A triad is a 3-note chord of some kind, and an augmented triad is composed of a major 3rd stacked on top of a major third. That creates the “unbalanced” sound typical of an augmented triad. This short video demonstrates how a major triad can be turned into an augmented triad with just one change:

For more information on augmented triads and a free cheat-sheet, come over to Augmented Triads

Note: This is a guest article (not by Duane)

You can learn piano online and this practice has many advantages. You can learn at our own pace and practice piano at the same time. You do not have to drive back and forth to your piano lessons if you do it this way. There are a lot of choices today to help you get started.

You can learn piano online in a short time. In the next lines we will talk about the different levels, types of guides, speed of learning and much more.

You can go online and search for the different teaching programs available. There are many courses available in ebooks, games, virtual teachers, videos and more. You also need to decide if you need beginner, intermediate or advanced piano lessons. You can either learn to read notes or play by ear. The type of guitar lessons that you will take will depend on the type of music you will play. You can choose between improvisation and music theory.

You can use the internet to find blogs and forums that will allow you to learn piano online and give you the advice you need. The company that you choose to learn piano online needs to offer you great customer support and good guides. You will also need to take into account that you will have other expenses such as books, piano light, keyboard, etc. The price of the guide to learn piano online does not matter a lot if you will get a great experience. Now that you have chosen your guide to learn piano you need to set a schedule and commit to it. You will need to dedicate a lot of time and consistency in this effort. If you get the right program to learn piano online you will be able to have fun and achieve great results.

If you take free introductory lessons you will assess what a company has to offer you. This way you will be able to check out the course before spending any money. You will get better results with a high quality guide to learn piano online. One of the best things about online learning is that you can choose how fast you learn. You can even learn to play piano in a week. You do not have to use a teacher, all you need is to play again the videos if you have missed out something in the past.

You have learned that you can learn piano online. But there are many things you need to consider before you can learn piano online. First you need to know the type of music you want to play and the level you need to improve. The company behind the course is really important. You need to check out their reputation. You can learn piano online at your own pace. This is one of the best things about this type of learning experience. You do not have to worry about that you have missed this or that lesson because you will see videos and everything using the Internet. You also need to take into account the additional expenses such as books and keyboards.

For a HUGE variety of ways to learn piano online, please go to PlayPianoCatalog.com

Somehow when folks talk about jazz chords they see them in an entirely different category from “regular chords”. So are they different? If so, how? This short video answers that question:

Then click here: “Super Chords Made Super Simple!”

As you well know, songs are made out of various chords linked together in a series called chord progressions. The more you know about the techniques of getting from chord to chord smoothly, the better, and one good way is to use “walk-ups”. They almost always work when the chord you are moving to is a perfect 4th higher (a frequent progression), but they also work in other situations. Watch this short video and you’ll get the idea:

For a TON of techniques like this, click on “101 Ways To Make Your Piano Playing Fuller!”

Here’s a short video overview of the world of chords — what they are, how they are formed, and how they relate to one another.

After watching the video, click here: The Wide World of Chords — An Overview From Above

Minor chords have a haunting quality that is unique as witnessed by the fact that countless composers from Beethoven to Billy Joel have written many pieces in minor keys. Watch this short video on minor chords, then click on the link under the video to go to the web page that illustrates minor chords.

Click here: Minor Chords

How important are major chords? Since probably 80% to 85% of all the chords used in music are some form of major chords, I’d say they are pretty important. And since there are only 12 of them (not counting enharmonic chords like Gb and F#) it’s not too much to go to the trouble of learning them.

Three of the major chords are composed of just white keys on the piano; three major chords have a black key as the 3rd of the chord; three major chords are like Oreo cookies; one major chord is composed of all black keys; and two are left over — B and Bb. Watch this short video and you will understand:

For more information on major chords please go to: Major Chords

What is the Circle of Keys? Some people call it the “Circle of 5ths”, while others call it the “Circle of 4ths”. In reality, it is the same thing — it just depends on whether you move to the right or the left on the circle.

The Circle of Keys describes key relationships — which keys are most closely related, and which keys have very little relationship to one another. For example, the Key of C and the Key of G are very closely related, because they only have one difference — the F# which is in the Key of G. Otherwise, they use the same notes of the scale (but start on different points, of course).

