Piano Playing Secrets Of The Pros
It's no secret that professional
piano players use techniques that amateur piano players don't. So what else is
new? Professional golfers use techniques that amateur golfers don't use (at
least not very well), and pro ball players use techniques that sandlot and
weekend athletes don't use -- or again, not very well.
So it's not surprising that
professional piano players have some tricks up their sleeves that the rest of us
mortals don't have. But that doesn't mean we can't try to emulate the great
pianists. We may not pull it off as well as them, but we sure can have a lot of
fun trying, and who knows? Maybe a few of us can actually learn these techniques
well enough to win some admiration from our friends, join a group, play for our
own enjoyment, or whatever.
Here is a list of just a few of
the technique the pros use when they play piano. There are more, of course, but
this is a pretty good estimate of the most important skills:
- Pro Secret 1: Straddles. Leaving
one of more notes out of a chord to create an open feeling.
Pro Secret 2: 2/1 & 3/1
Breakups. Breaking a chord up by playing part of the chord & then the
rest of the chord.
- Pro Secret 3: Waterfall Chords. Broken chords
cascading down from the top of the keyboard similar to a waterfall.
- Pro Secret 4: Tremolo-Fired Runs. Rapid-fire
runs made of chords, but starting with a tremolo.
- Pro Secret 5: Half-Step Slides. Approaching
the next chord from 1/2 step above or below.
- Pro Secret 6: Suspensions. Using the 4th as a
"hangover" instead of the 3rd.
- Pro Secret 7: Chord Substitutions. Harmonizing
songs using different chords than the traditional ones.
- Pro Secret 8: Voicing in 4ths. Stacking chords
in intervals of 4ths instead of 3rds.
- Pro Secret 9: Turn-Arounds. A chord
progression that turns you around, like a cul-de-sac.
- Pro Secret 10: Introductions. Creating a front
door for the song.
- Pro Secret 11: Endings. Creating a back door
for the song.
- Pro Secret 12: Transposing. Playing a song in
a key different than it was written in.
- Pro Secret 13: Modulating. Getting from key to
key smoothly.
- Pro Secret 14: Altering a Melody to Create a
New Melody. Using neighboring tones to craft a new tune.
- Pro Secret 15: Inversions. Instead of always
playing chords in root position, using a variety of "upside down"
chords.
- Pro Secret 16: Creating Original Chord
Progressions. Linking chords together creatively.
- Pro Secret 17: Echoes - Rhythmic, Melodic,
Harmonic. The easiest way to begin the arranging process.
- Pro Secret 18: Touch. The difference between a
sledge hammer and a pillow.
- Pro Secret 19: II7 to V7 Progression. One of
the most common chord progressions.
- Pro Secret 20: Latin-American Rhythms. Using
various rhythm patterns such as Samba, Bossa Nova, Cha Cha, etc.
- Pro Secret 21: Locked Hands Style. Playing the
melody in both hands with a chord under the right hand melody.
- Pro Secret 22: Jazz Styles. Lush, offset
beats, comping, color tones, etc.
- Pro Secret 23: Two-Handed Arps. The Flowing
River Of Sound. Using broken chords in both hands at the same time.
- Pro Secret 24: Parallelisms. Parts moving the
same direction (such as 10ths, octaves, etc.)
- Pro Secret 25: Ragtime Techniques.
Barrel-house and early jazz styles.
- Pro Secret 26: Polytonality & Superimposition.
Playing in two keys at the same time, and playing two different chords
at the same time.
- Pro Secret 27: Delay-Catch-Up Technique.
Falling behind the beat, then catching up.
- Pro Secret 28: Slash Chords. Chords over a
left-hand counter melody.
- Pro Secret 29: Counter-Melodies. Creating a
sub-tune that is complimentary to the main tune.
- Pro Secret 30: Western Sounds. Wagon-wheel
bass styles, etc.
- Pro Secret 31: Gospel Sounds. "Get on that
church" and "shouting" styles.
- Pro Secret 32: 12 Bar Blues. The basis for
thousands of songs in all styles.
- Pro Secret 33: Passing Tones. Tones that "pass
through" the current chord.
- Pro Secret 34: Question-Answer Techniques.
Repeating a previous musical phrase but in a new way.
- Pro Secret 35: Far-Out Harmonies. Extended
chords, altered chords.
- Pro Secret 36: Syncopation. Playing between
the beats.
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There are other techniques the pros use, and new
techniques are always being invented. But for a list of worthy goals for an
aspiring piano player, this list will keep us busy for a long time.
For complete information on a wonderful course that
can help you achieve your goals in piano playing, please click
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