| |
| |
|
|
Music Information |
|
|
|
Piano Playing Your Way: How To Have More Fun Playing The Piano Than You Ever Have Before
Piano playing doesn't have to be boring. There's no law that says you have to play a song the same way everyone else plays it. By learning some basic music theory and chord formations, you can have the time of your life playing music like you've always wanted to. Every musician has a different method of arranging. Some start with the bass, some start with the melody, some just arrange everything all at once. You'll eventually discover the process that works best for you, but here's a basic guideline list to get you started. - Play the song as written. Pay careful attention to the melody and harmonies so you understand how the song is supposed to sound before altering it. Make sure you can play the song very well before moving on to an arrangement. - Analyze the song's chord structure and form. Know all the chord changes and any key changes. Separate the piece into parts using the letter system discussed in this course; often, you'll be able to add some spice to an arrangement by simply knowing where a verse switches into a chorus. - Look at the song's context to determine the appropriate sort of arrangement. For instance, if you're working on a classical lullaby or wedding song, you probably won't want to add western bass or a march beat. Of course, there's no rule saying you can't do that if you're going for a comical effect. Just be aware of the effect every sort of arrangement technique will have on a song. - Change the bass chording pattern based on the just-analyzed song's context. Working with "Git Alone Little Dogies"? Try a western bass. A classical romantic song? Give upward inversions or arpeggios a go. Just keep switching the bass pattern until you find something you like. After awhile, you'll acquire the ability to naturally know what to do. Until then, try it all. - Add fillers to the melody. Again, be aware of what's appropriate. If you're playing a western bass, try grace notes and twangs. If the song is in Alberti bass, add some glissandos or delicate octave harmonies. Remember that certain fillers, like runs or straddle-downs, work best when you're holding a half note or higher in the melody. - Add dynamic variation. This is where the form analysis comes in handy. If you know a key or part change is coming up, consider the ways in which you can take the dynamic up or down to create a textured, interesting effect. Try not to make the whole song extremely loud or extremely soft. Remember, variety is the spice of life! The piano arrangement you create is bound only by the limits of your imagination. Try everything and don't get discouraged -- you'll get the hang of it eventually. Now pick a song and get to it! Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music books and products such as DVD's, CD's, musical games for kids, chord charts, musical software, and piano lesson instructional courses for adults. He holds advanced degrees from Southern Oregon University and was the founder of Piano University in Southern Oregon. He can be reached at http://www.chordpiano.com. He is the author of the popular free 101-week e-mail newsletter titled "Amazing Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Piano Chord Progressions" with over 56,650 current subscribers. Those interested may obtain a free subscription by going to http://www.playpiano.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Music - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
10 Music Download Legal Points Everybody's doing it: downloading music and sharing files. People who share music files on the Internet argue that downloading is legal; today they can be sued by the record industry. How to Stop Thinking and Start Playing Learning how to improvise is confusing for most. The sheer number of choices becomes a burden. Piano Lessons - Group or Private? Piano lessons are a great activity for children. They encourage creative thinking, develop math and reading skills, and improve students' overall educational progress, as well as building a fun life-long skill. Music Licensing Music licensing can be a very confusing subject. My intent with this article is to give you enough details on what music licensing is and what are your rights to use music in advertising and / or video productions. Patriotic Music: Surprising Secrets About Those Flag-Waving Sounds Whether played by a marching band, an orchestra, or a rock group, there are patriotic tunes that everyone in America finds familiar, exciting and uplifting. But how much do you know about how these songs were created? And what do you know about the people who wrote them?There are some surprising facts behind all of this glorious music. Singing: The Tonic of Life Most people these days would associate singing with the popular music they see and hear on the radio and tv. This can make you feel like its beyond you, like it's some form of high skill that you need to be born with. Sheet Music - Violin and Other String Instruments The violin is a bowed stringed instrument and is the highest pitched member of the violin family. It sits along side its cousins - the other members of the violin family - the viola, cello, and double bass. Origins of the Mathers Family Eminem's roots can be found in Scandinavia through his mother Debbie Nelson and in South Wales through his father Marshall Bruce Mathers II.But Eminem has mostly Scottish blood running through his veins. 14 Ways Musicians Can Increase Their Tips I was listening to NPR the other day when they did a report on tipping in the restaurant industry. One they had a list of tips on how wait staff can increase their tips. Modal Theory for Guitar Players - Part 2 Playing the ModesWhen I used to use this pack with students, I provided them with a CD which contained a backing track for each of the modes. This enabled them to practive getting the sounds and shapes under their fingers. New Age Piano Playing and the Sustain Pedal There are 3 pedals on most pianos. The one on the left dampens the strings and makes the sound come out softer. A Brief History Of Gibson Guitars Gibson guitars have been around forever. It's funny, but although Gibson has produced some of the most amazing guitars in history, perhaps the company's largest contribution to music has been through their advancements in pickup technology. Playing The Violin Is For Everyone Who Loves Music Every day musical instruments enrich the lives of people around the world and continue to promote culture and art throughout every society and community, no matter what size or structure. Even those people of the world who live outside the realm of technology enjoy and use musical instruments to tell stories or entertain. The Secrets of Correctly Stringing Your Guitar Why do you care about stringing your guitar you may ask. Well the reason is simple. Why You Cant Play Piano It's really not your fault. You see, you've been taught that in order to play piano you need to first learn how to read music, and second, play other peoples music. The Flower Garden and New Age Piano Music If you've ever looked at a flower garden, not only its beauty may have captivated you, but also its overall arrangement.There may have been some tulips or roses combined with other flowers or plants. Is the Record Album Dead? Not by a Long Shot In 1982, Sony and Philips introduced the compact disc, a digital music playback format that used a laser to read the disc. The compact disc was expected to quickly replace the long play record album (LP) that Columbia had introduced in 1949. The Art of Music Music is the art of arranging sounds in periodic time so as to produce a continuous, unified, and evocative composition, as through melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre.It is also the vocal or instrumental sounds possessing a degree of melody, harmony, or rhythm. Play Piano As Fast As Possible! One of the rules of practicing we all hear over and over is "Be sure to practice slowly." (I'm guilty of this too!) Often the result of this is a feeling of inhibition, which leads to tedium. Solid-Bodied Gretsch Corvette Guitar The Solid-bodied Corvette (not to be confused with the Corvette hollow-body arch-top electric, produced from 1955-1959) was Gretsch's answer to the Les Paul Jr. by Gibson.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
