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 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!”

The “Walk On Up Blues/Gospel Chord Progression” is an obvious but useful technique in the toolbox of the pianist. After all, the I to IV progression is used all the time in music, so there are multiple times in most songs where this technique — or some variety of it — can be used.

For more good stuff like this, come on over to Praise & Gospel Piano!

If you love old hymns and gospel songs, take a look at this 7-minute video. It is a preview of a course I have in arranging hymns and gospel songs — making them more interesting and exciting using chord techniques such as passing tones, color tones, chord subs, rapid runs, melody alternations, and so on. After you watch the video, come on over to “Best Loved Gospel Hymns” and check it out.

By using chord substitutions, old hymns and gospel songs can be transformed into completely new arrangements. In this video Duane demonstrates using the song “Fairest Lord Jesus” and transforms a gospel song which originally used only 4 or 5 chords into an arrangement using many, many chords — probably 20 or so.

If you find this interesting, come on over to http://www.gospelpiano.com

A real easy way to create more motion in a song is through the use of “walk-ups”. Then if you add in a little IV of the IV chord progression, you can get a kind of “gospel” sound. Watch this 5-minute video:

If you enjoy playing hymns or gospel music of any kind, then you need to know that there are umpteen ways to make those old songs sound more interesting and exciting. In this short video I demonstrate a couple of the techniques, such as using chord substitutions, adding fillers, using color tones, altering the melody slightly, and so on.

And for a full course in playing hymns and gospel songs be sure to go on over to www.gospelpiano.com.

Gospel music is full of history and soul. It comes from a rich tradition of folk songs and church hymns. Gospel stays alive by remaining relevant, taking various aspects of the musical culture of the day and bringing those aspects into the spiritual fold. In modern gospel, jazz has been introduced into traditional songs. This has sparked the musical term “gospel chords.”
Gospel chords are extended chords, such as the 9th, 11th and 13th. Maybe you’re not familiar with these chords. If you’re not sure how to form these chords, here’s a brief lesson.

Start with a dominant seventh chord. This is a basic triad with a flatted seventh added. For example, in the key of C, the basic triad is C-E-G. This is a C major chord. In the C major scale, the seventh is a B, so the flatted seventh is a Bb. To get a dominant seventh, we’ll add the Bb to the basic triad.

This chord can be played in many different ways. You can use the left hand for the root and leave the other three notes for the right hand. You can play all of the notes on one hand. You can switch them around to your heart’s content. When you switch the notes of a chord around like these, you are using inversions.

To get the 9th, 11th, and 13th you’ll have to add more notes to the chord. Since the notes of the octave are number 1-7, you must continue past one octave with numbering. The 9th tone is an octave above the 2nd; the 11th is an octave above the 4th, and the 13th is an octave above the 6th. This is where using different hands for different chord tones really comes in handy. A well-played gospel chord shouldn’t sound cluttered.

Now that you have studied all those extended gospel chords, when are you going to use them? Now that you have studied all those extended gospel chords, where are you going to use them? To start with, any gospel number can be spiced up with some jazz gospel chords. Try them out and see what works for you.

Take a standard like The Old Rugged Cross. In the key of A, the progression is A, A7, D, B7, E, E7, A. To give it some flavor, substitute any of the dominant seventh chords with 9th, 11th or 13th chords. Experiment with them to see what suits your taste. Change the tonalities of the chords. Take the B7 and make it a Bm7. When they are worked into a simple progression, extended gospel chords make things a bit more musical. They give the song more depth and color, creating a rich sonic picture.

Gospel music is always evolving, taking different aspects of modern styles and incorporating them into a whole. Practice bringing some extended chords into old arrangements and see what sounds good to you. With a little practice and experimentation, you’ll find yourself livening up any traditional praise song with a series of well-placed gospel chords.

Does the cold, cerebral feel of modern jazz leave you cold? Maybe you’d like to have a little bit of “gospel” in your jazz? Maybe you just want to take an old hymn and give

it some updating. Then you’ll need to load yourself with an arsenal of gospel jazz chords.

Gospel jazz chords involve extending the dominant seventh chord with additional tones. The ninth, 11th and 13th chords are all used in gospel jazz. These are extensions of

the basic dominant seventh chord. If you don’t know how to form a dominant seventh, here’s the rundown.

The dominant seventh is formed by taking a basic triad, which is 1-3-5, and adding a b7. In the key of C, you would play the notes C, E, G and Bb. The C chord is formed by

the C, E and G. The major seventh is B, so you would lower it a half-step to get Bb. Play this chord and notice how it brings to mind some great blues and jazz. The C

dominant seventh chord is written as C7.

Now you’re going to learn a bit more theory to understand gospel jazz chords. Since the notes of a major scale are numbered 1-7, where does the ninth tone come from? It

comes from extending the scale beyond one octave. After the seventh tone of the scale comes the root, which is considered the eighth tone of the scale. So the ninth tone is

the second, only an octave higher. To form a ninth chord, take a dominant seventh and add the ninth.

The 11th and 13th chords are formed in a similar fashion. The 11th tone of the scale is just an octave above the fourth, while the 13th is an octave above the sixth. The

13th is one of the most used gospel jazz chords. By extending chords to these extremes, you’ll hear some interesting tonalities and overtones develop in a well-tuned

instrument.

Since every note of these chords is easily played on a piano, the resulting sound may get a little muddy. Some of the tones create a clash with other tones. A clash is when

two notes that are a half step apart are played together. Sometimes a clash is useful, while at other times it isn’t. For these reasons, less important tones are often left

out of extended gospel jazz chords. Take the ninth chord, for example. The fifth is often dropped from the chord to create a cleaner emphasis on the third, seventh and

ninth tones of the chord. Try it and hear the difference.

Though it all seems a bit complex at first, the simple theory of gospel jazz chords comes naturally with a little practice. Try these chords in different keys, leave out

different chord tones, and find out what gospel jazz chords sound best to you. These chords are useful in other jazz styles, as well. Even popular music today makes slick

use of extended gospel jazz chords. Tasteful use of these chords can spice up even the most ordinary of hymns and gospel songs.
Check out Gospel Piano.

Gospel music is full of history and soul. It comes from a rich tradition of folk songs and church hymns. Gospel stays alive by remaining relevant, taking various aspects of the musical culture of the day and bringing those aspects into the spiritual fold. In modern gospel, jazz has been introduced into traditional songs. This has sparked the musical term “gospel chords.”

Gospel chords are extended chords, such as the 9th, 11th and 13th. Maybe you’re not familiar with these chords. If you’re not sure how to form these chords, here’s a brief lesson.

Start with a dominant seventh chord. This is a basic triad with a flatted seventh added. For example, in the key of C, the basic triad is C-E-G. This is a C major chord. In the C major scale, the seventh is a B, so the flatted seventh is a Bb. To get a dominant seventh, we’ll add the Bb to the basic triad.

This chord can be played in many different ways. You can use the left hand for the root and leave the other three notes for the right hand. You can play all of the notes on one hand. You can switch them around to your heart’s content. When you switch the notes of a chord around like these, you are using inversions.

To get the 9th, 11th, and 13th you’ll have to add more notes to the chord. Since the notes of the octave are number 1-7, you must continue past one octave with numbering. The 9th tone is an octave above the 2nd; the 11th is an octave above the 4th, and the 13th is an octave above the 6th. This is where using different hands for different chord tones really comes in handy. A well-played gospel chord shouldn’t sound cluttered.

Now that you have studied all those extended gospel chords, when are you going to use them? Now that you have studied all those extended gospel chords, where are you going to use them? To start with, any gospel number can be spiced up with some jazz gospel chords. Try them out and see what works for you.

Take a standard like The Old Rugged Cross. In the key of A, the progression is A, A7, D, B7, E, E7, A. To give it some flavor, substitute any of the dominant seventh chords with 9th, 11th or 13th chords. Experiment with them to see what suits your taste. Change the tonalities of the chords. Take the B7 and make it a Bm7. When they are worked into a simple progression, extended gospel chords make things a bit more musical. They give the song more depth and color, creating a rich sonic picture.

Gospel music is always evolving, taking different aspects of modern styles and incorporating them into a whole. Practice bringing some extended chords into old arrangements and see what sounds good to you. With a little practice and experimentation, you’ll find yourself livening up any traditional praise song with a series of well-placed gospel chords.

A staple of both spiritual and secular singers alike, Amazing Grace is one of the world’s most popular songs. John Newton, its writer, lived a life full of sin and redemption, which inspired the song’s lyrics. According to Newton’s biography, the words of Amazing Grace show the song was very personal in nature.

Newton was born in London. A former slave ship captain when he wrote the hymn, he started his life at sea with the British Navy. He narrowly avoided becoming a slave master in Jamaica. In the Navy, he rose to the rank of midshipman. When he tried to desert, however, he was put into irons and reduced in rank. Newton asked to serve aboard a West African-bound slave ship and ended up on the coast of Sierra Leone. The slave master whom he served was abusive, and eventually he was taken back to England aboard yet another slave ship.

During this trip, the ship met a violent storm at sea. Newton prayed for his life as the ship was deluged with water. This was his first taste of Amazing Grace. It marked the beginning of his conversion to Christ.

In 1754, Newton was forced out of the slave trade and off of the sea when a serious illness threatened his life. He applied to be an Anglican priest, but in the time he waited for acceptance into the priesthood he also applied to the Methodist and Presbyterian churches. In 1764, he was ordained into the Church of England.

Though he was converted, it took some time before Newton regretted his slave trading days. (What else is new? It takes all of us a long time to get our actions in line with our heart.) As he wrote in his lyrics, “I once was lost, but now am found.” Later in his life he became a powerful abolitionist, writing many articles against slavery.

Newton originally wrote six verses for Amazing Grace, but modern times have brought about a seventh. Composed by John P. Rees, Harriet Beecher Stowe published the additional and now-final verse in her novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

The melody of Amazing Grace isn’t Newton’s own. The exact origin is murky. Originally Amazing Grace was sung using a variety of melodies. A song called Old Regular Baptist was a commonly used melody. Other accounts point to a Scottish bagpipe tune as the basis for the familiar melody, which is a reason the song is often associated with the instrument. A popular myth held that the melody was an old drinking song, though this has been disproved.

From Rod Stewart to Kylie Minogue, Amazing Grace has been honored by many voices through the years. It’s even become known as the unofficial Cherokee National anthem, with altered lyrics to fit the Cherokee language.

Amazing Grace is an eternal song, both in use and meaning. Its message of redemption applies to any person who turns from his or her sin and cries out to God for forgiveness. For this and many other reasons, it will stand the test of time.

Have you ever heard of Mike Bereal?

I hadn’t, but a friend sent me this to watch. This guy is good! Go to the page by clicking on the link below — it’s a sales page for his course, but you don’t have to buy — just watch the video and listen to his crisp playing!

Watch this guy play!