But the Key of C and the Key of Gb have very little in common, since they have 6 differences — the six flats in the Key of Gb. (Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, and Cb).

Listen to this 10-minute podcast and you will understand:

Circle of Keys [ 9:32 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

For more information on the Circle of Keys click on The Circle of Keys

Can you learn to arrange songs on the piano?

Absolutely! But in order to do that, you need to be able to analyze the structure of a song in terms of it’s form and it’s chords.

Watch this 2-minute video and see if this is something you would like to be able to do:

If so, click on How To Use Music Like a Map Instead of a Straight-Jacket

Sadly, jazz is slowly becoming a dying art. Cities were once full of jazz clubs, schools were teaching jazz as part of their curriculum and the “coolness” of jazz was alive and well. It was as much a part of American culture as baseball.

The modern day is much different. Many of those storied downtown clubs have closed, schools don’t have the budget to teach the many different styles of music, and only the major colleges and universities now have jazz studies curriculums as part of their degree programs.

With all of the headwinds facing jazz music, that doesn’t mean that it is dead. Still, there are a large amount of people who like to play as well as listen to jazz and if that’s you, there are plenty of reasons why learning how to play jazz piano is not a waste of time. There are many places to play, bands to join, and modern jazz musicians are still producing a lot of new music. With that in mind, let’s look at how we can get started learning.

It’s Easier than you Think

Jazz is not an easy style of music to learn but from a practical standpoint, you can sit in with a jazz band and sound half-way decent much earlier in your development than orchestral music. Imagine trying to sit in with a professional orchestra playing a piano concerto just a few months in to your lessons. With jazz, you can do that.

Why? In part because the amount of chords you deal with in jazz is smaller and those chords often come in a predictable pattern. Every jazz pianist, for example, must learn the 12 bar blues progression in all keys that are common to jazz music. Once you know that, you know the chord progression of a large amount of jazz music and for those songs that don’t fall in to the pattern, you quickly learn by experience.
You should also learn to read a lead sheet. A lead sheet has the melody written out in traditional music notation as well as the chord symbols above it. Learn to read those chord symbols and how to properly voice the chords and you can play with a jazz group. You probably can’t solo with them yet but you can provide chords and background accompaniment. The best way to learn how to read a lead sheet is to purchase a fake book. The New Real Fakebook is one that is well known among jazz musicians.

Anybody who studied jazz in school or took lessons on any instrument related to jazz probably used the Aebersold recordings. This collection has more than 100 volumes of common jazz music. Some of the recordings have the lead line taken out so you can practice soloing and other tracks only have the melody so you can practice accompanying a melody. The Aebersold recordings may be the best way to learn how to play along with a jazz band and best of all, they’re fun!

Every jazz musician will have to learn to solo at some point. Most teachers advise to start with the first 5 notes of the chord and only play 2 or 3 notes per measure. From there, you can work up to more notes and more complicated rhythms.

As always, the best way to learn how to play jazz piano is to take lessons. If your goal is to learn jazz piano, make sure your teacher has experience in this area but remember that regardless of the style you want to learn, you should take the time to learn the basics of piano playing so expect some “classical” training in addition to studying jazz.

For a course in Jazz & Blues Runs On The Piano, click here.

Did you grow up playing Chopsticks on the piano? I did. And many of my friends did. Even kids that didn’t play the piano knew how to play Chopsticks. It is probably the most “popular” piano song ever — not because it’s a great song, but because it is so easy to play.

If you would like to play it in a different way than everyone else, take a look at this short video. Perhaps it will stimulate some ideas in your mind that will apply not just to Chopsticks, but to arranging songs in general.

It’s fine if you WANT to play old hymns just as they are written in the hymnbook, but you certainly don’t have to. Most hymnbooks are written in 4 parts: soprano, alto, tenor and bass. But you as a piano player have 10 fingers and 88 keys — way more than just 4-part harmony. So what do you need to know to be able to arrange your own version of old hymns and gospel songs? Watch this short video and you’ll see.

Click here for info on Best-Loved Hymns & Gospel Songs

If you or a family member are planning to take piano lessons, you’re going to need an instrument at home in order to practice. Like every big purchase, you must be armed with a lot of research before you purchase an instrument.

