Popular piano music

 

For the beginning piano student, the variety of popular piano music is staggering. A simple search will place the sheet music for “Pomp and Circumstance” and Mahler’s funereal variations on Frere Jacques in his Symphony No. 1 in D Major directly on your computer monitor. Download the pieces, print them out and practice until you’ve mastered them. Soon you will be an expert at many diverse kinds of piano music.

Whether you invest time in learning every note and trill involved in a piece or you’re simply looking for a chord progression for accompaniment purposes, sheet music is likely available. Mesmerize onlookers with your knowledge of the entire Beatles catalog! Serenade sweethearts with a flawless take on Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies.” Why stick to practicing dull scales over and over when friends will be more impressed with a hot rendition of “My Heart Will Go On?” Jokes aside, the ease of obtaining popular piano music is making an extensive knowledge of entire song catalogs a breeze. The fake arrangement, which is a piece of sheet music outlining the basic chord progressions and melodies in a song, is invaluable to those wanting to play piano with modern ensembles. This kind of arrangement enables the pianist to know what is coming at him. It gives him the basic melodic theme with which to improvise, play behind another instrument or just play straight from the paper. Perhaps a more thoroughly written piece is what you’re after. Don’t want the fake arrangement of Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata?” Piano music for popular pieces such as Claude Debussy’s “Clare de Lune” and Frederic Chopin’s Prelude in C Minor is a handy tool for the beginning pianist or the tutor to have on hand. The longevity and popularity of pieces such as these makes them fun to learn for any pianist, great or small. So your skills on the instrument aren’t up to par with the virtuosos? Is that any reason to not enjoy a relaxing stay at the piano bench with the ivories at your fingertips? No, it’s not. Piano music doesn’t have to be difficult to be enjoyed. It shouldn’t always require a degree in music theory and performance. There are multitudes of pieces in the lexicon of popular piano music that are stunningly beautiful, yet don’t require years of rigorous practice. Elton John, one of the greatest pop composers in modern music, has songs that come in easy piano translations. Feel free to find a nice version of one of his songs, or perhaps a standard like “Singin’ in the Rain.” Plink out the melody, find the bass line and play until your heart’s content. Piano music is one of the most enduring forms of art and entertainment in the world. With the instrument’s multiple octaves and singular ability to produce melody, harmony and underlying chord progressions, the piano is a timeless wonder. So invite some friends over, find some great sheet music and have a sing along to some of your favorite songs.          

What do those sharps or flats mean at the start of a song? They are known as “key signatures” and they announce what key a song is in. If there are no sharps or flats, a song is either in the key of C major or A minor. Every major key has a relative minor key. Watch this short video on key signatures.

Did You Know That Music Is Based On Natural “Laws”?

Did you know that music is based on natural “laws” — like gravity — and by learning to understand how those natural laws work we can actually understand what we are doing when we play — we don’t have to be at the mercy of what someone else has written on a piece of music.   How many of these facts do you know about music & piano playing? Test yourself and then check the answers at the bottom of the page:    

• Did you know that by learning just 3 chords you can play hundreds of songs?
• Did you know that there are only 12 major keys you can play in, but you only really have to master one key to play most popular songs?
• Did you know that it is possible to easily match any melody note (tune) to a chord, so you can harmonize any note?
• Did you know that Beethoven’s Fur Elise and the blues song “Summertime” uses the exact same chords for the theme of the song?
• Did you know that it is quite possible to predict what chord comes next in a song with accuracy approaching 85%?
• Did you know you can use the same chords to play boogie, blues, new age, gospel, pop, rock, jazz, country - anything except classical music? (And even some classics!)
• Did you know that guitar chords are the same as piano chords — the only thing different is the instrument and the resulting sound?
• Did you know that hundreds of songs use exactly the same form, so by learning that form you can know what’s coming next in a song?
• Did you know that by coming in through the backdoor of piano playing — chords — you can start making wonderful and satisfying sounds on the piano in just a few days instead of a few years — even if you don’t know Middle C from Tweedle Dee?

