100 F# Diminished Chord Inversions........... 101 LESSON 24... Page 103 Minor Scales and Keys.. 103 The A Natural Minor Scale .. ~ 103 Tempo Changes 104 God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. 104 Relative Major and Minor Key$ ves 105 LESSON 25 : Page 107 More About Minor Keys and Scales... 107 The A Harmonic Minor Scale 107 The A Melodic Minor Scale 107 Harmonic Minor Scale Tone Chords... 108 Melodic Minor Scale Tone Chords... 110CONTENTS CONTINUED The Six Eight Time Signature ( §)........ 110 House of the 411 The Two Four Signature () 112 Rubato.. L 112 First Loss by Schumann soon 12 For Further Study... 113 SECTION THREE... 114 LESSON 26. Page 115 The Minor Pentatonic Scale = 15 Riffs meio 115 E Minor Pentatonic Scale... vue 118 LESSON 27....... Page 120 Alternating Octaves sone 120 Parts Using Alternating Octaves ......... 121 LESSON 28 More About 12 Bar Blues Learning the Blues Form Blue Notes The Blues Scale Pege 123 LESSON 29..... The Triplet........ Swing Rhythms The Shuffle LESSON 30 Page 132 Improvisation ..cunnwnnnnnnnnnnnnn 132 LESSON 31 ~. Page 134 Seventh Chords 134 G7 Chord Inversions 135 (C7 Chord Inversions 136 F7 Chord Inversions —» 137 Omitting Notes From Chords .......... 137 Building 7th Chords on all Notes 139 D7 Chord Inversions ........ 139 LESSON 32... . Page 140 140 141 Grace Notes... Parts Using Grace Notes LESSON 33...... Page 143 Left Hand Patterns .....cccuun 143 Sixteenth Note Triplets...... re 145 New Orleans Blues min 146) The Glissando sn VT The Trill and the Tremolo 147 Blues For OI ooo 148 LESSON 34 onmnnn Page 149 Sixteenth Note Studies 149 Funk Keyboard Parts 150 LESSON 35 osm Page 153 Playing in All Keys... 153 More on Keys and Key Signatures... 154 Major Scales in All Keys 156 More About Relative Keys 158 Minor Scales in All Keys... 159 LESSON 36 ..Page 160 The Key Cycle = 160 Playing Chords in All Keys 161 LESSON 37....... Page 164 Scale Tone Chords in All Key$ wow 164 Primary Chords ne 105 Primary Chords in Alll Keys . 165 Harmonizing Melodies 166 LESSON 38........... Page 167 Dominant 7ths as Chord ¥ un 167 Seventh Chord Arpeggios. 168 LESSON 39 Page 170 Suspended Chords 170 Add9 Chords — 170 LESSON 40 age 172 Secondary Chords 172 Common Progressions 173 Secondary Dominant... 174 Twelve Eight Time (18)... 174 LESSON 41 oe Page 176 Seventh Chord Types snnen 176 Inversions of 7th Chord Types 177 Parts Using 7th Chord Types... 1776 CONTENTS CONTINUED Rhythm Changes ...... 179 Scale Tone 7th Chords 180 Guide Tones 182 Chord Substitution 183 Scale Tone 7th Chords in All Keys - 184 LESSON 42 Page 185 Modes sounes 185 Modes in All Keys . sw 186 Mode Formulas 186 Modal Tonalities 187 Modulation snanes 188 The Story Never Ends 188 LESSON 43........ snus Page 189 Extended Chords...... find 169) Ninth Chord Type ....0- 189 Using 7th Chords to Create 9ths........ 190 Eleventh Chords Suspended 7th Chords Sharp 11 Chords... Thirteenth Chords Sixth Chords Sonny’s Bop An Oscar for Oscar. Prelude by J.S. Bach LESSON 44... Page 198 How to Learn a New Key sso 198 D Major Scale Tone Triads soe 199 D Major Scale Tone Arpeggio nun 201 Improvising With Arpeggios .. 201 Song For Everyone 203 Scales and Chords in B Minor 204 Scale Tone 7ths in D.. 205 Extended Chords in D.. 205 Hold That Train... 207 LESSON 45. nun Page 208 Altered Chords - . 208 Seven Sharp Nine Chords = 208 Seven Flat Five Chords 209 Thirteen Sharp Eleven Chords .. Tension and Release Back to the Street...... 209 mons 210 210 LESSON 46 ... Page 211 Scale Tone 7ths in Minor Keys 21 Higher Extensions in Minor Keys... 212 The Brazilian (Latin Jazz Piece)... 213 LISTENING............. 214 Transcribing, Playing With Others ..214 Amplification 214 Glossary of Musical Terms. 215INTRODUCTION Progressive COMPLETE LEARN TO PLAY KEYBOARDS Manual is the ultimate keyboard manual. It assumes you have no prior knowledge of music or playing keyboards and will take you from beginner to professional level. In the course of the book you will learn all the essential techniques for both piano and electronic keyboard playing, as well as how to read music and understand music theory up to an advanced level. You will also learn many well known pieces and songs and get a great introduction to many styles of music, including Rock, Blues, Jazz, Funk, Gospel, Folk and Classical. The book is divided into sections, the first covering the basics of music reading and keyboard technique, concentrating on note memory and melody and accompaniment playing. The second section involves learning to move around on the keyboard and introduces a variety of new styles and techniques styles aimed at preparing you for group playing. The later sections deal with playing in all keys, transposing, chord substitution and Jaz playing. All keyboard players should know all of the information contained in this book. By the end of the book, you will be an excellent keyboard player and will be ready for any musical situation you encounter. If you wish to pursue the study of Rock, Blues, Funk, Hip-Hop and related styles further, Progressive COMPLETE LEARN TO PLAY ROCK AND BLUES KEYBOARDS Manual is highly recommended. APPROACH TO PRACTICE It is important to have a correct approach to practice. You will benefit more from several short practices (e.g. 15-30 minutes per day) than one or two long sessions per week. This is especially so in the early stages, because of the basic nature of the material being studied. In a practice session you should divide your time evenly between the study of new material and the revision of past work. It is a common mistake for semi-advanced students to practice only the pieces they can already play well. Although this is more enjoyable, it is not a very satisfactory method of practice. You should also try to correct mistakes and experiment with new ideas. It is the author's belief that the guidance of an experienced teacher will be an invaluable aid in your progress. USING THE COMPACT DISCS This book comes with two compact discs which demonstrate almost all the examples in this book. The book shows you which notes, fingerings and techniques to use and the recording lets you hear how each example should sound. Practice the examples slowly along with a metronome at first, gradually increasing tempo. Once you are confident you can play the example evenly without stopping the beat, try playing along with the recording. You will hear a drum beat at the beginning of each example, to lead you into the example and to help you keep time. A small diagram of a compact disc with a number as shown below indicates a recorded example. EP! 23.0 <— cd Track Number8 HOW TO SIT AT THE KEYBOARD Sit up straight and relaxed. If your seat can move up or down, adjust it to a comfortable height, see photo 1. The instrument shown here is an acoustic piano, but the sitting position is the same for all types of keyboard. HAND SHAPE Always curve your fingers. This helps keep your fingers at the same level, as shown in photo 2. When you play the keys on the keyboard, use the tips of your fingers, and the side of your thumb. See photo 3. Photo 3 MUSIC NOTES There are only seven letters used for notes in music. They are: A B C D E F G These notes are known as the musical alphabet. They are the names of the white keys on the keyboard.THE KEYBOARD The black keys always appear in groups of two or three. The C note is a white key. It is always on the left hand side of a group of two black keys. Find all the € notes on your keyboard. The first note you will learn to play is Middle C. HOW TO FIND MIDDLE C Middle C is the note in the middle of the keyboard. Play middle C with the thumb of your right hand, and then the thumb of your left hand. Low Notes High Notes Fingers Each finger has its own number. Left Hand Right Hand The thumb of each hand is counted as the first finger and has the number 1.10 HOW TO READ MUSIC These five lines are called the staff or stave. Music notes are written in the spaces and on the lines of the staff. TREBLE CLEF BASS CLEF This symbol is called a treble clef. 9 This symbol is called a bass clef. TREBLE STAFF BASS STAFF A staff with a treble clef written on it is A staff with a bass clef written on it is called a treble staff. called a bass staff. High notes are written on the treble staff, and are usually played with your right hand. Low notes are written on the bass staff, and are usually played with your left hand. THE GRAND STAFF High Notes (right hand side of keyboard) When the treble and bass staves are joined together by a line and a bracket, they are called a grand staff. Brace y—— Keyboard music is written on the grand staff. 7 tow Notes Line (left hand side of keyboard) Bracket or — Music is divided into bars (sometimes called measures) by bar lines. In this example there are two bars of music. Bar Line Bar Line 41 Bar JmA To remember the notes onthe Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit lines of the treble staff, say: 1 A The notes in the spaces of the treble staf spell the word FACE. To remember the notes in the spaces of the bass staff, say: All Cows a ie ° i sy’ Good Boys Deserve Fruit Always To remember the notes on the lines of the bass staff. vA ice NOTE AND REST VALUES Note Rest Whole Note 7 ON (4 Beats) dd etme 4 \ (Beats) Poe LN /\ L\ LA bee nAAAns. (Half a Beat) THE QUARTER NOTE a stem This is a musical note called a quarter note. A quarter note lasts for one beat. = note head THE FOUR FOUR TIME SIGNATURE The two pairs of numbers after the clefs are called the time signature. 4 This is called the four four time signature. It tells you there are four beats in each bar. There are four quarter notes in a bar of § time.TO THE NOTES MIDDLE C, D AND E Middle C is written just below the treble staff on a short line called a leger line. See page 9 to locate middle C on the keyboard. * Middle C is played with the first finger (thumb) of your right hand. * The D note is played with the second finger of your right hand. * The E note is played with the third finger of your right hand. The Notes C, D and E oF Leger line Middle C Note a ———— This is a quarter note. It lasts for one beat. There are four quarter notes in one bar of music in 4 time. Count: 1 ED 1.0 In the following example there are four bars of music, two bars of middle C, one bar of the D note and one bar of the E note. There are four quarter notes in each bar. oe (4... a { (53 1 2 3 4 The double bar at the end indicates that the exercise has finished. eee sete The Half Note The Whole Note This is a half note. It lasts for two beats. There are This is a whole note. It lasts for four beats. J two half notes in one bar o There is one whole note of § time. in one bar of § time. Count: 1 2 Count: 123 4 The larger bold numbers in the count indicate that a note is to be played. The smaller numbers indicate that a note is to be held until the next bold number (note).13 SH 1.1 In the Light of the Moon This song contains quarter, half and whole notes. Make sure you use the correct fingers and follow the count carefully. These two dots are a repeat sign and indicate that the piece is to be played again. THE NOTES F AND G The note F is played with the fourth finger of your right hand. The note G is played with the fifth finger of your right hand. The Notes F and G S 1.2 Aura Lee The song Aura Lee contains 8 bars of music in 4 time. Remember to count as you play, to help you keep time. 3 = 7 8 THINGS TO REMEMBER 1. Play the keys with the tips of your fingers. 