Intro & Basic knowledge

Bare Essential
Keys to Harmony
AN EXCERPT OF THE FULL HACK THE PIANO
Hack the Piano

Bare Essential
Keys to Harmony

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ii
Bare Essential Keys to Harmony
Foreword. p.iv

Contents Part 1. Basic knowledge - Pop-Piano’s ABCs. p.6

Basic Knowledge: Theory. p.7

This is an excerpt of the full Hack the Piano
ebook. For the table of contents of the full Logics in learning: Vocabulary and other lingual comparisons. p.15
version, see the last pages of this excerpt.
Part 2. Theory - Pop-Piano’s WHAT to play. p.18

Theory Intro. p.19

Chords. Triads, Major and Minor Chords. p.22

Campfires, Guitars and a Contradiction. p.30

Part 3. Technique - Pop-Piano’s HOW to play. p.34

Technique Intro. p.35

Rhythmic basics & patterns with the right hand. p.37

iii
Foreword
“This is a peek into my mind and that of every other Pop-Pianist.

Foreword How we think about music. How we approach music and the
piano. How we ‘see’ music. In a logical, easy-to-grasp and highly
functional way.”

- Coen Modder

This is not your average piano method.

This is a book, a course, that will make you “see” music, feel music, understand music
by “hacking” the piano; “hacking” music, if you will. It will teach you “Pop-Piano” –
enabling you to play along to, cover, accompany or even compose any song you'd like –
in the shortest amount of time possible.

What is Pop-Piano and why is it different from “classical,” “conventional” piano?

Many people, including teachers, still see piano as being a “classical” instrument and
therefore think that it’s best (read: “necessary”) to learn how to play it, teach and be
taught the “classical” way.

Nonsense.

If your goal is learning how to play classical music, you should go study classical music.

If however, you want to play pop-music or any one of its many subgenres, there’s no
need to practice any form of classical music whatsoever. That is the conventional way
and unfortunately, still the commonly accepted way.

iv
This on the other hand is the unconventional way, which – as
you’ll start to see very soon – just happens to be the easy and
fast way too. And in fact, not just for learning Pop-Piano, but for
learning to understand and play music and the piano in any style.

It’s the extraction of exactly that which is most effective, efficient,

relevant and useful. It consists of that – and ONLY that – which is
actually necessary to learn how to PLAY.

This is a peek into my mind and that of every other Pop-Pianist.

How we think about music. How we approach music and the
piano. How we “see” music. In a logical, easy-to-grasp and highly
functional way.

My favorite and – in my opinion – best metaphor to illustrate the

difference in approach, without getting into technical detail just
yet is this: The “Pop”-approach to playing music is to think and
use “words” to build “sentences,” whereas the classical approach
tends to focus on reading “letters” to spell.

Were you able to speak before you could read; before you could
spell? I bet you were.

In my mind that’s a way more logical approach, a more logical

starting point; what do you think?

You can always get to reading and spelling later on if you want.
But first, let’s learn how to speak.

Let’s PLAY.

If you’ll follow along my ride, I’ll hand you the chunks, words,
sentences that’ll make you speak in no time.

v
 Part 1

Basic Knowledge
Pop-Piano’s ABCs
 “
1.1. Basic Knowledge.
The basics are the foundation of all that is

Theory advanced, so let’s start at the beginning.

TERMS & CONCEPTS Keys and the keyboard.

The keyboard, keys, notes, tones, names of the different keys and When you look at the piano, you’ll see quite a lot of black and
their corresponding tones, octave, harmony, melody. white, oblong objects. The blacks are shorter and higher, the
whites are longer and lower.
STYLE
These black and white pieces are called the “keys” of the piano.
All.
In pop-music, when somebody plays the piano, he or she is
LEVEL therefore also referred to as the “keyboardist” or “he/she who
plays the keys.”
Elementary.

7
The structure of the keyboard is the same on every keyboard
instrument*.

All those keys together form what is called the “keyboard.” This
2 - 3 Black keys.
name “keyboard” can thus stand for both the specific instrument
called a “keyboard” and for the before-mentioned row of keys on a
keyboard instrument (for example a piano, a synthesizer, organ
etc.). A Group of 2 Blacks

A “regular” piano (“grand piano” or “acoustic/wall piano”) has a

keyboard with 88 keys, counting both white and black keys. In
other keyboards (synthesizers, organs or other types of keyboards)
this number can vary; 73, 61, 41 or 25 keys are common.

When you take a close look at the keyboard, you might notice that
there is a repeating pattern of “groups” of 3 black keys and then 2
blacks, alternating.
A Group of 3 Blacks
This pattern is your visual reference on the keyboard – a thing that
will be will be very important throughout this book/course – so it’s
important to take close note of this fact.

1 2

8
Exercise
1 KEYBOARD STRUCTURE
Take a close look at the keyboard and make sure that the
structure of the keyboard: 3 blacks, 2 blacks, really sinks in.
Take close note and store this recurring (visual) pattern in
your mind. Keyboard structure: 3 blacks, 2
blacks, 3 blacks etc.

Tones, names and sounds.

All the keys on the keyboard represent a specific tone* or

note*. I'll use these two words interchangeably.

The further to the right side of the keyboard a key is

pressed (e.g. a tone/note is played) the higher the tone
that’ll be produced will sound. The more to the left, the
lower the note.

So when, in music, we’re talking about “playing higher,”

or “going up” that’s to the right side of the keyboard. To
“go lower” or “down” you’ll go left.

As said, by pressing a key you’re “playing a note.” Every

different note has its own specific sound.

9
Exercise TONAL HEIGHTS
2 Play a few random
notes (press a few
random keys) and The white key that is positioned right below (to the left) of a group of 2 black
keys, highlighted in red in the above image, is called “c.”
listen carefully how
every key produces its
very own, unique
sound. Can you hear
that, the more to the
right you play, the
higher the tones get?