Answers to piano playing music questions:

     

• True. That’s because there are just 3 primary chords in any key — like family members: Mom, Dad, Child. Get to know those 3 and you’ve got it.
• True. It’s like languages. It’s great to be able to speak several, but you can get by with just one. I’d love to speak other languages, but I can get by with just English.
• True. Every note is part of several different chords. So it is easy to harmonize any song once you know the secret.
• True. Yep. They both use the A minor chord and the E7 chord in their themes.
• True. I know that’s hard to believe, but remember that music is based on math. Once you understand a thing called the “Circle of 4ths” it’s a piece of cake. In fact, I can tell you right now that 85% of the time the G chord comes directly after the D7 chord. So next time you run into the D7 chord, you have an educated guess of 85% that the next chord will be some form of the G chord. (G, G7 etc.) If you’re into amazing your friends, that’ll do it!
• True. Apply different rhythms to the same chords, and you have many styles of music! With the very same chords I can play boogie, jazz, rock, pop, gospel, new age, ragtime.
• True. Chords are chords. Once you know them, you can apply them to any instrument.
• True. Musical forms such as “AABA” and “ABA” are the basis of thousands and thousands of songs.
• True. Understanding chords and how them form the skeleton of music accelerates the learning curve exponentially.

The bottom line is this: music is based on natural law and is mathematical in nature. Understanding is the key to both rapid learning and getting more enjoyment out of the process.    

As you know, there are many many ways to arrange songs on the piano and bring your own unique twist to them. Here is one way you can use left-hand voicing in 4ths to create an interesting sound in this old Christmas Carol. For more ideas on arranging Christmas Carols, be sure to check out “How To Play Spectacularly Beautiful Christmas Carols On The Piano!”

Proper piano instruction is an element extremely vital to learning the instrument well. Though it’s very possible to be a self-taught piano player, piano lessons can really increase the speed and efficiency with which one learns the instrument. That’s not to say that great piano instruction makes great piano players overnight; even the most naturally talented pianists still play for years before they consider themselves advanced. But proper piano lesson instructions will maximize those years to the fullest and ensure that the student is learning the correct techniques. Though teaching styles always vary from instructor to instructor, piano instruction generally covers the same basic areas: fingering, , music reading, scales, technique, and sight reading. The early lessons will cover fingering and posture, making sure the student knows how to hold his or her hands and where to put them on the keys; series of scales practiced repeatedly will be the basis of this area. Piano instruction will then move on to notation essentials, starting with the basics of notes and key signatures and time signatures and then moving forward to more advanced concepts in rhythm, tempo and dynamics. Many of these concepts are introduced into the piano instruction while the student is learning to read music, a practice that runs through the entire course of the piano instruction. Teachers will assign short, easy pieces to kick start the student’s music reading knowledge and eventually move forward to more advanced pieces. Sight reading, the ability to play a piece of music without ever having seen it, is sometimes placed sporadically throughout the piano instruction, after a student is fairly well-versed in reading music. One crucial element of piano playing that is often left out of traditional piano lessons is the study and practice of chords and music theory. To learn to read music without understanding the theory behind the music and the chords and chord progressions that form the music is almost like teaching a surgeon to cut without understanding the human anatomy and it’s interrelated parts. The student will be able to play the piano from a piece of sheet music, but take that music away or have it blow off the piano and he or she is immediately in big trouble. There is a famous story about a lady who was a concert pianist and could impress people with her playing, yet when asked to play “Happy Birthday” at a party had to decline with great embarrassment because she didn’t have sheet music for the song handy. To be tied to the written music is a shame, when learning chords and music theory adds so much to the value of piano instruction. Given a healthy dose of music theory and chord instruction mixed in, all of the other elements of piano instruction eventually begin to work hand in hand. Piano instruction then becomes an intricate web of gaining bits of detailed knowledge little by little and understanding the music that’s being played without fully realizing that it’s being gained. Then playing the piano becomes more fun and a joyful event that can be shared with full understanding of the theory and form that lies behind each song.    

