Piano Tricks

This is a video tutorial that shows how you can use suspended chords to play a well known song with an added flair.

Remember Suspended chords are just chords that add in an extra note from the scale.

Example: Csus2 would add the 2nd note in the C scale (D). Chords in their most basic form, are usually composed of the 1st, 3rd, and 5th note of the scale.

You will often find that a Suspended chord replaces the 3rd note, with the suspended notes.

Example: C chord - C E G
                Csus2 - C D G




Video Originally Posted By PianoMother.

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Learning about intervals and octaves is very important when trying to create chord voicings, or learning to play scales.  This video explains what a half step, and whole step is. Learning half steps, can help you figure out how to space intervals, and creat nice sounding chords. After learning about half steps, and whole steps, you can then begin to learn about the circle of fifths. 



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Learn the names of the notes on the keyboard, and how they progress chromatically.  This is the first step in learning to play.  This vid gives you an idea of where each note is on the piano relative to the others.  Once you learn all the notes, you can start forming chords.  Once you learn chords you can start stringing them together to make chord progressions.  These chord progressions in turn, help you play songs.

Starting from a C note, here is the names of all the notes leading up to the next C note.

C, (C#,Db), D, (D#, Eb), E, F, (F#, Gb), G, (G#, Ab), A, (A#,Bb), B, C



This video originally posted by Lypur

Benny Davis performs The Four Chords Song. First performed in the Sydney University Arts Revue (2006).

This vid shows a few basic chords, used in a nice little chord progression.  Learn the notes of the chord and then put them together.  The person in the video does not show the full chord at all times.  Sometimes he just plays the third and seventh note. 

Below I have typed out the chords in the video, and the notes that make up that chord, this way you don't get confused.

Fm7- F Ab C Eb
FM7-F A C E
F7- F A C Eb
Bbm7- Bb D F Ab
Eb7- Eb G Bb Db
AbM7- Ab C Eb G
DbM7- Db F Ab C
G7- G B D F
CM7- C E G B


vid originally posted by sesameseed77.
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Of all the seventh chords, perhaps the most important to understand is the 'dominant seventh' a major triad with a minor seventh. It was the first seventh chord to appear regularly in western music. The name comes from the fact that it occurs naturally in the seventh chords built on the dominant fifth scale degree of a given major key.
Take for example the key of C major:

The note G is the dominant degree of C major (C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C) - the fifth note of the major scale whose first note is C (the dominant degree of any major key is always the fifth note). When we arrange the notes of the C major scale in ascending pitch and use only these notes to build a seventh chord, and we start with G (not C), then the resulting chord, containing the four notes GBDF and called G7, is a major triad, GBD, with a dominant (minor) seventh, F (that is, from G to F includes seven notes).


This basic dominant seventh chord is useful to composers because it contains both a major triad and the interval of a tritone. The major triad confers a very "strong" sound. The tritone is created by the cooccurrence of the third degree and seventh degree (e.g., in the G7 chord, the acoustic distance between B and F is a tritone). In a diatonic context, the third of the chord is the leading tone of the scale, which has a strong tendency to pull towards the tonal center, or root note, of the key (e.g. the third of G7, B, is the leading tone of the key of C). This, in combination with the strength of root movement and the natural resolution of the dominant triad to the tonic triad (e.g., from GBD to CEG in the key of C major), creates a resolution with which to end a piece or a section of a piece. Because of this original usage, it also quickly became an easy way to trick the listener's ear with a deceptive cadence

However, the most important use of the dominant seventh chord in musical composition is the way that the introduction of a non-diatonic dominant seventh chord (sometimes called a chromatic seventh), which is borrowed from another key, can allow the composer to modulate to that other key. This technique is extremely common, particularly since the classical period, and has led to further innovative uses of the dominant seventh chord.


Article and Picture Taken From;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominant_seventh_chord

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http://desktoprecorder.blogspot.com

Learn about, Suspended chords, Second Chords, Chord Progressions, Substitues, Piano Tremelo, 12 Bar Blues, Major Chords, Minor Chords, Augmented Chords, Extension Chords 6th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th, Gospel Progressions, Chords Substitutions.

If your looking for a way to get an overview of as many different types of chords and their uses in music then I've found the perfect solution for you. A while back I was searching online for various forms of chords and I did find quite a few good sites, but they all charged a lot of money for their explanations. Fortunately for me, one day while browsing I came across this tutorial that gave me an insight I never had before. Almost every major variation of chords were covered and I hope that someone else will be able to learn as much from it as I did.

Dear Musician,
Did you know that for centuries the world's greatest musicians and composers have had a secret weapon that few others knew about? And even more astounding is the fact that every single person has this same ability lying undiscovered inside!

This special ability is pitch recognition, more commonly known as absolute pitch and relative pitch.
(excerpt from purepitchmethod.com)

To try and explain how to play by ear in words is not enough. This is why I have posted a link to a site where you can download a course that worked for me.

