To play smoothly, a piano player needs to learn to move from chord to chord by using close inversions rather than jumping from root chord…

When a song is in a minor key, but is then ended in a major key, it is termed a “picardy 3rd.” The old tune Greensleeves is an excellent example of the use of a picardy 3rd.

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Work some variety into your piano practice times. You don’t always have to play the same exercises the same way. On this short video I illustrate how you can take a boring exercise and make it fun by adding staccato, syncoptation, chords, and so on.

The ability to hear musical sounds and make sense out of them is of crucial importance to any musician. Your ear can be improved by drilling on various musical sounds until you remember them without thinking. On this short video we will drill briefly on intervals — 2nds, 3rds, 4ths, etc.

Watch the video below to learn some ways of breaking up piano chords with your right hand:

When the subject of piano practice comes up it is usually greeted with a groan, like some disease that needs to be avoided at all cost. That is probably because practice has traditionally been equated with boring drills and scales and endless exercises.

It doesn’t have to be that way.  Instead of viewing practice as a chore that needs to be done, view it as an opportunity to have fun rehearsing songs and pieces you enjoy playing just for the joy of it, or to entertain family or friends. Start by playing your very favorite piece and getting yourself in a positive mood, then gradually work in the rehearsals of chords, scale fragments, theory, and so on. And make sure you UNDERSTAND what you are playing in terms of chord progressions and form. Otherwise you are just playing from rote, and nothing can be more boring than that. If you DON’T understand, take a course in music theory or chords so that you will understand — it makes all the difference in the world!

Don’t do it all in one sitting, either. Break it up in bite-sized segments so you don’t get tired or bored. It is far better to practice 4 sessions of 15 minutes than only one session of an hour. Why? Because the mind can only concentrate for so long at a time without wandering, and the seat gets restless too.

Turn your short practice sessions into fun, and you’ll progress just that much faster.

So you want to learn to play music? You’ve never had a lesson on an instrument and don’t even know where to start? Learning to play music can be as simple or challenging as you want. Whether you want to learn the guitar, the piano or the tuba doesn’t matter. Just challenge yourself and you’ll be making music before you can say embouchure.

First of all, there are many instruments that are very easy to learn. The simplest is the kazoo. The pitch of a kazoo is entirely controlled by your mouth. No fingerings to learn. Just put it to your mouth and buzz.

Moving up the scale are other mouth instruments, such as the harmonica and melodica. The harmonica takes seconds to learn but a lifetime to master. Harmonicas come tuned in a certain key, so that there are no out-of-key notes. As long as you use the proper harmonica for the key, you’ll sound musical. Of course, there are many other techniques to learn, but for the beginner trying to learn to play music, the simplicity of the harmonica is great.

The melodica is a keyboard instrument that is powered by air from your lungs. You blow into the mouthpiece and play the keyboard like a piano. The only difference is that the keyboard is facing away from you, perpendicular to your body. Most melodicas cover only an octave or two, giving you a smaller range.

The piano is another great instrument to start learning to play music. Every note is laid out in front of you, with nothing hidden. Using the white keys, you can play anything in the key of C. The amount of musical expression attainable on the piano is unmatched by other instruments, as it’s both a melodic and percussive instrument.

There are many benefits of learning to play music as an adult. Increased confidence, mental stimulation and sheer joy are just a few of them. Imagine entertaining friends with your new skills! Maybe you always wanted to have your own band and never pursued it in your youth. Learn to play music as an adult and have the musical fun that you missed. It’s never too late to stimulate your mind in new and exciting ways.

You’ll meet new people when you become a musician. It’s surprising when you learn who secretly always wanted to play in a band or hold an audience enraptured through a Debussy piano piece. From CEOs to maintenance workers, there are part-time musicians everywhere you look. Maybe your boss, the secret guitarist, will find out that you’re learning to play music. Suddenly you’re a new blip on the radar and you have a buddy to jam with on Sundays.

Whatever your reasons for learning to play music as an adult, you’ll love it. Pick up a simple instrument like the kazoo or a vast one like the piano and practice. Find a cheap guitar, some online instruction and learn your favorite songs by the Who. Buy a harmonica, start a campfire and play the blues. The possibilities are endless, as long as you keep your enthusiasm and continue to practice.

The thought of learning to play the piano is intimidating for many people. Before they touch a keyboard, they have preconceived notions of how difficult it will be. For many, the thought of reading musical notes and learning the piano keys frightens them. They want to learn music; they just want the process to be easier.

There is no hiding the fact that learning to play an instrument well means committing your time and energy to practicing. However, the learning process can be enjoyable if you begin with easy play music. Easy play music seeks to simplify music so a player can learn songs they enjoy faster. This inspires someone to continue practicing to build his or her skills. The easy play music method makes students look forward to practicing.

What is easy play music? Easy play music is unadorned, uncomplicated music. This kind of music centers on basic melody and harmony. Its purpose is to teach the basics so a student grasps the foundations of a song. They can then build on this foundation by adding more complex elements to a piece as they build their playing skills.

Easy play music is for people who want a straightforward, easy-to-understand method for learning the piano or any instrument. The purpose of learning music the easy play way is to forgo the complex elements of music in the early stages of learning. Easy play music gets music students playing simple tunes quickly so they build confidence. People who are confident in their playing are more likely to tackle increasingly sophisticated compositions. Gradually they build their level of musicianship.

This music is available from online stores and music-book retailers. In addition, easy play music is often available from places that sell pianos or offer piano lessons.

Easy play music comes in many formats. One can learn from online tutorials, CDs, DVDs or sheet music. They offer people alternatives to traditional classical music lessons. Instructors design easy play music to accommodate the learning needs of those new to music study. The following are ways you can use easy play music to build your music skills.

Online or DVD Methods

Online videos, or DVDs, employ the show and tell aspects of music instruction. One can watch a piano teacher play certain song patterns on the keyboard while listening to the music. Students of any age can visualize piano patterns, which help them become familiar with the keyboard.

They can pause and replay melodies until they build aural recognition of song patterns. Of course, through online videos and DVDs, a student can also see and study sheet music presented onscreen. They can follow the simpler sheet music as they listen to a song playing.

CD Methods

With CDs, a music enthusiast can play simple melodies along with the CD accompaniment. Today, there are many easy piano arrangements of classical and contemporary songs. The songbooks that are part of the package usually have matching custom arrangements for easy piano and voice. You can buy a CD and with it receive the written easy play melody and lyrics. You will also receive simple chord voicings that provide the harmonic backdrop to a song. You can play along with an orchestra backing you.

Sheet Music

If you want to play solo, there are a myriad easy play music books. You receive stripped down compositions that highlight the basic melody and chord progression of a tune. These simplified compositions are the true essence of the original, more complex work. These versions of songs from any genre can aid you in teaching yourself to play your favorite tunes in no time.

Once you learn the basic melody and harmony of a song, you can build your improvisational skills. You can add extra notes as you see fit. You can learn to build different chords from the basic chords provided in an easy play music version of a song. You can also experiment in different keys or try different dynamics (louder or softer playing). You may want to try different tempos as well.

You can try all of this once you are confident you are playing the melody and harmony properly. That’s what easy play music does for you. It teaches the basics and then propels you into new uncharted and exciting musical territory.

Adults often come to the point in their lives when they want to explore new hobbies. One of the most common hobbies adults pursue is learning to play the piano. It may be the first time they play or a return to a childhood pleasure. Whether you’re an adult sitting down to learn the instrument for the first time or you want to brush up on your skills, keep in mind some basic rules of piano practice.

Posture is very important. Make sure that the piano bench is high enough. Your shoulders should hang freely, while your forearms are parallel to the floor. This allows the greatest freedom of movement and keeps your body from feeling constricted. While your hands are directly in front of you on the keyboard, your elbows should be just slightly forward of the center of your body. Sit forward on the bench so that your body is relaxed.

Create a regular piano practice schedule. Start with short sessions of 15 minutes. Increase the time as your skill progresses and your hands start to feel more limber. You may not have time for piano practices longer than half an hour, but that’s enough to increase your skill and flexibility. Just try not to miss too many days in a row. Time of day is important. Pick a time when you’ll be least distracted by the worries of life.

Practice books are extremely helpful for both beginners and experienced players. These contain exercises and tips that improve your technique. Many also teach musical theory, providing detailed explanations of scales, chords, modes and relative tonality. This is great for expanding your musical palette and understanding how melodies and harmonies work in the context of a piece.

Piano practice books also contain musical pieces adjusted to your skill level. At the end of each chapter you’ll often find a piece that demonstrates techniques that you learned in the preceding pages. It may take a while to coordinate both of your hands, so don’t expect to play at full speed right away. Practice each hand separately, at a moderate speed, before combining the two parts. You’ll be less discouraged and find that your playing is more accurate.

Remember, piano practice isn’t a competition. Even if you are a highly driven individual, take your time and be patient when learning the piano. You’ll avoid frustration and possible injury if you avoid pushing yourself too hard. It’s supposed to be enjoyable.

A metronome is an invaluable tool for piano practice. A metronome is a device that keeps perfect time, providing an audible beat set to an exacting tempo. Metronomes are adjustable from very slow to very fast, well within the limits of pieces you’ll be practicing. Even if you feel that you have a great sense of timing, invest in this handy little tool for your piano practice sessions. You’ll be amazed how often you change tempos slightly while running through exercises.

Whatever amount of time and dedication you are able to invest in the piano, it’s a great instrument for adults to learn. The piano is a few hundred years old, and people are still exploring its musical possibilities. Join their ranks and make music that you’ll love for the rest of your life.

Rock and roll piano springs from many different styles. On the surface the early styles just seemed to be blues playing at a high speed, but a closer look reveals a lot more under the surface. Rock and roll piano is an amalgam of many styles as is jazz or classical playing.

One of the pioneers of rock and roll piano is Little Richard. Little Richard was a fiery pianist, combining boogie-woogie, rhythm and blues and gospel music into his own unique blend. In fact, his introduction to music was in a highly energetic church environment. Combined with his highly suggestive singing, Little Richard formed the basics of rock and roll. He emphasize the back beat in his music to give it wild momentum, unlike many of his peers. James Brown once said that Little Richard “put the funk in the rock and roll beat.”

Jerry Lee Lewis is also a founder of rock and roll piano. His poor family mortgaged their farm in order to buy a piano, and he learned from playing with his cousins. His style combined similar elements as Little Richard’s, but with the inclusion of country piano. One of his early influences was country boogie player Moon Mullican, whose piano style was a precursor to rock and roll. Lewis developed his style at a young age,  but he transformed traditional gospel numbers into boogie songs.

Before these two performers, there was a man named Fats Domino. In 1949, he released a record entitled “The Fat Man,” which became the first rock and roll record to sell a million copies. During the most successful part of his career, he had many Top 40 hits until the tastes of the record buying public changed. Without his contribution to rock and roll piano, we may have never have heard Lady Madonna by the Beatles.

Both Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis treated the piano not only as an instrument, but as a prop as well. They would play standing up. They would kick the bench out from under them. They would dance on top of the piano while the band continued to play. Rock and roll piano was an untamed beast. Even today Elton John and Billy Joel, artists who are considered very mainstream, adopt some of these wild antics Rock and roll piano lives on in a different form today. There are revivalists, traditionalists and copycat artists all around the world. Popular artists from each subsequent musical generation have mined the style, updating it and adding to their own stew. There are always new avenues to explore in rock and roll.

Last time we talked about how musicians improvise on the 12 bar blues. The other standard form on which improvisation takes place is the popular song. Each popular song has its own distinctive chord progression, plus its own unique melody. In the 12-bar blues form there was only the chord progression structure — no melody.

Most popular songs fall itno one of thress categories:

ABA form — in other words, theme A, theme B, and theme A repeated

AABA form - theme A, theme A repeated, theme B, theme A

ABAC form - theme A, theme B, theme a, theme C

The largest percentage of popular songs fall into the AABA category, the usual length of the song being 32 bars:

A - 8 bars

A - 8 bars

B - 8 bars

A - 8 bars

Musicians improvise from the chord structure of the popular song, often making reference to the individual melody in their improvised creations.

There are other forms, of course, such as verse-chorus, and you find this form typically in folk songs and hymns, as well as in some pop songs.

Nobody knows exactly how the musicians around the turn of the century came to settle on a  format for the blues, but at least by shortly after 1900 it was obvious that the blues were generally performed in a 12 measure format which came to be referred to as simply “the blues.” It’s possible to have “blue notes” (flat 3rds, 5ths, 7ths) in any popular song, but when jazz musicians speak of the blues, they usually mean the 12-bar format.

Here is the structure of the 12-bar blues:

*4 bars of the I chord (the root chord of whatever key you’re playing in)
*2 bars of the IV chord (often with the 7th)
*2 bars of the I chord
*2 bars of the V chord (almost always with the 7th) or 1 bar of the V chord followed by 1 bar of the IV chord.
*2 bars of the I chord

Then repeat for as many times as desired.

Over this chord structure the musicians improvised a melody based on the given chords and scales of those chords. He or she is free to play whatever they want to play, consistent with his ability and taste. Typically the blues is performed by a small group, often made up of a piano, bass, drums, and 1 or 3 solo instruments such as a sax or trumpet.

Most improvisation is done in one of two basic frameworks:

1. The 12-bar blues.

2. The popular song.

There are other forms, particularly in contemporary improvisation, such as an agreement that improvisation will take place for 16 bars in the Dorian mode, 8 bars in the Lydian mode, then 8 bars in the Dorian Mode again. There is even a “free” form, where musicians just start playing and see what happens. But far and away the two main forms cover virtually all of improvised music today. Tomorrow we’ll take a look at the 12-bar blues form.

If you will think of most any piece of music, I think you will find that it is based on the twin factors of tension and relaxation.

For example, if you play nothing but a major chord over and over, there is no tension at all. If a famous pianist just played the same chord over and over again at the same rate and the same volume, people whould soon get bored and leave, no matter how great the reputation of the pianist.

But why? What’s wrong with a major chord? It seems to be a perfectly legitimate chord to play.

The answer is, of course, that no tension has been created by his performance. It is all relaxation. And for music to interest us, there has to be some kind of a balance between tension and relaxation.

What if our pianist played a song that never repeated a single chord twice — and was just a conglomeration of dissonant sounds that went nowhere in no cohesive order? We might be interested for a while, but the tension would finally drive us to get up and leave — because there was no relaxtion at all in the piece.

To be enjoyable, any piece of music has to hit some happy medium between tension and relaxation. Next time you hear a song, think about that, and I know you’ll find it true.

One of the hardest things to learn when beginning to play the piano is hand independence.   At first it seems complicated just getting your fingers on one hand to flow up and down the keys the way you want them to, without worrying about what your other hand is doing, but it does get better!  There are two methods of improving your hand co-ordination that you can try to see if they help.

Firstly, practice each hand separately.  Practice the notes on the right hand first of all.  Get the melody straight in your mind.  Learn how to place your fingers so that the notes are comfortable to play and don’t have awkward reaches.  Start off slowly, use a metronome to learn the timing of the piece of music, and slowly build it up to where it’s supposed to be.  Do the same with your left hand.  The harmony on the left hand will be more chord related than the melody.  As with the right hand, practice will help you remember which keys are involved with which chords and this will become easier for you to remember.  Use the metronome to help you build to the correct timing so that you are playing both right and left hands at the same tempo.  Once you are comfortable with both hands, bring them together.  You should try to put them together at least once per practice session so that you get an idea for how you’re progressing. 

The second method is to play both hands together but very slowly.  Ignore all timing until you’re comfortable with your ability to move your hands in different directions at the same time.  Acknowledge that this isn’t an easy skill, and that your progress in achieving this is a great step forward in your skill as a pianist.  The more times you practice, the more proficient you will get at this skill.  You’ll find that by practicing measure by measure you start to move your hands almost without thinking about it, and that’s when you’ll know that your training is paying off!

The worst thing you can do is to focus on the fact that you need your hands to do completely different things at the same time.  When you are relaxed and not thinking intensely about it, you’ll find the skill comes a lot easier.  If you start to play and you find that your left hand is all over the keys because you can’t look at both hands at once, concentrate on playing the melody.  If you are reading music, look at the music not your hands, with practice your fingers will know where they’re going without you watching them.  Trust in your ability to play the music.  As you relax and hear the melody, the harmony line on the music will grab your attention and you’ll find your left hand starting to play.  It might not be perfect at first, but that doesn’t matter.  The aim is to get both hands moving in different directions at the same time. 

As with patting your head and rubbing your stomach, it’s when you are least focused on what you’re trying to achieve that you’ll succeed in playing the piano with both hands.   Once you’ve mastered this skill, you’ll find that it becomes such second nature that you don’t think about it anymore, you just put your fingers on the keys, and play!

The Mozart Effect, Piano Playing and You

For years people have enjoyed the beauty of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s music. Those inclined to classical compositions enjoy the intricacies and nuances that are part of his works. His varied music inspires, soothes and invigorates those who take the time to listen to it.

Some researchers believe Mozart’s music does more than this. They expound on the Mozart Effect, which research suggests that listening to Mozart’s music may cause short-term improvement of spatio-temporal reasoning. This spatio-temporal reasoning is the performance of certain kinds of mental tasks.

The term Mozart Effect also includes popular versions of this theory. These popular theories suggest that listening to the composer’s music can make you smarter. Further, these theories state that there are benefits to mental development in those who listen to classical music in early childhood.

Those who have trademark products related to the Mozart Effect suggest even more. They believe that music has powers that can affect one’s quality of life positively in many ways. They believe music is beneficial for overall well being. They sell trademark music and music-related products to achieve this.

What does all this mean for those interested in piano playing and music in general? It means that music is a tool that, while used for enjoyment, may offer benefits beyond simple pleasure. Learning music, listening to music and playing the piano can help one in other activities.

The Mozart Effect and the temporary improvement of the performance of certain kinds of mental tasks are intriguing. This suggests it may be beneficial to listen to Mozart before you sit down to practice the piano. It may be a good thing to listen to Mozart before you sit down to construct a product. Maybe your next game of chess will improve after listening to Mozart.

The Mozart Effect may be beneficial to your actual piano playing in a variety of ways. Combining classical music listening with structured piano study can give you a total music education. It can accomplish this in three ways:

o First, the Mozart Effect may improve immediate piano study. Before you sit down for your regular piano practice session, listen to some Mozart. The temporary improvement of your spatio-temporal reasoning may be just the boost you need to get the most out of that session.

Make sure you get to the piano though in short time. Research suggests that this performance improvement benefit is not something that endures. In fact, some research suggests that the Mozart Effect may only last 10 or 15 minutes. That’s an excuse to sit down and listen to more Mozart, then get back to the keyboard again and practice.

o Second, Mozart, or other classical music, may pack that emotional punch you need. The majesty of the music can inspire you to sit down and create music of your own. This is the transformative power of organized, rhythmic, harmonic and melodic sound. The beauty of the music you hear works on your mind and emotions and can encourage action.

o Third, research showing that early childhood exposure to classical music is beneficial means you can boost mental development early on. They may grasp music concepts and principles and recognize sound patterns better later in life. The Mozart Effect is something to consider when teaching children music.

This beneficial effect on mental development may also pay other dividends. In later years, it may help individuals striving to excel in academia and in their careers. This is a significant point that those who research the Mozart Effect espouse. They speak of the long-term benefit of sustained exposure to classical music and how it boosts mental function.

Consider the benefits of Mozart’s music beyond the immediate pleasure of listening. Research further to find out how the Mozart Effect may help you in your efforts to improve your performance of daily tasks. In addition, consider how the Mozart Effect may help your piano study. You may find there’s more to his music than meets the ear.

Piano Practice Tips for Adults

Adults often come to the point in their lives when they want to explore new hobbies. One of the most common hobbies adults pursue is learning to play the piano. It may be the first time they play or a return to a childhood pleasure. Whether you’re an adult sitting down to learn the instrument for the first time or you want to brush up on your skills, keep in mind some basic rules of piano practice.

Posture is very important. Make sure that the piano bench is high enough. Your shoulders should hang freely, while your forearms are parallel to the floor. This allows the greatest freedom of movement and keeps your body from feeling constricted. While your hands are directly in front of you on the keyboard, your elbows should be just slightly forward of the center of your body. Sit forward on the bench so that your body is relaxed.

Create a regular piano practice schedule. Start with short sessions of 15 minutes. Increase the time as your skill progresses and your hands start to feel more limber. You may not have time for piano practices longer than half an hour, but that’s enough to increase your skill and flexibility. Just try not to miss too many days in a row. Time of day is important. Pick a time when you’ll be least distracted by the worries of life.

Practice books are extremely helpful for both beginners and experienced players. These contain exercises and tips that improve your technique. Many also teach musical theory, providing detailed explanations of scales, chords, modes and relative tonality. This is great for expanding your musical palette and understanding how melodies and harmonies work in the context of a piece.

Piano practice books also contain musical pieces adjusted to your skill level. At the end of each chapter you’ll often find a piece that demonstrates techniques that you learned in the preceding pages. It may take a while to coordinate both of your hands, so don’t expect to play at full speed right away. Practice each hand separately, at a moderate speed, before combining the two parts. You’ll be less discouraged and find that your playing is more accurate.

Remember, piano practice isn’t a competition. Even if you are a highly driven individual, take your time and be patient when learning the piano. You’ll avoid frustration and possible injury if you avoid pushing yourself too hard. It’s supposed to be enjoyable.

A metronome is an invaluable tool for piano practice. A metronome is a device that keeps perfect time, providing an audible beat set to an exacting tempo. Metronomes are adjustable from very slow to very fast, well within the limits of pieces you’ll be practicing. Even if you feel that you have a great sense of timing, invest in this handy little tool for your piano practice sessions. You’ll be amazed how often you change tempos slightly while running through exercises.

Whatever amount of time and dedication you are able to invest in the piano, it’s a great instrument for adults to learn. The piano is a few hundred years old, and people are still exploring its musical possibilities. Join their ranks and make music that you’ll love for the rest of your life.

Some musicians are true naturals. This certainly is true of Floyd Cramer, who learned to play the piano by ear at the age of five. Once he refined his raw talent, Floyd Cramer was on his way to being a musician others would seek when recording. Today, Floyd Cramer’s legacy is the wealth of music recordings that display his elegant style of piano playing.

Born on October 27, 1933 in Samti, Louisiana, near Shreveport, Floyd Cramer subsequently grew up in Huttig Arkansas. He taught himself to play piano and returned to Louisiana in 1951. He proceeded to play in the studio band on the popular radio show Louisiana Hayride. In 1955, he migrated to Nashville, Tenn.

In Nashville, Floyd Cramer’s skills were apparent, and he became an in-demand studio musician for country and western recordings. The piano was an instrument that this genre’s artists were using more in their music. As a studio musician, he played for Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Eddy Arnold, Roy Orbison, the Everly Brothers and more.

While being a studio musician was his specialty, Floyd Cramer did record solo albums too. In fact, in his career he recorded more than 50 albums under his name. In the early 1960s, he had three Top 100 Hits. Two of these were “Last Date” and “On the Rebound,” both original compositions. The third hit was his rendition of the Bob Wills hit “San Antonio Rose.”

Floyd Cramer did state that he felt the song “Last Date” was a good one for piano students. He said the song is an exercise for both hands. “Last Date” has solid left hand patterns. The song also makes a pianist play a dominant melody with the right hand. It provides for good interplay between the left and right hand.

In the 1960s, Floyd Cramer did touring with the guitarist Chet Atkins and saxophonist Boots Randolph. Chet Atkins was the producer of Floyd Cramer’s albums with RCA. For approximately two decades, the pianist worked for the recording giant.

Floyd Cramer’s signature style was his Slip Note or Bent Note sound. This style involved hitting a note and then immediately sliding into the next note. He noted that he was trying to fashion this sound after Mother Maybelle Carter’s auto harp playing.

This signature style was part of the Nashville sound prevalent in country and western music of that era. The Nashville sound of that time was a polished, slick form of country music. It employed ultra smooth production values. In addition, songs of this period often had lush background vocals. Floyd Cramer was one of the pioneers or architects of this Nashville sound.

Floyd Cramer won a Grammy Award in 1979 for Best Country Instrumental. This was for his song “My Blue Eyes.” In 2003, he received a double honor, posthumous. This was the year he received induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Today, biographies often label him as a true American Hall of Fame pianist.

Along with his music, Floyd Cramer employed other means to give to others. He funded a music scholarship at East Tennessee State University. He also worked each year to help organize an annual music festival in Nashville.

Though known for his contributions to the country and western music canon, Floyd Cramer played other styles as well. He was proficient in gospel, light classical and jazz music too. He never felt he should play only one style of music. He recorded versions of many popular top 40 tunes, such as “Mona Lisa,” “Music Box Dancer,” “Spanish Eyes” and “The Summer Wind.”

Floyd Cramer died on December 31, 1997 from cancer, at 64. He left the world a myriad recordings of beautiful music. From his country and western gems to his offerings in other styles, Floyd Cramer was a true professional musician. Whether on his own, or backing others in the studio, he has left us a treasure trove of recorded music.

How Can I Modulate Smoothly from One Key to Another?

The first thing you need to do is ensure that you do in fact wish to modulate rather than transpose your music.  Many people mix up these two terms because they appear to be similar, whereas in practical terms they are very different.  If you wish to modulate from one key into another, you are moving the music along and playing the music in the keys in which it was composed (or arranged).  Transposing on the other hand is taking the existing music and changing it into a new key.  Clear now? 

OK, so you’re sure that what you want to do is modulate from one key into another, so how do you go about it?  Well, it is possible to just play the original chord and then follow it with the new chord.  If you’re lucky, it will fit without jarring on the listeners ears.  Many times however this doesn’t happen and so what you need to learn are the basics of chord progression so that you make the key change almost invisible.

In order to make the transition from one key into another, you need to know what your pivot chord is.  That’s the chord which occurs in both the key that you’re currently playing in, and the key you are going to modulate into.  Although you could use any chord, for the modulation to be really smooth, you should choose something other than the tonic or the dominant of the key you’re modulating into. 

Another way of modulating from one key to another is by using the circle of 5ths technique.  This creates an even distance between the notes, a perfect 5th.  This means that having played the tonic, you’ll then play the dominant chord (a 5th above), or the subdominant (a 5th lower).  Having some understanding of how the circle of 5ths works will allow you to modulate more freely when you are improvising as you will acquire an instinctive feel for which chord should come next as you move from one key to the next.

Other types of modulation are common-tone modulation where one note from the current key is played repeatedly as the chord changes into the new key and so creates a musical bridge linking the two keys, chromatic modulation where one chord, such as the secondary dominant, is used to lead the chord chromatically into the new key, and enharmonic modulation where the dominant 7th/augmented 6th are used to move smoothly across from one key to the next in 3 chords or less.  Music from the romantic period made use of enharmonic modulation but by the end of this period it was used in conjunction with chromatic modulation.

There are other forms of modulation, such as sequential modulation and phrase modulation techniques which can be used to move from one key into the next, but these offer a more abrupt way of arriving in the new key.  While they are good musical tools to have for improvisation playing, especially the sequence modulation (also known as a rosalia), and can be used to create a good effect (in particular the phrase modulation) they are not usually a way of smooth and seemingly effortless modulation.