2. Keep your fingers curved._— SSO) CHORDS A chord is a group of notes which are played together. Chords are used to accompany the melody of a song. In the early stages, chords are usually played with the left hand and the melody is played with the right. The first chord you will learn is C major, usually just called the C chord. Chord Symbol THE C MAJOR CHORD Cc | The € chord contains three notes - C, E and G. To play the C chord use the first, third and fifth fingers of your left hand, as shown in the C chord diagram. Cc The small numbers next to the note indicate which finger to use SEVENTH CHORDS Another common type of chord is the dominant seventh chord, usually called a seventh chord. A seventh chord is indicated by the number 7 written after the chord name, eg: G seventh is written as G7. Chord Symbol THE G SEVENTH CHORD 7 | The G7 chord contains a new note - the B next to the C below Middle C. Play the B with the fifth finger of your left hand, and use your first and second fingers to play the G and F notes, as shown in the G7 chord diagram. G’ G7 Chord15 CHANGING CHORDS Practice changing between the C and G7 chords. As both these chords contain the same G note, changing between them is quite easy because the thumb stays in the same position. It is important to always use the correct fingering when playing notes and chords. THE WHOLE REST CH This symbol is a whole rest. It indicates four beats of silence in { time. Small counting numbers are placed under rests. Count:; 1 2 3 4 SS 2.0 small numbers Chord symbols are placed above the staff. There are two chords in bar 3. Each chord receives two beats. c G7 c @ c - 1 2 3 4 1 2 304 1 2 3 4 8 & z ° 2 f SONGS WITH CHORDS Before playing songs with chords, practice each part separately. First practice the melody of the song by itself (right hand part), then practice the chords by themselves (left hand part). Once you have learnt both parts, play them together. Practice slowly and evenly, and count as you play. The part containing the chords is called the accompaniment. SD 2.1 Ode to Joy Ludwig van Beethoven This song is the main theme to Beethoven's 9th Symphony. It contains all the notes and chords you have learnt so far and has two chords in bar 8. z c _@ c ey ms = —"— ev rn ad ‘Count: 1 2 3 4 1 23 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 DEB Si 8 S = c c : wc i bieeie Gg ' 12 3 4 1 2 3 4 7 Ss : z : Pa 8 ; :THE QUARTER REST This symbol is a quarter rest. It indicates one beat of En silence. Do not play any note. Remember that small =— counting numbers are placed under rests. om Counts I S* 2.2 Good Evening Friends G7 f = = = 4 ———— 2 4 1 2 3 4 em 2 \One beat of silence ——— = Chord Symbol The F Chord F | The next chord you will learn to play is the F chord. To play the F chord, use the first, second and fifth fingers of your left hand, as shown in the F chord diagram. The F chord introduces the note A below middle C. F ; a When changing between the C and F chords keep your fifth finger in position as this note is common to both chords. When changing between the F and G7 chords keep your second finger in position as this note is common to both chords. Practice changing between C, F and G7. THE HALF REST rt This is a half rest. It indicates 2 beats of silence. Count: 1 27 THE LEAD-IN. Sometimes a song does not begin on the first beat of a bar. Any notes which come before the first full bar are called lead-in notes (or pick-up notes ). When lead-in notes are used, the last bar is also incomplete. The notes in the lead-in and the last bar add up to one full bar. 3. When the Saints go Marchin’ in When the Saints Go Marchin' In is a Jazz standard made popular by brass bands in New Orleans.The song uses a lead-in and also contains both quarter and half rests. The counting numbers refer to the melody (right hand part). Instead of writing a chord symbol above each bar of music it is common to only write a chord symbol when the chord changes, e.g. the first 6 bars of this song use a C chord. r Lead-in notes leTHE THREE FOUR TIME SIGNATURE 3 This time signature is called the three four time signature. It indicates that there are three beats in each bar. Three four 4 time is also known as waltz time. There are three quarter notes in one bar of # time. THE DOTTED HALF NOTE A dot written after a note extends its value by half. A dot after a half note means that you hold it for three beats. i One dotted half note makes one bar of music in } time. Count: 1 2 3 S*) 4. Austrian Waltz This song has dotted half notes in the left hand part. Once again, the counting numbers refer to the melody (right hand part). The left hand part is the accompaniment to the melody.19 THE TIE tie is a curved line that connects two notes with the same position on the staff. A tie lls you to play the first note only, and to hold it for the length of both notes. A) 5.0 y the C note and chord and hold them for six beats. * 5.1 Marianne is Caribbean folk song contains several ties which go across the bar line. Using ties is only way of indicating that a note should be held across a bar line. Take care with the timing of the left hand part in this song. CcNotes written above the middle line of a staff usually have their stems going down. Notes written below the middle line of the staff usually have their stems going up. The stem for the B note can go up or down. THE C MAJOR SCALE A major scale is a group of eight notes that gives the familiar sound: Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do You now know enough notes to play the C major scale. To play the scale smoothly you will need to play the F note with your thumb. Do this by moving your thumb underneath your second and third fingers on the way up the scale. On the way down the scale, move your second and third fingers over your thumb. This is called the crossover. The small numbers placed above, below or beside notes on the staves tell you which finger to play each note with. Be sure to use the correct finger. <*> 6.0 C DE F G A B C ;~—— One Octave——, A == 4 Soe po ee at —— thom under ome Do Re Mi Fa |So La Ti Do U __one Octave ———— tet THE OCTAVE An octave is the range of eight notes of a major scale. The first note and the last note of a major scale always have the same name. In the C major scale, the distance from Middle C to the C note above it (or below it ) is one octave (eight notes). All the songs you have studied so far, and the next song use notes from the C major scale. Pay close attention to any fingering numbers near the notes. It is important to use the indicated fingering, as this will make the songs easier to play. Use this same fingering every time you play the songs.21 S* 6.1 La Spagnola La Spagnola uses notes from the C major scale and uses the thumb under between bars 20 and 21.22 THE EIGHTH NOTE Beam This is an eighth ' note. It lasts for halt Whren igi notes a count. There are together the tails eight eighth notes in Peo Comme) 10 Sie i © atl (Coupe (49 one beam Mcouat yi ct 92) ot Two eighth notes Four eighth notes joined together. joined together. SH 7.0 How to Count Eighth Notes oe © « - . Written: 2 + 2 - 3 + 4 + ( Count: = 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and STACCATO A dot placed above or below a note tells you to play it staccato. Staccato means to play a note short and separate from the . other notes. To play a note short, lift your finger off the keys as quickly as possible. S* 7.1 Shave and a Haircut There are two eighth notes on the second beat of the first bar of this example. Play the notes and chords in the second bar staccato.23 KEY OF C MAJOR When a song consists of notes from a particular scale, it is said to be written in the key which has the same name as that scale. For example, if a song contains notes from the C major scale, it is said to be in the key of C major. Nearly all the songs you have studied so far have been in the key of C major. S* 8. Lavender’s Blue This well known English folk song is in the key of € major. It uses a crossover in bar 14.24 PS! > THE DOTTED QUARTER NOTE A dot written after a quarter note indicates that you should J D> . hold the note for one and a half beats. A dotted quarter note is often followed by an eighth note. SD 9.0 (ot SSS ( Count: 1 2 * 3 4 Count 1 2 + EH 9.1 Lullaby Johannes Brahms Brahms’ Lullaby is one of the most well known melodies of all time. It is written here in the key of € major and uses dotted quarter notes in bars 1, 3, 9 and 13.25 FIRST AND SECOND ENDINGS First ending Second ending The next song contains first and second le ia endings. The first time you play through i& | the song, play the first ending, ( 71), 9 then go back to the beginning. The second time you play through the song, play the second ending ([2. ) instead 3: 7 of the first. SP 9.2 Jingle Bells le Bells is one of the most popular christmas songs. It contains first and second ‘endings. The first time through, play from the beginning to the end of bar 8. Then play again from the beginning, but this time do not play bars 7 and 8 (the first ending) but play bars 9 and 10 (the second ending). c ; = s se os SS ‘ount: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 2 3 ++ 7] 2 3 F c 5 a 2 oe J z 2 3 4 1 a+ 1 2 3 4 8 B 7 3 1 2. G? G7 c — —= yl 3 3 oe a = 1 23 4 123 4 1 23 4 1 203 4 Ph PB z 5 : - :26 Wa THE BASS STAFF Ota 3 Looking at the keyboard you can see that the same notes are repeated many times. So far you have learnt the notes C D E F and G on the treble staff, all played with the right hand. Notes played by the left hand are usually notated on the bass staff. Shown below are the notes C D E F and G on the bass staff. These notes sound exactly one octave lower than the same five notes in the treble staff. EH 10.0 Aura Lee Here is the first part of the song Aura Lee written in the bass staff and then the treble staff. Sing the names of the notes out loud as you play them.27 Now play the following example which uses both hands together. Listen carefully and try to play the notes with both hands at the same time rather than being slightly separate or split. SS 10.1 PLAYING CHORDS WITH THE RIGHT HAND Itis also important to be able to play single notes with the left hand while playing chords with the right hand. The G7 chord is played with the first, fourth and fifth fingers. SD 10.2 c G7 c G728 PLAYING SCALES WITH BOTH HANDS The following example demonstrates the C major scale played with the left hand and then both hands together. The left hand fingering is the reverse of that of the right hand. The crossover occurs between G and A. When playing the scale with both hands together, the crossovers occur at different times with each hand, so take care not to lose your timing at these points. Play very slowly at first and only increase the speed once you can play the whole example smoothly and evenly. SD 11.0 ( : CDEFGABC Crogover Thumb Under Petes Ss 213) 7 1] 2 Se) 2, 3 S° 11.1 Lavender’s Blue (Melody in Bass) Here is a new version of the song you learned in lesson 5. This time the melody is played with the left hand. Practice each hand separately if you need to. cMINOR CHORDS There are three main types of chords: major, seventh and minor chords. You have already earnt one major chord and one seventh chord. The first minor chord you will learn is the D or chord. Minor chords are indicated by a small “m’ written after the chord name, e.g. Dm. Dm Chord play the D minor chord, use the first, third and fifth fingers of your left hand. Once ou are confident you know the chord, play it one octave higher with the right hand. As ith the major chords, the fingering will be reversed for the right hand. ‘Next, practice changing between the chords Dm and C. Remember that the fingering is the same for both chords but the whole hand moves. c Dm Cc SS Dm30 FIVE FINGER POSITIONS In the following example the right hand plays the melody while the left hand provides the accompaniment with the chords Dm and C. Notice the position of the right hand, with the thumb on the note D and the other fingers covering the notes E, F, G and A. This is often referred to as the D five finger position, or D position for short. Many of the previous examples have covered the notes C, D, E, F and G. This is known as the C position. SE 13.0 KEYBOARD VOICES AND “TIMBRE” In the next piece both hands shift between the D position and the C position. On the recording, this example is played with an organ voice. This means the sound has a different tone quality (called “timbre”) to that of a piano voice. Each instrument and human voice has its own particular timbre. Certain parts can sound great when played by one instrument, but terrible when the wrong one is used. Experiment with different instrumental voices on your keyboard when playing all the examples in the book. SP 13.1 Dm ¢ Dm c31 Chord Symbol THE A MINOR CHORD Am Chord This example uses the chords Am, Dm and Em. The final bar contains two new low A notes, one played by each hand. _ Em F Dm Em Am FS — ee ‘ 2 eer nt WAG A32 J ARPEGGIOS An arpeggio is a chord played one note at a time. Arpeggios can be played by either hand and any chord can be played as an arpeggio. The following example demonstrates the chords Dm and C played as arpeggios. S* 14.0 SD 14.1 Arpeggios are often used by the left hand to accompany a melody played by the right hand.33 SS 15. Scarborough Fair Scarborough Fair is a folk music standard. The accompaniment in this arrangement consists of arpeggios of the chords Dm, C and F played by the left hand. Take it slowly at first and practice each hand separately if you need to.34 SE 16. Chopsticks Chopsticks is one of the most well known beginner's pieces for piano. If your hand is not big enough to stretch the octave in bar 7 you can play the whole right hand part of the song using two hands. The left hand part consists of arpeggios of the chords C and G7. Practice each hand separately at first if you have trouble co-ordinating the two parts. This song is in the key of C major as indicated by the key signature (i.e. no sharps or flats). G Cc35 BROKEN CHORDS jother common style of accompaniment is the use of Broken chords. This style is similar arpeggio playing except that the lowest note of the chord is the only one played by If. The following example demonstrates broken chords in 4 time. 17.0 Cc Et G7 17.1 Oh Susanna is traditional American folk song is played with a broken chord accompaniment. Once u can play it, try applying broken chord accompaniments to other songs you know. G7 4SHARP SIGNS This is a sharp sign. When a sharp sign is placed before a note on the staff, it indicates that you play the key immediately to its right. This key may be either black or white. THE D7 CHORD The D7 chord contains an F sharp note which is the black key immediately to the right of the F note (white key) below middle C. This F# note is written on the fourth line of the bass staff. To play the D7 chord, use the first, third and fourth fingers of your left hand as shown in the D7 chord diagram. D7 SE 18.0 In this example, the D7 chord is played by the left hand until the final bar, where it is played by the right hand. Practice changing between D7 and C with both hands. D’ Cc Cc Cc : (225453325 (oyea fe bret: =37 THE G CHORD Chord Symbol G To play the G chord, use the first, third and fifth fingers of your left hand, as shown in the G chord diagram. S* 18.1 Hush Little Baby The accompaniment to this popular children’s song features G and D7 played as broken chords.38 6% 19. Morning Has Broken Morning Has Broken uses all the chords you have learnt so far and is played with an arpeggio style accompaniment. If you have trouble co-ordinating both hands, practice each hand separately until you are confident playing each part and then combine them. c Dm G F39 E NOTE F$ (above middle c) The Note F# (above Middle C) lis F# note is written in the This Fé note is the black key immediately to the space of the treble staff. right of the F note as shown in the diagram. 