If this isn’t obvious to

you, try and sing the Moving to the next group of 2 black keys by either going up or down 7
notes you are playing, white keys you’ll find a white key looking exactly the same, because it
is again positioned right below a group of 2 blacks. That white key is
while gradually going
again called a “c.” In fact, all white keys positioned immediately below a
higher: moving to the group of two blacks are called “c.”
right side of the
keyboard. This way The distance between two of the “same” notes – in this example,
between two c’s – is called an “octave,” coming from the latin word
you’ll soon notice that
“octo,” meaning “eight.” -> there are 8 notes in an octave.
singing along becomes
quite difficult. So, “going up one octave” means going up 7 steps from a specific key
-> “walking up” until you reach that “same” key again.

10
All c’s also sound very similar all over the keyboard, only higher
(more to the right) or lower (to the left).

It’s not just c’s that repeat all over the keyboard.

As the visual pattern on the keyboard repeats, the names of the Exercise SOAK UP THE NAMES
3
notes repeat as well. This way, instead of 88 different notes (the
amount of keys on a “regular” or “grand” piano) there are just 7
• Play the c and say its name out loud.
different names for white keys, which correspond with the first 7
letters from the alphabet: a, b, c, d, e, f and g. • Next, play the white key above it (to
Ah. Logic and ease. Nice. the right) and say its name too (d), after
that the e, then the f and the g (just like
the alphabet). To the right of the g is the
a, b and c etc. again.
The most important thing is to play SLOWLY and look
very thoroughly. Really try to soak it up.

As you see in the above picture, the key that corresponds with first
letter of the alphabet, the “a,” is a little harder to find, since it
seems to really be “somewhere in between” that group of three
blacks. Since “c” is easily found, it'll be our first reference point.
Right next to c is d, then e, f and g. After g is where we start back
at a. Then b, c etc. just like the (first 7 letters of the) alphabet a-g.

The names of the black keys is something that we’ll get to later.

11
 understanding at all of cohesion and context of musical
Harmony, melody and the might of the chords.
constructions. This results in your melodies – however dainty they
In music we distinguish “harmony”* and “melody”*. may be – being completely “unfounded.”
The harmony can be defined as being the “carpet” or Here we’ll learn piano (and music) with a solid foundation as our
“background” that originates from multiple (two or more) notes base, starting with harmonies. On this solid foundation we can
sounding together. then safely start building beautiful melodic constructions.
The melody is the succession of notes that form the You’ll soon see that by starting with this harmony approach, logic
“foreground” in a song. and contexts will start to become clear that will simplify playing the
Simply put: in pop-music, the melody often is “that which is piano enormously.
sung” (the vocal – melody – line) and the harmony “that which
A chord is multiple notes, played and sounding together.
is played by the instruments.”
In other words, a chord is a harmony.
On the piano, we can of course play a succession of single Because we’re tackling piano and music through a harmony
notes to create a melody, but because it’s also possible to approach, these chords are going to be the first building blocks
play multiple notes at the same time (strike multiple keys we’ll be learning to lay our strong foundation for playing and
simultaneously) we as pianists are also able to play harmonies understanding music.
all by ourselves.
Chords are a really useful tool for learning (pop-)music theory, to
This in contrast to, for example a trumpet, on which only one
gain insight in music and the piano, easily remember songs and a
note at a time can be played. So on its own, this instrument
lot more.
could never play a harmony.
Starting to build at the foundation also seems kinda... logical,
On the piano, we can even play both harmony and melody
right?
simultaneously.

Melodies “originate” from harmonies. How exactly this works

and also, that this statement might be a little shortsighted (yet
illustrative enough for this moment), will become clearer along
the way. Nevertheless, you could say that the harmony is the
foundation supporting the construction of melodies.

In “Hack the Piano” I therefore decided not to start with

single-note melodies, like is the approach in conventional
methods, for this often results in very limited to no
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Exercise FIRST HARMONY & MELODY
4 • Simultaneously play the notes c, e and g* with
your right hand, by using your thumb to play
“middle c” (the c in the middle of the
keyboard), your middle finger to play the e
(two white keys above the c) and your pinky to
play the g above that. This chord is called the
C chord, or simply C.

• Now play the same notes, only one octave down, with your left hand. Notice that you are playing the same form only one
octave lower on the keyboard. To play this same form with your left hand, use your pinky to play the c, your middle finger
to play the e and your thumb to play the g.

• Play this C chord with your left hand and hold it (keep the keys pressed down). Then, while holding this chord with your left
hand, use your right hand to play the notes c, d, e, c, after one another.

• Congratulations! You’ve just played your very first harmony + melody! (“Frere Jaques”/“Brother John”/“Are you sleeping?”).

T HESE ICONS MEAN THERE IS A VIDEO EXAMPLE TO ILLUSTRATE WHAT WAS JUST TOLD .
M AKE SURE YOU FIRST READ THE INSTRUCTIONS OF THE EXERCISE AND THEN SIMPLY TAP / CLICK ‘ EM TO PLAY !
( YOU ’ LL BE TAKEN ONLINE TO THE CORRECT VIDEO ON A PAGE WHERE YOU NEED TO LOGIN WITH YOUR P IANO C OUTURE CREDENTIALS , MAKE SURE YOU ’ RE CONNECTED )

13
 SUMMARY
• The keyboard is the part of the piano that is used for playing. It consists of white and black keys.

• The more to the right side of the keyboard you’re playing, the higher the tones will sound. The more to the
left, the lower they’ll be. To the right is therefore called “up,” while to the left is “down.”

• There is a repeating visual pattern in the keyboard consisting of groups of black keys: 2 black keys alternated
with 3 black keys. 2 blacks, 3 blacks, etc.

• The names of the white keys are a, b, c, d, e, f and g, just like the alphabet. When you’d start on the c and go
up (to the right) playing just those white keys, you’d get to the d, then the e, f, g, a, b and then you’d get back
to c again.

• The distance between 2 of the same keys that are nearest apart (for instance from c to the nearest c) is called
an octave. After each octave, both the visual pattern of the keyboard and the names of the keys repeat over
again.

• The harmony is the base, the carpet or foundation of a song, which is created by two or more tones sounding
simultaneously. In pop music, often this is that which is being played by the instruments* (bass, keys, guitar).