Should I purchase an electric or electronic keyboard?

Maybe, but probably not. Electric keyboards, any instrument with a traditional piano keyboard but plugs in to an outlet and has no strings is what we will call an electric keyboard. The ideal answer to this question is, no, you cannot.

These keyboards or synthesizers are incredible instruments and should not be looked at as the black sheep of the piano family but there are limitations with these instruments. First, unless you purchase a professional grade acoustic model, you probably won’t have the 88 keys that come on a traditional piano. At the beginning of your piano lessons you won’t need all of these keys but soon enough, you’ll run out of keys on that synthesizer.

Second, without a professional level acoustic piano, the keys won’t feel the same as a traditional piano and this will cause problems as you become a better player. In order to purchase an electric piano that closely simulates the feel of a real piano, you’ll pay as much as the cost of buying a new or quality used piano.

Of course, if you find a synthesizer that works well at an incredible price, you could use that until you start playing more complex music but at some point you will probably need a real piano. Having a real piano is ideal but if your only option is a synthesizer, that will be just fine for the beginning stages.
How much should I pay for a piano?

You’ve probably noticed that pianos range from affordable to more money than even the nicest home. If money weren’t an issue (wouldn’t that be nice) you would be best served to purchase an intermediate model piano that would last you as long as you played. If you get a beginning model, it may require a lot of tuning or break after a few years. You don’t need a luxury, professional line piano unless you play for a long time and decide that you want to make a career of piano or have the financial means to do it.
Remember, some people purchase pianos for their children and when they grow older and move out, moms and dads want the piano to go with them. You can find great used pianos for bargain prices in your community. Before purchasing, pay a piano technician to check the condition of the sound board and keys.
What brands should I focus on?

Like most products, this is largely a matter of opinion. Most musical instruments in the intermediate category are handmade so there can be beautiful sounding instruments as well as musical lemons in every brand. Most people buying a musical instrument will play multiple instruments from the same make and model before deciding on one. Brand names like Steinway and Baldwin and Yamaha and Kawaii are commonly considered trusted names but others may be just as good. If I could afford a Bosendorfer, that would be my first choice, but certainly not for a beginner. This is another one of those times were a piano technician can help you and paying them a little bit of money to evaluate the instrument is money well spent.
How often should I have my piano tuned?

Tuning not only makes the piano sound good, it keeps the strings properly tensioned. Consistent tension not only keeps the strings sounding good but it also keeps the proper and even tension on the soundboard which helps to keep it from cracking. When you tune a piano once every 6 months to a year, it will stay in tune longer and the tone of the piano will improve. (By the way, you cannot tune a piano yourself. If you have a DIY type of person in the house, don’t let them touch the piano.)

Bottom Line

Keep reading. Before heading out to purchase an instrument, learn everything you can about what to look for in a quality piano. There are plenty of resources on this site as well as piano manufacturer sites, consumer sites, blogs, and forums.

When you listen to a song on the radio, or a piece at a concert, are you sometimes overcome with the complexity of it all? I know I am. When I am at a symphony concert and the orchestra is playing Mozart or Shostakovich or Bach, I try to follow the many individual parts going on and feel like I’m drowning in music. And while it’s a great feeling, sometimes I have to bring myself back to reality and remind myself that in the final analysis, there are only three basic elements in music: the melody (but there can be many melodies at once at times), harmony (the tonal environment in which the melody lives), and rhythm (the “pulse” or “beat” of the piece — and again, there can be several going on at the same time). Watch this very short video (3 minutes or so) and be reminded again of the simplicity of music within all the complexity:

“Understanding & Mastering Music Theory Inside Out!”

There are many, many forms of the blues, from rhythm-and-blues to all kinds of jazz tunes to hundreds, if not thousands of popular songs, and even some kinds of gospel music. In this podcast I discuss the basis of the scale that makes up the tones used in the blues:

Blues [ 7:41 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

For a course in jazz and blues runs based on the blues scale, please click on “Jazz & Blues Runs”

Four Pianists turned Politicians

Charles Dickens played the accordion, Neil Armstrong played the Baritone Horn, Thomas Jefferson played the violin, and Basketball great Wayman Tisdale played the bass guitar. These are only a few well known people who play a musical instrument. Although these are all worthy stories, let’s focus on the piano. As you might imagine, there are a lot of people you may have heard of who have played piano. (We’ll skip people like Elton John, Billie Joel, and Little Richard for obvious reasons) Today, we’re focused on people who have made a name for themselves as a political figure.