20.0 The William Tell Overture G. Rossini ost of the notes and chords in this song are played staccato as indicated by the dot laced under or over the note. | ve + @ we « on ee ae40 HIGHER C POSITION Continuing on with the concept of naming five finger hand positions from the lowest note, it is possible to quickly learn new notes. You have already learnt all the natural notes used in music: A B C D E F and G. As you know, each of these notes is repeated many times up and down the keyboard in different octaves. Find the note C one octave above middle C with the first finger (thumb) of your right hand. Your remaining fingers will be covering the notes D, E, F and G. These notes are shown below on the treble staff. c D E F G facies 4 20.1 Ode to Joy (Higher) Here is the full melody of Ode to Joy using the notes from the new higher C position. Notice the alternating bass notes in the left hand part. This simple but effective form of accompaniment is used in many styles of music. c G’ c GC4 4 21. Springtime Melody is piece summarises most of the things covered in the book up to this point. You now ow eight chords and all of the different notes available on the white keys. Use what you ve learnt to experiment and start creating some of your own music. F ic Em42 LEGATO The next song contains curved lines. called slurs. A slur indicates that the notes written above or below it, should be played legato. Legato means to play the notes smoothly, so that they sound connected to each other. Legato is the opposite of staccato. To play notes legato, keep your finger on the key until you have started to play the next key. This song also introduces a new high F# note one octave above the F# note you already know. S*> 22.0 Sliding Down D7 c G D’ D7 G = et, Bo 8 Gg: SY 22.1 Stepping and Sliding This one contains the same notes as the previous example, but this time some of the notes. are played staccato. When one hand is playing staccato it is easy to let the other hand follow. However, none of the chords here are played staccato. Practice each part separately if necessary. c G D743 SSL HE G MAJOR SCALE Lesson 5 the C Major scale was introduced. The G major scale starts and ends on the ote G, and contains an F# note instead of an F note. Play the following G major scale and otice that it still has the familiar sound Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do. GABCD E FE . ‘ Deets z —# fhe == thentb wader fst Do Re Mi Fa |So La Ti Do EY SIGNATURES e key of C major was discussed in lesson 5. Songs that use notes from the C major scale e said to be in the key of C major. Similarly, songs that use notes from the G major scale e said to be in the key of G major. Songs in the key of G will usually contain F# notes. read of writing a sharp sign before every F note on the staff, it is easier to write just sharp sign after each clef. This means that all the F notes on the staff are played as Ft, even though there is no sharp sign written before them. This is called a key signature. The C major scale This is the key signature contains no sharps or for the key of G major. It flats, therefore the key has one sharp sign after signature for the key of each clef major contains no [sare or ts44 E> 23. The Galway Piper This song is a traditional Irish dance tune, written here in the key of G major. Notice the key signature reminding you to play all F notes as Ft. The left hand accompaniment contains broken chords played staccato. Take care when changing from G to D7 and practice the left hand by itself if you need to. (o G D745 PRACTICING SCALES ‘As Mentioned previously, it is essential to be able to play both single notes and chords equally well with both hands. A good way of developing strength and independence in all the fingers is to practice scales with each hand and with both hands together. Shown below are various ways of playing the G major scale. First, here is the scale in the bass staff - to be played by the left hand. The first note is a new low G note. Notice the fingering written under the music - a crossover is necessary when moving between D and E. xt, play the scale with both hands together. Play slowly and listen carefully. Don’t rush! e most important thing is to play each note with both hands at exactly the same time, d to be sure all notes are even in length and volume. This time the right hand part egins with a new low G note. The crossovers occur at different times with each hand, so ce you can play a scale smoothly and evenly with both hands together, the next step to play it over more than one octave. The following example shows the G major scale layed in eighth notes over two octaves. The first note of the second octave is played with thumb (1). This necessitates thumb under and crossover techniques. Take them slowly first and only increase the speed once it is totally comfortable. 24.2 Both Hands Over Two Octaves46 THE COMMON TIME SIGNATURE Cc This symbol is called common time. It means exactly the same as 4 . SG 25. Changing Lanes This example in common time will put your scale practice to good use. The melody is played first by the left hand and then the right. The hands reverse roles every four bars. G c G c G Cc D747 QL ———— LAT SIGNS When a flat sign is placed before a note on the staff, it means This is a flat sign. that you play the key immediately to its left. This key may be either black or white. The note B flat (written as Bb) is shown on the staff below in both treble and bass. THE NOTE Bb (Treble and Bass) The Note Bb se Bb notes are written on the The Bb note is the black key immediately to the ird line of the treble staff and left of the B note, as shown in the diagram. e second line of the bass staff. 26.0 Ghost of the Moor is piece uses both the Bb notes shown above. Playing single note lines with both hands often more difficult than a melody accompanied by chords. Practice each hand parately if you need to.et 48 THE C7 CHORD C7 Chord be! SE 26.1 Practice changing between the chords F and C7 with both hands as shown below. F cor @ Fr c F (* 3 = apt rtttet | <4 ‘Cz F C7; F c7 F c7 él See oe pS eee F | \ c7 c’ F (SS pa ee49 KEY SIGNATURE OF F MAJOR Instead of writing the flat sign before every B note on the staff, one flat sign can be written after each clef. This means that all B notes on the staff are played as Bb, even though there is no flat sign written before them. This is the key signature for the key of F major. There is flat sign after each clef. 27. Austrian Waltz ere is a new version of the song you learnt in lesson 4, this time in the key of F major. otice the use of F and C7 played as broken chords in the left hand part. F big ee ee =50 The B} Chord B) Chord To play the Bb chord, use the first, second and fifth fingers of your left hand as shown in the Bb chord diagram. Practice changing between F and Bb and also Bp and C7. SS 28. Shortnin’ Bread Notice the quick changes between F and B» in this song. This style of accompaniment is common in Blues and Boogie piano playing. These styles will be dealt with later in the book. F BoF pw F B He ~_——51 THE F MAJOR SCALE The F major scale starts and ends on the note F, and it contains a Bb note instead of a B note. Play the F major scale below and listen for the Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do sound. ongs that use notes from the F major scale are in the key of F major and hence contain the note B>. When playing the F major scale, take care with the fingering as the crossover int is different to that of the C and G major scales. t thumb Do Re Mi Fa re is the F major scale played over two octaves with both hands. It begins with two new notes. To become familiar with the notes of the scale, name the notes out loud as you play. lemorize the fingering, and take care with the crossover points in both hands, and practice ach hand individually as well as both together. As always, clarity and evenness are more portant than speed.52 SF 30. The Mountain Stream This song is in the key of F major and contains a variation on the broken chord style of accompaniment. As with previous examples, practice each hand separately if you need to. oe ee fF ce FeSECTION 2 Using the Whole KeyboardUSING THE WHOLE KEYBOARD So far you have learnt notes from a low F to a high G covering a range of just over 3 octaves. By learning the new notes shown on the staff and keyboard below you will be able to play over a range of 4 octaves, which covers most music. SE 31.0 Now try playing a C major scale over four octaves. The low C shown here is the lowest note on some keyboards, but not on a piano or full length keyboard . 2 * =SsS=— E> 31.2 The 8va Symbol The following phrase has the symbol 8va above the music. This means it is played an octave higher than written. This symbol is often used for very high notes, as it makes them easier to read. When the notation returns to its normal pitch, the word loco is written above the music. — Loco = —— : —= =F55 HORD INVERSIONS So far you have learnt the C, F and G major chords. Because the lowest note in each of ese three chords is the root note, the shape given is called the root position. ll major chords contain three different notes. These notes can be duplicated and/or ayed in a different shape. When the third (3) is the lowest note of the chord shape, the thord is said to be the first inversion. The diagram below illustrates the first inversion of e C major chord, which contains the notes E (3), G (5), and C (1) in that order. C major — right hand Fingering number a C Bass Note — left hand © not confuse the fingering numbers on the chord diagrams with the interval numbers the chord. en the fifth (5) is the lowest note of the chord shape, the chord is said to be the second ion. The diagram below illustrates the second inversion of the C major chord, which ains the notes G (5), C (1), and E (3) in that order. C Chord (Second Inversion) \Fingering number C Bass Note ~ left hand56 C MAJOR CHORD INVERSIONS The example below uses root position, first inversion, second inversion, and an octave of the root position of the C chord in the right hand part. Use the correct right fingering as shown on the notation accompanying the diagrams. g —— First Inversion Root Position Ss Second Inversion Root Position 2 o G MAJOR CHORD INVERSIONS These three diagrams illustrate the root position (1 3 5), first inversion (3 5 1), and second inversion (5 1 3) of the G chord. ae G Major Root Position G Major Second Inversion G Major B First Inversion ( a A The following example uses the root position, first inversion, second inversion, and an octave of the root position of the G chord. Once again, remember to use the correct fingering as shown in the notation alongside the diagrams. S* 32.1 S | eg — & ( = —=3— @ E ( Root Position First Inversion Second Inversion Root Position eo — oe oO” =F MAJOR CHORD INVERSIONS ese three diagrams illustrate the root MN position (1 3 5), first inversion (3 5 1), and ond inversion (5 1 3) of the F chord. _ FMajor_ F Major First Inversion Second Inversion ean thal itad ———— is example shows the root position, first inversion, second inversion, and an octave of e root position of the F chord. e—- fg. 68 First Inversion Second Inversion’ Root Position o o e of the reasons inversions are so useful is that they enable you to find chord shapes jich are close together on the keyboard. Here the C chord appears in root position, the chord is in second inversion and the G chord is in first inversion. The left hand plays root note of each chord.58 Here are some examples showing typical uses of these inversions. Notice