• The melody is a succession of single notes that form the foreground, lead or main line. In pop music this often
is the singing line or the hook, the catchy tune that sticks in your mind.*

• A chord is formed by multiple notes sounding together. In other words, a chord is a harmony. In the Theory
part of “Hack the Piano” you’ll learn all about chords and how to use them to really get insight and
understand how music works, to learn how to play Pop-Piano like a pro in an easy, fast and highly effective
way.

14
 1.1.1.

Logics in learning: Vocabulary and

other lingual comparisons.
Note that these in-between stories with titles with three digits (1.1.1) are meant to illustrate,
deepen your sense of the method, widen your insight and entertain. They are not necessarily
required to achieve maximum learning speed per se.
If you are impatient or eager to just learn on, you’re free to skip to chapters with titles starting
with two digits.

Learning the logical way. Slowly you start to recognize, “learning”

sounds.
For this story, I’m gonna go back in time a
little. Then you imitate. You learn to use the
outline, the structures, of words. Being
Back to when you were still in your able to produce, to speak, to “play,” way
diapers, drooling on everything that before fully understanding. For fully
entered your little baby crib at age………. understanding, you’d have to know what
these “words” are made of – “letters” –
– 6 months. Give or take.
and maybe even how to use those to write.
So just a little while back.
For fully understanding one might even say
Auditive and communicative you’d also have to know a few synonyms
and how (or even why) sentences are built
development.
the way they are, right? You’re not exactly
How we learn to “play” with words and can an expert yet.
imitate the same process for learning how
to play music Understanding fully here appears to be far
from necessary to be able to use, to play,
First you listen. to babble.

15
At first, playing with words might be a bit shaky of course, saying The steps would go something like this. Something like what I
“daahaaa” instead of “daddy” let alone “father,” but you manage. have in mind for you in this book:
You play.
• First learn chords, the outlines, “words,” “chunks” for playing
As you imitate, you learn, you listen, learn some more and music. "Daaddaaa." (Theory/Chords section)
improve as you do more. More and more.
Better and better, and as practice again proves to make perfect, • Add (basic) patterns, imitate, listen and learn how to actually
you even start to actually talk. play, to “babble,” to “talk.” (Technique/Pattern section)

It’s only after a while, after you know how to speak pretty decent, • Then learn to use chords in as many different ways you can
somewhere around age 4, that you first get to know about letters, (inversions, different ways of voicing etc. learned first in Chapter
the subpartials of those words. A seemingly more basic variable 2.4), combine different patterns and start building real
than the actual words they can together form, one might think. sentences.

Isn’t it strange that we do not start the learning process of talking • Make them a little more difficult: learn and add some chord
at this more basic variable of letters? extensions, sus4, 7′s etc. (Chapter 2.9) and learn to replace
words like “dad(a)” with “father.”
Isn’t learning by imitating sounds, using words before letters and
thus first learning to play with outlines, “chunks” before going • Break ‘em up (Chapter 3.5), learn how to use different
deeper into the level of their basic particles, the letters, an combinations of the above variables, DO, practice and start to
irrational, illogical way of learning? actually “play.” “Speak,” sound good and be fully understood.
Well, it seems to work pretty damn fine for … every single one of
Breaking up chords using patterns (Technique section) is your
us.
first step in going into deeper levels, as you’ll see that, like letters
So if this method works so well for learning something as auditive that sound consecutively (not at the same time) yet still form a
as speaking, could we maybe simulate this process to achieve word, also consecutive notes still actually form a chord.
the same for another very auditive concept like, say… music?
Looking at consecutive (played after each other instead of at the
Well yes ma’am. same time) notes this way – which CHORD they actually form
together (and are derived from) – will simplify memorizing songs
This is done by starting with learning – and later still approaching and all of your piano parts enormously.
– music through chords and harmonies -> more notes (“letters”)
together forming the musical “words,” metaphorically speaking. This also works vice versa: creating your own, single-note
melody-line-piano parts with notes derived from the harmony;

16
from chords by combining them with (broken) patterns (Chapter
3.4).

Practice makes perfect.

Talk.

Play.

17
 Part 2

Theory
Pop-Pianos’ -WHAT- to play
WHAT THE TITLE OF THIS SECTION INDICATES MAY JUST SOUND A LOT SCARIER THAN
IT REALLY IS. ACTUALLY, WHEN ‘CONSUMED’ AS RECOMMENDED AND WHEN ALL THE
RULES, TIPS, AND TRICKS ARE APPLIED AS INSTRUCTED, IT’LL TURN OUT TO BE THE
MOST INTERESTING, EDUCATIONAL AND AMAZING SECTION OF THIS ENTIRE COURSE.
 Part 2

Theory
P OP -P IANO ’ S “ WHAT ” TO PLAY .

