Q. I took lessons in classical for a while, and now im trying to learn to play pop music on the piano (billy joel) and they have these letters above the measures, and i don't know what they mean/their significance and i would love to know.
A. Those are more than likely chord symbols. "A" would be an A major chord. "Ami" or "Am" is an A minor chord. You'll also see 7th chords such as Amaj7 (major 7th), Am7 (minor 7th), or A7 (dominant 7th). You might also see symbols such as G/A. That's a G chord with an a bass note. There are many more, but that's a start. See the link for more information. I've played a lot more pop, rock, and jazz than classical piano, so I'm more comfortable reading the symbols than I am reading the notes.
What are the basic chords for a love song to serenade someone with?
Q. Im trying to write a song that I will be able to sing for a special someone, but I just want to know the basic chords to start out with.
A. I don't know what instrument you're playing or what kind of love song you want to write, so I'll give you chords easy to play on guitar or piano. They're (mostly) in the key of G:
G
Am7
A7
A7sus4
Bm7
C
D
D7
Dsus4
D7sus4
Em
Em7
Here's a chord progression to get you started. Change it however you like or discard it completely:
Intro
G |C |G |C |
Verse
G |C |G |C |
Em7 |A7 |Dsus4 |D |
G |C |G |C |
Em7 |A7 |Dsus4 |D |
Chorus
C |D7 |G |C |
C |D7 |G |C |
C |D7 |Bm7 |Em |
C |C |D7sus4 |D7 |
G |
Then back to the Intro. (Leave out the first G, because it's already at the end of the Chorus.)
Hope that helps. Good luck.
How long will it take me to complete grade one guitar if I already play two inssturments very well?
Q. I have played flute for four years and piano for eight. I want to know how fast I could learn to play guitar.
A. Your biggest challenge is going to be to build up your callouses. Star out by playing about five minutes a stretch, two to three times a day, and build up your endurance over the space of about three months. When you get to the point where you can play for at least a half an hour, you should be well on your way to working on changing chords smoothly.
Remember, it isn't learning the chords that is the biggest challenge, it's learning to move from chord to chord smoothly. I start all of my students with the following chord:
E minor seven with a suspension
Emin7sus
All you do is strum across the strings with your right hand while you leave your left hand off the guitar completely! E / B / G is the E minor - D is the seventh, and A is the suspension. If the A was above the D, it would be the eleventh, but since it's below the D (the seventh) it's a suspension - even though there is a third in the chord!
Next you learn the E minor with a Dominant 7th
Emin7
Put your second or third finger on the second fret of the fifth string (A)
6/0 5/2 4/0 3/0 2/0 1/0
Next you learn the E minor
Emin
Put your second and third finger on the second frets of the fourth and fifth strings
6/0 5/2 4/2 3/0 2/0 1/0
Next you learn the E major chord
E
Put your second and third finger on the second frets of the fourth and fifth strings, and lay your third finger right down, where it already is, on top of the first fret of the third string!
6/0 5/2 4/2 3/1 2/0 1/0
Next, you learn the A minor chord
Put your second and third fingers down on the second frets of the FOURTH AND THIRD STRINGS! then put your first finger right down where it is, over the first fret of the second string (You just moved all of your fingers over by one string?)
6/0 5/0 4/2 3/2 2/1 1/0
move around back and forth between the chords until you can make the transition smoothly. Then learn some variations:
E7 - 6/0 5/2 4/0 3/1 2/0 1/0
Amin7 - 6/0 5/0 4/2 3/0 2/1 1/0
A7 - 6/0 5/0 4/2 3/0 2/2 1/0
You have probably noticed that I haven't gone anywhere near the C major chord yet. I try not to show that chord to my students for at least a month, unless they beat it out of me (and some do!)
C - (Actually C/E) 6/0 5/3 4/2 3/0 2/1 1/0 (That's a C major chord with the third (E) in the Bass)
C - (Actually C/G) 6/3 5/3 4/2 3/0 2/1 1/0 (That's a C major chord with the fifth (G) in the bass - which sounds fuller but is harder to play) < You generally play it first finger - 2/1 second finger - 4/2 fourth finger - 5/3 third finger - 6/3 >
I play it 1 / 2/ 3 / 4 though because it makes it easier for me to slide around!
Anyway, that should get you started. Let me know if you need more. Give me a shout and I will be glad to send you anything you need.
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
Title : What do the letters above the score mean on piano music?
Description : Q. I took lessons in classical for a while, and now im trying to learn to play pop music on the piano (billy joel) and they have these lett...