Condoleezza Rice

Condoleezza Rice was the first African American woman as well as the second woman to serve as the United States Secretary of State. She served in this position from 2005-2009 under President George W. Bush. She now serves as a faculty member of Stanford University.

Ms. Rice is a highly accomplished piano player. When she was 15, she played with the Denver Symphony Orchestra which was an award for a piano competition she had won. Today, Ms. Rice plays a few times a month with a string quartet in Washington with a group of lawyers in her apartment. Many of her quartet members, like her, are highly trained with one being a former college cello teacher. In addition she has performed with Yo-yo Ma as well as solo performances at embassies and for Queen Elizabeth II.

Bill Clinton

Most people who remember the Bill Clinton presidential era know that his Saxophone was an integral part of who he was. He didn’t have the virtuoso ability of Condoleezza Rice but he did have a talent that allowed him to play and enjoy the saxophone and music in general. He was even presented with a custom made presidential saxophone that was later donated to a museum.

Harry Truman

As a young boy Harry Truman woke up at 5am every day and practiced piano for two hours. He once said that if he was good enough, he would have never been president but instead a professional pianist. His mother was his first teacher and later, he had teachers in his town. At age 15 he quit taking piano lessons telling his mother that he would never be good enough to play full time.

According to the Truman library, in 1945 he played piano for a group of Methodist women, winked at them and said, “When I played this, Stalin signed the Potsdam Agreement.”

Richard Nixon

President Nixon is known for bigger things than his musical talent but most people don’t know that not only was Richard Nixon a pianist but he was also a composer. In fact, a concerto that he wrote was so good that he performed it on the Jack Parr show and five years later, he became President of the United States.

Although we mention only four American political figures, the world is filled with many more. Brittish Prime ministers and Indian peace movement leaders are just a few examples of the many around the world who have made the piano their instrument of choice.

People like this are proof that music is very accommodating. You don’t have to play music full time to enjoy the benefits of playing.

Some cousins don’t get along with each other, but others are “kissing cousins”. And that’s exactly what the C major scale and the A minor scale are - kissing cousins.

What makes them like that? They are related because they share the very same notes. If you play the C scale from A to A, what you have is the A natural minor scale. (There are other varieties of minor scales, such as harmonic and melodic, but that’s not our subject here.)

Please watch this 14-minute video and learn which scales are related to each other and why:

For an exhaustive course on scales, come on over to All About Scales & How To Use Them!

Here is an easy 2-chord pattern that even beginners can learn to play right away. All it consists of is two chords — and I’ll keep it in the key of G to keep it simple — G and C. By playing the G chord in 2nd inversion (in other words, upside down) you can move to the C chord just by moving your thumb up one key and your little finger up one key, making it very simple to learn. Watch this 8-minute video and you’ll quickly get the idea:

Do you know what chords are used most frequently in a song? Of course, any individual song could differ, but if you took all the songs and put them in a computer and had the computer figure out which chords happened the most often, you would get a clear answer - no doubt about it.

Watch this short little video which explains a chord chart that reveals those most frequently-used chords:

Click on either Chord Piano or the Crash Course.

If you want to play hymns straight out of the hymnbook as is, go to it. But most hymnbooks are written for 4-part voices — not for piano — and it’s a shame to waste all those 10 fingers of yours on just 4 part harmony when you could be getting such a much bigger and more flavorful sound! When sopranos, altos, tenors and basses sing those four parts, it sounds great. But you as a pianist have a MUCH bigger range. You have 88 keys, from the lowest A to the highest C. So why not use many of those to create more interest and color in your gospel songs and hymns? Watch this short little video I made to demonstrate some of the ways that can be done:

For a complete course on arranging hymns and gospel songs, come on over to “The Best-Loved Gospel Hymns Of All Time!”