“Theory” might sound a little What this section promises to deliver may
boring. “Scales,” yuck… that’s just sound a lot scarier than it really is.
Actually, when consumed as
the exact reason for not choosing
recommended and when all the rules, tips
classical piano lessons in the first and tricks are applied as instructed, it’ll
place. Images of hour upon hour turn out to be the most interesting,
of endless repetition, streams of educational and amazing section of this
notes performed by overtalented entire course.
kids who seem to be expected to
Admittedly, you will have to read some,
play faster and faster, making
you will need to memorize and yes, there
playing piano look like some form will be terminology that, to begin with, may
of slave labor. Piano students momentarily conjure up the frightening
who are forced to become images mentioned above. But don’t worry.
master concert pianists We’re going to take a totally different
performing impossibly approach here.
complicated pieces in huge Look, read, listen, practice and play. Allow
concert halls filled with people yourself to take your time. Don’t rush. Do
dressed in suits who just seem to your best to take it all in and you WILL be
look critical and uninterested able to play the piano the way you’ve
rather than listening to the music always wanted to.
and enjoying it... No.
19
Remember to keep the notion of the “Effective Dose” as their instrument has certain characteristics that make it perfectly
described above in mind at all times. suitable – even easy – for playing our “Western” music (pop, rock,
soul, funk, etc.).
The slower the pace, the more effective the learning.
That’s why it’s very instructive to take a look now and then at how
guitarists approach their instrument. We can borrow some of their
techniques and translate them in a useful way to our own
Chords. Why? instrument, the piano.
When you watch pop musicians play the piano, you’ll notice that Therefore I’ll refer to guitarists and their techniques a few more
they seem to be playing freely. There’s no looking at sheet music, times throughout this book.
the sound is rich and the playing beautiful, expressive and
For now we’ll start at the beginning, which also just happens to
sometimes complex. It seems as though not everything is entirely
be the beginning for many guitarists.
fixed beforehand; a few “extra notes,” not heard on the original
record, may be added unexpectedly here and there to heighten Guitarists who have just started learning to play the guitar are
and strengthen the expressiveness even more. often able to play a number of songs really nicely after just a few
lessons. Picture a campfire singalong with everyone joining in.
How does such a performer manage to memorize all those
You know what I mean, right?
separate notes and play everything by heart? How is he or she
Why do so many beginner pianists often sound so boring, dull,
able to play so freely and improvise music on the spot, sounding
unappealing and so much like, well, beginners? Why can’t they
so good simply in response to what he’s hearing and feeling at
also quickly learn to play a lot of songs?
that moment?
The simple answer: they aren’t taught how.
In this section you’ll learn the foundation that will make all of this
clear to you and enable you to do the same. Say goodbye to Even though it appears that 90 percent of those who want to
complicated series of notes on paper and embrace the theory of learn piano would much rather be able to play their favorite song,
chords. accompany a singer or just play that well-known hit everyone
loves (round the campfire for instance) than become the
aforementioned classical concert pianist, as many as 95 percent
(!) have nevertheless chosen the classical route (or been told to
Playing the piano “like a guitarist.”
take it by their teacher).
Obviously we don’t really want to play (or sound) like a guitarist;
otherwise we would have chosen a different instrument. But What most people don’t know is that – just like on the guitar –
guitarists do have a number of advantages over pianists since piano can also be learned with a harmony approach, through

20
chords (see 2.1.1. Campfires, guitars, and a contradiction for an This way, the Theory and Technique sections are meant to be
illustrative story), enabling the student to quickly and easily grasp used side by side. In the first section you’ll accumulate the
the concepts of pop music and almost instantly play a lot of knowledge, which you will then learn to apply in practice in the
recognizable songs. Technique section as you go along.

As I briefly mentioned before, the teaching method based on There’s a reminder at the end of each Theory chapter to help you
classical theory, classical exercises and musical notation is aimed remember to refer to the Technique section.
at training you to become a classical pianist. If your aim is to
become a POP pianist, however, it’s logical to assume that this But for now, let’s start at the beginning. Chords? Anyone?
method, with classical music as the final goal, will not lead you
efficiently to your intended goal.

To learn how to play pop music, it’s also necessary to choose the
route that leads to understanding pop music. Welcome to the
way of the chords.

From the what to the how.

Hack the Piano is divided into 2 parts. You can regard this
“Theory”/“Chords” (chapters numbered “2…”) section as the
main section or “guide” of the course where you learn WHAT to
play.

In order to apply the knowledge you gain here in a more practical

way and use it to create interesting and beautiful piano
arrangements, you’re advised to refer to the
“Technique”/“Patterns” (chapters numbered “3…”) section on a
regular basis. In that section you will learn HOW you can use the
material from the Theory section in songs that you’d like to play
by using patterns*.

21
 “
2.1 Chords.
Major = Happy.
Triads, major chords Minor = Sad.

and minor chords Triads, happy and sad.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE The word “triad*” means a “group of three” and in music it refers
to 3 notes that are sounded together. In other words, a triad is a
Intro and Basic Knowledge. Piano keys, the keyboard, names of the
keys, tones, notes, octave, harmony, melody, fingering chord made up of 3 notes. You could say triads are the basic
structure of all chords. Apart from a few exceptions, all of the
TERMS & CONCEPTS “complicated” chords are simply extensions of the triad.
Touché (/touch), dynamics, sustain pedal, posture
First we’ll take a look at major* and minor* triads, their different
STYLE sound and emotional value.
“Major” and “minor” are names that stand for a particular kind of
All. scale* and its corresponding chord. You could say that major
LEVEL scales and chords sound happy while the minor ones sound
sad.
Elementary.

22
Remember:

Major = Happy.
Minor = Sad.
Exercise
1
MAJOR & MINOR TRIAD
Major

• With your right hand, play the notes c, e, g; in other words, the
C major chord. The fingering is 1, 3, 5 (thumb, middle finger,
pinky). Start on middle c. That’s the c in the middle of the piano
keyboard.

• Next play the C chord with your left hand using the
following fingering: 5, 3, 1 (pinky, middle finger, thumb).

• Congratulations! You just learned how to play the first major

chord with both hands.

Minor

• Now with your right hand, play the C major chord, c, e, g again.

• Next, change the note e in the chord for the black key
directly below, the eb (e-flat), and play: c, eb, g.

• The chord you are now playing – c, eb, g – is the C minor chord.

• Listen carefully to the way the sound of the chord changes from V IDEO EXAMPLE
“happy” (c, e, g -> C major) to “sad” (c, eb, g -> C minor). This way
you’ll clearly hear the difference between major and minor.

23
Notation
A capital letter is used to indicate a chord. C = the C chord (the
notes c, e and g played together). “C” in this case is called the
“chord symbol*.”
When you see small letters, these stand for single notes: c = just
the note c.
When only a capital letter is used and nothing else (as in C), this
refers to a major chord.
For a minor chord, “m” or “min” is added to the chord symbol. Cm
= the C minor chord (c, e-flat, g)

When we either write or talk about the “C chord,” by default we

mean the major chord. If C minor is meant, this is always
specifically mentioned.

Bass
The “bass” in music refers to the lowest note played. In a band, the
bass is often played by a bass guitar or a synthesizer. When you're
playing the piano by yourself, it’s possible to fulfill the role of the
bass yourself by playing the low (bass) notes with your left hand
while playing chords with your right hand.

