Q. I play in the praise band at my school, you guessed it, on the keyboard. The only music I have is the guitar chords. Before you say it, I already know how to play guitar chords on piano. That isn't my problem. My problem is that it just sounds like I'm play guitar chords, and it's sounds stupid and boring.
Is there any easy way to jazz it up a bit to where it sounds like a song? And no, I cannot get the sheet music for most of the songs.
A. I play a lot of keyboard, and I also write many of my own parts off of the guitar chord progressions. What I often do when I`m writing my own lines is outline the basic chord in the left hand and then play on the tones a bit more in the right. like, I might play the root and fifth of the chord in the left hand, and noodle around with the third, seventh and ninth in the right. One thing to keep in mind: Since you`re performing with guitars, they will likely be doing the main outlining of the chords, which leaves you free to get as creative as you want as long as you stay in the right key. so, for example, one thing you can try to make it more interesting is to really pull the chords apart between the two hands and several octaves of the piano; instead of just playing a solid chord, make it into running eighth notes. you can make up all sorts of neat patterns that compliment the vocal/melody line. Just get really used to hearing the chord progressions and get a feel for what notes fit in where, and have fun with it! :)
How do I learn what guitar chords to play in order to jam in a certain key.?
Q. I know scale positions on a guitar but how do I learn which chords can be played in a certain key? I want to be able to jam with chords, not just play solos.
A. Doing this well requires a good knowledge of music theory, but here is a basic stuff to get you started:
You first need to find the relative major scale of key you are using. For example, G is the relative major to E min because they have the same notes, just a different order. C is the relative major to A min, ect.
If you are in a major key, the distance between the notes should be as follows
I-whole-ii-whole-iii-half-IV-whole-V7-whole-vi-whole-viidim-half-I
The "wholes" represent two half steps (two frets) and the "halfs" represent one half step, or one fret. For example, F# is one half step above F. G is one whole step above F.
When counting up, remember what a piano looks like - there is no black key between B/C and between E/F. This means that F is one half step up from E.
Now that you have your scale, you find the chords. If you look at the spacing chart above, you'll notice some roman numerals are capitalized - this means they are major chords. The lower case are minor chords. The V7 means a 7th chord (you can do major or minor depending on the style of music [ie jazz uses min7]) You can also just play a major chord if you don't want to get fancy. The viidim is a tricky chord. It is REALLY hard to figure in melodically. Many people just use vii instead.
To sum it all up, let me give an example. Let's say we have the Emin scale. I'd want to find the relative major scale - G. The notes in G are G-A-B-C-D-E-F#-G. The chords, therefore, are G Amin Bmin C D (or D7) Emin F#min (or F#dim) G.
There is quite a bit more to this on when to use 6th chords, and augmented chords, and more....but you need to know the basics first. Every song can be jammed to or played with basic chords. Making them more complex will add style once you get the basic chord progression down.
Tips for practicing chord progressions in jazz?
Q. I've been playing jazz on the piano for a while now, and while my technical skill at the piano is about up to snuff I'm having trouble keeping up with the chord progressions. I can more or less follow a blues if I really concentrate but that's it. So can you guys and gals give me any tips on how to keep up with a song's chord progression and especially on how to practice that?
A. You might want to try what they used to call music minus one records. Now primarily CD's.....What they are is a rhythm section playing thru various tunes.....and you have the book with the chord changes included. The recorded rhythm section plays around 20 choruses of a given tune and you play along with them...As a pianist you can practice either soloing or comping along with the record....the rhythm section never gets tired. Its a new take on going to jazz clubs and asking to sit in. One of the best to work from is the Jamey Abersold records. Look in the back of Down Beat magazine or Jazz Times magazine. Hope this helps you out. Best of Luck!!
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
Title : How to make guitar chords played on the piano sound like a song?
Description : Q. I play in the praise band at my school, you guessed it, on the keyboard. The only music I have is the guitar chords. Before you say it, ...