If you’re thinking of taking piano lessons — or if you already take them — it’s a good idea to learn something about the long musical tradition in which you will be participating. After all, nobody’s choice to play piano is made in a vacuum. No, we decide to learn the instrument because of its special musical qualities and its unique history.

Unlike piano-playing children, whose lessons are often strongly urged upon them by parents, adult piano players like to have as much knowledge about our instrument as possible. Such knowledge not only enhances the experience of playing, but it also motivates us to play with care and respect for our piano masters.

Most piano players are aware that the instrument’s modern name is actually a shortened version of its original name, “pianoforte,” which is a compound of the Italian words for “soft” and “loud.” This name was given to the new instrument in order to differentiate it from its forbear instrument, the harpsichord, whose volume range is far less flexible than that of the piano. While earlier instruments such as the harpsichord generate sound by plucking strings, the piano was the first instrument to successfully generate sound by striking strings. Invented around 1700 by the Paduan instrument-maker Bartolomeo Cristofori, the revolutionary mechanism of the piano, with hammers that return to the rest position immediately after striking, made possible a far greater degree of control and nuance than previous instruments. With good reason, second-generation pianos — which came soon after Cristofori’s and his followers’ groundbreaking developments — are commonly referred to as “Mozart-era” pianos. Mozart, whose work was both the pinnacle and the embodiment of music during the second half of the 18th century, was an immensely popular figure even in his time. His decision to play, compose for, and perform on the piano did more to popularize the instrument than any other single person has done. Because so many of his works, great and small, popular and obscure, were composed and published for piano, Mozart’s music has always been a major selling point for the instrument. By the time Mozart passed away in 1791, the Industrial Revolution had begun to take hold of Europe, dramatically transforming all aspects of life, including music and the arts. In the early 1800s, technological progress allowed the piano to evolve almost wholly into the modern instrument we play today. Advancements in technology related to the piano’s steel strings and iron frame came just in time for use in Beethoven’s later works. Some musical historians have even suggested that the amazing musical and acoustic genius of Beethoven’s final works simply would not have been possible earlier in the composer’s life. This is thanks to changes made to the piano, the instrument that Beethoven loved above all others. By the end of the 1800s, the piano had all but fully developed into the instrument we have now. This is why piano works by Romantic and Modernist composers such as Chopin, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Debussy, and Stravinsky sound as if they could have been written today. Also, thanks to the instrument’s unprecedented power and range, as well as groundbreaking piano works by Beethoven and others, these composers were able to expand the instrument far beyond its early, harpsichord-influenced repertoire. In short, the vast range of 20th century music — from traditional compositions, to experimental orchestral music, to jazz, blues, and rock music — would not have been possible without the piano. And here we are today, proudly carrying the piano tradition into the 21st century. As you already know, the piano is now commonplace in middle-class American households. Many children grow up listening to their parents play, and many become pianists themselves at a very early age. Plus, as scientific studies continue to show the health benefits of playing music throughout life, recent years have seen a surge in adult music. Because of its beauty, simplicity, versatility, and its long and storied history, the piano is a top choice for budding adult musicians.    

“I want to play music!” How many millions of people have either said or thought that? And why not? Music is the universal language that we all speak, and we all want to express ourselves and communicate our feelings to others. Music is the perfect vehicle for that. I have often thought that if during the presidential campaign the candidates were only allowed to sing their stories and oppions rather than pound the pulpit and preach them, we might just have a more civil campaign with a lot more mutual respect and understanding.

You can get started easily playing music by taking a music course online from one of several excellent choices, including Piano Lessons By Video, How To Read Music, How To Play Chord Piano, and many other courses. Music courses are a great way to learn about virtually any area of music; history, theory, instrument instruction — you name it and somewhere music courses specialize in it. Though generally found through colleges, universities or high school programs, music courses are also offered via one-on-one instruction with a private teacher or community-based workshops. Some churches even offer music courses as a complement to their choirs; the music courses may be offered to the general public, but they’re often geared toward the choir members and congregation. But if you want to learn fast and start playing music, go to your web browser right now and type in “play piano” or “learn music” or “play music”. A complete catalog of over 300 individual courses in music theory and piano playing can be found at Play Piano Catalog.