24
Exercise BASS, 3 NEW CHORDS AND THE FIRST OF MANY POP SONGS
2 • Play the C chord with your right hand, with middle c as the lowest note. Now at the same time and with your
left hand, play the note c one octave below the c that you’re playing with your right hand. Can you hear how
the chord immediately sounds richer and fuller with this added bass note?

• Now we’re going to play a new chord: the G chord. With your right hand play g, b, d with fingering 1, 3, 5. The lowest note g
is 3 white keys below middle c.

• With your left hand, play the note g an octave lower.

• Take a good look at your fingers and the notes you’re playing and notice that the structure/form of G actually looks very
much like the structure of C -> you play a note, skip one, play one, skip the next, and play one again.

For C this meant: play c, skip d, play e, skip f, play g.

Now for the G chord, you've just moved this whole structure (play, skip, play, skip, play) down to start on the g, which in this

25
..Continued

• The next chord we’re going to play is Am or in other words A minor. The notes are: a, c, e, fingering 1, 3, 5. With the
right hand, shift up all the notes from G by one. With the left hand, play the a an octave lower again as the bass note.

Isn’t that the same structure again?

• On to the next chord: F.

With the right hand: f, a, c. All notes shift 2 white notes down from the Am you just played. Left hand – the f an octave lower.

There’s that structure again!

The chord progression* above forms the beginning of the song “Let it Be” by The Beatles. Try practicing these chords until you
can play them smoothly one after the other in a steady tempo.

26
..Continued

“Smoothly” means playing all the chords at an even pace without any hesitations or mistakes. Only increase the tempo
when you can play them all perfectly at a certain tempo and not for instance when you can play three of the chords in a
row flawlessly, but still need time to think about the fourth.

If playing all chords smoothly is too difficult, and you’re not managing, play a bit slower.

The MOST important thing to remember when practicing is “Don’t play too fast too soon.” Only when you continue to follow
this advice (there’ll be a few more reminders) will your progress be as fast as promised. The biggest mistake most people
make is playing too fast, too soon.

For more information, review the explanation of the “Effective Dose” (full Hack the Piano content).

V IDEO EXAMPLE

27
 In Exercise 2, we played the first few chords of the song “Let it Be” by The Beatles, but at the same time we also “collected baggage”
that we can use for playing a whole lot of pop songs. Many songs actually use those same chords, sometimes in a different sequence and
sometimes in exactly the same sequence.

That’s why it’s important to really memorize all the chords you play so that when you come across them in another song, you’ll have them
at your fingertips.
For each new chord, try to immediately remember which notes make up the chord, what it looks like, the position of your hands and how
it feels underneath your fingers.

A C chord always has the same notes c, e, g, whether you play it in “Let It Be,” “No Woman No Cry,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Frère
Jacques,” “Für Elise” or any one of the literally millions of other pop songs it is used in. This is also true for G = g, b, d; F = f, a, c and so
on for ALL chords.

A specific chord always consists of the same notes, regardless of whatever song it is used in.

So with each new chord you learn, you add to your musical vocabulary, which is not only relevant and usable for the song
you’re currently learning but for all music.

Exercise CREATIVE THINKING; MIXING AND MATCHING

3 • Repeat the chords C, G, F and Am and also try to play them in a different sequence that you think sounds
good. (How about C, F, G, Am? C, F, C, G, C, Am, G, C? Mix 'em up!).

You’ll see that by using the chords you’ve learned so far (C, G, Am and F), either in this or some other sequence, it’s already
possible to play hundreds of pop songs.

28
 SUMMARY
• A triad is a chord made up of three notes.

• The sound of a major triad is often described as happy.

• The sound of a minor triad is often described as sad.

• A chord is represented by a capital letter. C is the chord symbol for the chord of C major.

• The chord symbol used to indicate a minor chord has an “m” (or “min”) after the capital letter. Cm means C minor.

• The bass is the lowest note played. If you’re playing the piano by yourself, you'll often play the bass notes with
your left hand.

• Remember: Play SLOWLY when practicing (it will often feel as if you’re going too slow) and LOOK and LISTEN
carefully to what you’re doing.

In the Technique section you can learn how you can use this knowledge to create more interesting piano
arrangements. If you want you’re ok to go check out 3.1 and then come back here to the Theory section!

29
 2.1.1.

Campfires, guitars and a

contradiction.
K NOWLEDGE : E XTRA INSIGHT IN HARMONY VS . MELODY APPROACH .

You’ve probably witnessed one or more All of a sudden somebody pulls out his
times in your life, something that I like to guitar and starts to add some feel-good to
call the “campfire phenomenon.” the atmosphere by playing “She Loves
You.” Somebody else recognizes the tune
This phenomenon is commonly known for and starts singing along. Then another one
beginner-intermediate guitar players who joins in, and another. Soon, everybody is
are in the process of learning to play pop- singing. A few more songs follow. Laughs,
guitar and basically refers to the situation tears, clapping. Happy times.
in which somebody who plays the guitar,
although for not too long – or sometimes Let’s say this guitarist’s name is Michael
even just a pretty damn short amount of and let’s say Michael has been playing
time – is automatically expected to know guitar for about… six weeks.
and be able to play some famous
singalong pop songs. SIX WEEKS!? He’s good! Too good, for just
a mere six weeks of playing… right? How
The phenomenon can occur in various can he know at least a dozen songs? In six
different social situations, but has to thank weeks?! That’s not possible.
its specific name to the situation when,
while camping, evening has fallen and it is In fact it IS possible, and it’s not
dark. Somebody had something to drink, a uncommon either.
campfire was made for a little old-school
Now imagine John.
camping coziness and everybody is having
a good time.