how much easier the chord changes are. By using inversions which are close together, it leaves you free to concentrate on other important things such as rhythm. E> 33.059 TEMPO MARKINGS The term tempo refers to the speed at which music is played. As with dynamic markings, tempo markings come from Italian words. Some of them are listed below, along with their English translations. It is important to be able to recognize these markings and to be able to play comfortably at each tempo. Adagio (slowly) Andante (an easy walking pace) Moderato (a moderate speed) Allegro (fast) Presto (very fast) SP 34. Waltzing Inversions Moderato60 CLASSICAL STUDIES Regardless of the style of music you intend to play as your first preference, you can learn a lot by studying Classical music. The term "Classical" is very general and covers many periods and styles of music spanning hundreds of years. There are many great pieces and studies by a variety of composers which will help you develop a solid technique and a good understanding of how scales and chords work together to make music. A list of suggested studies is given on page 113. The following example is a study by Carl Czerny, who was one of Beethoven's teachers. Notice that the chords played by the left hand are written on a treble staff. Although the tempo marking is Allegro, take it slowly until you can play it comfortably. SY 35. Study by Czerny Allegro fe 2 Le ee ties : —— = co) aR oo. AeH, a e | on oa ae. ANI a61 HE EIGHTH REST “ This symbol is an eighth rest. It indicates half a beat of silence. is an example which makes use of eighth rests on the first and third beats in the right d part. Be sure to keep your timing steady with the left hand and count as you play. =) 36.0 SS —— — s44a 44d INCOPATION the following example all the eighth notes are played off the beat. Playing off the beat tes an effect known as syncopation, which means displacing the normal flow of ents (usually from on the beat to off the beat). Syncopated rhythms can be difficult at but are common in many styles of music, so stick with it. Count and tap your foot to p time as you play. 1) 36.162 —_——— Here are some more syncopated parts created by the use of eighth rests on the beat. DOUBLING NOTES IN CHORDS The chords in the next two examples contain four notes. Because there are only three different. notes in a major chord, this means that some of the notes are doubled. The most commonly doubled notes are the root and the fifth. Playing four note voicings requires a greater stretch: between the fingers, so be patient and practice the chords by themselves at first. > 37.0 c F SSeS are ceri nees: ye ‘ we Jele)| FE63 37.1 Country Accompaniment is a simple Country progression using four note chord voicings lower down on the ard. When you are accompanying other musicians, the pitch at which you choose to largely depends on what the singer or other musicians are playing. Every instrument voice has its most comfortable range or register. When playing with others, it is rtant not to clutter one register and leave too much space in others. As a keyboard , you have more choice than singers or many other instrumentalists, so it is up to to judge which register sounds best for your particular part. Always think of what will the overall sound best. F po!64 Mw MINOR CHORD INVERSIONS A MINOR CHORD INVERSIONS Am Root Position These three diagrams illustrate the root position (153 5), first inversion (53 5 1), and second inversion (5 153) of the Am chord. be > Am First Inversion Am Seond Inversion ( C wifi | | The following example uses the root position, first inversion, second inversion, and a octave of the root position of the Am chord. Use the fingerings shown in the diagrams. E> 38.0 ee ~ SE 38.1 Here is a keyboard part making use of all three inversions of the A minor chord. Notic the interplay between the two hands in this part.65 SLASH CHORDS The following examples make use of another important keyboard technique: i.e. playing a chord with the right hand over a specific bass note. Sometimes this note is different to the notes contained within the chord. In the example below, the symbol G/E occurs. This indicates a G chord played over an E bass note. This is called a slash chord. Slash chords can create many different harmonic effects. Each combination has a specific name and often creates an entirely new chord. This will be discussed more later in the book. Basically you can play any chord over any bass note as long as it sounds good. Experiment with playing all the chords you have learnt over various bass notes from the C major scale. > 39.0 Am GE Am GE Am GE ri SD 39.1 Am GE AmF GE Am GE AmF GE SL 39.2 In this example the chords are played as arpeggios. Am G AmF G An G AmF G66 TURNAROUND PROGRESSIONS A Turnaround progression is a set pattern of chords that repeats itself. There are hundreds of well known songs based on turnaround progressions. All these songs contain basically the same chords in the same order. A Turnaround may repeat over any number of bars. Usually 2, 4 and 8 bars. However the chord sequence remains the same. Most Turnarounds contain at least one minor chord. The following turnarounds contain the chords C, Am, F and G. S* 40.0 Cc a Am ( ACCENTS An important expressive technique on any instrument is the use of Accents. An accent marking tells you to play the note louder than other notes. There are two common types of accents, which are shown below. The long accent is indicated by a horizontal wedge mark above or below the note. The short accent is indicated by a vertical wedge mark. Listen to the following example on the CD to hear the effect of accents. > A Long accent Short Accent S* 40.1 ic Am F G > > a = > at = = Ca > > > Caserta BS —_—— alt ft si +67 jere are some more examples which use accents. They are all turnaround progressions layed in different positions on the keyboard. “= 40.2 cia =) 40.4 ‘one contains a repeated note pattern which results in a built-in accented rhythm. riment with this type of playing to create your own parts. Am F >68 D MINOR CHORD Lo INVERSIONS Dm Root Position ( [ - These three diagrams illustrate the root position (153 5), first inversion ( b35 1), and second inversion (5 13) of the Dm chord. Dm Second Inversion Dm First Inversion ( amen os E MINOR CHORD |, INVERSIONS : Em Root Position ( @! These three diagrams illustrate the root | | position (1535), first inversion (b35 1), and ||| Je e second inversion (5 153) of the Em chord. wn FT The following example uses all three inversions of the chords D minor and E minor. E> 41.0 ae a a69 The following examples are common variations on the basic Turnaround progression. These examples all use the chords Dm and Em. Once you have them under your fingers, try playing the chords as arpeggios and experimenting with different inversions and different rhythms Sm 41.1 Cc SD 41.3 ic Em ls — — Atami70 1 MORE ABOUT SYNCOPATION The use of ties is a common way of creating syncopated rhythms. The following example contains two bars of music using an Am chord. The first bar contains a rhythm of four eighth notes followed by a half note. In the second bar, the last eighth note is tied to the half note. Listen to the difference this makes to the rhythm. The use of ties in this manner is sometimes described as giving the rhythm a push. SE 42.0 es EEE ( (gp Experiment with groups of eighth notes and ties in various parts of the bar as shown in the following examples. SF 42.1 ED 42.3 Using a push is common between the last note of one bar and the first of the next bar. eet PEtPEH 2 SS SS SS = 4 —_———71 IDENTIFYING EIGHTH NOTE RHYTHMS There is a simple system for identifying any note’s position in a bar by naming notes off the beat according to which beat they come directly after. The system works as follows. Within a bar of continuous eighth notes in 4 time, there are eight possible places where notes could occur. The first beat is called one (1), the next eighth note is called the “and of one”, then comes beat two, the next eighth note is called the “and of two”, then beat three, followed by the “and of three”, then beat four, followed by the “and of four” which is the final eighth note in the bar. These positions are shown in the notation below. . eT I =): t @ : a 2 : 2 and of 1 : and of 2 end of 3 and of 4 - +77 RU +77 el ‘Count 1 This system is particularly useful if you are having trouble with the timing of a rhythm. You simply identify where the notes occur in relation to each beat and then count them slowly until you have memorized the rhythm. Here is how the system can be used to analyze rhythms. In the right hand part of the following example, the chords are played on 2, the + of 3 and the + of 4 in the first bar, and the last note in the bar is tied to a whole note which is held for the length of the second bar. The whole rhythm then repeats every two bars. Try analyzing the left hand part in this manner and write the count between the staves if necessary. Use this method every time you have trouble with a rhythm. S* 43.0 ; Am G Am PA G Am $ £ 2 3 £ Zo Oh? eye Ses : eee SS ° ate- ° 8 = = Se FA G Am SS + ae +e72 PEDAL TONES This example once again uses slash chords. This time, all three chords are played over the ‘one bass note. When moving chords are used over a bass note, the bass note is described as a pedal tone, or pedal note. Pedal tones occur in many different styles of music and were extensively used by classical composers. This piece features a rhythm using dotted quarter notes and ties. It is called a Charleston rhythm, which is common in Rock, Jazz and Blues. analyze it using the system shown on the previous page and count out loud as you play. S* 43.1 C73 LESSONSSEVENTIEEN THE SIXTEENTH NOTE This is a sixteenth note. It lasts for one quarter of a beat. There are four sixteenth notes in one beat. There are 16 sixteenth notes in one bar of 4 time. Two sixteenth notes Four sixteenth notes joined together. joined together. Count: 1 e@ + a Say: one ‘ee’ and ‘ah’ > 44.0 How to Count 16th Notes When counting 16th notes, notice the different sound for each part of the beat - one ee and ah, two ee and ah... etc (written 1 e + a, 2e + a... etc). i ——— oewfe owe e ou + 2 e + a = @! sf D4 ——— 2 — = —4 ES 44.1 As with any new note value, it is important to practice your scales using 16th notes until you are comfortable with them. Here is the C major scale played in sixteenth notes over four octaves. Take it slowly at first, and remember to use your metronome and count out loud as you play. ot Sa74 S*) 45. Arkansas Traveller This traditional American folk song features several 16th note passages. Although many of the eighth notes are played staccato, all the 16th notes should be played legato. Practice each hand separately until you are comfortable with both parts and then put them together. If you have trouble co-ordinating the two hands, practice one bar at a time very slowly and only increase the speed when you can play the whole piece. Allegro € G75 DYNAMICS The term dynamics refers to the volume at which music is played. If all music was played at the same volume it would lack expression and soon become boring. Therefore it is necessary to be able to play at a variety of dynamic levels ranging from very soft to very loud. There are various markings for dynamics in written music. Most come from Italian words. Some of these are listed below, along with their English translations. To practice dynamics, play a scale, and then a melody at each of these volumes. pianissimo piano mezzo piano PP very soft) (soft) "P (moderately soft) mezzo forte forte fortissimo ™F (moderately loud) F oud) (very loud) VOLUME CHANGES crescendo diminuendo Gradual changes in volume are indicated by the crescendo (meaning a gradual increase in volume) and the diminuendo (meaning a gradual decrease in volume). Listen to the way they are applied to the scale in the following example. S* 46.0 Learning to use dynamics effectively takes quite a while. A good way to practice dynamics is to play a basic rhythm (e.g two bars of eighth notes) on one note, but at different dynamic levels, ranging from as softly as you can play to as loudly as you can play. Then try the same thing with a short melody. These two extremes are not so difficult, although keeping all the notes consistent when playing very quietly can be tricky at first. Most beginners have trouble making the grades of volume in between ppand f distinguishable, so be patient and keep practicing until you are comfortable with all the dynamic levels shown above. Once you are comfortable with different dynamic levels, start adding crescendos and diminuendos. Again, start with one note until you are comfortable with gradual and consistent volume changes, then try crescendos and diminuendos with scales and finally with melodies. An instrumentalist with good control of dynamics and time will always be in demand with other musicians and well appreciated by audiences.7% SY 46.1 Czerny 16th Note Study Here is a