 

But whatever you do and however you do it, get started playing music! It’s tremendously rewarding to play music of any kind.

Chopsticks was originally named the “Chop Waltz”.  It is a simple song written by a 16-year old girl, and is probably the most popular song ever for the piano, since it can be played by people who don’t play the piano. I remember playing it as a very young child, and most of my friends, none of whom were pianists, could play it too.  It was designed to be played in two-part harmony with both hands held sideways, little fingers down, striking the keys with a chopping motion, which is the antithis of good pianistic technique. But it’s fun, and you can make it sound a lot fuller by adding just 2 chords to it in the left hand. Watch this 3 minute video and you’ll get the idea.

In music there is a type of note which is never counted — it falls between the beats, and you never count it like you would count an 8th note or a 16th note.  When I was a kid I used to skip rocks on Lake Tahoe — you’re probably done it too. Grace notes are like that rock that bounces across the surface of the water. You don’t count it, but it sure adds a lot and its fun, too. Watch this 2-minute video and your understand easily: http://www.playpianocatalog.com

When interviewed, many famous “popular” musicians like Justin Timberlake and Chris Brown  say they were influenced by the jazz records their parents used to play in their homes. That’s true for many people, both famous and otherwise, who love music. The exact origin of jazz music is difficult to pinpoint. What is sure is that it came about as a result of a mixing of musical cultures. When Africans were brought to America as slaves, they influenced American culture with their own. In New Orleans in the mid-1800’s, African-Americans started to experiment with European musical instruments. Some of the first songs they experimented with were hymns from church. By the end of the 19th century, the piano was introduced as an instrument for producing jazz music. Unlike the saxophone or the trumpet that only play single notes, the piano plays chords. This added a new dimension to the jazz combo. Slave emancipation coincided with the emergence of ragtime, a type of music that threw the conventional system of metrical beats into disarray. Instead, its rhythms were syncopated, which means they didn’t conform to a conservative beat succession system. Ragtime encouraged the listener to get up and move to the music. Piano music came to the forefront in ragtime, giving way to stride piano where the right hand plays the melody along with supporting chords and runs and fills while  the left plays bass notes and chords and rhythm. Stride featured more improvisation and swing notes than ragtime. Scott Joplin, known at the time as the King of Ragtime, talked learning to pick up the “swing” of the music as you play. Swing was the next form of jazz than evolved from ragtime. The early twentieth century saw the growth of jazz music in New Orleans, as more and more jazz combos played in the city’s clubs and bars. The first few jazz bands began recording their music at this time. By then, the piano had become an integral part of the jazz combo. The Prohibition Era of the 1920’s didn’t slow the jazz bands down. In fact, it was during this era that the greats like Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington and Earl Hines emerged. Hines was probably the most influential pianist of the time, playing in the “Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five” band while cultivating a solo career. Swing hit big in the 1930’s. It was bigger than ragtime, and songs often carried on for several minutes as each band member got a chance to play a solo. A party wasn’t a party without a big swing band belting out song after vibrant song, and soon swing was all over the radio in the United States. Swing faded during the conflict of World War Two. Many band members were off fighting in the conflict. Bebop developed from swing during this time. Pianists Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk rose as two of the great jazz pianists of the era. In the 1940’s and 50’s, cool jazz became popular, with pianist Bill Evans claiming a place in music history as one of the most inventive and creative jazz pianists of century. The 1960s were all about free love, stringy hair and the beginning of Latin jazz and jazz fusion. Many Cuban and Brazilian musicians put their cultural stamp on American jazz and gave birth to a new genre. Jazz fusion came about with the electrification of jazz through the use of synthesizers, keyboards and electric guitars. They blended with brass instruments and the piano for a totally new sound. Today, jazz is still one of the most influential music forms in the world. Jazz music has asserted itself as a contemporary force in the music world, and the success of current jazz artists is a testament to that.