30
John is at the party of his nephew Rick, who just turned 8 and Harmony vs. Melody: Comparing a different
recently took his first piano lesson (birthday gift). John has been approach.
following piano lessons for about 3 months now himself, which
gives Rick’s mother – John’s sister – Marie, the idea to ask John A song consists of a melody, supported by a harmony, a rhythm
to give little Ricky and the rest of the curious family a and – optionally – a lyric. Not more to it actually.
demonstration of how nice playing the piano can be and what
Guitar and piano are both harmony – or “polyphonic” –
Ricky can expect to be playing in about 11 weeks from now.
instruments, meaning they can play more than one note at a time,
John hesitates, but decides to give it a shot anyway and takes a
contrary to say, a saxophone, that can only play one note at a
seat at the Yamaha piano (nice).
time, or a … voice!
The attention of little Ricky lasts for about the first 2 minutes of
These are examples of melodic or “monophonic” instruments,
John’s struggle through the first page of “Für Elise” (good thing
and are often used for playing, indeed: melodies.
they had the sheet music at Marie’s). The rest of the family joins
in Ricky’s disinterest about one minute after that, so another In pop-music, most of the songs are “vocal,” meaning they
minute later John decides to stop. Everybody applauds as revolve around a melody that is sung, and thus most of the time
convincingly as they can and the party continues with Lionel in pop-music the voice (i.e. the singer) has the “melodic”
Richie singing from the stereo. function. This often leaves both the guitar and the piano with the
function of indeed playing the harmony, supporting the melody.
Now, I’m not saying every starting pianist is like John. Many DO
Here’s where it gets both interesting and important.
play what they want to play and what “everybody” enjoys
listening to. Unfortunately, many more ARE like John. When more than one instrument accompanies the singer, for
instance electric guitars, synthesizers, bass guitar and an organ,
Some choose to be like this on purpose and are happy that way,
they usually provide the harmony together, for example by each
but many regret the fact they cannot play like Michael.
playing (a) different note(s) that together form a complete chord,
But wait, Michael was a guitar player! Totally different thing, right? or in other words: the harmony.

Nope. Not so different actually. But the most basic or stripped-down form of pop-music is heard
when all the blablah, the extra electric guitars, the synthesizers,
hectic beats, bleeps, drums, production gimmicks, sound effects,
etc., which are all production tools used to “dress up” the song,
are removed and only the basic harmony and the melody are
played.

31
This can, and often is, done by playing the harmony part, the Classical music often has no singing, especially the classical
“carpet” or “wall” that provides the musical atmosphere to music that is to be played on the piano and that is – mind this –
support the melody, on just the piano or the guitar, while indeed especially written, or rearranged for piano. The piano, therefore,
singing the melody. because of its ability to play so many notes at the same time, is
often used for playing the melody as well as spread-out, difficult
To get an idea of how this sounds, think of acoustic versions of versions of the harmony, played simultaneously.
songs, with just the singer and a piano/guitar, where this is
exactly what happens: the basic harmony, with a certain rhythm, This way of playing is way more difficult and not a very good
also called the “groove” or “pattern*” is being played by the starting point for a beginner-intermediate player. On top of that,
instrument(s) and the melody is sung. (Singing, by the way, is in it’s not a very good starting point when you actually want to be
fact “playing” the instrument “voice.”) playing POP-music, where – as mentioned – melodies are sung.

When you want to learn how to play pop-music on either the This also brings me to the fact that classical melodies are often
guitar or the piano, this basic or stripped-down form, to the very nice when played on a piano, because – as said – they were
contrary of what John thinks at this moment, might just be (IS!) written to be played on the piano.
your best place to start. It is exactly where Michael started.
Since pop-melodies are written to be sung they can easily sound
So where in pop-music the basic form of playing both guitar and terribly dull when played on the piano. Harmonies on the other
piano is harmony and rhythm-oriented, the clincher is in the fact hand, played on either the guitar or the piano, sound rich and
that John, like many (many, many) other beginner pianists, interesting from the very start.
unfortunately started learning the instrument melody-oriented.
When wanting to play pop-music on the piano, like with every
Where Michael and his audience were having a good time by him new skill, it is wise to start with the end goal in mind and to start
easily strumming away the harmonies (chords) on his guitar, John at the most basic form of the skill you’re trying to learn, while
unfortunately could produce nothing more than a bit of classical trying to keep irrelevancies aside. To start learning Pop-Piano,
“finger-wrestling,” fidgeting with the way more difficult melodic your best bet is to start with the basics of how the piano is used
approach of his classical piece. Add the fact that John also had in pop-music: getting to know and learning to play the harmonies
to tap from his skill of sight-reading to know which notes he had by first of all learning the chords.
to play, instead of just remembering a set of chords he would
have known by heart, and the reason for his tinkering becomes From there on you can get to patterns, licks, riffs, from which
clear. beautiful piano parts and even melodies will arise. As you will
soon start to see, melodies too will make perfect sense later on,
because they are all derived from the harmony.

32
Just like Michael chose not to follow classical guitar lessons that
would be focusing on single notes and melodies, but started by
learning how to strum chords in certain patterns and rhythms –
the basic form of pop-guitar – you too, as a pianist, can start at
the relevant beginning for learning your style of choice: pop-
music.

Melodies (even real “classical” playing) can follow if you want, but
we’ll start with the basics, the foundation.

By learning chords and the patterns and rhythms in which they

can be played, you'll start learning the way guitarists do too. And
trust me: this way – just like Michael and all those other beginner
guitarists at campfires – you will be able to play your favorite
songs, on the piano, in no time too.

33
 Part 3

Technique
Pop-Pianos’ -HOW- to play
JUST PRESSING DOWN THE CORRECT KEYS DOESN’T EXACTLY MAKE YOUR PIANO
SKILLS MIND-BLOWING YET. HOW TO PRESS THOSE NOTES IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS IN
BECOMING A BRILLIANT PIANIST
 Part 3

Technique
P OP -P IANO ’ S “ HOW ” TO PLAY

In these Technique chapters, the For ease of both recognition and clarity,
knowledge you acquire in the the different exercises, rhythms, patterns
and techniques in these Technique
Theory chapters – “what” to play
chapters are mostly shown with the same
– will be transformed to actual set of chords. This so you won’t have to
piano parts by showing you figure out the chords – a “theoretical” part
“how” to play it. – first with every new exercise, but can
Just pressing down the correct keys dive right into what’s relevant here: the
doesn’t exactly make your piano skills rhythms, techniques and patterns, using
mind-blowing yet. HOW to press those notes you’re already familiar with.
notes is the key to success in becoming a However, because of this decision – and
brilliant pianist. this is very important – every chord in
every example can and should (after
The “wide-vocabulary” approach of the mastering the actual pattern with the
Theory chapters, where we’re using chords chords as shown) be replaced by any and
as being our vessel, our reusable building every other chord out there.
blocks to learn music and piano theory as
effectively as possible, is carried on in Again, for letting these chapters serve your
Technique chapters by learning and using musical growth like they’re supposed to,
patterns: reusable, vocabulary-broadening this is really important, so take careful note
chunks of technique. here.