sixteenth note study by Czerny. It contains several dynamic markings including a crescendo over two bars. The way you use dynamics can make a huge difference to the feeling of the music and the response it evokes in a listener. Andante crese. tL | W | iACCIDENTALS Sometimes it is necessary to use notes which are not within the key signature of a piece of music. This is when accidentals are used. An accidental is a temporary alteration to the pitch of a note. An accidental may be a sharp, a flat, or a natural. A natural sign (shown below) is used to cancel a sharp or flat. Like a sharp of flat, the natural affects all notes of that pitch for the rest of the bar in which it occurs, unless another accidental occurs after it. THE NATURAL SIGN. > 47.0 This example demonstrates accidentals applied to the note G in the treble staff. Notice that Gp is the same note as F# which you already know. ENHARMONIC NOTES As you saw in the previous example, the note G» is exactly the same as F#. In music there is often more than one way of naming a note, e.g. D# is the same note as E>, Bb is the same note as A, etc. The different names are called enharmonic notes. All the black notes on the keyboard have more than one name, and white notes can as well, e.g. Etis also Fb, and Fhis also Et. Di=Eb G#=A) Et=F> At=Bb78 12 BAR BLUES The following piece is an example of the 12 bar Blues — a musical form central to the African American music tradition. It uses a pattern of chords that repeats every 12 bars and may be played in any key. This one contains many accidentals, so take it slowly at first to be sure you are playing the correct notes. Whenever you are learning a melody which contains new notes, play slowly and sing the names of all the notes out loud as you play. Listen carefully as you do this, and try to sing the same pitch as you are playing. S* 47.1 Accidental Blues vate — —79 THE CHROMATIC SCALE With the inclusion of sharps and flats, there are 12 different notes within one octave as shown below. The notes E to F and B to C are always one semitone apart. A semitone is the smallest possible distance between two notes. All the other natural notes are a tone apart (two semitones). Sharps (#) and flats (>) are found between the notes that are a tone apart: C % DB EF HG % A % BC This is called the chromatic scale. It contains all the sharps (#s) and flats (b’s) possible between one C note and its repeat an octave higher or lower. All the black notes have two names (enharmonic spellings). C sharp (C#) has the same position on the keyboard as D flat (D+). They are the same note but can have different names depending on what key you are playing in. The same applies to Dé /Eb,F# /G>, Gt /Ab and At /Bb. ES 48 C Chromatic Scale By learning the chromatic scale, you will become more familiar with all the black notes . Many beginners think they are harder to play because their names contain sharps and flats, but they are just as easy to play as the white notes and are essential for playing in keys other than C major. Notice that only three fingers are required to play the chromatic scale. Once you memorize the fingering, the scale is simple to play. ot80 DOTTED EIGHTH NOTES As you know, a dot after a note increases its value by half. Thus a dotted eighth note is equal to three sixteenth notes, as shown below. The dotted eighth note is often followed by a sixteenth note. Together they add up to one beat. | dst count: ioe + a The dotted eighth note is ay: one ‘ah’ equivalent to the duration of three sixteenth notes. SS 49.0 The following example demonstrates the use of dotted eighth notes. Count out loud as you play, and be sure to keep the rhythms of the two hands independent. ( = an 4 SS De+a 2e+a3 e+ a4 ‘Count: fa taiaieesa =} e e Sometimes you will find the figure reversed, i.e. a sixteenth note followed by a dotted eighth note, as shown below. Count: 1 @ + a Say: one ee 5 49.1 Listen to the CD to hear the effect produced by this rhythm. Once again Count out loud as you play. = EMG CF S te Fo De § 3 re 1 @+a 2 e@+a3 aN era81 SE 50. Dungeons and Dragons This piece uses both of the dotted eighth note rhythms you have just learned. It features a simple one beat left hand part which is is repeated throughout. Using one note or chord under moving parts is called a drone. This technique is common in folk music and medieval music. The right hand part is quite tricky, so be patient with it and learn it one bar at a time if you need to. Dm82 VOICE PARTS If you listen to a group of musicians playing together, you will notice that there are times when one person plays a sustained note or chord while another plays a moving part. Because the keyboard is capable of playing many notes at the same time, this same musical technique can be used by one keyboard player. When you have one note sustained with a moving part over or under it, the lines are written as individual voice parts, with the note stems going in different directions. This originally comes from choral music, where a chord is made up of three or more notes sung by human voices. The following example is a simple demonstration of voice parts, containing a moving voice in the middle part. SG) 51.0 (Organ Sound) ‘€ G’ c€ S514 When playing music containing individual voice parts, it is often necessary to sustain a note by keeping a key pressed down while playing other notes with other fingers on the same hand. This can be difficult at first, and requires a great deal of slow, concentrated practice before it becomes automatic. Here is an exercise to help you develop this technique. SS 51.2 One of the simplest uses of voice parts is a sustained bass note at the beginning of each bar, with an inner rhythmic part played by other fingers of the left hand on the remaining beats of the bar. In this example, the technique is used to provide a waltz accompaniment. Cc F Cc G783 S*> 52. Czerny Study Here is a study by Czerny which uses the same technique in 4time. All the bass notes are played by the Sth finger of the left hand. Be sure to hold each one till the end of the bar, so that it keeps sustaining under the chords played by the other fingers of the left hand. Notice that both hands are reading treble clef in this piece. EO ds oS— 84 CUT COMMON TIME The following piece features a new time signature which is a variation on the Common time symbol, but this one has a vertical line through it @. This is called cut common time, or simply cut time. It is also called § time and represents two half note beats per bar. In this situation, each half note receives one count. Whole notes receive two counts, while quarter notes receive half a count. This is a traditional church melody arranged as a chorale (choir or choral style piece) by 19th century composer Robert Schumann. The chords are made up of four individual voice parts - two played by each hand. it also features the fermata or pause sign AN , which is used to indicate that a note or chord is held at the player's own discretion. SE 53. Chorale R Schumann Adagio P(e ete a Ee wR I Rea cS | 9h 9) oe g LUSING THE SUSTAIN PEDAL When moving between chords, it is often necessary to lift one or both hands off the keyboard completely. This results in a gap in sound between one chord and the next. Sometimes this is desirable, and other times it is not. The use of the sustain pedal makes it possible to keep a note or chord sounding while the hands move to a new position. On a piano, the pedal is part of the instrument itself. There are also other pedals on the piano which vary between upright and grand pianos. For now, we will deal specifically with the sustain pedal. The sustain pedal (also called the sostenuto pedal) is always the one to the right of the other pedals, because it is operated with the right foot. On electronic keyboards the sustain pedal is a separate attachment which can be plugged into the socket provided on the back of the keyboard. The photos below show the pedals on both upright and grand pianos as well as a sustain pedal for an electronic keyboard. To hear how the sustain pedal works, play a chord and then press the pedal down with your right foot. Hold the pedal down and lift your hands off the keyboard - the chord keeps sounding as long as the pedal is held down. This makes changing chords a lot easier. ‘sustain pedal ‘sustain pedal) Upright Piano Pedals Grand Piano Pedals Midi Out elel Socket on Back of Keyboard ~~ Electronic Keyboard Pedal86 The following example demonstrates a typical use of the sustain pedal. In the first two bars, the right hand moves between inversions of a C major chord. Listen to the gap between each chord as the hand is lifted off the keyboard. In the third and fourth bars, the sustain pedal is pressed down as each new inversion is played. This eliminates the gaps in sound between the chords. The use of the pedal is indicated by the symbol Ped. S* 54.0 Cc SS] SS Re Be Ro Be Ls The basic rule when using the sustain pedal is that it must be released when the harmony changes. This is demonstrated in the following example. The pedal is held down between bars 1 and 2 while the left hand changes from a € chord to a G7 chord. When the pedal is held down, the first chord blends in with the second chord, causing a clash in harmor and a muddy sound. This is definitely undesirable! In the rest of the example, the pet is quickly released as each new chord is struck by the hand and then immediatel pressed down again until the next chord is struck. This is the correct way to use the pedal. Practice this example many times each day until you can co-ordinate it with your hand. Then try playing the chords with the right hand, then both hands. SH 541 c G7 Cc G7 Cc G’ +4 - z 4 Fa. Bq ie 4 Bo S55. In this example, broken chords are played by the right hand. Because each all the notes a part of the one harmony, it is not necessary to release the pedal until a new chord is played.87 SS 56. Aloha Oe This traditional Pacific song contains much movement between chord inversions, making it an excellent study for pedalling. Follow the pedal indications and remember the basic principle is that the pedal is released and depressed again each time the harmony changes. Once you can play this piece, go back to the Chorale on page 84 and play it with the pedal. c G88 LESSONMIWENTYOONE SCALE TONE CHORDS The example below shows chords built on all the degrees of the € major scale. In any key it is possible to build chords on each degree of the scale. This means that for every major scale there are seven possible chords which can be used for creating keyboard parts and harmonizing melodies created from that scale. These seven chords are called scale tone chords. It is common practice to describe chords within a key with roman numerals as shown here. SS 57.0 Cc Am Bdim C 5 es 5 | oy LTT ft dlls pn re 62. Seven Seas9394 LESSONS TWENTY TW 0 INTERVALS An interval is the distance between two musical notes. Intervals are measured in numbers, and are calculated by counting the number of letter names (A B C D E F G A) between and including the notes being measured. Within an octave, intervals are: Unison (two notes of the same pitch played or sung together or consecutively), 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and Octave (two notes an octave apart). Thus A to B is a 2nd interval, as is B to C, C to D etc. A to C is a 3rd interval, A to D is a 4th, A to E is a Sth, A to F is a 6th, A to G is a 7th and A to the next A is an octave. Intervals may be melodic (two notes played consecutively) or harmonic (two notes played at the same time). Hence two people singing at the same time are said to be singing in harmony. INTERVAL QUALITIES Different intervals have different qualities, as shown below: Quality Can be applied to Perfect Unisons, 4ths, 5ths and Octaves Major 2nds, 3rds, 6ths and 7ths Minor 2nds, 3rds, 6ths and 7ths Augmented All intervals Diminished All intervals These intervals can be best explained with the aid of a chromatic scale. If you look at the one below, it is easy to see that since intervals are measured in semitones, they may begin or end ona sharp or flat rather than a natural note. Ax peck pe EFKGKA Perfect intervals are 4ths, 5ths and octaves. If you widen a perfect interval, by a semitone it becomes augmented (added to). E.g. if you add a semitone to the perfect 4th interval C to F, it becomes the augmented 4th interval C to F#. Notice that the letter name remains the same-it is not referred to as C to Gh. If you narrow a perfect interval by a semitone they become diminished (lessened). E.g. if you lessen the perfect 5th interval D to A by a semitone, it becomes the diminished 5th interval D to Ab. Again, the letter name remains the same-it is not referred to as D to GF. Major intervals (2nds, 3rds, 6ths and 7ths) become minor if narrowed by a semitone and minor intervals become major if widened by a semitone. A diminished interval can be created by narrowing a perfect or minor interval by a semitone. An augmented interval can be created by widening a perfect or major interval by a semitone.INTERVAL DISTANCES In summary, here one. Notice that tl there are twelve dit is a list of the distances of all common intervals up to an octave measured in semitones. Each new interval is one semitone wider apart than the previous he interval of an octave is exactly twelve semitones. This is because ifferent notes in the chromatic scale. Notice also that the interval which has a distance of six semitones can be called either an augmented 4th or a diminished 5th. This interval is also often called a tritone (6 semitones = 3 tones). The following example demonstrates all of the common intervals ascending within one Minor 2nd - One semitone Major 2nd - Two semitones Minor 3rd - Three semitones Major 3rd - Four semitones Perfect 4th - Five semitones Augmented 4th or Diminished 5th - Six semitones Perfect 5th - Seven semitones Minor 6th - Eight semitones Major 6th - Nine semitones Minor 7th - Ten semitones Major 7th - Eleven semitones Perfect Octave - Twelve semitones octave starting and ending on the note C. ED 63. 