Q. I've played for 8 years, but I only know how to read sheet music, and I don't have time to learn to read chords before i play next. Please help??
A. You mean to say that you can't read chord symbols? Like G7 F#m Bb7(#9) etc?
You've been playing 8 years and you can't do that??!?! No offense, but what have you been learning? Getting by for 8 years without a basic understanding of how music is constructed... I just can't understand that. Do you even know how to play your major scales? If not, learn that... NOW! You're way behind.
If you can play your major scales, it's not that hard to understand how chords are made.
http://a.1asphost.com/LukeSniper/ccc.html
This is a chart of chord formulas I made. My first guitar teacher gave me something like this my second lesson, and it gave me a HUGE leg up on my peers. Actually understanding music is crucial to giving a moving performance. Otherwise what you're doing is no different than someone reading a poem in a language they don't speak.
If you play two octaves of any major scale, number each note on the way up (you really only need to go up to 13 though). Then, to play any type of chord, you just play the notes the formula says. SO a major chord is 1 3 5. In C, this would end up being the notes C E and G. Any combination of C E and G is a C major chord. Some of the chords have alterations to a specific note, for example, a dominant 7th chord is 1 3 5 b7. So you would take the normal 7th, and flat it. In C, this would result in C E G and Bb.
Get it? Good.
That chord chart should give you plenty to work with. Seriously though, playing for 8 years and you couldn't play an F7 if somebody asked? There's something wrong with that... I'm not saying that you've failed, but your teachers have definitely failed you.
What mode do you solo in for jazz piano?
Q. I'm the pianist in my high school jazz band, and I'm working on my jazz piano improv (during repeat sections where people take solos in songs). However, I don't know what musical mode to solo in (ie: major, minor, mixolydian, blues, etc). How do I know which one to pick and which one do you recommend? I'm open to any other suggestions about soloing. Thanks!
A. The mode you use depends on the chordal progression. Use the mode that incorporates the notes of the chord - Cmaj7 - use Ionian or Lydian, (major scale with a sharp 11)
Cmi7 - use dorian, , (minor scale with a b6) or harmonic minor
C7 - use mixolydian (major scale with a b7)
Have you ever used any of Jamey Aebersold's books and cds? Start with his ii-V-I and one with some of your favorite standards. You can play along with them, solo for many choruses, and your rhythm section never gets bored!
Also try singing your solo line without playing. If you can sing an interesting improv melody, you will learn where to find those notes on the keyboard.
How do find a dominant seventh chord?
Q. For example, how do you find the dominant seventh chord of C major?
A. basically, its all about understanding the major scale, all the other scales, and every chord is based off the relationship of the notes in the major scale.
theres 12 notes all together, and in the major scale, we'd play 7 of the 12. think of it as a ruler. all 12 inches are there, but we're only going to play attn to the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th. now, rather than calling them by those numbers, we just rename them: one through seven. those are the notes in the major scale. (do re mi fa so la ti do). keep in mind, when you're playing these notes, even though you're not using all 12, all 12 spaces are still there. so, the inches on the ruler that arent used are still there, they still count as distance between notes. when you play a major chord, you're playing the root note (note #1), the third, and the fifth - out of the 7 in the scale. to play a dominant seventh you'd need to add in the 7th, but theres a certain dissonance to that note, so we'd take that note and make it flat (one fret lower, or one piano key lower). so, now you've got 1-3-5-b7
or :: c-e-g-Bb
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Title : How do you convert piano chords into sheet music? Is there some sort of program you can use?
Description : Q. I've played for 8 years, but I only know how to read sheet music, and I don't have time to learn to read chords before i play ne...