35
The actual notes (chords) used in the examples are in fact this part. Therefore Technique chapters contain fewer words and
irrelevant. They are just played because, of course, I had to more videos.
exemplify using something. Therefore I decided to pick a set of
easy and common chords. This is not to say that the words are useless, obviously. Far from
it. If I'd felt that way, I wouldn't have written them down in the
The pattern, rhythm, technique is what it is about here and those first place. The text in the exercises is meant to illustrate and truly
work the same with whatever notes, chords you have underneath explain what’s going on for you to really grasp the concept. I've
your fingers. Changing the chords from the examples to chords tried to write them as lightheartedly, while illustrative and to-the-
that are relevant to you, chords that you are currently practicing point as possible.
(for example chords from a song you are trying to learn) or want
to learn, is key to succeeding in broadening your musical The videos on their part are equally important, illustrating those
vocabulary, pattern- and technique-wise. The more different words and making them more tangible. It is in fact the
chords you do the same Technique exercise with, the more combination of both elements that will greatly increase your ease
effective it will be. of learning, as well as contribute to your overall level of
understanding by – yes yes, you know how we go about things
Also, skipping back to older Technique exercises and repeating here – tackling the stuff from multiple angles.
them with new theoretical knowledge and chords you’ve learned
later on in the course is highly advised. However, if at a certain point you feel the words are too tough,
too much or just too hard to understand in the first place, you
might want to try the video first. The exercises are perfectly
playable by simply imitating what’s clearly exemplified in the
Look, listen, play. videos. The words then will start making more sense, after you’ve
followed along with the video example.
In teaching this “how” technique, demonstrating often tends to
be way clearer than explaining with words. Though this is in fact It works both ways, so you're free to pick one that is applicable
a book, consisting of words that I've obviously written down for for you in each individual situation. You'll find out what works
you to grasp and learn how to play the piano, when constructing best for you along the way. Alternate and combine. That's my
this Technique part of the equation I therefore stumbled upon advice.
quite a dilemma. Since using words to describe rhythm and
technique can become a bit confusing, even – dare I say it – a This is where the party starts.
little sluggish and unnecessarily hard to understand quite quickly
(basically the opposite of what we're trying to achieve), I decided Have fun.
to enhance and add value by adding way more video examples in

36
 “
3.1 Technique.
Rhythm might just very well be the most
Rhythmic basics & patterns differentiating aspect in music.
with the right hand.
REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE
Up to and including 2.1. Triads, major chords and minor chords.
This way of playing already allows you to play a very basic
version of songs, for example to play along to an original
version. When you’d play all the right chords from a song at the
TERMS & CONCEPTS right time, it would all sound very correct, but maybe not exactly
Bass, rhythm, chords, meter, time, patterns, quarter beats. super-exciting... yet.

STYLE The very first possibility to spice things up a bit, as we’ve also
All seen in Chapter 2.1, is to add a bass note to those chords, by
playing the root note with your left hand. This basic technique is
LEVEL actually the starting point/form for every Pop-Pianist.
Basic.

Like we’ve seen in Chapter 2.1 the easiest, most basic way of
playing chords is to simply press all the notes from the triad
simultaneously. This can be done with both the left and the right
hand.

For many well-known singer-songwriters, or pianists who

accompany singers, there’s actually not that much more to it
than using this basic technique in different rhythms.

37
Rhythm. Melody: What is being sung or played as “lead”? In other words,
what is the foreground of the song? When you’d play those 4
Rhythm might just very well be the most differentiating aspect in chords from the previous example (or any chord progression), in
music. As I told you in Chapter 2.1, in pop music, there is an the exact same way after one another, without any other
almost infinite amount of songs that use the same chord additions, variations or differences whatsoever, but change the
progressions. The reason that two songs that use the exact same melody, this will in fact still make it sound like a different song.
chord progression can still sound so very different is due to
differences in:

• Melody.

• Production/arrangement: the “dressing up” mostly done in the

studio. Which instruments play on the record, at what volume
are they mixed in, what exactly do they play, are we using
effects like compression, reverb, delay, panning, EQ and a
Production/arrangement: There are many different ways to play
whole catalogue of terms that are irrelevant to explain here for
(the same set of) chords. I’ll be getting back on this extensively in
learning how to play.
the Technique chapters. Arrangement, being more of the “what is
• The rhythm. played” side in this form of sound crafting, holds very close
relationship to – and even evolves from – patterns.

The patterns, our main vessel in these Technique chapters, are

When playing solo piano these three aspects can be translated to based on rhythms.
the piano by:
Rhythm is a movement in time, formed by accents. Imagine a
beat or groove, played by a drummer, or simpler: clapping along
to a song. It’s the thing that makes your head bounce, your ass
shake.

When clapping a rhythm, every clap is an accent. How far these

accents are apart (how much time is in between each clap)
determines the tempo and the rhythm. It is very important that
38
these spaces in between the claps (accents) are consistent, for an the bar is simply cut off after just the 3 quarter beats, starting back at
actual (consistent -> musical) tempo to originate. “one.” It simply “misses” that fourth quarter, giving it a very specific
feel.
Rhythms are often formed by a pattern that repeats every given
amount of beats (time). A measure that counts up to 4 will be indicated with the topmost
image below, 3 beats in one measure are indicated with the bottom
image.