When Isaac Watts wrote “Joy To The World” based on a score by George Frederick Handel’s “The Messiah” he was writing about the 2nd coming of Christ — not the first advent as we almost all assume. Notice the words - particularly of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th verses: Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room, And heaven and nature sing, And heaven and nature sing, And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing. Joy to the world, the Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ; While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy. No more let sins and sorrows grow, Nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow Far as the curse is found, Far as the curse is found, Far as, far as, the curse is found. He rules the world with truth and grace, And makes the nations prove The glories of His righteousness, And wonders of His love, And wonders of His love, And wonders, wonders, of His love. Here are a few random ideas on how you might create a fresh new sound for an old Christmas Carol:     For ideas galore on arranging Christmas Carols go to “The Secret of Arranging Spectacularly Beautiful Christmas Carols”

You can make an old Christmas Carol (or any song, for that matter) really come to life through the use of chord substitutions. Watch this free short video as I demonstrate how you can create an entirely new “feel” to an old carol such as “Silent Night”: . If you enjoy this process, come on over to “The Secret of Arranging Spectacularly Beautiful Christmas Carols!”

There are many songs which can be played with just a few different notes, and Jingle Bells is one of them.  A piano beginner can play it easily just with the 5 fingers of their right hand — 5 notes, 5 fingers. And since there are only 4 different chords in the song, it’s easy to put hands together for a two-handed arrangement. Pianists who are more advanced can, of course, use many more chords and many more notes, plus many other styles and arrangments. Watch the 2-minute video for a couple simple ideas: For more advanced concepts and ideas on arranging beautiful Christmas Carols, please go to “How To Play Spectacularly Beautiful Christmas Carols On The Piano — This Christmas!”

A single note played is termed a unison. Two notes played together (or close together) is termed an interval. Three or more notes in combination is called a chord. Chords can have any number of notes in them, but the most basic type of chord is termed a triad. There are four types of triads commonly used: Major triad — made up of the root, 3rd and 5th of the major scale for that key. Minor triads — made by lowering the 3rd 1/2 step. Diminished triads — made by lowering both the 3rd and 5th 1/2 step. Augmented triads — made by raising the 5th 1/2 step. Watch the short video: By learning the 4 basic triads in all 12 keys, you automatically know and can play 48 chords! Not bad for only learning 4 variations of a triad chord.

