Q. I don't know if this is right or not but is a chord just a bunch of keys pushed together at the same time? And how do I learn them all, practice is one thing but I looked it up and there is like a hundred of them. Do I have to memorize every one of those along with the names?
A. There are as many chords as there are combinations of notes - so pretty much an infinite number. Fortunately the chords we use every day follow rules.
There are two basic types of chords, major and minor. All major chords have the same intervals (more on that in a minute) as do all minor chords. You only need to learn the intervals to begin with; once you start playing the chords you'll simply remember what each one sounds like, and what notes you need to play.
Intervals are the distance between one note and another. On a piano the distance from one note to the next note-but-one is a tone. The distance from one note to the very next note is a semitone (this is true for all instruments, but it's easy to see on the piano). To form a major chord we take a note (say C) then we go up 2 tones. So take C and miss one note and we have D - one tone. Then from D we miss a note and take the next - E. Therefore the first two notes of a major triad of C are C and E. Next we go up a tone and a semitone. A tone from E is F#, a semitone from F# is G. Therefore the major triad of C has the notes C E and G.
This is the way to find out the notes in ALL major triads.
To find out minor triads we firstly go up a tone and a half, and then 2 tones. So if we're in C we go up a tone and a half (one tone = D + 1/2 = Eb) and then up 2 tones from there (1 tone = F 2 tones = G). Therefore the notes of a C minor triad are C Eb and G.
The thing about triads is it doesn't matter what order we put the notes in. A C major chord only has to have the notes C E and G in it; the order isn't important. So we could have E G C, G C E etc.
As far as learning the chords goes I would suggest working out the notes in each major and minor triad (you could also look it up, but working it out will help you understand WHY it works) and then playing them all, so start with a triad of C, then Db, then D etc.
There are a LOT more chords, but they also follow rules - and there are only a few (about 100 or so) chords which are really used often, and most of them are simply the same but with one note different. I have been playing the piano for 15 years and playing jazz piano for about 7 and I still don't know ALL the chords off the top of my head!
How many people who play instruments hear intervals and have perfect pitch?
Q. Hi I can hear a few intervals from time to time and don't have perfect pitch I am trying to develop these but its really hard. It's nothing you can practice hands on... So Ya if you could just put what instrument you and if have perfect pitch or relative pitch and what your job is with music whether it's a hobby, band, etc. Also do most guitarist have perfect pitch or relative or none?
A. I am a guitar and bass teacher. I also play keyboards and mandolin. I have been playing for about 35 years. I have studied music since middle school and I am a graduate of Guitar Institute of Technology in L.A. I play with several bands and as a solo artist.
I have excellent relative pitch that I developed from years of practice. I do NOT have perfect pitch. If you were to go up to a piano and play a random note, I could guess it within a few semitones (on a good day!)
There are many guitar related pitches that I can identify immediately, such as the open strings, etc. And I can pretty much identify any E note when I hear it. I can do this because I have trained myself to do it. I was not born with perfect pitch, and even though some say it can be taught or learned, I do not believe that is the case. I think the odds are something like 1 in 10,000 that are born with it. (maybe more or less)
You can use hands on training to help yourself get better at this. Take a one octave major scale and play every interval within it. Do this over and over until you can readily distinguish the different intervals. Be sure to include minor and diminished intervals.
Obviously some are very easy to identify. Intervals like 4ths, 5ths, and octaves are easy. Major 3rds and major 7ths are pretty easy too. Once you can easily hear these than the rest become much easier to discern.
One thing that can help is to play AND sing the interval simultaneously. For some reason this helps to "burn" the sound of these intervals into your head.
The more you practice this the better you will get. You should also practice identifying chord qualities. Start with major, minor, and seventh chords initially, and then add major 7ths and minor 7ths and diminished and half diminished voicings. The actual letter name is not necessary, but try to discern the quality of the chord. Do this all over the neck because it is important to hear these sounds in different ranges.
Most guitarists have very good relative pitch, but they do not know how to express it correctly. As guitarists we learn the majority of what we know by listening and trying to figure it out. This is a great way to develop relative pitch. I would venture to say that most guitarists have a better sense of relative pitch than other musicians, because we rely on it much more than a musician who relies on sheet music to learn a piece of music.
Unfortunately, most guitarists do not put forth the effort to learn about intervals and ear training and basic musicianship. There are many self taught guitarists who have great ears, but cannot tell you the difference between a major and minor scale.
You seem to be doing your part in learning more about music and musicianship. Keep up the good work and try the practice techniques that I have told you about. You too will eventually develop a great sense of relative pitch and maybe go on to cultivate that elusive perfect pitch!
Good Luck!
How can I write romantic piano music?
Q. I want to write a song for someone special so...
I want to write the kind of music Yiruma and Chopin make... What kind of scale is used?
Major? Minor (Natural Harmonic or Melodic...). And are there specific chord/chord progressions?
Interval that pertain to romantic type music?
Is dissonance useful to romantic music?
What other elements make for romantic music?
A. there's no formula for writing any certain kind of music. (except maybe pop music given the number of "four chord songs" haha)
but the best way to learn how is to study the music of others. romantic music, however, typically contains modulations to keys related by 3rds. it also features a lot more chromatic submediants and mode mixture than previous time periods, and just more chromaticism in general (especially in russian romantic music)
also romantic piano music more often features voices moving in parallel octaves than previous piano/keyboard music. this is usually seen when the bass voice is doubled, and/or in right hand chords where the pinky and thumb double the melody. here, the other fingers typically fill in the rest of the notes of the chord (this can sometimes be seen in left hand parts too, but not as often as it sounds muddier in lower voices)
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
Title : What exactly is a chord(instrument, piano) and how do I learn them all?
Description : Q. I don't know if this is right or not but is a chord just a bunch of keys pushed together at the same time? And how do I learn them a...