The amount of beats the pattern is repeated, depends on the

“meter”*. In pop music we often count three or four beats and
then start over at “one” again.
Patterns.
This so-called meter is what indicates how many beats there are Apart from clapping patterns, or playing patterns on a drum kit, we as
before starting over with a new “one” or, as this is officially called, pianists can also play them on the piano. Referring to guitarists yet
how many beats are found in a “measure” or “bar*.” again: These patterns can be compared to different kinds of stroking/
strumming techniques, patterns, rhythms and plucks like guitar
In music the “one” is the beat with the heaviest feel, the heaviest
players use. Our patterns actually work very similarly.
accent. It is the start of a new measure/bar.
Patterns on the piano can be played both with single notes (forming
A so-called “4-4 meter” counts up to 4; a “3-4 meter” counts up
melodic phrases, melodies, riffs and/or licks), with chords or parts of
to three. That second “4” (“4-4 meter”) indicates the fact that
chords and even with a mixture of those elements.
each whole bar is split into “quarter beats” -> 4 quarters make for
one whole (bar). The first “4” tells us there are indeed 4 of those Adding patterns will make playing chords sound way more interesting
beats found in one measure. With ”3-4” measures, you could say and make your playing truly “come alive.”

39
Exercise TASTING RHYTHM AND PLAYING PATTERNS
1 Pattern 1: Right hand plays all quarter beats.

Used chords:

“Quarter beats” are the basic form of accents, the basic or main subdivision of a measure. When a song is in a 4-4 meter, this
means there are 4 quarter beats in a measure. In other words: In a 4-4 meter, counting these main, “most obvious” beats, those
beats you’d clap when clapping along, you’d count to 4 before starting over at “one.”

Clap along with the next example video on every count (1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4) to get a good feel of quarter beats. Replay the video
and repeat for about 3 times.

For this exercise we’re going to play those same 4 chords that we’ve seen in Chapter 2.1, and just like we did in Exercise 1 from
that chapter, we’re playing the triad with our right hand, while playing the bass note (the root of the chord) with our left hand, one
octave lower.

40
..CONTINUED

Only now, instead of playing the chord just once on the beat where the chord changes, strike the chord again on
every quarter beat. In this case, this means now playing each right-hand triad 2 times, at an even time apart from
each other, before changing to the next chord.
With your left hand, just play the root of the chord once, every time a chord changes to the next.

This is the very first basic (but highly effective and usable) form of a pattern for you to use to add rhythm, feel and liveliness to
your playing. Here’s an example of how it could sound when changing both the chord progression and durations.

41
 CHANGE IT UP!

Remember that all the chords in the examples can be changed to any other chord you please.

Make sure you repeat all patterns and exercises, changing the chords of the example to chords that you are
currently learning!

It's your choice here to either go on to the next Technique chapter (3.2) with the chord knowledge you have
now, or first get back to learning some more about chords by checking out Chapter 2.3 to repeat the
exercises from this and the next Technique chapter with.

42
Hack the Piano -
Bare Essential Keys to harmony This manifesto consists of an excerpt of the first few chapters of my full
book, course: “Hack the Piano”. The full version can be found @ https://

Thank you www.hackthepiano.com

Please note that there is an accompanying, free intro course available -an
introduction to the full Hack the Piano online course- which includes full
lesson videos showing how to use the info in this book in a practical, hands-
on way - indeed similarly to how the full Hack the Piano online course
accompanies its ebook.
If you haven’t yet, you can find the intro course here: https://
hackthepiano.com/course-packs/launchpad-fundamentals/

This ebook is free and does not contain any affiliate links. Share it with the
world, or give out the following link to ensure the latest version will be
enjoyed: http://www.piano-couture.com/?p=3231 Please share without
altering, changing or in any way adapting the structure or contents of
this .pdf file.

© 2018 Coen Modder, Piano Couture

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Please share freely - © Coen Modder, Piano Couture - https://www.piano-couture.com

Hack the Piano
- Ebook (full version) Intro

Table of
Intro. iii

- First and Foremost. p.6

Contents Part 1. Basic knowledge - Pop Piano’s abc’s

1.1 Basic knowledge: Theory. p.16

This is the index for the full version of Hack 1.2 Logics in learning: Vocabulary and other lingual comparisons. p. 25
the Piano Ebook - available here.
1.2 Basic knowledge: Technique, fingering. p.28

1.3 Basic knowledge: Technique, posture and the instrument. p.33

Part 2. Theory - Pop-Piano’s ‘what’ to play

The ‘Effective Dose’ and superfluousnesses. p.40

Theory Intro p.48

2.1 Chords: Triads, major and minor chords. p.51

2.1.1 Campfires, guitars and a contradiction. p. 59

2.2 Chords: 7 common major and minor triads. p.63

2.2.1 Learn to listen, listen to learn. p. 70

2.3 Chords: Building chords. p. 72

2.4 Chords: Inversions, 3 times the fun p.78

xliv
 2.4.1 The importance of bass notes and using inversions for 3.5 Technique: Breaking up chords. p.195
defining options. p.89
3.6 Technique: Left hand techniques. p.207
2.5 Chords: Scales, intervals and an introduction to the
how and the why p.92 3.7 Technique: Dressing up and voicing. p.215

2.6 Chords: Minor scales, relationships, puzzle solving; all

roads lead to Rome p.105

2.6.1 Step by step guide and exercise for finding chords, key
and piano part by ear. p.107

2.7 Relationships: Intervals p.118

2.8 Chords: Extra chords p.124

2.9 Chords: Coloring. Additions and extensions in major

and minor. p.130

Part 3. Technique - Pop-Piano’s ‘how’ to play

3.1 Technique: Rhythm & patterns with the right hand.

p.155

3.1.1 Timing is everything. p. 161

3.2 Rhythms & Patterns. Getting the right groove on. p.164

3.3 Technique: Patterns with the left hand. p.172

3.3.1 Practicing the correct preach. An important thought on

learning in general. p.178

3.4 Technique: Right and left hand combination patterns.

p.181

xlv