Will learning to play the piano make you more intelligent?  Could the brain grow larger than normal by learning to play a musical instrument such as a keyboard or piano?  Questions such as these have been arising everywhere over the past few years and not only in science journals either.  The interest of the general public in these studies involving music and the development of the brain has led to the publishing of many articles, to the delight of music-lovers everywhere.  But all the information gathered, the reliable and the questionable, has left many still confused about how much importance should be put on use of musical training for brain development. If your feeling confused about what you have learned, certain valid points considered may help clear your thinking.  It seems that the most benefit is derived from early musical training when it comes to strengthening the connectors in the brain and creating new pathways. Research demonstrates the definite influence that music training has on the long-term development of specific parts of the brain.  The research findings of Gottfried Schlaug, Herman Steinmetz and their associates were published in Discover magazine in 1994. They did a comparison of 27 classically trained right handed musicians with 27 right handed non-musicians using a technique called MRI, abbreviated for magnetic resonance images.   Their findings revealed that the planum temporale (the brain’s auditory processor) was larger in the left hemisphere and smaller in the right in comparison with the group of non-musicians. Musicians who started training before the age of seven had even more outstanding differences.  The differences were especially notable among musicians who started early training, specifically before the age of seven.  Shlaug claims that the study of music also promotes enlargement of the corpus callosum, a bridge of sorts between the brain’s two hemispheres. He discovered that among musicians who began their musical education before seven years of age, their corpus callosum was thicker by 10-15% compared to non-musicians.  It was suspected that a larger corpus callosum improves motor control by making a faster connection between the hemispheres of the brain. Later research published in a 2002 issue of Science magazine showed the results of a study conducted by Dartmouth music psychologist Peter Janata which confirmed that music is one of the best stimulants for improved connectivity between the right and left hemispheres of the brain and between areas responsible for emotion and memory.  A team of scientists led by Janata reports that with musicians, they have found certain areas of the brain to be 5% larger, and specifically the auditory cortex in expert musicians, up to 15% larger than people with little or no musical background. In addition, those who started studying music early in childhood have increased development of up to 15% in the brain area called the corpus callosum, which is a four-inch bundle of nerve fibers connecting the left and right side of the brain.   There is growing evidence that detailed and even skilled motor functions are enhanced, besides the growing evidence from research studies that some brain region connectivity, as well as some types of reasoning functionality is improved by music training. The corpus callosum in musicians is evidently essential to the performance of such tasks as the coordination of fingers. As any muscle must grow to accommodate the tasks at hand, this portion of the brain also grows to make one more proficient at these necessary musical skills. In a study conducted by Dr. Timo Krings and reported on in Neuroscience Letters 2000, non-musicians and pianists of the same age and gender were asked to complete a series of intricate finger movements.  In this study, pianists and non-musicians of the same age and gender were asked to perform sequences of complex finger movements.  Correct movements were noted by both groups, but less activity was seen in the brains of the pianists. The conclusion drawn by the researchers was that the pianists’ brains make skilled moves with less effort.  There are a staggering number of ways that the human brain and its development are affected thanks to the study of music.  With all this research at your fingertips, how do you decide what type of musical studies will benefit yourself or your children? An article by N.M. Weinberger published in Musica Research Notes in 2002 made an interesting point about how the Mozart Effect , although not living up to it’s musical hype, has raised the public eye to the research being conducted in the field of music. Listening to just a few minutes of Mozart invites a whole new world of musical possibilities to the listener. The academic evidence discovered for using music study as a tool to aid brain development is compelling, even with the hype regarding the Mozart Effect.  Dr. Frank Wilson from the University of California’s School of Medicine in San Francisco says his research reveals improvement in coordination, concentration, memory, eyesight and hearing when a person engages in practicing the art of music. According to Frank Wilson’s research, learning to play an instrument brings about these benefits: better coordination, improved concentration, memory, eyesight and hearing. According to Wilson, all other activity pales in comparison to musical training which refines the entire neurological system by improving connections and motor skills in the brain. Dr. Wilson says that he believes musical instruction is vital for total brain development. The conclusion we draw from what we’ve learned is that studying music can be an important tool to enhance various important functions of the brain. No guarantees, of course, but if you love music, why not do what you love?  Therefore, if you are a lover of music, dust off that old piano you have always wanted to play and get started today - you have much to gain in satisfaction and pleasure. And who knows? If it increases the capability of your brain, what a bonus!

