Q. Okay, when you have a song that is in say the Key of D, how do you know what chords to play with it? And for instance if the song is in D how would you chance it to a differnt key, say B?
I'm trying to teach myself to play piano, but I'm stuck. I want to learn to play by chords instead of music, but I have no idea how to do it. I got a thing off of the internet and it has all of the chords that are in a certain key, but I don't really know how to use them in a song. And plus their for guitar, and I don't know if that would make a difference with piano or not.
Anyone that has any imformation PLEASE help. I am desperate. And please give as much info as you know.
A. You need to learn theory to understand how scales and key signatures work, then you'll know what chords to play in what key, and how to transpose (change keys).
Chords are the same for piano and guitar. Chords are simply groups of notes. So, if you downloaded something that gives you the chords for the key of D on guitar, you can use those on piano too. Your 3 major chords in every key are the basis for modern songwriting. In D, that's the D chord, the G chord, and the A chord. F# minor and B minor are really common too, in the key of D.
Just start putting chords after one another and find a sound you like. Experiment!
Here's a great, free, downloadable theory workbook. It will get you going in no time. (It's not mine -- I just think it's the best free theory course out there, bar none.)
http://www.gmajormusictheory.org/Fundamentals/workbooks.html
How do I remember music facts...... (plz read)?
Q. I'm thinking of learning music theory and composition as well as the piano on my own. (I don't have enough of money to attend classes, and I don't know anyone that can help me with music.) I write dingy songs with my saxophone, and I make songs by just hearing the notes and recording them on sheet music.
So, I'm planning to go to the library and check out music composition and theory, as well as the piano, and more of the saxophone books. But, what do you recommend of doing to remember all of the music facts? I always have trouble with that... Thx! :)
A. Well, I would suggest taking your learning one step at a time. Tackling all of this at the same time is too overwhelming, plus you aren't going to want to start learning composition until you get an extremely good basis of music theory.
The best thing you can do for music theory is start learning piano. There are good sets of learning piano books that you can get, check out a local music store or see if you can find a local piano teacher to ask them what books they use for their students. There are also some free websites to help you learn piano, just search Google and see which ones look right for you. A quick search on my part yielded this site http://www.zebrakeys.com/lessons/ It looks good because it covers some theory too... and is free! :)
Piano is a great thing to learn at the same time as theory, because the two will relate very well to each other. I suggest getting some theory workbooks maybe, or go through the lessons at this site http://www.musictheory.net/ It is completely free and has wonderfully laid out lessons on music theory. BUT - start from the beginning, even if it takes you 2 minutes to get through the beginning lessons (because you know the stuff) it is worth it to make sure you start from the bottom and work your way up.
As far as you being able to remember all of the music facts... by learning music theory this way, through lessons and then by applying it to your piano playing you will be able to remember it much better, and you will hopefully be able to have more of the visual aspect (being able to visualize chords, realize how voice leading works because you don't want to be moving your hands all over the piano, etc) of why the theory you are learning makes sense.
I have used flashcards in the past, but they didn't work that well for me. Mostly I just kept going over and over the facts, key signatures and chords will just have to be memorized... and what really helped me is when I started seeing it in the piano, if you can visualize a piano keyboard in your head and move around on it in your head it helps a lot.
I hope this helps, feel free to contact me if you need any other help.
Getting into Berklee School of Music (Voice)?
Q. So I'm starting my senior year in high school.. and I want very much to attend Berklee for the fall 2010 semester. I've been singing since a very young age and have preformed in many shows/ competitions for voice. I dabble in guitar and know basic chords and have written a few melodies for songs.. but I do not know how to read music and haven't really sat down to write lyrics. I want to know what my chances are at getting into this school.. and what I should do (in the next few months, because I intend to apply soon) to strengthen my chances. I plan on enrolling myself in two eight week programs for voice and guitar.. and will try to teach myself how to read basic music (that should be fun! haha). If any of you have attended or are attending Berklee.. please let me know how its looking for me.. and if you could also tell me how the auditions went/ what they were like, that would be great! Thanks a lot!
A. A lot of vocalists don't read music when they start college - it's to their serious disadvantage.
Your very first semester (at any music program), you're going to have to take Theory I and Ear Training. The professor teaching that is going to assume that you read treble and bass clef fluently and that you understand alto clef. If you don't, he doesn't care. But, you don't pass.
Think of it like taking an English Literature class and telling the professor when you get there that "I don't know how to read" - not going to fly so well.
So the solution is to learn to read music and to learn it well quickly. It can be done in the time you have. Go to your favorite online bookseller and buy the Master Theory set of workbooks. http://www.kjos.com/sub_section.php?division=3&series=32 Do those.
While you're doing that, take piano lessons from someone. Real piano lessons, not teach yourself lessons. It's the fastest way to learn to read both treble and bass clefs.
Use your guitar to gather better understanding of chord structure. Not so much how to play them (that's important too) but why major sounds different than V7 which sounds different than a half-diminished vii which sounds different than a minor. Etc...
Berklee uses 'movable do' in ear training. Learn it. Your voice or choir teacher can provide you with a learning resource.
Getting into Berklee is hard. It's not as hard as passing music theory at Berklee (which you must do to stay there). Get prepared for it.
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Title : Anyone that plays piano or guitar.?
Description : Q. Okay, when you have a song that is in say the Key of D, how do you know what chords to play with it? And for instance if the song is in...