Sustained chords

:Main article: Sustained chord.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A sustained chord, or "sus chord" (also suspended chord), is a chord where the second or most often the fourth is played with or replaces the third. For instance, Csus4 is C, F, and G. These chords are called "sustained" because you typically arrive at them when you perform a V7-I progression but don't resolve the seventh of the V7. This is similar to a suspension, where the harmony shifts from one chord to another, but one or more notes of the first chord are held over into the second. However in a sustained chord the note may never resolve as is required of a suspension. In jazz, sus chords are usually played as a major triad with the second in the bass, e.g. a major C with a D bass is a Dsus7.

Source: http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/

Chord progressions are simply movement from one chord to another in a harmonic framework. Translated in language you will understand if you are a beginner piano or music student this means you will be playing chords which, when combined, sound "right" or pleasant to the ear when played and are "harmonically" correct.

You know how to form a major scale from any point (note) on the piano. You have also learned how to construct chords by combining various scale tones (notes) together. It is now time to put this knowledge to use by learning some chord progressions. Now, there are many, many different ways to combine chords to form a piece of music. We will focus on some of the more "popular" chord progressions so you can get the "feel" of what we are talking about.

When I say, "combine chords" you need to understand I am speaking of moving from one chord to another in this harmonic framework I spoke of earlier. All the chord progressions we will be learning are based upon major scales and the scale tone chords. This means that the the 1st, 4th, and 5th tones (notes) will always be Major chords, the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th tones (notes) will always be minor chords and the 7th tone (note) will always be a diminished chord. These will be our 3-note or triad chord progression chords.

A diminished chord is composed of a 1st, b3rd (flatted third), and b5th (flatted fifth) tones (notes) of a major scale. This means the 3rd and 5th tones (notes) are lowered one half step. Using the key of "C" as an example the B diminished chord (triad) would contain the tones (notes) B, D, and F.

For our 7th chord progression chords, the 1st and 4th tones (notes) will always be Major 7th chords, the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th tones (notes) will always be minor 7th chords, the 5th tone (note) will always be a dominant 7th chord and the 7th tone (note) will always be a half diminished 7th chord.

A dominant 7th chord is formed by combining the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and b7th (flatted seventh) tones (notes) of a major scale. This means you would lower the 7th tone (note) one half step. A half diminished 7th chord is formed by combining the 1st, b3rd (flatted 3rd), b5th (flatted fifth), and b7th (flatted seventh) tones (notes) of a major scale. This means you would lower the 3rd, 5th, and 7th tones (notes) one half step.

Using the key of "C" as an example a G dominant 7th chord would contain the tones (notes) G,B,D, and F and a B half diminished 7th chord would have the tones (notes) B,D,F, and A. Click on the links below to get a description of the different chord progressions and a chart showing the corresponding chords.



Source: http://www.free-online-piano-lessons.com/chord-progressions.html

Now that you understand what Maj7 and min7 chords are, you're gonna want to apply them to your music. Here are few pointers on using Maj7 and min7 chords.

When you use the IMaj7 chord it is most easily followed by a IV or a IVsus2 chord.
IMaj7 - IV2
try this progression and feel difference between it and just a regular I-IV progression.

When you use a iimin7 chord try following up with a IV, or V chord.
(ii)min7 - IVsus2-IV-V

The (iii)min7 chord often leads to a vi chord or a IV chord. try it out and see which one you'd like to play.
iiimin7 - vimaj7- IV- G

When you get the hand of these progressions you can move on to more involved techniques. Heres a short video of what can be accomplished by learning various types of chords.





The vimin7 chord is usually followed by a V chord.

Many musicians like to stick to the regular Maj chords when they are playing. What I try to do is deviate from that rigid block like style of playing and use different types of chords as substitutes to make playing piano much more fun and interesting. Now I'd like to give you a few pointers on using "Major Seventh Chords." Ex. CMaj7, DMaj7 etc..

The Maj7 chord is nothing complicated. Just like when we covered Sus2 chords all we have to do is add the note that is indicated. In this case we just add the 7th note to the chord. For example: CMaj: CEG CMaj7:CEGB

The addition of this seventh note can serve as a great tool for switching between the I chord and IV chord (Ex. CMaj7 to F.)


Now this video gives you a graphic picture of what the chords look like and how to form them. If your still confused on the exact notes for certain Maj7th and min7th chords below is a list of the most commonly used ones in the key of C

the commonly used Major and Minor Seventh Chords are as follows
CMaj7: CEGB
FMaj7: FACE
Dmin7: DFAC
Emin7: EGBD
Amin7: ACEG

Now that you get the drift of what a basic Maj7 and min7 chord is like you can try playing them in other keys as well.

Below is a perfect example of how you can use diminished chords in a song.




Notice how he Starlingsounds, uses his diminished chords as passing tones, never for very long but just as a filler. The second chord he shows in the video is a B diminished chord with the seventh note added.

Chord memorization is the more tedious and boring way of learning the various chords on piano. If you just focus on learning the structure of a chord, or in simpler terms, just how it's made up, then it will be easier for you to learn all of the major and minor chords. Let's cut straight to it then.


What are the Basic Chords?
In music there are basically four commonly used chords. These are:
Major
Minor
Augmented
Diminished

What is a semitone?
A semitone is basically a half step i.e Eb to E, Ab to A etc... It is important to know what a semitone is, because we will be using the semitone sort of as a measuring stick.

How do I build a major chord?
For simplicity's sake we'll use the C chord to learn how to build a major chord. Now lets take a look at it
The rule for forming a major chord is simple. Just proceed 4 semitones from the root note to find the second note of the chord. Then move 3 semitones from the second note to find the third note. Now you can apply this to any note and you can find the major chord for that note.

How to play a Minor Chord
For a minor chord the 4 semitone- 3 semitone is simple reversed. From the root note move 3 semitones up for the second note of the chord, and then 4 semitones from there to find the third note of the chord.

What is a Diminished Chord?
For some musicians diminished chords are their bread and butter, and for others the sound is not so pleasing, it all depends on the person playing it and the context in which they play it. Now how do we determine the structure for a diminished chord? a diminished chord uses a 3 semitone-3 semitone rule. This simple means that you move 3 semitones to the right to get the second note and 3 semitones to establish the third note.

i.e. Cdim: C Eb F#
.......Fdim: F Ab B
and so on.

Augmented Chord
For an augmented chord simply move to the right 4 semitones for the second note and again move 4 semitones to the right for the third note.

And there you have it, not you can start applying these basic principles to find the chord structure for any chord in any key.

Good Luck.

For those of you who are considering becoming a piano teacher here are a few pointers.
1. Understand and be able to play piano yourself. You need to have piano experience before becoming a teacher. Most teachers have learned their craft thoroughly and enjoy it.
2. Decide how many lessons you want to teach each week, how much you will charge, and how long each lesson will be. Most lessons are 30 minutes long, especially for beginning players. Find out what other piano teachers in your area are charging. As a new teacher, your rate should be lower than theirs. Many starting teachers begin with a low rate of $10 per lesson and raise their rate every two-three years by a few dollars. When you're deciding how many lessons and when you want to teach each week, remember the time commitments of your students. Are they still in school? College students? Are they working a 9-5 job? You'll have to work around their schedules too. Remember to leave time for your lunch or dinner break.
3. Decide where you will have your lessons. You could have them at your house, at your student's house, or at another site, such as a music store or community center. Make sure there is a piano and a chair for you and your student. It should be clean, easy to work in, and easy to get to for you and your students.
4. Find students. Advertise in the newspaper, hand out fliers in your neighborhood, and tell everyone you know. If your city has a community center, ask if they have a music program that you could be part of. It would give you more credibility. Music stores are good places to find aspiring students. Ask if they have a place, such as bulletin board, window, or desk, where you could hang a flier.
5. Plan out your lessons. Once you have a student and the first lesson scheduled, plan out what you will teach your student at the first lesson. Introduce yourself and ask the student some basic questions about themselves. Find out if they have ever played piano before and how much they know. You could ask them to play a simple song for you. Do they have any goals or songs that they're working on? Why do they want to learn to play piano? What kind of music do they like? You may want to find out when the lesson is scheduled if your student is new to the piano so you can recommend books for them to buy before the lesson. Alfred Piano Course books are an excellent series for learning the basics, but there are many other series to choose from. As the teacher, you should be familiar with the books. Some teachers buy the books for the students (the student pays for the books at the first lesson) so that they can play through the songs themselves and be able to give the student helpful hints, skip songs that doesn't agree with your teaching principles or other things.
6. Have your first lesson. Learn from them and change how you're teaching for each student. Teach on the level of the pupil. Base your lesson off them. Go their speed. They're paying for the lessons. You want them to understand why the reason behind various music techniques. Start with what they know and build off it.
7. Encourage your students often. Tell them when they've improved and what they do well. Offer constructive criticism only.


Source: http://www.wikihow.com/Teach-Piano

In many songs at the end of the stanza you usually play an ending chord(commonly the "v" chord) and then back to the "I" chord (see earlier posts for chord notation).

Some examples of what I am talking about would be an ending like

G then C, in the key of C; A then D, in the key of D. etc... etc... Using this ending is fine and dandy but if you want to add a little flavor to it you can try using suspended chords. A suspended chord is nothing extremely difficult to play all you have to do really is add the "4th note".
Example: In the Key of C here are some of the suspended chords you can use
Csus: CFG
Gsus: GCD
Fsus: FCD



Once you've gotten the feel for the suspended chords, try adding some of the "second chords" talked about in the earlier posts