In this piano video I demonstrate a couple fairly unusual chord progressions for the old Christmas Carol “Jingle Bells”. The chord progression makes use of both a different rhythm and a different chord sequence. Watch: Then click here: Christmas Carols … Continue reading →
Sometimes if you voice chords in 4ths instead of 3rds you create a more contemporary sound. But it’s not real easy — you have to make sure to get the critical notes of a triad included, and that is often … Continue reading →
If you wanted to play “O Little Town Of Bethlehem” without depending on the sheet music, what would you do? Here are a few ideas: Click here: O Little Town Of Bethlehem
Continue reading →Do you know how to use parallelisms in your piano playing?
Continue reading →When you play familiar songs on the piano, you don’t have to play them the same way everyone else plays them.
Continue reading →It was possibly a king who prompted “Silent Night” to become a Christian standard. Twenty-two years after the Strasser children started performing it, King Frederick William IV of Prussia heard it and declared it should “be given first place in all future Christmas concerts” under his rule. The accuracy of the story has not been substantiated. What is clear, is that in spite of everything, “Silent Night” became a worldwide hit.
Continue reading →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
Continue reading →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 short free video as I demonstrate how you can create an entirely new “feel” to an old carol such as “Silent Night”
Continue reading →How to use chord substitutions to re-harmonize a song on the piano, in this case, Silent Night
Continue reading →It seems like a long time until Christmas, but it has a way of sneaking up on us gradually until suddenly it’s upon us. If you want to be ready to play some Christmas carols, get out your carol books and start reviewing, and then come up with some new arrangements for an old carol to make it sound more interesting.
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