Duane Shinn (that would be me) has good news for you if you want to play the piano. He (me) has little fat hands & stubby little fingers - not at all suited for playing the piano - more suited to making mud pies or some such. I am also fairly uncoordinated with just average musical ability - certainly not a great piano player. But I've learned a ton about music over the years and people tell me I'm pretty decent at explaining how music works & how to progress more rapidly on the piano. Over the years I have developed about 150 techniques for conquering the piano. Most professional pianists can do these techniques, but very few can explain them in a way people can understand. I specialize in making complex techniques simple. I invite you to watch a few of my free videos and see some of these for yourself before making any decision about taking any of my courses.
Any chord can be turned upside down simply by taking the bottom note of the chord and putting it on top – an octave higher. There are 3 positions of any 3-note chord (triad): root position, 1st inversion, and 2nd … Continue reading →
Diminished triads are formed by lowering the 3rd and the 5th of a major triad. (A triad is a 3-note chord). Remember that a major triad is formed from the root, 3rd, and 5th of a major scale. Watch this … Continue reading →
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 … Continue reading →
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 … Continue reading →
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!”
Continue reading →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 … Continue reading →
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 … Continue reading →
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 … Continue reading →
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 … Continue reading →
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 … Continue reading →