4h, minor 2nd major 2nd minor 3rd major 3rd perfect 4th diminished 5th perfect 5th minor 6th =96 CHORD CONSTRUCTION Chords are usually made up of combinations of major and minor third intervals. Alll of the chords you have learnt up to this point have been triads (3 note chords). There are four basic types of triads: major, minor, augmented and diminished. Examples of each of these triads are shown below along with the formula for each one. Chord Symbol C MAJOR CHORD Notes in Chord . 5G {5% Minor Third < q nm 238 A Major Third << el le 1C Chord Symbol C MINOR CHORD Notes in Chord _____ sd C «2D G Cm — ~5G Gm Chord 13 5 Major Third << y oon RT Minor Third NQ 11¢ Chord Symbol C AUGMENTED CHORD Notes in Chord C E G3 [cua - , 5 Gt C+ Chord 1 3% Major Third y 232 A Major Thira 1C Sees C DIMINISHED CHORD Notes in Chord Cdim or a b5 Gb Cdim Chord cc Be 65 ce Minor Third NQ U 2s (RT Minor Third “1c97 This example demonstrates the four basic types of triads shown on the previous page. > 64. The Four Basic Triad Types c c+ cm Caim SH 65. All types of chords can be played in different positions on the keyboard in various inversions. This example demonstrates how the four basic triad types could be used in a more musical manner. The right hand plays voicings which are close together on the keyboard, while the left hand outlines each chord as an arpeggio starting from the root. c C+a 98 SCALE TONE CHORDS IN G By using the correct formulas, it is possible to build any of the four types of triads on any note of the chromatic scale. E.g. if you start with the note D and add a note a major third above it (F#) and a minor third above that (A) you end up with a D major chord. If you start with the note A and add a note a minor third above it (C) and a major third above that (E) you end up with an A minor chord. If you go through and analyse all of the scale tone chords in the key of C major you end up with the following pattern: IT Major (C Major) T= Minor (D Minor) ll =Minor (E Minor) W Major (F Major) Vs Major (G Major) Vi Minor (A Minor) Vil Diminished (B Diminished) This pattern remains the same regardless of the key. This means that if you look at the scale tone triads in any major key, Chord I is always major, chord Tis always minor, chord ill is always minor, etc. The only thing that changes from one key to the next is the letter names: of the chords. This can be demonstrated by looking at the scale tone triads for the key of G major which are shown below. E* 66. G Am Bm ee. ~ a te we pee 3 =p rTe) | I 68.1 This example contains all three inversions of the Bm chord. F# DIMINISHED CHORD INVERSIONS Fi Root Position These three diagrams illustrate the root A position (1535), first inversion (>3)5 1), and second inversion ( }5 1 53) of the Fé dim chord. Fidim Second Inversion subi lhtd F¢ dim First Inversion nen ED 68.2102 ED 69. Here is a keyboard part which makes use of the chords Bm and F# dim. G Bm c Fedim/D Em ic Am Ftdim/D E> 70. Like any piece of music, the above example can be transposed to other keys. Here is the same part in the key of C. Cc Em F Bdim/G B= == ~ © Am F Dm Bdim’/G —_—_——MINOR SCALES AND KEYS Apart from major keys, the other basic tonality used in western music is a minor key. Minor keys are often said to have a sadder or darker sound than major keys. Songs in a minor key use notes taken from a minor scale. There are three types of minor scale - the natural minor scale, the harmonic minor scale and the melodic minor scale. Written below is the A natural minor scale. It contains exactly the same notes as the C major scale. The difference is that it starts and finishes on an A note instead of a C note. The A note then becomes the key note. The A natural minor scale is easy to learn — it is simply the notes of the musical alphabet. A Natural Minor Scale A B C D E F G A CMajorScale C D E F G A B C S71. A Natural Minor Scale Here is the A natural minor scale played with both hands — first in eighth notes over two ‘octaves and then in sixteenth notes over three octaves.104 TEMPO CHANGES There are specific markings for changes in tempo. The most common ones are listed below. Notice the use of the rit marking near the end of the following song. rallentando accelerando (gradually becoming faster) or (gradually becoming slower) ritardando ritenuto (rit) (immediately slower) a tempo (return to the original tempo) SE” 72. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen The melody of this traditional christmas song is derived from the natural minor scale. Because of this, it is said to be in a minor key. It is written here in the key of A minor. Am Em a = Am ie P08 Scie fire | GO ca105 RELATIVE MAJOR AND MINOR KEYS Look at the song on the previous page, and notice that although the previous piece is in the key of A minor, all the chords it contains are also in the key of C major. For every key signature there are two possible keys, one major and one minor. These are called relative keys, e.g. the key signature for the key of C major contains no sharps or flats, as does the key of A minor. The key of A minor is therefore called the relative minor of C major. The key signatures for © Major and A minor are identical - no sharps or flats. To find the relative minor of any major key, start on the 6th degree of the major scale. The example below shows the scale tone chords for the key of A natural minor. Notice that the chords are exactly the same as those contained in the key of C major. The only difference is the starting and finishing point. Because the minor scale starts on A, A minor will now be chord Tinstead of Wi. SF 73. Am Bdim C Dm Em F G Am The following progression could be described in two possible ways. It could be called Wi ¥ WW V in C major or] Wi W WH in A minor. Because the progression has an obvious minor sounding tonality, musicians would use the second description. Experiment with other chord combinations in the key of A minor. ED 74. Am106 Written below are the scale tone chords for the key of E natural minor which is the relative minor of G major, as shown by the key signature. As with the keys of C major and A minor, the chords will be the same as those of its relative, but the starting note is E instead of G, so E minor will be chord i. ED 75. Like music written in major keys, anything in a minor key can be transposed to other keys. The following example shows the keyboard part from example 74 transposed to the key of E minor. ED 76. —_——x Sometimes only two chords are needed to give the effect of a minor key. Notice also the use of space in this keyboard part. Particularly when playing with other instruments, it is not necessary to play all the time. Try transposing this part to the key of A minor. Em D Em D Em > — + A y if ~_~—. w | . se eee cece eo weet weve _sMORE ABOUT MINOR KEYS AND SCALES For every minor key, there are three basic types of minor scale—the natural minor scale, the harmonic minor scale and the melodic minor scale. Each has its own pattern of tones and semitones, as can be seen in the three A minor scales below. The degrees of each scale are written under the note names. S*> 78.0 A Natural Minor Sf 78.1 A Harmonic Minor Notice the distance of 1% tones (three semitones) between the 6th and 7th degrees of the harmonic minor scale. This scale is often described as having an “Eastern” sound. T s eT T 8) m2: S*> 78.2 A Melodic Minor In the A melodic minor scale the 6th and 7th notes are sharpened when ascending and return to natural when descending. This is the way the melodic minor is used in Classical music. However, in Jazz and other modern styles, the melodic minor descends the same way as it ascends. An easy way to think of the ascending melodic minor is as a major scale with a flattened third degree. T be eat108 THE HARMONIC MINOR SCALE The raised 7th in the harmonic minor is not indicated in the key signature, instead it is shown as an accidental each time it occurs. In the key of A minor, all the notes are naturals except for the raised 7th degree, which is a Gé. The following example demonstrates two octaves of the A harmonic minor scale with each hand. The fingering is the same as that of the A natural minor scale. > 79. A Harmonic Minor =a ae og fda HARMONIC MINOR SCALE TONE CHORDS Because there are three different minor scales, it is possible to come up with different sets of chords for a minor key by building chords on the notes of each different minor scale. Each variation to the notes of the scale alters the type of chords built on the scale. The letter names of the chords remain the same, but the chord type may change. E.g. shown below are scale tone chords derived from the A harmonic minor scale. Notice that chord is now augmented (C+) instead of major, and also that chord V is major (E) instead of minor and chord Wil is diminished (Gédim) instead of major. These changes are all brought about by the raising of the 7th degree of the scale from G to G#. The new chords are shown below in root position. —_—— ‘C+ Chord E Chord | Gi dim Chord109 S* 81. Here is a piece derived from the A Harmonic minor scale and its scale tone triads. Am E Am ED 82. Like all chords, The scale tone chords derived from the harmonic minor scale can be arranged into inversions. Here are the inversions of the E major chord. E |110 THE MELODIC MINOR SCALE The ascending melodic minor scale contains raised 6th and 7th degrees, neither of which appear in the key signature. In the key of A minor, these notes are F# and G#. Both notes are notated as accidentals. The following example demonstrates two octaves of the A melodic minor scale with each hand. Remember that the 7th and 6th degrees fall by a semitone when the scale descends LS 83. 21/7 seat J 144 . reo (tere MELODIC MINOR SCALE TONE CHORDS The scale tone chords derived from the A melodic minor scale are shown below. Because of the sharpened 6th degree, there will be more changes to the types of chords derived from this scale. Chord Il is now minor (Bm) instead of major, chord WV is major (D) instead of minor and chord WI is diminished (Fidim) instead of major. These changes are all brought about by the raising of the 6th degree of the scale from F to F#. ED} 84. a x ot Fidim G#dim Am S55 THE SIX EIGHT TIME SIGNATURE This is the six eight time signature. There are six eighth notes in one bar of § time. The six eighth notes are divided into two groups of three. Nin-1.4 Count: 1 2 45 6 fy Ads 6 When playing § time there are two beats within each bar, with each beat being a dotted quarter note. Note that this is different from $ and j time, where each beat is a quarter note. Accent (play louder) the 1 and 4 count to help establish the two beats per bar.111 ES 85. House of the Rising Sun When playing music in minor keys, it is common to use chords from all three types of minor scales. A good example of this is the song House of the Rising Sun. Look through the chords and see which ones come from each type of minor scale. Am Cc D F112 THE TWO FOUR TIME SIGNATURE 2 This is the two four time signature. It tells you there are two beats in each bar. In ¥ time the note and rest values must add up to the equivalent of two quarter notes per bar. S* 86. First Loss R. Schumann To end this section, here is a beautiful piece by Robert Schumann which is written in % time. It is in the key of E minor and contains chords from all three minor scale types. This piece contains a variety of musical terms and expressions. Take your time with it and learn the notes first without worrying about the tempo and dynamic markings. Practice any difficult parts one hand at a time and then play both hands together very slowly, bar by bar. Once you are confident you can play through the whole piece without mistakes, work on it concentrating purely on the expressive aspect, observing all the markings and exaggerating them at first until you have control of them. RUBATO When you play solo pieces, you don’t have to keep such