Q. I'm trying to write something on a piano. The "verse" consists of one bar of C, one bar of A, one bar of Gb, half bar of F, half bar of E, then repeated. I'm not quite sure how to work with the chorus though. Any suggestions?
A. What you have so far is pretty unusual.
You're coming down in minor thirds C - A - Gb and then finish chromatically F - E.
There is no real connection to a key center as finishing on the E chord does not lead naturally back to C.
Do you have a key in mind?
You could go to F for the chorus or Dm.
Whatever you do, make it a different shape. Move around less like:
F /// | E /// | Dm /// | C /// | F /// | E /// | F /// | G /// | or simile.
It sounds to me like you could do with some harmonic variety instead of just a bunch of major chords.
But then who am I to judge!
Some free info here that might help:
How long would it take me to learn jazz piano?
Q. I have very little experience in piano and want to start now. I have a lot of spare time so I could dedicate a few hours a day, 7 days a week. I need all the advice you can give me. Any good books or videos on youtube etc. How long before I can play waltz for debby? And what's the easiest jazz song to learn first?
A. Okay here's the deal.
I am a pianist in the loosest sense of the term. I have taken Royal Boards to Grade 8 and I have played classical, jazz, and even composed some of my own four part harmonies to play for some events.
One day, my aunt at her wedding asked me to play for everyone, so I got up, walked over to the piano, sat down, and shat myself at little. I couldn't improvise!!! At most, I would need five minutes to develop a melody, maybe figure out chord progressions in my head from what would sound "right," and then compose a robotic sounding but totally "correct," piece. But I couldn't leave the piano alone, I played a memorized piece and that was that.
I went home, pissed that after 12 years of piano, I could play, but I couldn't PLAY. How did these musicians create these beautiful works of art? Clair de lune! MY GOD! If I could improvise that I would be some godly panty dropper.
So I sat down, thought about theory a little bit, but more or less started simple, touching keys familiar to me and put them together, strung with a little bit of theory. It sounded 10x better than my robotic piece imitation even if it was just one chord up and down the piano. Why? Because it had soul. For the first time in my life I had a real genuine tremble go through my spine from a piece of music that I played!
Waltz for Debby. I played that during a recital along with a Fats Waller song that I cannot remember. Like any piece, as a classically trained pianist, it only took an hour to learn, but days to memorize and perfect. If you are totally new, but know what all of the signs on a sheet of music mean, you can easily learn it in a few days. And I mean LEARN it, like copy and play perfectly.
Unfortunately, I don't really advise doing this. Actually I advise against playing sheet music period. I can't believe I wasted all of my time doing all of that. I now play by chord and by ear. My improvisation still isn't where I want it to be but at least when people say, "Hey, play something for me," I'll be able to play something for them.
Here's some stuff to get you started.
Learn the keys, the name of the keys, all of them.
Then begin slowly, you will have to learn all of the scales. Major, minor, harmonic minor for example.
How you decide to learn them.. whether through Circle of Fifths .. memorization.. whatever, is totally up to you, but you should know the names of the keys (CDEFGAB, etc, and what sharps or flats are in them.)
There are just so many resources available nowadays that it makes it pointless to buy any books, really..
Again, I really advise against learning songs for the sake of playing them to others.. I was lost in that mindset for twelve years. TWELVE YEARS!! I only saw the light after that incident.
Regardless, here's a little taste of jazz.
Pick a major scale.. for example G major.
G major has one sharp, which is the first sharp, F#.
So this means to play G major, you can play any of these notes: G A B C D E F#, and it will sound good.
Go to your piano and play.. G A B C D E. That's G major.
Now play G A B C D# E. How did that sound to you? Pretty jazzy right? But D# isn't a part of the G major scale, why are you allowed to play that note, you ask?
Well, that's jazz for you. And if you'd like to learn more, BEGIN YOUR JOURNEY!
What notes should i play on the piano to create a gloomy song?
Q. I'm completely fresh to playing a piano. I know where the notes on the keyboard are located... i was wanting to play something incredibly gloomy and improvised. what notes do you suggest to create a gloomy, mellow tone?
A. Well, in the movie "This Is Spinal tap," one of the characters talks about, "a musical trilogy I'm working on in D minor which is the saddest of all keys, I find. People weep instantly when they hear it, and I don't know why.
So, you could start by playing in D minor. Play a d minor chord in your left hand (d, f, and a). In your right hand, you can make up a melody using the notes in the d minor scale. You can choose between natural minor and the harmonic minor scale.
Natural minor: D E F G A Bâ C D
Harmonic minor: D E F G A Bâ C# D
Or stick with your right hand in the five finger position to start: D E F G A
A common chord progression would be:
d minor (d f a)
g minor (g bâ d) or (d g bâ) so you don't have do jump around--an inversion
a minor (a c e) or (c e a) -- inversion
d minor (d f a)
You could also go back and forth between g minor and d minor for a while.
Another chord you might add to the mix is an e minor chord (e g b)...as long as you don't play a Bâ in the right hand at this time.
This should be a great start to a beautiful, gloomy song with room to improvise.
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Title : What sort of chord progression should I use?
Description : Q. I'm trying to write something on a piano. The "verse" consists of one bar of C, one bar of A, one bar of Gb, half bar of F...