When is a C not a C? It’s not a riddle or a trick question. It’s a musical principle. The answer is: a C is not a C when you’re playing a transposing musical instrument. And it’s not the instrument that transposes, unfortunately — some arranger or the player himself must do that. To understand what this means, you first have to understand the definition of concert pitch. Pitch, of course, refers to the frequency of sound. Concert pitch is the universally agreed upon definition of the pitch of middle C (and subsequently, every other note in an octave). From the dawn of written music to the present day, no matter where on earth you are, middle C always sounds the same. In other words, every musician in the world understands and interprets middle C in the same way. This is the simple definition of concert pitch. Many instruments, therefore, are manufactured to concert pitch. This means that when multiple musicians read “C” (or any other note on a scale) on a musical score, they produce identical sounds. Instruments that are manufactured in concert pitch include the piano, some brass instruments such as the trombone and baritone, some woodwinds such as the flute, oboe, and bassoon. Many other instruments are not made to produce concert pitch sounds. These are referred to as transposing instruments. Many woodwind instruments and some brass fall into this category. When a transposing instrument player reads and plays “C” in a musical score, it sounds different from a “C” played by a non-transposing instrument. Therefore, music that is written for a band consisting of both transposing and non-transposing instruments must be adapted for individual types of instruments. A typical marching band, for example, may have the same score of music transposed into two, three or more different keys. The clarinet is an excellent example of this. It is a transposing instrument, typically manufactured in B flat. If a B flat clarinet and a piano played a “C” at the same time, the sounds produced would not be the same. In order for a B flat clarinet to play a note that matches a piano playing a “C,” it would have to play one whole step higher. In other words, it would have to play a “D.” What if the two instruments had to play a song together? Music for the piano would be written at concert pitch. The same music would have to be transposed one key higher so that the clarinet would produce the same sound. Though the two songs appear to be in different keys, the sounds that each instrument would produce will match in pitch. Bb instruments include the Bb clarinet, the Bb bass clarinet, the Bb tenor sax, the Bb trumpet. Music for these instruments are written in a key which is a whole step higher than concert pitch. Eb instruments include the Eb clarinet, the Eb alto clarinet, the Eb alto sax, the Eb baritone sax, and the Eb alto horn. Music for this group of instruments needs to be written a minor 3rd lower than concert pitch. F instruments include the french horn and the English horn. Music for these instruments must be written in a key that is a perfect 4th lower than concert pitch. It sounds complicated. You may even ask: why not just manufacture the clarinet (or other transposing instruments) in concert pitch? Though it seems this would solve some problems, there are good reasons that certain instruments produce other pitches. The B flat clarinet is preferred because it produces a cleaner, more pleasant sound than a C soprano (concert pitch) clarinet. In fact, the same is true of many transposing instruments. So while using transposing instruments make more work for the composer, in the end it’s all about the product. Serious musicians are known for their keen sense of hearing. Since only the best quality sound will do for them, composers will keep writing scores with both types of instruments in mind.

 

All of the following are non chord notes that are effective additions to create a non-harmonic effect and increase the interest and depth of piece of musical composition.

Passing Tones

Used in a harmony line that plays under the melody, a passing tone usually varies from the melody by a whole tone or a third (half tones are sometimes used but not as often) and they are meant to fill in spaces in the melody by forming a connection between one note of the melody, and the next one.  Passing tones allow the music to flow more smoothly.  Although they are fairly simply to play, and even use when improvising, they add depth to the music.  Experiment with passing tones by adding them to chords when you practice. They also happen “under” the melody in harmony — they “pass through” the harmony and therefore create motion.

Appoggiaturas

From the Italian verb “appoggiare” mean to lean upon, appoggiaturas are notes which lengthen the principal note by half its intended length.  They are usually played on the strong beats in the bar, and are usually a whole note either higher or lower than the principal note to which they are grouped.  In modern music manuscripts these will look the same as the other notes on the line, but in early music periods they were printed smaller.  When played within a chord the appoggiatura can create a degree of dissonance, but this is resolved when the principal note is played

Anticipations

These occur when a note belonging to the next chord set is introduced into the current chord being played - creating an anticipation for the chord to come.   Unlike appoggiaturas, anticipations occur on the weak beat, and are usually most effective when used at the end of a musical phrase.

Neighboring Tones

A neighboring tone is a non chordal note that is played at either one tone above or below the chord that follows it.  As it isn’t part of the chord set that follows, it causes a slight dissonance that adds more interest to the music.   When the note is a tone higher, it’s known as either an upper neighboring tone or alternately an upper auxiliary note.  A neighboring tone that is a tone lower than the chord that follows it is known as a lower neighboring tone/lower auxiliary tone.

Suspensions

A suspension is created in three parts.  Firstly comes the preparation (initial play), and then the suspension (held whilst chord changes) and finally the resolution (moves into new chord).  It holds one note from the preceding chord and creates a tone connection between that chord and the next for one note before stepping down into the new chord. 

At first glance these may appear to have the same effect, but listen to chord dominated music while following the manuscript and you’ll learn how to identify anticipations from suspensions, and neighboring tones from appoggiaturas.  The best way to learn how to identify which non-chord tone is which however is to sit at the piano and try them out yourself.  As you play them, you will learn to hear the subtle tone emphasis and variations of each and so be able to identify them easier when listening to a piece of music.