strict time as when you are playing with others. Sometimes you may wish to increase or decrease the tempo at certain points for dramatic effect. This is called rubato. Feel free to experiment with the time as you play, but make sure you are doing it for musical expression rather than because of technical inadequacies (e.g. slowing down for the difficult parts and speeding up for the easy parts - this is not a musical reason for using rubato!) Adagio113 a tempo i -e f yo FOR FURTHER STUDY Both this piece and the Chorale on page 84 come from Schumann's Album for the Young which is highly recommended. Even if you don't intend to play Classical music as your main style, you will get tremendous benefit from learning more of these pieces. You should also check out JS Bach's Two Part Inventions, and Bela Bartok’s Mikrokosmos. These works will improve your technique, broaden your harmonic knowledge, and (in Bach’s own words) “give you a strong foretaste of composition”. If you do intend to pursue Classical music further, it is recommended that you do so with a teacher to guide you in regard to both technique and repertoire. In most countries there are systems of progressively graded exams for studying Classical music. Many people don't wish to sit exams, but the grades are an excellent guide to suitable pieces and technical studies for players of all levels.SECTION 3 Blues, Rock and Boogie, Playing in all KeysTHE MINOR PENTATONIC SCALE So far all of the keyboard parts you have learnt have been based on chords and arpeggios. This is important because chords form the harmonic foundation of music. However, there are many parts based on scales instead of chords. A particularly useful scale is the minor pentatonic scale which is shown below in the key of A minor. This scale is used for many bass lines as well as being commonly used for soloing and improvisation. Whereas the major and natural minor scales contain seven different notes, pentatonic scales contain only five. The minor pentatonic scale can be thought of as a natural minor scale with the second and sixth degrees left out. The notes of the A minor pentatonic scale are AC D E and G. $1.0 CD 2 Starts Here RIFFS The following example shows how the A minor pentatonic scale can be used over a chord progression in the key of A minor. The repeated pattern of notes is called a riff. Riffs are common in many styles of music. 141 (cD2) Am116 EE 2.0 Here is another example of a riff created from the minor pentatonic scale. This time the right hand plays a line which answers the left hand riff and then plays the riff along with the left hand. Here are some more keyboard parts created from the minor pentatonic scale. SE 2.1 SD 2.2 This example contains a pattern where three notes of the A minor pentatonic scale are played by each hand in contrary motion. Try experimenting with other similar patterns. Notice that both parts are written in the treble staff for this example.117 The following left hand pattern is great for improvising over. Practice the left hand by itself, then try playing some chords or pentatonic scale lines over it with the right hand as shown below ED 3.0 Am118 MINOR PENTATONIC SCALE IN E Like all scales, the minor pentatonic scale can be transposed to any key. here is the E minor pentatonic scale. ED 4.0 (res (pS ED 41 Now try this example which is created entirely from the E minor pentatonic scale.119 ED 5. Here is a 12 bar Blues which uses the E minor pentatonic scale to create lines over the left hand pattern from the previous lesson. Practice each hand separately if necessary. iy Em120 SS ALTERNATING OCTAVES Another useful technique in Rock keyboard playing is the use of alternating octaves with the left hand. Written below is the E natural minor scale played in alternating octaves by the 5th and 1st fingers of the left hand. FD 6.0 ED 6.1 Here is a keyboard part using alternating octaves. It will probably sound familiar to you. FE 6.2 This example shows the same part transposed to the key of A minor. Am121 ED 7. Using octaves on repeated notes is a great way to create a driving rhythm. The following 12 bar Blues shows chords played over an alternating octave left hand part. Take it slowly at first and practice each hand separately if necessary.122 Sbs. Here is another solo which uses an alternating octave left hand part. Co-ordinating the two hands may be difficult at first, so practice each hand separately if necessary. Once you can play it, try using the ideas and techniques to improvise with the right hand. You could also transpose the whole thing to A minor. The more you transpose and improvise with everything you learn, the more confident you will be in your keyboard knowledge and your ability to play with other musicians. Your eventual aim should be to be able to play any song or short piece you know in any key, and improvise on it. All good musicians can do this.123 —1 MORE ABOUT 12 BAR BLUES As you learnt in lesson 18, 12 Bar Blues is a pattern of chords which repeats every 12 bars and may be played in any key. You have already learnt several examples of 12 bar Blues. There are hundreds of well known songs based on this chord progression, i.e., they contain basically the same chords in the same order. 12 bar Blues is commonly used in Blues, Jazz and Rock. Some popular songs which use the 12 bar Blues form are: Original Batman TV Theme Rock Around the Clock - Bill Haley Johnny B Goode - Chuck Berry J Blue Suede Shoes - Elvis Presley Give Me One Reason - Tracy Chapman In the Mood - Glenn Miller Why Didn't You Call Me? - Macy Gray Surfin’ USA - The Beach Boys Oh Pretty Woman - Gary Moore ED 9. Here is a 12 bar Blues in the key of C. The pattern of chords will probably sound familiar to you. The left hand part is a walking bass line. This technique is common in Blues and Jazz. Cc Gr124 LEARNING THE BLUES FORM As mentioned previously, the 12 bar Blues form can be applied to any key. The easiest way to do this is to memorize the chord pattern in roman numerals as shown below. Although there are many variations, the simplest form of the 12 bar Blues uses only chords i, iV and V. I Four bars of chord | Nv Two bars of chord Two bars of chord I V one bar of Y W. one bar of © Tone bar of i V one bar of 9 SG 10. 12 Bar Blues in G Here is a 12 bar Blues in the key of G. The chords are played with the right hand, while the left hand plays a common Blues and Boogie accompaniment pattern. G CG G G CG G c FC C G CG G125 BLUE NOTES flattened third 53 flattened fifth 5 flattened seventh }7 Blue notes $3 which is E> in the key of C. listen to how effective it sounds when alternated with the natural 3rd degree (E). SE 11.0 ic: SED 11.1 This example uses the flattened fifth (G)) and the flattened seventh (B}) along with the flattened 3rd (B+). Notice how effective blue notes sound when combined with harmony notes in bars 3 and 4. Once you can play this example, try improvising with chord tones and blue notes over an alternating octaves accompaniment. You should also do this with the left hand pattern from example 10 (CD2) first using one chord and then the 12 bar Blues form. c126 THE BLUES SCALE One of the most practical ways of remembering the blue notes is to use the Blues Scale. It contains all three of the blue notes: b3, 55 and 57. The Blues scale can be played starting ‘on any note. It is shown here in the key of C. 412.0 C Blues Scale It is worth comparing the notes of the Blues scale with those of the major scale. Here are the notes of both scales in the key of C. C MAJOR SCALE CD Eh GA BG 12345 67 8 C BLUES SCALE C ELF GG BC 3) 4) 5 5) 78 Notice that the Blues scale contains both the flat 5 and the natural 5. It does not contain the degrees 2 or 6. Altogether the Blues scale contains six different notes, whereas the major scale contains seven different notes. The major scale used by itself does not sound very bluesy. However, Blues melodies often contain notes from both of these scales. Listen to the following example to hear the difference between them. SPS 12.1 C Major Scale C Blues Scale127 The following solo will help you become more comfortable with the Blues scale. The scale is played ascending and descending over the three bass notes C, F and G which are i, iV and V in the key of C. Notice how changing the bass note alters the sound. Notice also the use of octaves in the left hand part. Practice each hand by itself at first if necessary. SD 13.128 SS THE TRIPLET An eighth note triplet is a group of three evenly spaced notes played within one beat. Eighth note triplets are indicated by three eighth notes with the number 3 written either above or below the group. Sometimes the triplet has a bracket or a curved line around the number 3. The notes are played with a third of a beat each. ED} 14.1 Here are some 7th chords played with a triplet rhythm. G7 c7 ’ 3 a = SE 142 Triplets sound great when combined with the notes of the Blues scale. Listen to the following example and then make up some of your own triplet based riffs from the Blues scale. (pq Sy129 SWING RHYTHMS Since the early 20th century there have been many new styles of music which use a rhythmic feeling called swing. These styles include Blues, Jazz, Gospel, Soul, Rock and Funk. A swing rhythm is created by tying together the first two notes of a triplet. There are several different ways of writing swing rhythms. To understand them it is worth using one musical example written in various ways. The example below has the first and second notes of the triplet group tied together. Play this example and listen to the feeling created by the rhythm. S> 15.0 Cm7 = tt ? Stay ae ¢ = 5 ° Instead of tying the first two notes of the triplet group, a quarter note can be used. The quarter note grouped with an eighth note by a triplet bracket shows clearly that the first note is worth two thirds of the beat, while the second note is worth only one third. Play the following example and notice that it sounds the same as the previous one. Sh 15.1 Cm? ’ A third way to write the same rhythm is to notate the whole thing in eighth notes and to write ?) at the start of the music. Jazz players usually write swing rhythms in this manner, if'is Easier to read. Play example 15.2 and notice that once again it sounds the same. Spi2 -) 5130 THE SHUFFLE By playing a constant stream of swinging eighth notes, an effect known as the Shuffle can be created. A good way to start coordinating both hands when playing a shuffle is to play the shuffle rhythm with the left hand and triplets with the right hand. Both hands coincide on the first and third part of each triplet. ED} 16. G Sagas)131 mo S517. J-) ) Here is another shuffle, this time written differently. Notice the use of the 7th of each chord in the left hand part. If you have trouble with this one, practice each hand separately at first. Cc » Ne ie es c G YWIMPROVISATION To become a good Blues player, it is important to develop the ability to improvise. A good way to do this is to use the right hand to improvise short lines with the Blues scale while playing a shuffle with the left hand. First, practice the scale itself over one chord, then use the whole 12 bar progression. FD 18.0 Here is a Blues scale idea played over a shuffle left hand part for a C chord.133 ED 19. Here is a 12 bar Blues solo which makes use of these techniques. By this time you know enough to start improvising your own Blues solos. You could use any of the ideas presented so far as a starting point. The main thing is to experiment and have fun with the music, remembering that the more you do it, the better you get. It also helps to have some kind of a theme in your playing and to develop it through repetition and variation.134 LESSONMTHIRTYAONE Chord Formula rn SEVENTH CHORDS Tacs After triads, the next most common chord type is the seventh chord, (sometimes called the dominant seventh chord). Seventh chords consist of four notes taken from the major scale of the same letter name. These notes are the first (1), third (3), fifth (5) and flattened seventh (17) notes of the major scale, so the chord formula for the seventh chord is: 13557 A flattened seventh (7) is created by lowering the seventh note of the major scale by one semitone. This is the same $7 note that is found in the Blues scale. Notice that the seventh chord is simply a major chord with a flattened seventh note added. Chord Symbol THE G SEVENTH GBD F G7 CHORD (G7) Sod The G7 chord can be constructed from the G major scale. Using the seventh chord formula on the G major scale gives the notes G, B, D and F. When the seventh note of the G major scale (F# ) is flattened, it becomes an F natural. = = o——fe—_° Note Name G A B c D E FE G Note Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 fl 8 Seventh Chord Formula 3 5 7 G Seventh Chord G B D F Play the notes of the G7 chord with the first, second, fourth and fifth fingers of your right hand, individually and then together as shown below. SE 20.0 G7—_———— 135 G7 Root Position G7 CHORD INVERSIONS Because the G7 chord contains four notes, STARS Saves there are three inversions plus the root position. The following three diagrams illustrate the first inversion (3 5 7 1), the second inversion (5 57 1 3), and the third inversion (b7 1 3 5) of the G7 chord. G7 Second Inversion G7 Third Inversion The example below uses all the inversions of the G7 chord. Use the correct fingerings as shown in the diagrams. IE 20.1 es136 Seventh chords are particularly common in Blues, Boogie and Rock'n’ Roll piano playing. The example below demonstrates a ‘st inversion G7 chord played over the left hand pattern you have been using, this time played as straight eighth notes. > 20.2 THE C7 CHORD Like G7, the C7 chord contains the degrees 1, 3, 5 57. Its notes are C, E, G and Bb. Here are the four basic positions of the C7 chord. C7 Root Position C7 First Inversion C7 Second Inversion J A C7 Third Inversion —_137 THE F7 CHORD Here are the four basic positions for the F7 chord. Its notes are F, A, C and Eb. F7 Root Position Mali F7 Second Inversion Ae F7 First Inversion ee F7 Third Inversion ( OMITTING NOTES FROM CHORDS Because there are four notes in a 7th chord, they are often more difficult to play than major chords. When using 7th chords it is common to leave out one of the notes. The most commonly omitted note is the 5th, although sometimes the 3rd or the root can be omitted. Usually the left hand will be playing the root note anyway. As long as the +7 degree is in the chord you still get the effect of a 7th chord. Here are some examples of partial 7th chords. E> 20.5 Gz F7138 Soa D-Th Listen to how good these chords sound when applied to a 12 bar Blues progression. Learn this example and then experiment with different rhythms using the same chords, as well as different inversions using the same rhythms. Feel free to leave out any note other than the $7 when using any of the inversions. Cz Fr’ cr139 BUILDING 7TH CHORDS ON OTHER NOTES Like major and minor chords, 7th chords can be built on any of the 12 notes used in music. By memorizing the formula for a 7th chord (1 3 557) and choosing a root note to apply the formula to, you can create A7, E7, F#7, BY7 or any other 7th chord. An easy way to learn 7th chords is to notice that a 7th chord is simply a major chord with an extra note added a minor 3rd interval above the 5th of the chord (3 semitones). All 7th chords have four possible inversions, which gives you a variety of positions and fingerings for playing them. Shown below are the four inversions of a D7 chord. THE D7 CHORD The notes of a D7 chord are D (1), F# (3), A (5) and C (47). Here are the four basic positions for a D7 chord. D7 Root Position D7 First Inversion o D7 Third Inversion D7 Second Inversion a a —_GRACE NOTES The use of grace notes is an important expressive technique in all styles of keyboard playing. Grace notes have no real time of their own. Rather, they are heard as an expression added to the note they are leading to. A grace note is indicated by a very small note with a stroke through its stem. This note is played immediately before the following note, which is held for its full value. E> 23.0 There are two basic ways of playing grace notes. In Blues it is very common to play a grace note on a black key and then slide off onto a white key with the same finger. This technique is not used in classical piano playing, but is important in Blues playing. Ee Play D# note Slide finger off with 2nd finger. to sound E note. EBD} 23.1 The second technique does come from classical piano music. It involves playing a grace note on a white note and following it with either a black note or another white note. Each note is played with a different finger. Play D note Play Eb note with 2nd finger. with 3rd finger.141 Here are some of the ways grace notes are commonly used in Blues and Boogie. Se amo I1-)'3 G F c G - ee Sp 23 J1-)'3 G ide142 Here is a 12 bar Blues solo which makes use of grace notes. The eighth notes in this example are played straight (i.e. not swung) Notice the new left hand pattern here. This pattern is common in Rock ‘n’ Roll and Boogie piano playing. SE} 25.LEFT HAND PATTERNS In Blues and Boogie piano playing, there are many different left hand patterns which can be used. Here are some common ones with a simple right hand part played over them. Learn each one from memory and then apply it to the 12 bar Blues progression. When you are comfortable with each new left hand part, try it with some of the right hand parts from earlier lessons, and then try improvising over it. It is also important to repeat this process in many different keys. Playing in all keys is dealt with in lesson 35. eS FD 26.1 Most of these left hand patterns work equally well swung or played straight - experiment.SHos -)) Here is a two bar pattern which works well both straight and swung. These are just a few of the left hand patterns used in Blues and Boogie piano playing. It is important to listen to albums featuring keyboard players and learn to copy what they are doing. You should also: constantly experiment and make up your own parts. The more you do this, the easier it gets. Cc145 SIXTEENTH NOTE TRIPLETS. Triplets can be created on any note value. A sixteenth note triplet is three sixteenth notes played evenly across the space usually taken by two sixteenth notes. This means that the triplet grouping lasts for the same duration as an eighth note. It is common for two sixteenth note triplets to occur together as a group of six notes across one quarter note beat.To count a sixteenth note triplet, say Did - dle - a, for two sixteenth note triplets across a beat, say Did - dle - a - Did - dle - a. ED 27. 2 2 2 2 fs oe fe ee 4 3 3 3 Say: Did-dle- a Did-dle-a Daa, Did- dle-a Did -dle - a Daa. Here are some typical ways sixteenth note triplets are used in Blues. Practice them slowly with a metronome until you can play them perfectly and then use the ideas to improvise. SH 2.0 J)-]} gu Bea146 2 29 New Orleans Blues This New Orleans style Blues solo is a real challenge. It contains a new note value - the 32nd note, which is half the value of a 16th note. To hear this style at its best, listen to players like Professor Longhair, James Booker and Dr John. Gout ies Ss oe :147 THE GLISSANDO Another important expressive technique is the glissando (gliss for short). This is simply a slide either to or away from a note. A gliss is usually done with the nail of the thumb, supported by the whole hand. On an organ, or electric keyboard, the side of the hand can often be used. Use the left hand when ascending and the right when descending. Get a teacher or experienced player to demonstrate it for you, as it can be painful if done incorrectly. The gliss is indicated by a wavy diagonal line leading either to a note or away from a note. Listen to the following example on the CD to hear the effect it produces. SF 30. Glissando J] TS a) THE TRILL AND THE TREMOLO Two other techniques commonly used in keyboard playing are the trill and the tremolo. Both consist of a rapid alternation between two notes. For smaller intervals such as 2nds and 3rds, the term trill is used, and the effect is achieved purely by finger action. With larger intervals such as é6ths and Octaves, the term tremolo is used, and it is achieved with a wrist motion. As with the glissando, it is best to have someone demonstrate these techniques for you. Both take some time to gain control of, so be patient and practice them for a short time each day. The trill and tremolo are indicated by two diagonal lines through the stems of the notes involved. The following example uses these techniques along with the glissando. Note: In Classical music, there are several variations on the trill (called ornaments). There are specific ways of notating each one. They are best learnt with the aid of a teacher. SS} 31. pe o es ee ae—_——~ (eae eee e : 148 > 32. Blues For Otis J) = i) Here is a Blues piano solo which features glissandi, trills and tremolo. Notice the new left hand pattern here. Practice each hand separately until you are comfortable with both parts. ee = ' = be —— == = c= ae [SA td16TH NOTE STUDIES Here are some exercises to help you become more familiar with 16th note groupings. Count out loud as you play each one and tap your foot to help you keep time. It would also be useful to practice them with a metronome or drum machine. If you are serious about music you should be using a metronome for everything you practice. A musician with good control of rhythm and timing is always popular with other musicians. SP} 33. den ip fr ir Comt 1@€+2e@+3e+4e+ —_ a ra c7 Desi egy Pre Count | +28 2+a3;+aata Count 1e+@ 2c+@ 3e+A 4e+A = (5 = se 4 4 ra Count 1 @+a 2@+a 3@+a sesa bee] cee150 Once you are comfortable with these basic 16th note groupings, it is easy to create great sounding keyboard parts using simple patterns. Here are some examples. ED 34.0 == a stl || z =e ee ; SS == 7 Es aa e Petes: SE! 34.1 Notice the F note in the chord under the C7 symbol in this example. This is called a suspension, which means substituting the 4th degree for the 3rd. Suspended chords are discussed in lesson 39. The following examples demonstrate parts which feature much interplay between both: hands. Practice them slowly at first with a metronome and gradually increase the tempo’ until you can play them along with the CD. SF} 35.0 on Dp =e — ee —_——c7 = eo be SS SS SSS S> 36.0 In this one the right hand plays full chords but both hands are still working together. Cm7 F7 . ab This one takes the same type of idea even further. Cm 4 == Pas Sarre152 ES 37. This Gospel style 12 bar Blues is based on an underlying 16th note rhythm. Take it slowly to begin with, and practice each hand separately with a metronome if you need to.PLAYING IN ALL KEYS Once you know the pattern of tones and semitones used to create the C major scale, you can build a major scale on any of the twelve notes used in music. It is important to memorize this pattern, which is shown below. 1 Pra AA Pv /O /18 tone tone semitone tone tone tone semitone ue u st T iT iy ST The semitones are always found between the 3rd and 4th, and 7th and 8th degrees of the scale. All the other notes are a tone apart. By simply following the pattern of tones and semitones, it is possible to construct a major scale starting on any note. The scale will be named by the note it starts on. The following example demonstrates four more major scales. ED 38. D major scale E major scale Bb major scale Ab major scale 67 Now that you know how major scales are constructed, try writing major scales built on the notes A, B, Ft, Eb, Db and Gb. Some will contain sharps, while others will contain flats. Remember that the scale is named from its starting note and all you have to do is follow the pattern of tones and semitones.154 MORE ON KEYS AND KEY SIGNATURES The key describes the note around which a piece of music is built. Remember that when a piece of music consists of notes from a particular scale, it is said to be written in the key which has the same notes as that scale. The key signature is written at the start of each line of music, just after the clef. The number of sharps or flats in any key signature depends on the number of sharps or flats in the corresponding major scale. The major scales and key signatures for the keys of F and G are shown below. Without sharps and flats, these scales would not contain the correct pattern of tones and semitones which gives the major scale its distinctive sound. G Major Scale Key Signature of G Major Note G AB C DE FG ScaleDegree 1 2 3.4 5 6 7 8 z Be ae Atenas ils ali oP nl toate! U U by Ww uv ou ou The G major scale contains one sharp, Ff, therefore the key signature for the key of G major contains one sharp, Ft. F Major Scale Key Signature of F Major Note F GA BC D EF SealeDegree 1 2 3. 4 5 6 7 8 fF eS PES Vote o i Gr ip ou Su The F major scale contains one flat, Be, therefore the key signature for the key of F major contains one flat, B>. Some scales contain sharps while others contain flats because there has to be a separate letter name for each note in the scale. E.g. the G major scale contains F# instead of G> even though these two notes are identical in sound. If G> was used, the scale would contain two. notes with the letter name G and no note with the letter name F. In the key of F major, the note Bb is chosen instead of A? for the same reason. If A? was used, the scale would contain two notes with the letter name A and no note with the letter name B. The charts on the following page contain the key signatures of all the major scales used in music, along with the number of sharps or flats contained in each key. Because there are 12 notes used in music, this means there are 12 possible starting notes for major scales (including sharps and flats). Note that some of the keys will have sharps or flats in their name, e.g. F# major, Bb major, E> major, etc. Keys which contain sharps are called sharp keys and keys which contain flats are called flat keys.