 

Back in the period between roughly 1150 AD and 1400 AD there developed scales called “modes”, or “modal scales” (actually deriving from the Greeks some thousand years before.) And since music was centered in the church during that period they came to be known as “church modes.”

These modes haven’t been used very much for about 500 years, but now many contemporary musicians are using them as a basis for their compositions and improvisations. Listen to any “fusion” musician and you’ll hear the distinctive sound created by these ancient scales. While these modes can be played in any key, you can get a feel for them by just playing the white keys on your piano at first, noting the relationship of half-steps and whole-steps and listening to the distinctive sound of each mode. Watch this short summary video of the modal scales: Modal Scales on Piano: Dorian, Lydian, Mixolydian, etc.

I’m sure you’ve heard people say something like “She has a nice touch on the piano.” What does “nice touch” mean?

A piano is an instrument, a piece of equipment that makes sounds when you press the keys.  Anyone can take piano lessons, and with some practice and a patient piano tutor, can manage to make the piano play a tune.  But there’s more to playing a piano that being able to bang on the keys in the right sequence as dictated by the piece of music.

Music isn’t just about technical know-how as taught by a teacher, or even self-taught.  It’s about feeling, and that’s where this statement comes from.  Someone who has a nice touch on the piano is someone who really feels what they’re playing.  They know the music they’re playing, they understand what the composer intended, they’re sensitive to the emotion that is supposed to come from the piece of music and they convey this through the way they play and the atmosphere it creates.

Sometimes real piano playing genius doesn’t move between head and fingers, it also passes through the heart.  When you hear music that is played with that kind of emotion, whether it’s soft and tender, or it’s loud and filled with passion, the piano player conveys this raw emotion through the way they place their hands above the keys, the force with which they strike the keys, the way they move their body as they play and the way even the slightest of mood changes are reflected in both the player and the sound from the keyboard.

To have a nice touch on the piano doesn’t mean that you can read a piece of music and make it loud and soft in the right places, that again is technique that can be learned.  The emotion is something that comes in time to those who not only practice the actual playing of the music, but also have done some research and have an understanding of what the composer was thinking about when he created the piece.  If the pianist has the right emotion for each piece when they start to play they will be able to produce music that doesn’t just sound fast and loud, but rather urgent and afraid, or happy and free.  It won’t just sound slow and monotonous, but rather sad and lonely.  This isn’t anything to do with the notation on a piece of manuscript paper that sits on the music stand, but everything to do with the pianist’s empathy and understanding of what the composer intended entwined with the technical skills that come from hours of practice.

Anyone can learn the basics of piano playing, but if you want to be great, if you want to have a nice touch on the keyboard, then you need to not only think about the notes and chords you play, but develop a sensitive understanding of each piece of music’s history that you play, and deliver the emotion accordingly.  Listen to how various pianists play the same piece of music, you might be surprised how some of them touch you, and yet others playing the same music go right over your head.  The pianists with the nice touch, they’re the ones that play from their heart and their music touches yours.

It goes without saying, of course, than you have to master the basics of technique (getting your fingers in shape to play), fingering (using the right fingering so that your playing sounds smooth), pedal work so that there is a good balance between sustained notes and crisp notes, dynamics (the louds and the softs and everything in between) and all the other areas a pianist needs to know and do.

So play not just with your fingers, not just with your mind, not just using smooth phrasing and good pedal work, but play from your heart. If you learn to do that you may someday hear someone say about you - “She sure has a nice touch on the piano!”

Every major scale has a kissin’-cousin — a relative minor scale. It is related to the major scale of the key, but begins on the 6th note of the major scale. For example, if I were to play the C major scale but instead of playing it from C to C I played it from A to A, that would be the A minor natural scale. What makes it related? It uses the same notes — just starts and ends at a different point. To complicate the picture, there are 3 varieties of each minor scale: the natural minor scale, the harmonic minor scale, and the melodic minor scale. Please refer to this page on the web for audio samples of each type of minor scale: 3 kinds of minor scales Then watch this short video on minor scales: